Irritability

Much to my chagrin, I am now thoroughly engaged in my least favorite of all human endeavors: the Job Hunt.

I worked very hard over the last two years to earn a teaching license. This was primarily (though not solely) because I couldn't get a decent job with a B.S. degree in Theatre. So now I have a license to teach Theatre to students aged K-12... yeah. HUGE step up there in employability.

I've been job hunting to a greater or lesser extent since early May. Today was my first interview. There's a mindblowing thought: my very first interview for my new career. Anyway, Theatre is a fairly small and incestuous world, and Theatre Education is even more so.

Case in point: I'm in the office at Central Middle School in Columbia Heights. I'm wearing clothes that fit me very well about 20-30 pounds ago, though still managing to look fairly snazzy (aside from my fringe of thinning hair that my freaking Godspell director has forced me to grow out!) Where was I? Yes, I was sitting there, and out of the conference room walks Tinne. Now, Tinne teaches theatre at Crosswinds, which was (until a year ago) an arts magnet school. When it ceased to be a magnet, she got cut from full time to 50% of full time. This year they're cutting her down to 40%. I observed Tinne a year ago for one of my classes. Then I got her to teach one of my GRADUATE LEVEL THEATRE EDUCATION CLASSES LAST SUMMER! She's talented, experienced, and FAR more qualified than I. It was great to see her, but I could feel my stomach flip, twist, knot, and settle in the moment that I realized who I was looking at, and what her presence indicated.

We had a few happy moments of catch-up, while the secretary stared at us like she's never heard of people applying for the same job knowing one another. Whatever. Tinne left, I headed in, and proceeded to have a thoroughly mediocre interview.

Then I'm walking out, and there's Windy. Windy was in the aforementioned graduate level theatre education class Tinne taught last summer. She's talented, personable, and she's been subbing for several years, giving her far more practical classroom teaching experience than I. So, I was stuck between two applicants that I hold in great esteem, either of whom is far more deserving of the job than I. I wish them luck, but that doesn't help me with the fact I don't have a freaking job!

Jess and I had an agreement that if I got this job, we'd pop for tickets to go see Wicked. I'm never going to see that show now.