I think a submarine, even of a hostile country, is probably your best option for a 100m-long underwater shadow rising in front of your boat. Much better than any living creature.
I have a theater like that, it’s my apartment, and a cat, but otherwise the same. Oh, and we can put on the captions and keep the volume at nonpainful levels.
In your situation, any worries about the car can be pushed back for at least a few months, so just make a calendar note to check on whether there’s anything wrong with it, then put it aside for now. With minimal driving it’s not getting worse, and may be nothing at all.
Follow all @backachu’s good advice, with this addition:
You have surgery tomorrow, so prioritize rest right now. Instead of thinking you have to hold onto everything, once you’ve written your list set aside several hours to let go of everything and rest. Something creeps back in your mind? Push it out. Repeat to yourself: “For my best outcome in surgery I need to be well rested. If possible I need to sleep. Resting is the most important thing I can be doing with my time right now.” If you can’t, don’t beat yourself up about it, treat yourself with the kindness you would show a friend. But if you can, it will help you react better to anesthesia and heal faster if you don’t go in depleted.
But the answer to your question is probably found in the fact that Trump never ran for any other office, much less served. (I could argue he never served as president either, he only took and had others serve him, but that would be bringing “politics” into it.) He ran as an “Outsider,” who was unstained by the inevitable compromises of working with others, who was going to run the country like a business. He did. If you look at how he ran his business affairs, it’s pretty consistent with his presidency.
He’s got a lot of power still in the Republican Party, without having to spend any time working on legislation or living in DC.
Actually you might feel a little better after the surgery. Your body knows the bones aren’t in their right places, everything that connects them with the rest of you is stretched wrong and screaming with every movement. Even though the surgery will cut some things, it will realign and stabilize things as well so they can start to calm down.
Yeah, you might need to set up some ongoing help with your pets until you are firmly back on your feet. You will start to be able to do stuff but still need someone to “spot” you in case a pet bowls you over or gets underfoot and you lose balance.
Edit to add: Purring helps heal bones, so be sure to cuddle up and scritch those little chins and ears!
When you do meet your surgeon, don’t worry if they aren’t a people person. The skill you need is in their hands, not their personality. When you meet the anesthesiologist, (and general advice with all medical personnel) be honest about anything they ask you, like about previous drug experiences. They don’t ask to judge you, it’s to judge what and how much to give you, and how to expect you might react.
If I’m dangling her Bug-Onna-Leash and my adolescent cat comes running, and I lift up the bug, she’ll sometimes do a loopdeloop leap without any track at all, either swatting the bug or grabbing him in her teeth and running off with him. This would be a cakewalk for her.
There are cats who can’t jump or run fast or climb, we love them anyway. But to test your theory you need to get the cat to WANT to do it. “What’s in it for me?” is their guiding principle.
So it’s all going to depend on motivation; the mouse needs to be just bite sized, catnippy, and have a little bell or rattle sewn inside it. You should pull it in an enticingly twitchy way. Treats may also be needed.