Cat people: my cat is panting, crying, and generally acting weird. Also sort of compulsively grooming her back feet. Ideas if this is vet-worthy?

All people: mr. flea appears to have TWO job offers. One is safe: pays better, decent location, we could buy a house and settle down, work related to what he's doing but also new, has a clear career path (EPA). The other is exciting: work doing what he likes best, but with him and the main expert in his area, and it's in Singapore, and the pay is not great though they will pay relocation and travel for the whole family, including 2x annual visits to the US. We could commit to as little as 1 year. Safe or exciting? Which would you pick?

With the economy poised to go into the crapper, I don't know how I'd chose, flea!

As for the cat, this isn't a young unfixed female, is it? If that's not a go, have you seen her use the litter box at all today? She/he could have a blockage of some kind, and that gets serious fast. Can you catch her and examine her rear for injuries and all that?

If he takes the safe job, flea, can you continue to work? If he moves to Singapore, would it be enough for you to not work?

If we went safe, we could live comfortably on his income, but there are work opportunities for me if I chose (I am also in school, and might choose to work part time or not at all and finish my degree faster).

For exciting, I am less sure of job opportunities and the legality of my employment, but there are probably jobs; I just don't know enough. I also wonder how comfortable I'd feel putting my two year old in day care in a foreign country (and I don't know much about what they have for day care). I could still do the school, though, as it is a distance ed program.

It is fiendishly difficult to find international cost-of-living comparison calculators! The boss of 'exciting' says Singapore is cheaper than Boston (but we would be hard pressed to live in Boston on the salary offered alone), and the US State Department says life in Singapore is 127% as expensive as Washington DC. Not good news, really.

Wow, that's a tough one. Singapore is enough of a once-in-a-lifetime (for him career-wise, for all of you maybe life-wise) that it's seriously tempting. Is the Singapore situation likely to be a boost in terms of landing the next career step? I think that's where I'd come down. If it means it's a lot more likely to find something good on the other end, I'd lean that way. If the area he'd be focuing there is not necessarily that marketable/transferable, if it's a side step, maybe not so much.

What would your situation be during that year? Working, not working? Would that be good or bad?

I think that's where I'd come down. If it means it's a lot more likely to find something good on the other end, I'd lean that way. If the area he'd be focuing there is not necessarily that marketable/transferable, if it's a side step, maybe not so much.

Yeah, this. It would be super exciting, but not if you're likely to be screwed in a year. I don't know; with two kids and a shaky US economy, I'd probably go safe.

I think Singapore would be more tempting if we didn't have kids OR the money was better (boss is going to try to look for more money, but makes no promises). As it is, kids + low money heavily tilts in favor of safe. Damned kids.

I'm not so worried about the economy; the Singapore project is 5 years (1 year is the minimum commitment) so if things sucked really bad here we could always stay, and anyway mr. flea's work isn't in a fast-cycling field, plus many of his potential employers are the federales.

One of my friends and her husband are moving to Egypt with three kids, ages 5, 1 1/2, and tiny baby. But she's going to be working for the American University, where they provide housing, a car, and a whole ton of other stuff, including private school tuition, in addition to a very nice salary.

The internet is amazing. There is an immense web site empire called singaporeexpats.com. It has EVERYTHING.

Singapore is super exciting! And if the money works, man, I don't know.

ION, tonight is one of those nights where I think I should drink more. (Not more volume, more often.) I have been so tense all week, and am no longer. Phew.