Deja vu all over again, or, what I learned from "Mad Men"

Last night I recieved an email from the professor that I've been talking to about setting up a lab using equipment from my current company.  He basically reiterated that he thinks the best way to do this is to hire someone experienced to run it, and he doesn't want to do it unless he can get me or someone else from here to run it.  It sounds like this job is mine if I want it.
When I got the email I had a weird reaction.  I got nervous, closed my email and went back to watching "Mad Men" on DVD.  Yes, I am hooked on that show, but normally I multitask while watching it.  I didn't go re-read the email until later.  In any case, it was useful to watch "Mad Men" since the episodes involved the ad agency getting bought by another agency, and the machinations and positioning surrounding the merger.  It reminded me a lot of what we went through just a few months ago.  Of course, I'm left with a cliff-hanger, since the season finale left it unclear whether the merger would go through or not.
I had trouble sleeping last night, since I was thinking about the university thing and how to approach the situation.  When I woke up, I realized that a lot of my unease is due to the fact, like the proposed aquisition last fall, it can be derailed easily at any time if my current company gets too greedy about pricing the equipment.  The lesson that I learned from that is not to stop my job search, even if things look certain.

Hmmmm

At the networking and job search strategies class I went to, they suggested using your blog and your Facebook account as a means of finding a job. Uh no, I don't think so, unless I decide to start doing a chemistry blog or directing everyone to the food blog.  I love the LOLcats and the randomness but that's NOT the image I want to convey to anyone other than y'all.  So even when I do blog about my job search, identifying details get left out. 
With that disclaimer, I did get some good news on the job front.  A prof whom I know wants to get some equipment from my company and hire someone to run the lab, work with the grad students, etc.  He's trying to copy Caltech's model - they've been pretty successful since they worked closely with us and also hired a very good person to run it.  (Other universities have done the same thing but have had less success, largely because they didn't hire the right person to run it)  I think this sounds like a pretty fun job - the only reason I didn't apply for the Caltech job was that at the time I was dating T and didn't want to leave him-a lot of good that did me.  Also, I didn't want to move to SoCal.  Anyway, the T issue is obviously no longer a problem, and I like the location a lot better than SoCal, so this is kind of a dream job, mid-life crisis old biddy version.  (Former dream job = prof at MIT)  I could be in an academic setting and do fun chemistry without a lot of the headaches of being a prof.
Anyway, I talked to the prof and am in the process of putting together a proposal for him.  It would be ideal to get as much gently used equipment as possible, but the timing will make this difficult.  The garage sale has already begun and  I don't know how much of the really prime stuff will be left once the prof gets his funding, but you can't apply for funding without a budget and a plan.  So my current plan is to propose buying a new instrument as the workhorse for the program, and then try to get additional used equipment at low cost or as a donation.
Nothing is guaranteed, of course.  A lot depends on my proposal, as well as the prof's proposal to the university.  But it's worth a try.
Anyway, it's been a good distraction and I feel positive for the first time since they announced the reorg back in late October.  It feels good.  I've had too few truly good things happen in the last six months.

Reorg Blog, 1 week

Things were pretty depressing at work last week.  No one got much done.  It's marginally less depressing now, but I feel like I have to be careful not to be too cheerful in my autoresponses when people ask how it's going.  Not like I really am very cheerful these days, just numb and unmotivated, but I have an annoying tendency to pretend to be cheerful.
Rumor has it that the acquisition is a done deal and it's just in the hands of the lawyers now.  I hope that's the case.  I had my lunch interview at the solar company yesterday.  I enjoyed talking with the manager of the group, and it sounds like a good place to work.  Unfortunately, I have neither the requisite skill set nor much interest in polymer properties, so it wasn't a good fit.  They called me to set up a full day interview, but after reflecting on it overnight I withdrew my application. It's not them, it's me;-)
I also have an interview at a startup on Friday afternoon.  It's a very long shot technology.  It will be interesting to see what they've done so far.  I am surprised and pleased to get interviews so quickly with so little effort.  There seem to be a lot of job listings for chemists as well.
I haven't told my mom about the reorg yet.  My plan is not to tell her anything until I have to.
I've discontinued Breakup Blog unless I have something that I really HAVE to write, and removed the old posts.  If I do post, it may stay up for a few days and then get removed.  Since splitting the blog in two it's easier to find this blog with a simple Google search, unfortunately, and not realizing this, I posted the link to the other blog on Facebook.  I won't post the latest things that would've made it into Breakup Blog, other than to say that if I don't get a polite response in the next few days, either by email, IM or phone, to my email describing what's been going on at work, I'm going to stop making the effort to stay friends.  To paraphrase one of you, I'm not wasting any more of my energy and emotions for the sake of his serenity.