Eighth interview was a success at last! I have a job at a school in Bedfordshire, starting in September.

Words cannot describe my relief.

I am returned from the land of sickness. Slept most of my time in hospital. Attending physician wanted to do a bunch of tests (chest x-ray, heart tracker, urine test, etc.) but he was just a baby and his seniors told him to release me.

Released I am.

Slice of toast then bed.

Bucket list: ride in an ambulance [check].

Thank you shei for calling me. Made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :)

Passed out at work. Ambulance came. Blood pressure was 81/35 or something. Apparently that's low? Admitted to hospital. Bored and tired. Cannula drip aches like a bitch but blood pressure back up to 101 after fluids. Discharge soon? 

It is an important and well-known fact that goldfish have better memory capacity than I do. I would forget my head if it wasn't attached to my neck. Case in point, today I left school ... without my netbook. Just - omg.

In other news, I have an interview on Monday and another on Wednesday. Both down south. I still have to teach on the Tuesday in Hartlepool though. SIGH.

All things considered, it being a Friday and all, it's not been a bad day thus far. Still got Pub tonight. In the immortal words of Princess Leia: "It's not over yet."

A school that included in its job specification that applicants should have a 'dash of eccentricity' has invited me to interview on Monday. Hee!

First official lesson observation yesterday went super well. Love my kids.

Busy day today is busy. :S Lots of printing to do.

I drove to school today in floods of tears.

I left school grinning, having had a really good day. (All my problems are, of course, still there, but whatevs. I taught kids shit today).

Pretty sure I'm doing the PGCE emotional rollercoaster thing backwards.

I'm stuck in a really awkward financial situation. I work part-time at the pub which just about covers rent and bills and food. I'm at school and university working towards a qualification that will, from September, ease a lot of my problems. In the interim, I am making repayments on two graduate bank loans and I have maxed out my two overdrafts.

I do not earn enough to qualify for a new loan.

I do not have anyone who could apply for the loan on my behalf.

I'm going to keep getting more and more overdrawn, but there isn't any more flexibility in these accounts.

But I can't quit my course now.

Fuck.

1) What sucks about not getting the job at that school isn't the failure of getting the job (though that sucks). It's the uncertainty. What if they were trying to call me but I didn't have signal at the time? It's such a stupid sliver of hope, but it might explain the lack of email. Stupid optimism is stupid.

2) My half-term 'holiday':

- write essay
- submit essay
- plan other essay
- submit plan for other essay
- read two novels for school
- plan two schemes of work based on aforementioned novels for school
- try to figure out what the third scheme of work is supposed to entail
- work 31 hours at the Pub

3) In two years' time I will be camping out under the stars in the Australian bush drinking whisky and laughing at my past self.

4) I'm putting weight on again. Bah humbug.

Legitimately didn't know how I did in the interview, so being left on tenterhooks for 2 days was ... Well. I have bitten my nails down to the quick.

Still haven't had even an email from the school, and as it's half term, I must assume I was unsuccessful. Have sent the Head of English an email thanking them for inviting me and asking for feedback.

Onwards and upwards I guess. I'm so not in the mood for applications this weekend.

So I'm at my interview, waiting to be collected for the final stage! Am feeling excited, nervous, and cold. But it's been a really great day, and the school is wonderful. Not sure I'll get the job - at least I was one of four to be invited, and one of those didn't show! - but it's been wonderful anyway.

And get this. I am legitimately here with Kurt Hummel. I mean, if Kurt Hummel were a mid-20s Oxford graduate from the Lake District, but still! The voice, the mannerisms, the vocabulary - 100% Kurt. Hilarious. I've had to bite back a smile all day!