Alright. So I just got back from Oregon last night, and it was BEAUTIFUL, and my interview/presentation went very well. I was in a charming town called Astoria, where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean:
...but not without a fight. I was originally scheduled to give a presentation to a screening committee as a candidate for a faculty position at the community college there on Thursday of last week, but it turns out that last week there was a hurricane-force storm that sealed the entire region off from the rest of civilization for most of the week. No power, no phone, and no way out due to mudslides, flooding, and fallen trees and power lines. FEMA has set up camp there, and the place is officially a federal disaster area. Just my luck, right?
So they re-scheduled me for yesterday, and even though the main highway between Portland and Astoria remained closed due to a massive mudslide:
...I was able to find an alternate route into town. I got into town Thursday evening, and checked into my room at the Red Lion Inn Astoria, which had a balcony overlooking the docks:
How cool is that? I walked next door to a BEAUTIFUL restaurant/wine cellar and decided to order the swordfish, since several swordfish were caught that day and they were running a special. I also sampled a couple of clam chowders. The food was AMAZING, and I enjoyed it at a corner table that had a beautiful view of the river:
It was SUCH a refreshing break from Phoenix! The next morning, I continued exploring the town (which is where "Goonies," "Kindergarten Cop," and parts of "Free Willy" were filmed, by the way) and fell in LOVE with it. Ships go by the Columbia every couple of minutes, and I'm fascinated by all the maritime traffic. This is a picture I took when walking down 15th Street:
The closest thing we come to maritime traffic in Phoenix is when Bret gets out the slip-and-slide, poors a keg or two of Bud Light all over it, and then goes sliding down it mouth-first. Even though Bret is rougly the size of an industrial freight ship, it's just not the same.
So, I'm absolutely LOVING the town when I make my way to the college itself to get a good look at it before I go in for my presentation. All the hard work Astoria had gone through to come across as "charming" was undone by this wretched, run-down campus. Amidst so much beauty, this place was BUTT UGLY. It was kind of like seeing Mariah Carey married to Tommy Mottola:
...or finally fulfilling your life-long fantasy with Mark-Paul Gosselaar:
...and then finding out immediately afterwards that he has syphilis.
The photo I took doesn't do its shabiness justice. I would've taken pictures of the inside, but that might have been interpreted as disrespectful by the faculty and staff accomodating me for my presentation:
On the inside, there were cracks and water stains everywhere. I was told the buildings were undergoing mandatory renovations, since the State of Oregon had deemed them "unable to withstand an earthquake." Gulp. In any case, the presentation went very well, the pay is definitely viable, and the teaching load isn't bad at all: 4 courses per term, with the summer off if I want it (otherwise I can teach during the summer and earn extra money). Even though it's about as big as my hometown of Safford, Astoria has a LOT of things going on: culture, art, boats, amazing seafood, a trolley, a Democratic majority, and let us not forget: Goonies.
On the other hand, it's ALWAYS cloudy/rainy/windy in the winter and I don't know anyone there. And then there's the whole debate about sticking to my plan of starting the PhD program at U of Oregon or Arizona State next fall. Oh, by the way, I took the GRE on Thursday before my flight and scored higher than average without doing nearly the amount of studying I should have. I really could've done better had I budgeted my time appropriately, but I just didn't feel like it. I already have a master's degree, so I already feel entitled to admission to a PhD program. I'm such a pompous asshole.
I still have no idea what to do. It's very tempting to go. We'll see.
...but not without a fight. I was originally scheduled to give a presentation to a screening committee as a candidate for a faculty position at the community college there on Thursday of last week, but it turns out that last week there was a hurricane-force storm that sealed the entire region off from the rest of civilization for most of the week. No power, no phone, and no way out due to mudslides, flooding, and fallen trees and power lines. FEMA has set up camp there, and the place is officially a federal disaster area. Just my luck, right?
So they re-scheduled me for yesterday, and even though the main highway between Portland and Astoria remained closed due to a massive mudslide:
...I was able to find an alternate route into town. I got into town Thursday evening, and checked into my room at the Red Lion Inn Astoria, which had a balcony overlooking the docks:
How cool is that? I walked next door to a BEAUTIFUL restaurant/wine cellar and decided to order the swordfish, since several swordfish were caught that day and they were running a special. I also sampled a couple of clam chowders. The food was AMAZING, and I enjoyed it at a corner table that had a beautiful view of the river:
It was SUCH a refreshing break from Phoenix! The next morning, I continued exploring the town (which is where "Goonies," "Kindergarten Cop," and parts of "Free Willy" were filmed, by the way) and fell in LOVE with it. Ships go by the Columbia every couple of minutes, and I'm fascinated by all the maritime traffic. This is a picture I took when walking down 15th Street:
The closest thing we come to maritime traffic in Phoenix is when Bret gets out the slip-and-slide, poors a keg or two of Bud Light all over it, and then goes sliding down it mouth-first. Even though Bret is rougly the size of an industrial freight ship, it's just not the same.
So, I'm absolutely LOVING the town when I make my way to the college itself to get a good look at it before I go in for my presentation. All the hard work Astoria had gone through to come across as "charming" was undone by this wretched, run-down campus. Amidst so much beauty, this place was BUTT UGLY. It was kind of like seeing Mariah Carey married to Tommy Mottola:
...or finally fulfilling your life-long fantasy with Mark-Paul Gosselaar:
...and then finding out immediately afterwards that he has syphilis.
The photo I took doesn't do its shabiness justice. I would've taken pictures of the inside, but that might have been interpreted as disrespectful by the faculty and staff accomodating me for my presentation:
On the inside, there were cracks and water stains everywhere. I was told the buildings were undergoing mandatory renovations, since the State of Oregon had deemed them "unable to withstand an earthquake." Gulp. In any case, the presentation went very well, the pay is definitely viable, and the teaching load isn't bad at all: 4 courses per term, with the summer off if I want it (otherwise I can teach during the summer and earn extra money). Even though it's about as big as my hometown of Safford, Astoria has a LOT of things going on: culture, art, boats, amazing seafood, a trolley, a Democratic majority, and let us not forget: Goonies.
On the other hand, it's ALWAYS cloudy/rainy/windy in the winter and I don't know anyone there. And then there's the whole debate about sticking to my plan of starting the PhD program at U of Oregon or Arizona State next fall. Oh, by the way, I took the GRE on Thursday before my flight and scored higher than average without doing nearly the amount of studying I should have. I really could've done better had I budgeted my time appropriately, but I just didn't feel like it. I already have a master's degree, so I already feel entitled to admission to a PhD program. I'm such a pompous asshole.
I still have no idea what to do. It's very tempting to go. We'll see.
posted by Charlie at 7:32 PM
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