Here’s how my job-searching day went:

3:19 pm – I’m offered a position in the College of Engineering – techincal writing stuff

3:57 pm – I accept the position in principle, pending a quick talk with the supervising instructor

4:57 pm – the supervising instructor sets a time to meet tomorrow

5:52 pm – College of Engineering sends me a pdf of the contract to have while we talk about the gig

In other words, I’ll start the semester with a contract already signed.

In four years that’s never happened in the College of Arts. My home department has without fail been on top of matters, and I’ve had every chance to prepare well in advance. English, cinema studies and digital humanities does all their work and I love working with them. Where, then, might one locate the source of these always-tardy contracts for work everyone in the department knows I’ll be doing? It certainly couldn’t be in the HR people.