The Thursday Dispatch - 21 August 2025
On leaving home for a week.
I’ll be working out of town next week. This is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this, as retail just doesn’t offer too many opportunities to travel until you get higher up. I’ll be helping set up a new store in Grand Island, Nebraska, which is due to open in October. Essentially, I’ll be putting up shelving units. It’ll be the easier endeavor I’ve ever had doing anything like this, as my usual process is clearing product off, resetting the shelves, and filling product back in based on the new plans. In this case, we’re simply setting the shelves and running away. It feels like cheating to me.
This will also be the first time I can remember when I’ve left my cat Griffey behind for this long. In the past, when I’ve gone on vacations with my family, I’ve had a girlfriend or roommate staying behind to be with him. It just so happens that same now ex-girlfriend will be the one checking on him. Hopefully, she’ll still be familiar enough to Griffey for him to feel some sort of comfort while I’m gone. But, I’m sure he’ll miss me, and I’ll certainly miss the little guy myself.
There’s a little anxiety for me with leaving him. A little over a year ago, he became anemic for the second time in his short life. Something in him was keeping his blood cells from regenerating. A bunch of tests showed up negative, including those for feline leukemia. We could not determine a cause of this, though the lingering thought is a lingering parasite or something with his bone marrow.
He had two back-to-back blood transfusions and saw his blood cell count increase over the coming weeks. In the year since, he seems like an average five-year-old cat. He sleeps a little more than he used to, but still demands playtime most evenings. He has much more stamina for play than he did before the blood transfusions. I can usually play with him for a good 15–20 minutes before he seems satisfied. All of this, and he eats well. For all intents and purposes, he seems fine.
But, there’s a steady line of what-ifs in my head. What if something triggers him to regress while I’m gone? I’m not driving myself, so I’m stuck halfway across the state for a week. I worry about how lonely he’ll be. If the person I’m asking to check on him remembers to come by daily, I’m the only person he’s used to now. Will he be scared having someone else check on him? And what kind of grudge will he hold on me when I get home?
All of these things are mostly out of my control until I get home. I guess I need to learn to let go a little bit. I can check the pet cam to see what he’s up to. Just a little something to give me the comfort of home. I’ll miss him while I’m gone for sure. Hopefully, I’ll get a weekend of cuddles with him once I’m back.
Weekly Photo
Just a quick snap I took while on a walk.
Weekly Links
Mighty Kraken Surfacing In Seattle… and Norway… and Russia - The legend of the kraken resonates around the world.
Bike Along the Sammamish River Trail From Redmond to Woodinville, WA - Just me traveling vicariously.