Historic Day
 

I have momentous news, on this Maryann’s Moving Day – not concerning revolutions or royalty, but Rayne.

Many of you know of her, some of you have met and know her well. A few of you have been waiting – fingers crossed – for this news. And I, of course, adore her more than life itself. Once again, she has done the incredible! She has been offered, unanimously, a position as History Professor at Dearborn University in Michigan!!!!!!!! It's before dawn here, and I've only just heard the news!! This is her very first academic job – indeed, it's her very first job of any kind!!!! Well – her real job has been to be the best she can be, and she has done it outstandingly!

We have been on an amazing journey. That little red-haired, blue-eyed Australian bush baby—who could sing Donne's 'The Sunne Rising before she was two; who we taught at home because the Education Department advised us there was nothing they could do for her; and who stuffed her language larder and fed her soul with the Dylans, Bob and Thomas; who excelled upon excellence at university— has now secured a position in a limited job market in the United States!!!!!!!!

She is my boundless joy, and I hope you don’t mind me sharing this great news, and celebrating our unique and beautiful Rayne, with friends here who care about her, too. I append a tribute ghazal workshopped here some time ago, about Rayne – Long may she!


ghazal (on Rayne)

Let light ring out a joyous psalm about you,
the night will cast a moonlit calm about you.

I swallow deep a swollen note of pain
then loosen, ruck the woven balm about you.

You snap the waves that wash your sandy feet,
you reap the crop of skulls we farm about you.

A canvas kiss adorns your coppered walls,
da Vinci’s Mona throws her arm about you.

In your breathing space spin coins of gold,
The Seven Sisters seed their charm about you.

I call a chrysalis to feed the worms,
extract a vow to ward off harm about you.



Please feel free to crow about your own kids here! There simply is no love like them, is there?

Cally

Absolutely wonderful news. And I feel so lucky to have actually had the opportunity to sit in a booth at Blue Door and talk with the two of you!

But Cally, dear mother, you realize now we're going to grill you for more details, right? More about the appointment and the area of history?

Hurrah for the successes of all the people we love.

Maryann! I'm in the middle of a huge storm on a wild stretch of coast, and my internet connection keeps dropping out! It took about ten attempts to post this news! When it's light, I will drive till I find an area of more reliable connection, then I will tell you more! I think we will try to find a place to live in Ann Arbor - she can commute to Dearborn from there.

Can you believe this, Maryann!??!! We will all be at The Blue Door again soon, now that I can make my travel plans, and we can raise a glass to her! We must have champagne!!

Cally

Congratulations on Rayne's sucess, Cally!

Duncan

Is this great news, or what? Congratulations is almost too pale a word: a friend was just telling me how hard it was to great a job in academia these days, and now this. You must be walking on the moon.

Ed

Wow, the academic job market in the US is tougher than ever right now, Cally. This is amazing! The Poitevins will have a drink tonight to celebrate Rayne's success and Cally's joy.

Pedro

Cally, I've been jumping up and down so much, I haven't even finished reading your first post above!!!!! Hooray for Rayne! And her darling parents, Cally and Mark!!!!!!

g'donya, mates!!
thrilled for you!
let's raise a celebratory timtam!!

OK!!! MARY!! I am rolling about in fits of tears and floods of laughter! This would demand a new generation of emoticons!!!!

I've driven to a lookout for better reception - what a day to dawn!!!

I just finished a long skype call with her. Her heart is so full of happiness!! Do you know what that means to me? I know you do! She has done so much, at such a young age! To win a job like this in the current climate - it's extraordinary. They loved her! Who wouldn't? Here are a few more of the details Maryann asked for.

Her position is Assistant Professor of Early Modern History, in the History department of the School of Social Sciences at Dearborn, which is part of the University of Michigan. She felt so at home with the people there! And they voted for her unanimously! She will have a six year contract, after which the tenure process begins, and she is well positioned for that already as she almost has her first book ready for publication, and she has had many articles published already! Isn't this amazing??

My daughter will be living in America! In Ann Arbor!! Which means I will spend part of each year there - and there will be much cuddling and much kissing, and much adventuring!!!

This is so huge! I love her so much! I can't stop crying at all, I can't stop laughing - I have never felt so full to bursting!!!

I need to dance! I need champagne! I need to see Rayne! I'll be booking my flight in the next day or so. I have to teach her to drive! She doesn't drive yet! And it's impossible to live in America without driving! Richard - I have already promised her that YOU will teach her to drive! Can you, Richie??

Cally

Historic day indeed. Congratulations, Cally.

Great news, Cally.
And we'll see you soon!
N

What a wonderful piece of news. Congratulations to Rayne and Cally and Co!

Cally,

Wonderful news, congratulations. My daughter taught classics at the Univ. of Michigan in the 90's, and loved Ann Arbor. So do I, it is a wonderful place.
Have much, much good fun and great times there, and great, good luck to your daughter.
Birthe

That's wonderful news, Cally! Having been through the academic job market more than ones in the past several years (and as an early modernist, too!-- though in lit., not history), I know how much of a feat that is. Best of luck to Rayne! (and Ann Arbor is a lovely place.)

Just what MaryAnn said at the beginning.
(Plus, I wish more than ever that we knew your real name).

Wonderful news, Cally! Congratulations to you and Rayne.

Susan

Cally,

Hardy congrats from the Southland, USA. Breaking into academia? It's like
breaking into Fort Knox. Super!

Cally--

Many congratulations to you and Rayne, from an academic who knows it's a tough club to get into. I hope she will find it as supportive and challenging and gratifying a game as I have.

Best,
Jean

Delightful news, Cally! Congratulations to Rayne ... and you!

Great news, Cally! Congratulations.

Tell Mark I am at the ready if Rayne needs help putting together the syllabus for a course on Post-Modern Identity Formation and Late Capitalist Social Relations of Power.

David R.

That is bloody wonderful Cally, those Yanks need a dose of edification. *smile*

Jan

Thank you so much everyone for sharing my joy!

Thanks, Duncan!

Ed, I have leaped over the nine clouds and run rings around the moon!

Poitevins – Clink! Drink! Kim, Rayne’s doctoral thesis is entitled “A Monarchy of Letters: The Role of Royal Correspondence in English Diplomacy During the Reign of Elizabeth I”. She completed it last year at Oxford. I was shocked by the process involved in applying for academic positions in the States – the big job conference in Boston, the quick interview process (almost like a cattle market!) then the wait for the invitation of attend the actual institution, to make the short list, and topped off with a gruelling day of meetings and presenting a paper to the entire department and fielding questions! I can’t believe she did it! And this is the one she wanted!

Let’s dunk and suck together, Seree!! To TImtammers everywhere!!! Thanks, mate!

Lovely to hear from you, John! Thank you for thinking of us!

Nemo!!! Ann Arbor – watch out! Nemo and Cally are on the way!!!!!!

Darling Dave! Looks like I’ll be on your shore before you make it to mine! Thanks, Dave!

Birthe! That is so interesting about your daughter! One of the many reasons they were impressed with Rayne is that she has a background in Classics, too, as well as Latin. They are big on Classics at Michigan, as you must well know! We are both looking forward to life in Ann Arbor – if I need practical advice, it’s good to know someone I might ask!

Susan – you’re in the Midwest, too! If an opportunity ever presents, we must find a way of meeting up one day. I have often thought that you would have a lot in common with Rayne.

Gail! I thought my ‘real’ name was an open secret! But if you’ve missed it, let me whisper it in your ear. It’s Christine Allinson, but no one calls me Christine – everyone calls me Chrissy. I made up ‘Cally’ out of my initials when I joined here to have a separate identity from Mark, who is Rayne’s father. I don’t live with Mark (let’s face it – who could!?!?!?!), but he is my sine qua non, nonetheless. He is a great man, and Rayne is just like him, only without the bitterness. Listening to the two of them talk together – they are two of the funniest and most erudite and most genuine individuals I have ever known.

Lance and Jean – I know you both know what a feat this is! It really is hard to grasp that she has broken through! But if you knew her you would understand. Jean, the reason why she hoped for the offer from Michigan is because she found them to be extremely supportive! She asked them what they most enjoyed about Dearborn, and they replied “working with each other”.

Thanks, Alex!!

David!! That made me fall to my knees with laughing!! You can imagine how tortured Mark’s soul is by all this!! I will pass on your generous offer – we both know how grateful he will be!!!!

Bloody oath it is, Jan!! It’ll be all ‘goanna’ and ‘g’day’ in the USA soon!

Thank you all!! This has been a great day in my life. The culmination of a dream.

Cally

Hi Cally! Wonderful, wonderful news. Heartiest congratulations to both of you!

So sorry to be slow arriving here, Cally. I've been wishing I could find words wonderful enough to match the wonder of your news.
But I admit defeat. It's just bloody marvellous, and what credit to you and Mark, as well as what joy all round!

Cally, I remember how devastated you were here publicly when she went off across the waters to school. My whole screen was wet for two days despite wiping it down with Kleenex every hour on the hour.

What a happy ending! Thanks for sharing this good news. Congrats to you and Mark for raising such a fantastic young woman.

Many congratulations to you, Cally, and your daughter. This is a man who was turned down by every university in England. Well almost. And they were quite right, bless them.

Thank you very much Holly and Adam and Janice and John!

John, the loss to the students of the universities of England will never be known but can be well imagined. You are our gain.

It is, as you say Adam, a wonder, a marvel, to have a tenure-track position teaching the things you love in a terrific department in a beautiful part of the world. Rayne informs me, quoting Bjork, that she is "violently happy"!!!

Rayne has also had a chance to read this thread now, and asks me to tell you how delighted she is that a whole community of people she doesn't know have expressed such joy over her success.

Janice, I am now making my travel plans to be with the wonder child. Imagine the weeping when I hold her? Imagine the joy! Imagine the boxes of Kleenex!

Cally

Cally,

I should come to General Talk more often, and scribble into it less. At any rate, ...I missed this!

What wonderful news! Congratulations. I'm smiling ear to ear.

Rick

Cally,
What wonderful news! Congratulations and best wishes.