Brother Cats, Still Hunting at 19

Meet my two cats. This is Mikasi:
and this is Maori:

Littermates, they had their 19th birthday in August. That makes them 83 in cat years.

They are showing their age in some ways. They weigh less than half of what they once weighed, with the angles of their bones easily felt beneath the skin. And, their kidney disease started almost two years ago, so they get subcutaneous fluids twice a week; the bag of fluid a permanent fixture in the diningroom.

But, let them out into the sunshine on a warm afternoon, and they rediscover their virile youth.

One has taken to chasing the squirrels from under the bird feeder. One day he stood his ground at the base of a tree beneath a chattering squirrel perched about six feet above him. I don't know how it would have ended if I hadn't intervened.

The other one usually spends his outdoors time taking a bath in the sunshine. But yesterday I caught him in hot pursuit of a small lizard that was scooting across the brick wall. If only he had front claws, he might have snagged its tail--darn!

Back indoors they return to their sedate, napping selves. Dreaming of their hunting adventures and looking forward to their next outing into the sunshine...

Sleep... Shouldn't it be the easiest thing one does?

Actually, sleep does come easily to me. Most nights I don't notice that my head has hit the pillow because I'm asleep by then. And, if I wake up in the night for one reason or another, I go right back to sleep just as immediately. And, I sleep until the alarm goes off. So, what's the problem?

Nothing except that even with all that sleep, I've been exhausted for the past 4-5 years. I wake up tired in the morning, and spend the day tired. For a while I thought it was just stress, but if that were the cause, then I would have had great rest while hiking, especially after my house sold. But, no, I woke up tired on trail, too. So, finally, this fall I decided to do a sleep study, something I'd been talking about for a couple of years.

Sure enough, I have a moderate case of sleep apnea. On the night of the study, I was asleep for 7.5 hours, and stopped breathing 10 times, almost stopping (called hypopnea) 107 times. That's something like once every four minutes. I was relieved to find a reason for waking up tired--I really am not getting enough quality sleep.

With that diagnosis, the next step was to choose an intervention. The least invasive option is to use a CPAP machine at night. Essentially, it puts a pocket of air in my airway, splinting it open so I can't stop breathing.

I've now been using the machine for 34 nights. I'm still in the getting-used-to process. I'd have thought that I would just need to get used to sleeping with a mask on my face, but that's the easy part. I've tried two different types of masks and had issues with both. But I haven't given up yet. Even though there have been very few nights when I've managed to wear it all night long, the hours I have been able to sleep well have helped me to feel more awake, with more energy than I've had for a long time.

So, I'm still working with it, trying different things each night, in the hope of finding a combination of factors that will work well. Because it will be SO worth it, when I am able to get 6-8 hours of quality sleep every night. I am looking forward to having more energy than I'll know what to do with!

Back to Blogging

My last post was in the middle of summer, and here it is almost winter. Since then I've been settling in to life in Atlanta. I have also been through the sleep study process, which I'll share more about in another post.

Before it becomes en vogue to make resolutions, I'm making one to keep my blogs more current... Stay tuned to see how well I do with that!

Job Hunting: A Depressing Endeavor

I have been blissfully unemployed for 18 months, but now am at the point where some income would be useful. I have several ideas for self-employment, but none of them will generate income in the required timeframe, so I'm seeking employment. And I'm finding it to be challenging at best, and more often simply draining and depressing.

One challenge is that I have moved to a new place, Atlanta, where I know only three people. My friends and professional network are back in the Raleigh-Durham area. Every professional position I've had in 18 years, except for the first one after grad school, has come to me through my network. Now I'm cold-calling, mostly responding to online postings.

I am an extremely capable person, with numerous talents and qualities that have made me successful in many roles over the years. I have no doubt that most, if not all, of my former managers would be delighted to hire me again. And yet I'm finding it difficult to communicate that in my responses to the relevant postings I've found.

It doesn't help that many places want you to have years of experience doing exactly their job. And some say that if you don't meet all of their requirements, "PLEASE do not respond!" Fine. So much for the olden days when a hiring manager described the ideal candidate, while expecting good candidates to match most of the description.

Reading career and resume advice, I've learned that nowadays there is HR software that screens applications, searching resumes for specific keywords and assigning relevance ratings to the candidates. I understand that recruiters have to find efficiencies, but that's a total shame to me.

See, I learned a huge lesson from a former manager, Bill, who hired me for my second job out of grad school. Had there been HR software to rate my resume for the position, my score would have been rock bottom--I hadn't done any part of the job before. But I had a relevant degree and the qualities Bill wanted in the person having this role. He believed that you can teach someone to do the required tasks, but it's a lot harder to teach them the finesse part of job success--things like building good relationships, doing things right the first time, thinking outside the box, and communicating well. I think he was right. But I guess it's too hard to screen resumes for qualities, or maybe recruiters are successful enough with the have-you-done-this-somewhere-else method.

I've submitted applications for maybe 20 posted positions. So far, I've had one half-day temp job and received one "thanks but no." I will be revising my resume to be more compelling, so maybe that'll make all the difference. We'll see...

In wonderment,
Em

Reproductive Relief

Seems to be a day to celebrate heroes! Earlier today I posted about Dave and Shannon of Wind River Services, bringing their vision into reality to make a difference in people's lives.

I just learned about Reproductive Relief, a non-profit organization dedicated to making a difference in the lives of people living with reproductive cancer. Their mission is "to offer relief through support, encouragement and inspiration to the courageous women who battle reproductive cancer by increasing awareness." A Cancer Walk and Wellness Event is their first fundraising event, to be held in Rhode Island in September.

It was started by my friend, Kerri McClean, who is bringing her vision into reality. Wow.

Check it out at reproductive-relief.org.

In wonderment,
Em

Wind River Services

In the spring of 2007, I was hiking the Appalachian Trail through the Smokies and met Dave Pschirer who was hiking for the weekend. I felt an immediate connection to him and enjoyed our conversation that evening and the next morning. Dave shared that he and his wife were starting a retreat center for people who have cancer. He took my email address and followed through with putting me on their mailing list.

It's called Wind River, and it's located in western North Carolina. Dave and Shannon just celebrated the center's first anniversary, and from the sounds of the newsletter I just got, they're busy making a difference in people's lives. Check it out at windriverservices.com.

I appreciate this example of people who have a vision to make a difference in the world, and who manifest that vision in reality. Wow.

Dave's parting words were that he was sure we'd cross paths again. We haven't yet, but it's still likely.

In wonderment,
Em

Em on Daily Life

In this blog, I'd like to share my thoughts about life. As in exploring every day curiosities, not why-are-we-here ponderings.

I have always been the person asking "why." From why is the sky blue to, most recently, why do I have to have a third-party agent between me and my insurance company. Sometimes I find an answer (as in the blue sky) and sometimes I don't even hope to find one (as in the insurance agent).

On any given day, I may choose to explore a "why" question, make an observation, or share a resource I've come across.

In wonderment,
Em