[written 5/6/15]  So here we go.  I have made a goal to write for a half hour every day.  I actually started with the goal of an hour every day and that was yesterday.  I wrote for exactly zero minutes yesterday.  Therefore, I think my goal may have been too lofty, so I’m lowering it to a half hour.  And look at me go!  I have already started. 

I am going to begin with the story of my teacher intern program interview.   As is the case with many of my appointments, I was running late.  Time is elastic to me.  I always underestimate the amount of time a task may take me.  I was going to stop at the post office to mail my daughter’s graduation invitations and thought that would be a quick stop.  That turned into hand-stamping 46 envelopes at the postal counter.  Not an easy task, pealing all those little stamps off a sheet and sticking them on, particularly when you are a little jittery from your medication for ADD.  But that’s a story for another day.

 So, I leave the post office with 25 minutes to get to my interview.  No way in hell.  I had to make the call of shame to let them know I would be late.  She was friendly and seemed okay, yet I was still very nervous and stressed and jittery.  And almost out of gas.  I sped to Iowa City and about halfway there, my last bar was gone.  Running on fumes.   There was no time to stop for gas or I would be even later.  And I was the final interview of the day, so I knew they would want to get home.  I decided praying was my best option. 

I made it.  Parked my car in the parking ramp near the College of Education and tried to compose myself as I walked across the street to the building.  I didn’t want to be that crazy hot mess that rushes in all flustered apologizing up and down.  Nope.  Not me.  Not me at all.  Well…totally me.  But, I acted calm and collected and gave a very personable and professional thank you for waiting for me.  I apologize for being late. 

The professor that was assigned the “greeter” position gave me a warm welcome and assured me that this would not be like a typical job interview.  It was an opportunity for three professionals from the state universities to have a conversation with me to determine if they think I would be a good candidate for the alternative teacher licensure program.  I would have an opportunity to ask questions.  “Please just be yourself,” she said, “we want to get to know you.”  Okay.  You asked for it.  I decided to be myself.

All in all, I feel I did a nice job answering questions honestly and professionally.  I later looked over the star teacher interview format they were using, which the interviewees knew about ahead of time.  I realized AFTER THE FACT, that I had answered almost all questions ON POINT.  Yay me!  About three fourths of the way into the interview, one of the interviewers gave me the following scenario, “Let’s say I’m a student in your class and we have spent a lot of time on a class community service project and we are excited about it.  The principal tells us we can’t do it.  How should I, as a student, act when I see the principal in the hallway?  Should I turn my head away from him?”  I looked at my interviewer and gave a shoulder-shrugging, both palms up, isn’t-it-obvious look and said, “Well…you flip him the bird!”

Bear in mind this is a nice, professional, well-mannered, middle-aged group.  But, while they didn’t guffaw at my terrible joke (although I thought it was completely HILARIOUS), I think they, too, thought it was hilarious.  I kind of half-heartedly apologized and said, “I’ll bet you haven’t heard THAT today.” They chuckled and said, “No, we haven’t.”  Back on task.

I left the interview feeling very pleased and amused with myself.  Just having had the experience was great.  I am really okay if they don’t think I will be a good fit for the program.  Something better happened to me in that interview.  One of the interviewers asked me, “So, Lisa, how many books have you written?”  I looked at him and said, “Zero.” He told me that I should keep that in the back of mind.  I should write a book.  I’m not really sure why he said that, but I feel he saw something in me.  He thought I had something to say.  So, I’m saying it.

I will leave you with the image of my glorious exit from my fabulous interview.  Remember the parking ramp?  Remember how flustered and medication-jittered I was?  I was chuckling to myself as I walked into the ramp.  I walked to where I thought my car was parked.  No car. I walked up the ramp.  I walked down the ramp.  Those damn ramps are so fucking confusing.  They go up, but not really.  There are ups and downs and in-betweens.  After about nine minutes, I called my daughter in a panic.  “I can’t find my car!”  She said it has to be there.  Try pushing your key button to make it honk.  So I did.  I could hear it honk!  As soon as I walked toward where I thought it was honking, I couldn’t hear it anymore.  Walk, walk, walk, walk.  Push, push, honk, honk.  Please don’t let any of my interviewers be parked in this ramp.  Please don’t let them see me walking and walking and sweating. And honking.  Horrible.

NINETEEN MINUTES!!!  I timed my fiasco because that’s just something I do.  Sometimes if I have an annoying teacher in spin class who talks too much, I will start to keep track of the number of seconds she can keep quiet.  When she talks again, I start the timer again.  Usually she can only make it about eight seconds before talking again.  Anyway, if you think nineteen minutes isn’t that long, try walking up and down a parking ramp for nineteen minutes in your dress clothes when it’s warm out.  And when you are now going to be late to your spin class because of losing your car in a parking ramp.  Let’s hope they decide I would be a good candidate to eventually teach your children in the public school system.