My 14 year old cat has ckd and my biggest fear is that I won’t be there when she eventually passes. Since I’ve adopted her when she was 8, she hasn’t been too friendly with other people or animals besides me, so I don’t know who else would be able to give her comfort when she has to go (knowing of course, that’s not usually cat behavior when they get close to death).

And I just want to make sure she feels loved until the very end.

I think aquariums tips, outdoor movies night, etc. sound like fun ideas. But one thing to keep in mind is how much of an "event" a hangout might be, and whether that might turn some people off.

It's like the difference between planning for a beach trip with friends versus just taking a spontaneous dip in the pool with your friends on a hot day: one feels more effortful than the other. And the beach trip, or planned events, might be the more fun choice. But after a long week, etc. a lot of people just want to do something social but more chill and effortless. Just being able to enjoy the moment with their friends. Which might be part of the reason why bars are really attractive for that kind of thing. You just go out, grab a drink, chill with your buds, and go home to relax. No real structure, more just down time.

Again, not dismissing those ideas. Definitely good in moderation. But just chatting with a friend over lunch/dinner, at a cafe. Hang out at the park at the end of the day. Things of that nature and effort should also be important. Even if it feels small, it can be the nicest part of friendships.

Yeah I've been applying for some operations and analyst roles, though not as much as the healthcare/science/nonprofit stuff, but I definitely should try anyways. I guess I am a little discouraged not having a background in finance or anything, but I've worked retail and warehousing/factory work before so I could try to find positions closer to those industries (not that I'm begging to go back).

And funny that you mention it, but iam taking Google's PM Coursera too and utilizing the tools in my current research work, for experience and to improve project processes. I hate the corpo style of PM classes (at least Google's presentation of it) but I do enjoy managing projects. Demonstrating this kind of Initiative and experience hasn't given me much of an edge though. Just sheer bad luck on my end I guess

Yeah I can't even imagine what the unemployment experience must be like in the US, not that I'd fully be able to explain in the first place. But the same struggles as in Canada and then some, especially with privatized healthcare/universities gouging you and everything else going on.

Oh I know, the whole ATS-schpeal is something lots of agencies express nowadays with the number of applicants. Still, it feels like a problem to ignore a resume that uses an alternative expression or a slight modification to a keyword. Good job on getting the offer though 👍

I've been applying to research assistant and administrative assistant positions in healthcare and industry, though my field in psychology. I currently have a bachelor's degree so I'm not really expecting any higher roles than that, but just want to get some more experience and pay more of my student loans before going off to grad school. I'm in Toronto so there are plenty of those jobs, but lot of competition. I thought I'd have better chances having managed the research project, co-developed design, and written a manuscript, but hell I'm still struggling

I will say my holidays are definitely not as bad. My family never really celebrated any holidays besides a few prayer days for the deceased, so never really got into them as I've grown up. My cat though has been having problems with a UTI and likely CKD, and I've only really gotten her eating in the last couple weeks. Mostly meat sludge, no solids. I'm hoping she pulls through with the UTI and the CKD turns out to be at a lower stage. But I adopted her when she was 8, as a mature cat, so knew what I was getting into. Luckily she's been around to be almost 14 now, but I'm just afraid I won't have many more months or years with her. Plus the stress of finances, unemployment, and other responsibilities has been taking its toll so I've been crying more lately. But I'm doing what I can to help my situation.

I always get a little sad to see a dead animal, but this is really well preserved. I don’t know if you could do much with it, but it feels like a waste to just trash it.

I really like this. One of those small moments of love you will cherish forever