Glimmer of hope?

I caved in and called the recruiter this morning. Of course, I obsessed over the message to leave her just in case she didn't pick up the phone. I wrote a script, practiced it 20 times, and then called Andy at work and recited it for him. Twice. (The man is a saint, I tell you.) Thank God it went to voice mail. I would have freaked if she answered the phone!

The good news is, the recruiter called me back. Naturally, I was driving on the freeway when she called so I had to let it go to voice mail. (Safety first.) Here's the scoop:

• They just finished interviewing for the position.
• The manager gave the OK to check my references.
• The recruiter is working on that today.
• The recruiter hopes that she'll be able to call me in "the very near future" with "good news."
  

I actually cried when I heard her message. The job isn't guaranteed -- but it looks like I'm in the running! And I could start work as early as December 15th. At least we know I'll know by then.

P.S. I got another email rejection this afternoon. This one from UW.