Cloudy Sunday

I started getting a headache last night before bed which is never a good thing because it makes it hard to sleep. These things never really fit either the definition of a sinus headache or a migraine so I have no idea what they are. Usually, but not always, it is related to fronts and shifting air masses which seems to close off my sinuses creating intense pressure just above my eyes – typically the right eye gets the worst.

When they are really bad, they usually lead to some nausea which happened last night. Might have also been the Mexican food we had for dinner but the combination made for a restless night. I take what I can but nothing really helps. Normally, they start to fade somewhere around 15 hours or so and are usually cleared up by 24 hours. I’m now at the point where the pain has receded a bit and I can focus my eyes on things. Wish I knew what the trigger was. I suppose I could try to keep a diary but I’m not sure what all should be tracked.

Also, for some reason, I’ve been feeling chilled all day and that is odd because we are in the low 70’s and it isn’t cold outside. But since it is cloudy, the house hasn’t warmed that much. Totally grey outside which matches my current mood. The good news is we did get outside yesterday to enjoy another nice spring day but today has been far less productive.

Then, I realize I don’t have to go to work tomorrow and it is supposed to be another nice day so maybe I’ll find something to do tomorrow. Normally, these would be days where I’d take Rocco the wonder dog for a walk but he’s starting to feel his age and we haven’t been able to start him back up on the anti inflammatory so his back legs are very stiff and it is hard for him to go on long walks. Very sad to see age start to have an impact.

I have been poking around the website we got from the outplacement people. Did a few of the exercises about values and such. I kept putting the same themes in the essential category. Could be a result of the last couple of years at work because if I do go back into the work force, I’m not wanting to jump into another similar situation.

The list has things like autonomy and freedom because I don’t want to be micro managed. Got to be free to be me. I also have things like teamwork, collaboration, good working relationships because I just want everyone to get along. No office politics for me. And then there are things like life balance and lifestyle integration because I’m not the type who wants to live for work. And I’ve got things like ethical standards and integrity because those are the things that make me feel good about a place I work for. Vision statements and the like are pure fluff. It is how a place actually functions that matters.

This sure seems like the list of an idealist. But now I kind of want to keep going with this process because I’d love to see what kind of ideas they might have. Are there places that truly promote these kind of soft factors? I bet a lot of places talk like they do but in the end it will still come down to the bottom line.

This place is all about matching you with some kind of career coach to help you navigate the job market. At first, I thought it would be silly for me to use that service if I’m not fully committed to going back into the job market. But maybe it does make some sense because even deciding to stop working is a transition and it sounds like these people have some experience with that as well. So we shall see how it goes.