Drat. That didn't work out.

This afternoon after taking care of the dog mess (more on that in a bit) I checked out the email that piled up while I was in San Fran for my SIL's wedding (more on that later).

Besides the usual messages I received a few employment related ones:

• I have a phone interview tomorrow for a research job that won't add to my CV but will keep me employed in academia. We'd have to move but not very far. Field Notes might be able to keep working for his present co. which be good careerwise depending on what he'd be doing. It could work out, but I have mixed feelings about this.

• I didn't get the stats teaching gig that might have developed into something but would have required me to live apart from Mr. Field Notes for the next 9 months. Yuck. The area is very nice, and the Newf would have loved the climate. I would have known stats inside and out by the end of it but would have paid a high price. They have a T-T gig open in my area the next academic year so I can apply for that. Who knows, maybe it's the kind of place they would never have hired their emergency replacement for the T-T no matter how good they were.

• I am one of the top candidates for a govt job here in town. It could work out, but I don't know whether I'd want to do it for a career. It's certainly not an academic job. At least it looks like I have an interview!

• Then again, I have mixed feelings about academic jobs. Most days I doubt that I have the research drive necessary to actually get tenure. I think I could get a T-T gig if I stepped up the amount of papers I have out, but I honestly don't know if I could sustain the kind of research paper productivity necessary to get tenure. Maybe I am overestimating the number of papers needed to get tenure. It's got to vary immensely according to the kind of school.

One thing I know for certain now is that I would absolutely love to go back to San Francisco. The city has a very European/Mediterranean feel. I loved walking up and down the hilly streets looking at all of the beautiful row houses (especially the ones near the Exploratorium), smelling the blooming jasmine that grows really well there, and hearing the dozens of languages spoken. If I could afford it, I would live there.

Being away from home meant that the dogs stayed at the kennel. I picked them up today and almost gagged at one point on the drive home because of how god awful they smelled. And, I had all of the windows rolled down. Words cannot begin to describe how absolutely dreadful it was. They won't be going back to that kennel. The other one bathes them before pick up so they never reek.

I gave them both baths in the bathtub at home. The senior spaniel hates getting wet and tried to bite me when I picked him up to put him in the tub. He mellowed out eventually and accepted his fate. I even got him to sit down in the tub so I was able to thoroughly wash his hind end. I dried his head and shoulders off while the water drained. It was fairly easy. He hardly shed any hair but I did have to clean out the drain. He shook off but there wasn't a ton of hair and water to towel up. I toweled him off a bit and then spritzed him with some black Cherry Currant fragrance from the Bath & Body Works.

Then I had to get the Newf into the tub. You'd think that being a Newfy she'd hop right in, but no - I had to wrestle her front legs into the tub but once she realized the water was running she jumped the rest of the way in. The tub filled up and then I realized I'd have to take extra care to make sure she didn't splash around otherwise the entire bathroom would be flooded. She kept turning around and as she does on dry land, mushed up against me numerous times. We both got seriously wet. Hair flew everywhere. The drain was completely full of hair by the end and when she shook off the water and hair hit the floor, walls, probably even the ceiling. I toweled her off, spritzed her, and then turned her loose.

I thought that would improve the stench, but no.

Max left a little brown present somewhere in the house while I was bathing Her Newfsance. They were both wet and running around like maniacs. I thought there was a real risk that they'd step in it and track the mess all over the house before I could locate it. Luckily I found it first. So, I had to clean the carpet too.

Fortunately Mr. Field Notes came home just in time to help clean up. I'm sure that's just what he wanted to do on his lunch break!