Weekend Woes

It's Sunday night and the weekend is over and all I really want to know is why Mondays are necessary. I believe I would be much more productive if every weekend was a three day weekend. That leaves one day for relaxing or having "me" time, one day for life things, and one day for studying.

Instead, I get Friday afternoons for me time, Saturdays for life things and studying, and Sunday for studying.

And then things happen, like water heaters stop working and friends have awesome Visible Horse hoedowns, and my weekend turns into Friday-Saturday-Sunday "me" time, and Sunday night cram-cram-cram.

This weekend was worse: by the time Thursday afternoon rolled around, I was more or less dead and couldn't bear the thought of studying ANYMORE. So I rented the The Help, bought a pizza, and kicked back. Honor and Gonzo ate half of said pizza.

Friday was a very laid-back "me" time. I cleaned a little. I groomed the dogs. I discoved Netflix. OMG. My life will never be the same. I feel as though I was mis-using the internet my whole life.

On Saturday, I was up bright and early for another palpation lab at the dairy. I seriously love cows. They rock. I got to ultrasound one and I wasn't very good at it.

Sometimes I almost choke up when I am doing something I love and realize that this will be my career. Someone is going to PAY me to do something I enjoy doing, and I will be considered the expert. This isn't some summer job that I like, this is my LIFE. Eeee!

I did some laundry a bit of shopping and then it was time (we're still on Saturday) for an Evelyn-Stacy-Melissa-Bree-Amanda-Tora get-together!! We all brought a dish (I brought Mexican Chicken) and Amanda brought her Visible Horse and it was one of the funniest nights I've had in a long, long time. I got home after midnight and crashed into bed.

This morning, I got up and was determined to fix my hot water heater. I am not a plumber. I don't have time to deal with it, either, so that is a little inconvienent but that is there are showers at school.

I started studying about noon and now it is almost 8 and I am no where near ready for the quiz tomorrow. Oy vey. I need another day!!!

Food for thought

You know the worst part about being sick? Being someone who LOVES food.

I can't SMELL the food. I can't TASTE the food. I can hadly even SWALLOW the food. And yet life must go on, I still have to study, and I am still hungry. Very annoying. I made hamburgers yesterday using my super-duper fabulous-yummy hamburger recipe and I can't taste them at all. Hot tea and Southern Comfort is all it is for me.

My first large animal anatomy exam is tomorrow and I am tired of studying for it. I should really look over the lecture material some more, but I don't want to. Bleh. I will, soon.

I finally have my house allllll clean! I'm super happy about it. I really did not realize how stressful a messy house is. If you know me in person, you will know that I am domestically disabled. I have lived in clutter my whole life. But once I finally have everything unpacked and put away... woah. I don't have to worry about losing something, or making time to find something. It's fab. So. Clean your house.

The best thing about vet school so far (well, after The Awesome People) is all the superb symposiums. I'm going to the SAVMA (Student American Vet Med Association) symposium in March. The Food Animal symposium in April. The MVMA (MO vet med) symposium the end of the month. The AABP (bovine practitioners) symposium in Montreal. I'm sure the VBMA (vet med business assoc.) and the AASRP (small ruminant practitioners) have symposiums sometime. Lucky for me, most of them have free registration! So I'm just responsible for gas and hotel and networking, networking, networking. I want a fabulous job when I graduate so I can pay off all these darn loans.

My notecard FB page is finally up: Check it out! Like it! Share with your friends!

And my random thought for the day: I could really be more productive if the internet did not exist. However, then there would be no Google and I have no idea how I would pass vet school. So it should stay. But really... who knew there could be so many amazing distractions? Facebook, of course, takes a chunk of time. But then someone introduced me to Pandora... internet radio? That I control? Yes please! And then an evil person (not really, I love her to death) introduced me to Pinterest. Gah.

And then there are my favorite forums. I love forums. They are informative, stupid, dramatic, helpful and just plain awesome. Horse City, The Goat Spot, MyLamb, Student Doctor... now Hoegger Farmyard and Backyardherds. So much nonsense to sort, so little time. But seriously. Everytime I log in to one of them, I learn something. What I like most about them is that the information there is real-life, from real people. I am learning a ton from books and clinicians. Obviously they are professionals (or written by them) but there is something to be said about actual life-or-death, this-is-my-livelihood experience. I have to be careful about what I post, of course, since I don't want to be sued for malpractice or practicing without a license (that would suck), but I do enjoy offering some help.

I don't want to give up my forums, so I am trying to justify them. So far my plan is to allow myself one hour each day for searching around on all the forums. Some days I don't even touch that link. Some days I spend way too much time on them. But I'm learning!

And then, because I am on a health-diet kick (just like every January) I was introduced to Livestrong.com to log my calories, and Fitocracy to log my exercise. So. Much. Internet.

So I'm off to drag myself away from the iPad and do some book studying. After I check my school email. And my personal email. And facebook. And my Backyardherds post. And then Facebook again.

Sick day, long weekend edition

I should be studying, as always. But it is a long weekend, so I could even be cleaning or doing something constructive. Or working on cards (more on that in a minute). I could even load up the dogs and go hiking.

But I am sick, and thus, am allowing myself a sick day. It includes snuggling under the covers with the dogs and drinking lots of hot tea.

Hopefully I will be all better by tomorrow and Zach and Becca can come over. We'll see.

So it's been a month since I last posted. Semester One ended well with three B's and one A. Now we are on a block schedule, so we've got six more weeks of large animal anatomy, GI phys, microanatomy, nutrition, and developmental anatomy. Actually, large animal and developmental continue to next block. So far, so good-- I've gotten an A on one quiz and a B on one test. Our first LA anatomy test is Tuesday. Eep.

Christmas break was fun and much appreciated. I slept and slept and slept and honestly didn't get much done. Oh well. I made all my Christmas gifts-- I gave my mom a woven sunflower rug, Zach and Dad got knitted sock hats made from a WWII pattern given out by the Red Cross, and Teri got a blingy necklace for showing next summer. I got a scarf from Bec, iTunes card and a funny plaque from Zach (the plaque says "My windows aren't dirty-- that's my dog's nose art!" So true for the front window. Honor is a master artist), and a Bucket Head from Mom and Dad. It's a top for a 5 gallon bucket that turns the bucket into a shopvac!!! Awesome. They also got me some gardening tools and an omelet skillet so I can omelet to my heart's content. Christmas at the Seals' netted me all sorts of household goodies and some new clothes.

I've almost got the duplex unpacked and organized. Only took me five months, which is probably a record I wil never break.

I needed some type of income-producer, so I've started making and selling photo notecards with photos of our animals. I'm working on a Facebook page for them, but it's not quite done yet. You can hop over if you want, but I'm not taking orders until I officially publish the page. Please disregard the captions on the photos albums-- the prices are incorrect nd the collections are being rearranged. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Reflections-of-Eriphos-Farm/217720578309348. Hopefully I'll be ready in a few days.

We've had our first lamb born at home-- a very Doper-looking Dorper cross ewe named Lucille. She's out of Dorothy and Amos. Her big sister, Stella, should be due any day. Baby goats won't arrive until March or April. Boo.

That concludes this episode of the random ramblings. When I come up with something interesting to post, I'll be back!

Helloooo Friday!!!

You are so close, yet so far away. Gah. It's only Wednesday.

Not much of an update, but I am procrastinating. I don't WANT to study (or cram, at this point) for my micro practical. Or my anatomy exams.

I just finished physiology. PRAISE JESUS.

I have no idea if I got a B or a C in that class. I had a 79.93 going into the final. I needed a 96/120 to get a B. I didn't check my score.

Now it's just a written Micro exam, a practical Micro exam, a written Anatomy exam, and a practical Anatomy exam.

So a little tip for anyone planning to take part in a professional program-- don't let grades rule your life. Have a life outside of school. Have fun. Watch that television show. Read a fiction novel. Take your dogs to the park every day.

My extracurriculars are varied and numerous because I get bored easily and am easily distracted... probably didn't know that ;-)

I usually have a book I read for a chapter or two before I fall asleep. That is my constant, every day "fun" or "me" time.

I also take dog training classes with at least one of my dogs at all times, so that means I have class one or two nights a week. SO much fun and definitely gets my mind off school.

I tend to have some crafty project going all the time.

If I don't go home on a particular weekend, I make sure to plan time to take the dogs to one of the two (insert shameless advertisement here-->) FANTASTIC MO State Parks nearby-- Rock Bridge Memorial or Finger Lakes. Both preserve and interpret the best of Missouri's natural landscapes and cultural landmarks and provide recreation for all ;-p. Seriously, they are fabulous parks and I enjoy taking a few hours on Sunday afternoons to get out and play.

And above all, I find time to go HOME. Home home. Bourbon home. I was pretty scared coming into vet school because it was a rare, rare weekend when I didn't go home during undergrad. I decided to try coming home every third weekend at first. In reality, I was going home every other weekend, and then there was a stretch where I was home EVERY weekend!! The noble Jeepie just doesn't get good gas mileage (its ONLY fault!) and finances and time just couldn't support that habit. Turns out, sometimes it's six weeks before I get to go home! It drives me crazy, but I'm okay with it. I know that I will get to go home eventually.

Well. This post was sort of (okay, really) random and you can probably tell I am tired and want to just be done with this week. So I'm off to study and perhaps have lunch (at 9:38).

Well now.

So my last post was from six days into vet school, and I am just now posting, six days from the end of the first semester.

Vet school takes a lot of time.

I should be in bed right now... I am. What I mean to say is that I should be asleep. I have a Phsyiology exam tomorrow (today, actually, since it is now 12 AM) at 7:20 AM. But I am not tired, yet.

This semester has been, without a doubt, the most fun school time I have ever had. I love it here. I hate Columbia, more or less, but I absolutely love vet school. Sure, there are times when I am really tired and stressed and really wonder WHY I thought this was a good idea, but I can't bring myself to even remotely dislike school. It's fab.

At this point in my life, I have one A and three B's in my classes and I am thrilled. Although I love school, it is hard, and I am struggling a bit to keep my grades at B's or higher. Ah well. C=DVM, remember??

On the home front: I'm not sure. I don't get to go home a lot, but I try to keep up with the news. The Goatherdess Mother gets stressed, I'm sure, when I'm not there (I'm just so darn NECESSARY!) so we are cutting back little by little. We've yet again re-worked our goat goals, so as to create a herd that is just all but self-sufficient. We have a few great big does and are planning to go from there. We are done buying does, any replacements will be off the farm.

I miss being home SO MUCH. I read my The Boer Goat or Countryside and let me tell you, it makes me homesick. It's hard to be a good Goatherdess when I am stuck in a duplex on a snippet of land in the middle of the "suburbs."

But, this is an means to an end. I just have three and a half more years and I will be well on my way to purchasing my little bit o' heaven in The Middle of Nowhere, MO.

As far as my life now: I get up at 5:30 or 6:00 or 6:30 or 7:00 or whenever I can drag myself from bed. If I am up early, I workout or run a bit. If I am not, I take a world-record-challenging shower, feed/medicate the dogs, grab my books, and I'm out the door. I study for a bit before class, have class/lab, come home, walk dogs, head back to school, meet Stacy, study, rush home, fall into bed.

Notice there is NO TIME for cleaning. Or laundry. Or dishes. Stuff just piles up and up and up and up and up and up and up and it is just frightening. I usually try to do dishes as I go, or at very least rinse them very well. Friday nights are my "clean EVERYTHING and do mountains of laundry" nights. Sometimes I get to go home on the weekends, more often I don't. Sad sad.

Well, a wave of sleepiness just came crashing over me. I have my Phys test tomorrow, anatomy lab for awhile, then I can come back to the duplevision and nap for awhil before cleaning. Then it's finals week and then CHRISTMAS BREAK!!!!!!

Wahoo!

Adios, drive safe, and check back more often-- I'm going to try, try, try to post more often.

Lovin' the Life!

So let me begin by saying:

I LOVE VET SCHOOL.

I realize this is day 6, and I'm sure that in another six days, I will be shouting the exact opposite (as the first anatomy exam approaches).

But for now, I can't help but be excited. THIS is what I've wanted to do since I can remember. THIS is why I spent a boring three years in undergrad, keeping my nose to the grindstone and doing everything in my power to make the grades.

I like studying, although I tend to fall asleep at my duplex. So I come back to campus in the evenings, set up shop in the anatomy lab, and go to town. So far, I understand everything we talk about in lecture, so that is a relief. I just need to review it, and understand what each professor is asking us to remember.

The biggest difference I see in vet school and undergrad is this: In undergrad, you learn the material for the exam, because a.) grades are a huge deal in undergrad, and b.) because 95% of the classes you take in undergrad are NOT what you will be doing for the rest of your life.

In vet school, you are learning this for LIFE. For your career. You MUST know this material. Which is not as stressful as it sounds-- in fact, it's quite exciting and motivating. I WANT to learn this stuff, so I do.

I'm trying desperately to make good, good grades in vet school, but as any 3rd or 4th year will say "C = DVM is the most important equation in vet school." Clearly, I do not want C's. However, I have to remind myself that it is more important to understand the clinical relevance of a topic than it is to memorize minute details in order to get an A.

Today I got SO excited because I realized that this is one of the last steps. I AM going to be a vet. I just have to show up, shut up, and fake it 'til I make it. I wouldn't be here if lots of people didn't think I could make it.

In four years, I will be a DVM.

For any pre-vet followers out there: Tip for Microanatomy lab. TAKE IBUPROFEN, TYLENOL, ASPIRIN, NAPROXEN, SOMETHING BEFORE LAB. My head hurts for hours after lab.

And on a less happy note: Honor spilled water all in my lovely, dear laptop. It is dead. I am not sure if I can resurrect it. Probably not. I am, at this point, praying that I can retrieve my photos and Word documents from it.

Well, back to learning origins and insertions of the muscles of the thoracic limb. They get confusing after a bit.

Study Break!!!

Well, I should be studying, but there is only so much my brain can take.

Also, I will let you in on a secret:

This is not hard.

Yet.

I understand we are in the first week, but I know most of this material like the back of my hand. Thank you, Rao, the insanely difficult Cell Bio/Genetics professor.

Also, most of our professors are lecturing over material that is very, very similar, so the lectures overlap. That makes studying easier.

Wednesdays will typically be my *short* days, unless I have Physiology lab. I get out at noon, otherwise.

Big news:

I got an iPad. It rocks.

Now. I do not condone the purchase of a $500-$800 (or more!) device. However, if you are in college/university/grad school/professional school/etc, here are my thoughts.

I took notes on my IBM laptop for two days. I could not draw the pictures or diagrams that the professor was putting on the power points. I could keep up with the lecture, however, and found that typing is far superior to hand-written notes.

My laptop is 4 years old and LOUD. I love my laptop more than just about any material item I own, except for my Dan Post cowboy boots. And perhaps my Jeep.

Anyway. The screen already had to be replaced on my laptop, and I suspect the cause was toting it about. I do not want to go through that again, and due to then elderly-ness of my computer, I would rather not haul it around.

So due to the bulk, loudness, delicate nature, and lack of drawing capabilities, I started searching for a tablet-like device. I looked at many Google/Android/Windows machines, as well as the iPad. I talked with people who used both.

And I ultimately settled on the iPad. The other devices are less expensive, for sure, but I doubt I would have been as happy. It is not perfect, but it does everything I need it to do, and much, much more (haha!)

Here is how I use mine:

I use my computer to download my professor's power points to my desktop. Then I upload them to Box.net. From my iPad, I download the PPTs to Noterize, a free app from the app store.

Then in Noterize, I make them BEAUTIFUL. Lots of highlighting, coloring, underlining, handwritten notes, and typed notes.


There is a way to download the PPTs directly to Noterize, but my internet connection doesn't seem to like it. I can make it all work faster with the above technique.

So. I will get my money's worth of use from this device, although I cringe every time I think of the price. Additionally, although I know that the iPad will most likely be obsolete at this point, I could use it once I get to clinics and after I graduate. I can store photos and information about cases in it, and use it to review treatment plans and histories with my clients.

So it was an investment. I know that the more I use it, the more I will like about it.

And now I am off to the anatomy lab. I've already been there once today, but I forgot to give Tippy her shot first. Good thing I only live 12 minutes away. I was still mad at myself.

So think of me, as I learn the markings of the thoracic limb of the dog and cat. Woot woot.