MySpace-April 30, 2008-Drinking Buddies

As a majority of my friends from undergrad graduate from vet school, I am forced to look back on undergrad, the lessons I learned and the friends I met.
One important thing I learned is that drinking buddies aren't worth having if they don't take care of you. You all should take turns being the DD, being the sober smart one.
A good drinking buddy will make sure you have a safe way home and if they can't give you that then they should provide you a place to stay. Its not solely their responsiblity of course. You should definantly be responsible in part and when its  you're turn, you better be willing to step up.
I know that I've both taken and given when it comes to being the good drinking buddy.
I know that if I drink with Erick, he'll provide me with a couch to stay on. Its always been that way. I've taken him up on this alot. And I really appricate this.
I can think back to three or so times when I've been called in the middle of the night (mostly by Erick or assorted friends) and had to go pick him up somewhere and take him home.
I DDed for him the night we went to a Halloween party and later someone ran a red light into me and totalled out my truck. Gentleman he is, Erick called me later that day to see if he could take me to work and then stopped by later to make sure I was okay and if I needed anything since I was carless. My parents were there and my Mom absolutly fell in love with Erick because he's a great guy.
He was the DD one night before that when me and some friends went to the trucker bar at the truck stop looking for mullets. He protected us from creepy men and actually was the only one that got hit on.
I was called out to pick him up at his smoker his first year after his roommate got drunk at home. I have to admit though, I was the one that taped the 40s to his roommates hands for a rousing game of Edward FortyHands. I didn't complain even though he gave me poor directions, I drove literally all across town dropping off various VM1s at midnight and had to milk at 4am. Its all part of being a good drinking buddy. He'd have his turn to do the same one day, I was sure.
Off to class...

[EDIT-Originally, published to Blogger on May 22, 2011.]

MySpace-April 29, 2008-Finals Week!

 Its 'Finals Week'. And I'm oddly calm as usual.
I've been working on my study guide power points and in general wondering when I'll get time to study but I'm not worried. Why worry?
Right now, all of my grades are at a suitable place. Yes, they all could be higher. Anesthesiology is tetering because of an f-ed up grading scale. I've pulled companion animal medicine out of the abyss of an F to a very suitable rally. Stupid neurology.
I'm ready to be a third year. I'm ready to start a block with equine and food animal. I can feel it. I can feel how ready I am in my bones. I know I'll be kicking ass and taking names next block even if a majortity of my time will be spent in surgery labs.
And maybe because I am so ready, so confidant about being a third year, that's why I'm not worried about finals. Well, that and the fact that I never (hardly ever) worry.

[EDIT-Originally, published to Blogger on May 22, 2011.]

MySpace-April 23, 2008-Open House

Saturday was open house.

I was busy all day long showing my pony in the horse show and working with the fistulated cow. Joe came and loved the cow alot. The Maneater (Mizzou's student newspaper) did an article on open house and I was totally quoted!MANEATER ARTICLE

I love my quotes! Such gems like, "Cows have a really strong immune system." And "She can still have babies and milk." Yep, sounds like me. I don't think that I came off sounding like an idiot. Even my analogy of the fistula being like a piercing makes sense. I wasn't sure when I was giving it all day long!

[EDIT-Originally, published to Blogger on May 22, 2011.]

MySpace-April 22, 2008-Lifesavers Five Flavors

Today, I had a test, which I did well on.

And I have a sore throat. So I bought some Lifesavers. Five Flavor.

At one point, the flavors were cherry, lemon, orange, lime and pineapple. With the exception of pineapple, who noone but my mom likes, I'm cool with these flavors. They're classic. And you don't go around changing classics.

But Lifesavers did. Now the five flavors are watermelon (replacing lime, still green), raspberry, cherry, orange and pineapple. Why did they keep the crappiest flavor and get rid of lemon? This proves my point that people like red flavors. I had this theory that given the same amount of all types of candy, red and red like flavors would be gone first. Maybe I'll still conduct this social experiment. We'll see.

[EDIT-Originally, published to Blogger on May 22, 2011.]

MySpace-April 17, 2008-The Homeless and Helping Others

 If you drive south on Providence (the main road, not the outer road) past Stadium, towards Nifong, and look to the right just after you cross the bridge,  you will see some tents, tarps and such. If you go at night, you will see the glow of lights from beneath them. Of course, in another couple of weeks, there'll be leaves on the trees and you won't be able to see this.
Obviously there are people living in the woods. I'm torn about it. These people lived there all winter and when it rains. And maybe when its super hot-but the woods stay pretty cool, I'm sure. They live with the animals. I feel like I should bring them some food. Some toilet paper. Something.
But then I think the opposite. How close did I walk to them when I was living on that side of the street? Are they dangerous? And people can't live in the woods! (I guess they could actually own the land.) I want to call the cops and have them take these people somewhere else.
Today, I helped someone else. A while ago, I found someone on Freecycle that needed someone to go to the food pantry for them. I thought to myself that I needed to do something to help others. And certainly, I could find the time to do this. So today, I finally met with this guy and went to the food pantry for him. His name is Rusty Stuart-which makes me think that he is racecar driver. He's in a wheelchair; he's missing a leg below the knee. He looks like he could be a Vietnam vetern-maybe he is. He has long white hair and a long white beard. I like him. I felt bad because the food pantry didn't have much food. I got him some of everything because he didn't tell me anything in particular. I really thought it would be more like a grocery store-as in well stocked.
So that's my new thing-DONATE FOOD TO YOUR LOCAL FOOD PANTRY! Seriously, if you could see how little stuff they had, it would make you cry. It would make me cry if I relied on the food pantry and was limited to like 20 items because that's all they had. So do it.

[EDIT-Originally, published to Blogger on May 22, 2011.]

MySpace-April 17, 2008-The Grossest Thing Ever

As I was walking back to school this afternoon, I passed by the pathology lab as usual. Sometimes there is a waft of dead coming from there; sometimes there is something dead sitting on the loading dock like a morbid UPS package.
This time there was a dead horse being taken to the path lab on the forks of a fork lift. It had no feet.
This is one of the research horses for a certain equine clinician (I think, I would assume.). He's studying laminitis. Laminitis is this disease where the little fingerlike projections that hold on the hoof start to die. The hoof can fall off and the toe bone can rotate. There are varying levels of the disease. Some horses never can walk again and have to be euthanized; others become fully functional again after lots of supportive care. Horses get this disease for a variety of reasons including some unknown ones. We had a horse have this. Sometimes its called founder.
Anyway, this clinician decided that in the time it took to euthanize the horse (in which he induced laminitis), chop off its feet and walk them a 100 yards to pathology, that there was too much necrosis.
So instead he anesthitizes the horses like you would for surgery and chop their legs off while they are still alive! Then he euthanizes them.
I can think of multiple ways that this could be done better. Such as RUNNING the chopped off feet to the path lab. Or perhaps giving the horse something for the pain, walking it alive to the path lab, putting up a screen and euthanizing the horse right in front of the pathology lab on the parking lot.
Whatever. This guy is stupid anyway.

[EDIT-Originally, published to Blogger on May 22, 2011.]

MySpace-April 16, 2008-Dunkin' Donuts Fritalian Commercial

This is how I study right before the test. Every test. And I've been doing better when I do this.

[EDIT-Originally, published to Blogger on May 22, 2011.]

MySpace-April 10, 2008-On The Spot

Monday, we has companion animal medicine lab. We sit around in a group and one of the residents/interns question us about a made up case. It is to stimulate us thinking about the possiblities of what is causing the animal’s disease as well as to start making us have good skills in the exam room.
I normally don’t mind this. I never really have the answers but its a group thing and everyone throws stuff out there.
But this week (like last week, but more so this week), I felt like I was really put on the spot. We sit in a circle and of course both times I was forced to come up with reasons for a clinical sign. This week it was for seizures. Seeing as I got a 48% on the neurology section, I said I didn’t know anything other than just brain disease. I tried saying watching too many Japanese cartoons but that didn’t get the response I was looking for. But the resident kept pushing me telling me that I really did know some. Everyone else kept volunteering these simple things which of course cause seizures and had I been given enough time and not been put on the spot I could of came up with. And honestly, some of those things don’t really count, I don’t think. They aren’t direct causes.
Anyway, I didn’t like looking like a fool esp. in front of people that already think I’m stupid and probably shouldn’t be here. I wanted to cry. Seriously. Then the intern asked if I was confused. I told him yes. But really more I just didn’t know it. And meanwhile, some people got to interpret the CBC. I could do that. Its reading from a paper. So that’s what I’m going to request to do. No more of this being put on the spot and looking like a fool.
The next day, I got an 88 or 86% on my test in that class. Take that fools!

[EDIT-Originally, posted to Blogger on April 10, 2011.]

MySpace-April 8, 2008-Compensating...

 When I graduate from vet school, I will have all of the knowledge I need to make me a great vet. I will have tons of notes, textbooks and an ablility to make a cow’s stomach out of cloth (see my profile picture). I will have access to all of the latest technology. After several years in practice, I will have the practical experience to back up all of that knowledge. I will be a great vet.
However, I know that at times, because of the path in veterinary medicine I have chosen, I will be discriminated against. I know that my knowledge won’t make me instantly one of the boys when working in the male dominated livestock field. I will have to show my collegues and clients that I am smart and strong and work hard. That I’m an equal amoung them.
I will however never have one thing, a penis. So I will either have to have the biggest truck to compensate for it...or carry one around in a jar. Whatever.

[EDIT-Originally, posted to Blogger on April 10, 2011.]

MySpace-April 5, 2008-Dogs!

So Joe wants a dog.
And I already have a dog that on occasion I am known not to like...and admittedly kick.
My dog adores Joe. Dotes on him like its the end of the world...or he has food. Its hard to tell sometimes.
Joe likes sitting on the couch with Riley. And going to the dog park with her, esp. after its rained some so she can get into the puddles. We all laugh at her antics. But secretly, I think he goes to the dog park to watch other people’s dogs. Actually I know he does this. He’s wandered off to talk to other dog owners and envy them as their dog plays fetch (rather than Riley’s method of running to the ball, pointing at it with her nose and running the other way leaving the ball on the ground.) and swim in the lake.
Needless to say, that even at nearly 30 pounds, Riley isn’t big enough for him. Joe really sees only two sizes of dogs-one that might as well be in your purse and one that you can ride to the dog park. Riley is in the first category.
In a fit of my own being excited to make Joe happy, I did some looking at the Central Missouri Humane Society’s webpage of dogs available. And of course there were super cute dogs! Including one Austrailian Cattle Dog/Blue Heeler mix puppy. This is the type of dog I was determined Joe should get. They are smaller dogs-think Riley’s size but with legs and tough little things. They’re smart and have short hair. I really thought that Joe would want something like this.
So in another fit of being excited, Joe and I went to the Humane Society yesterday. Of course, I loved that puppy, but Joe was less than impressed. Now its picture is off of the website. Has my puppy found a new home?
It seems that Joe and I have very different tastes in what constitutes a good dog. Joe liked this dog: Murphy Brown. I was less than impressed by her. I liked this dog:German Shepard. I felt sorry for her. Even with knowing all of the genetic problems that German Shepards have, I really thought she might make a good pet. And then Joe had this thing about a German Shepard he had as a kid that tried to attack his dad or something...
Any dog that Joe liked, I probably thought was too barky or too big. Anything I liked was too much like Riley or too small or too hairy. There are some things we are willing to compromise on. One-no boy dogs. I just don’t like them. Two-nothing with even the hint of Chow in its background. We’re willing to make exceptions. If there was the most fantiastic male chow, we might consider it.
Joe says we’re going to be a three dog family. Since I don’t particularly like dogs, I find this hard to believe. But he says there will be Riley. Then ’his’ dog that we pick out together but really is my dog. And then his real dog. I’d rather have another cat. Or another corgi. Which is another thing, if I’m going to spend $100 to adopt a dog, I think I’ll spend $350 and buy a corgi.
The truth of the matter is, I (we) need another dog like a hole in the head. We don’t move into the bigger apartment until July. I hate housebreaking puppies. I don’t really like dogs. And we are too busy right now for the dog we currently have. And imagine once I get into clinics! So I think I can have Joe wait until Thanksgiving. Then he’ll see how busy we are and how little attention and care Riley is getting and realize that a second dog will only be a burden for us and it.
But still, it would be fun to have an animal that was ours. Something that we both got to pick out and care for. The idea of a weimeraner has been mentioned. It would definantly be something I think both of us could get behind. Maybe a rescued dog or a puppy. I wonder how much puppies are...hold on.
Between $400 and $800. Hmm...Rescue dogs are between $150 and 300. Maybe I’ll just have a baby instead...HA!

[EDIT-Originally, posted to Blogger on April 6, 2011.]

MySpace-April 2, 2008-In What World...

does forward mean back?
Vet school. That’s where.
Our class president said today that she moved two of our quizzes forward. I was puzzled as that didn’t help us. She moved them from Wednesday to Thursday.
Isn’t that pushing them back? And not moving them forward?

[EDIT-Originally, posted to Blogger on April 3, 2011.]