I need a job! But which job needs me?

So funny (not the ha-ha funny) how as it turns out, I am going out in the job market at the same time as everyone else is searching for a job. So, I am sending out resumes, reading job descriptions, thinking that it is about time (given my 37 Springs on Earth) that I find a place where I can grow some serious roots. Now, it is not easy to land a job in Academia on any given year. But this year, for some reason, perhaps the state of the US/World economy, it feels like I am up against the world! My insecurity is probably related to the fact that that I am not finished with my dissertation, which is very, VERY important in order to apply for a teaching position in a nice college/university. But more than that, it seems like it is more and more important to demonstrate your ability to bring money to your academic program, to be an expert in neuropsychology, to have good student evaluations and to have done research in decision making. Not sure why, but those seem to be the most wanted abilities nowadays. Aaaaaah if I only had a job. I mean, I do have a job now, part time. I am learning a lot. I am feeling productive. But come May, that ends... And there is also that family to tend to, and that dissertation to complete...
I always knew that I wanted to stay home to take care of my children. I had the blessing to do that and I see the results in my kids. But I never thought this through completely. I guess it is hard to do, you cannot predict too accurately matters of the heart and what life brings you. I guess in terms of my career I am a late bloomer, and that is the way it had to be in order to accomplish what I had to accomplish... Now, does anybody know of a place where they need a me?

2010 - Expectations

New year, new expectations... I am posting this to officially post something this year. I have been talking to some of you who feel a bit sad if not depressed about the starting of the year. There is mess and lack of clarity, what happened with the brand new year? What happened to the clean 2010 notebook? Where is that new year smell? We do need time markers to organize ourselves, we people like beginnings a lot. However, let's remember that this is an arbitrary day. That the food we ate on Dec. 31st was still in our stomachs on Jan. 1st (at least that happened inside my body). There are things that we bring from the last year that we have not gotten rid off. All I am saying is that let's be kind to ourselves. In Spanish we say "A Dios rogando y con el mazo dando" which loosely translates into "Praying to God and swinging the hammer". Religious connotations aside, it means that we have to still wish for what we want, never lower our expectations, never castrate our dreams. But at the same time, we have to work to achieve what we want, we have to bust our butts. I think we all remember times in our lives when we have felt "boy have I worked hard today". Well, that is the idea, every day we should feel we did our best, we gave our all. All of this, without being unkind to our selves. If we are not nice to our sensitive selves, who will be? Ok, there is a bunch of clichèd truisms for you. I hope I didn't waste your time too much...