Trygve's Posts

Alas pacemakers are common and boring and banal , Trygve! Glad you are doing okay with yours. With the new airport machines (where you hold your hands up) it's fine to go through. I get patted down when they have the old screening machines But gosh they must see hundreds of pacemakers a day. I never carry a card. I'll show them my bulge if they want to see it! When I get an MRI a rhythmologist checks my pacemaker before and after and makes an adjustment. Since I am deathly skinny, the too large pacemaker bulges out and that's the only thing that bothers me. But enough about me! Stay healthy!

Thanks so much for your messages and well wishes. I'm finally out of the gate it seems, and ready to rejoin the world. Hard to believe but super excited. Who knew a trade show would be thrilling to attend? My pacemaker is the size of thumbnail and nearly flat. There are two in there. It's completely undetectable it seems. Yes, TSA is probably bored with it as they see so many but for me it was a big deal. The agent was not quick enough to tell me not to show my card but he didn't even look at it! And, quite weirdly, when I had a port, something showed up in my groin and they always hand patted me down. The port has been gone for a year, but the thing flagged, But it's gone now suddenly with the pacemaker. 😉

Our 4 legged friends are very attuned to how we feel. I often read about dogs that are trained to detect many diseases and to react when their 2 legged buddies are not in sync. No doubt cats are the same. Not sure about pet snakes. Do pet pythons squeeze their loved ones?

The Professor figured it all out early. The day after our distillery cat, Mrs Stubbs, was cat-napped (yes, really,) someone threw this little orange monster out of a car in the lane way behind the house. He made a beeline for the kitchen door, skinny, screaming and stinky. There were plenty of other cats around,we fed them, but we let this tiny and sick creature run into the kitchen and he stayed there for 6 weeks. If I or my assistant went outside, he came with, but stayed between our feet. I was frantically looking for Mrs Stubbs, and Hassan was the one who fed him and entertained him in the evenings. Eventually I had to admit Mrs Stubbs was gone; I blame my ex as he was obsessed with her. The Professor seemed kind of air-headed but sweet. We decided to call him Professor Maurice Pimblebrook, but hes registered at the vet as the Professor--this is hilarious in Arabic. Over time, and some vet visits, he got micro-chipped, treated for parasites, cleaned....everything to give him the appearance of being a normal cat. He was already fixed, which is why he has a notch out of his ear. Eventually, very slowly, he became a bit trusting, more and more, and hung out for the distillation, which still shocks me as it's so hot and the air shimmers with frankincense. It's an intense environment and most humans can't stand it. But he stayed with his friend Hassan and be barely even came upstairs,. He slept in the kitchen. Eventually we started letting a in a cat who was bullied outside. This is Henri. Something bad happened to him and he is ultra skittish,and terrified, but after a night or two of sleeping in my office, with safety, food, water, a cozy bed and a litter box, he was soon waiting at the door by mid-afternoon. The Professor decided Henri was a threat and tried to kill him so we kept them apart. When I went to Dubai for a few days in winter 2022, I was diagnosed with heart failure and needed surgery asap. My insurance paid for surgery in Abu Dhabi, and I probably would not have made the flight home anyway. So I had to gather everything in Muscat and get back to UAE. I grabbed an apartment in Dubai and took the Professor, as Hassan was to follow and he was better suited to deal with Henri. Hassan didn't get a visa due to his passport (Bangladesh) so we are making some changes and trying again. In the meantime, Henri is now an indoor cat, who actually got into the bed with Hassan a couple of nights ago. It took years for him to relax that much. I know Hassan will be pleased to see his friend the Professor again. And I'll be happy to see Henri. More information than anyone asked for, but I feel like the entire story needs to be told, at least in relation to the name.

That's a glorious story, Trygve! -Actually it's more like several vignettes all coming together to prove the power of love, patience and persistence. All four of you (two humans, two cats) have been survivors of ill circumstances that you didn't ask for, but fought to make better. It's a good sign for your futures! (PS Hope the Professor is more tolerate of Henri this time around. Both are adorable looking.) ❤️