I was back in New York City for a week! It’s home. That’s all there is to say. Other places are nice. Other places have pros and cons exactly opposite of NYC, but New York is home. Jimmy Breslin said all there needs to be said on the subject: “The city I love and hate in equal measure.”

For those of you who have never made the trip all i’ll say is everything you’ve heard is true. Knowing that will you still go? Guess that depends on what you’ve heard, eh?

So despite the fact i withdrew my name from consideration Lewis & Clark College was conscientious enough to send me email informing me I’d been beat out for the job. How thorough! Guess they didn’t want me second-guessing myself and fretting over how i left them in a bad position. Now i can’t wait to see if they actually reimburse my travel expenses as promised. What were Tom Krattenmaker’s words, “bring your receipts, we’re happy to pay.” It’s been over 20 days, but that’s nothing in academia. If they don’t send a check it will become good cocktail party chit-chat. “My daughter attends Lewis and Clark college outside of Portland, it’s terribly exclusive.”

“Oh, those bums? They jacked me out of more than $200 in travel expenses ’cause i wasn’t convinced it was worth packing up and moving there for a job. I could tell a story or two about what i saw in my half day on campus….”

Hah… that would be funny.

Irrelevant, though. Unless a minor miracle occurs before too long i’m putting the boise house up for sale and returning (or returning to the vicinity of) the place where i was created.