MySpace-June 30, 2009-And Then I Lost It...

So lately, I have been super frustrated with lots of things (people) going on around me. I haven't been hanging out on the balcony, haven't wanted to take part in any of the ongoings around Ithaca or the house. I've been content to stay in and do random things online, cut out material for something I'm making (a secret) and watch TV online. Part of this hiding out is to try to calm down and try not to yell or punch someone.

Well, it all came crashing down today.

Today, I declare my hatred for the French. And some French Canadians.

Anyway, we went on a field trip to a farm and I decided to take the lesser of two evils (or so I thought) and went in the van that didn't contain my friend, Estella (though I've been frustrated with her for no particular reason lately as well, just in general I guess) but also did not contain the girl that hates corgis for no reason [EDIT].
When we got to the farm, my group ended up in the parlor first and that in general was going to suck but at least we were getting it out of the way. So we were in there and not quite yet done when someone ([EDIT] the French Canadian asshole) came and stood over our shoulders making the already crowded parlor even more crowded. I told him that it wasn't his turn, that we weren't done yet. He argued that it was time to move on. I argued that it wasn't. Realizing that he's a big baby about these things, I tried to play it off and tried to smile and kid while essentially, I was saying 'Move along, asshole, its not your turn.' But in the end, he did move on away from me at least. And I know he's probably sulking about me being mean to him much like he did after I told him to shut up earlier during this course. He's such a jerk. He thinks he's hot shit. I think it has to do with the fact that he's younger than a lot of us because in Canada, they don't have to do as much undergrad so he's under 25 and that of course makes him hot stuff. Ass.

Anyway, we continued our field trip and were the first group finished at the end of the day and ready to go home. This would be all fine and good except that we were told by the advisor that he wanted to do a wrap-up (which ended up sucking) at the end of the day. Essentially, telling us we couldn't leave early. However, [EDIT], who is a loud mouth French woman who always skips class (my big pet peeve, see below) and is a frightful driver and never hesitates to say what she thinks to the point of being hostile and down right mean, suggested repeatedly that we just go. Finally, sick of this, my temper got the better of me and I spun around and yelled at her that she didn't have any say in the matter since she skipped class all the time anyway. To which something was responded about me sleeping in class and then there was some arguing about which looked worse. She told me I had some balls to judge and then later I think said something about someday I would grow up whatever that means.
I suppose that had I been thinking more clearly my point would have been that I paid good money to come to this course and thus was going to utilize every opportunity to learn, unlike [EDIT] who had the course paid for by her new job. Of course, I wasn't thinking clearly and this was the straw that broke the camel's back since she and several of the other people that routinely skip out on Spanish were laughing and cheering about it since we have it first on Thursday and that meant they could sleep in. That really frustrates me more than anything else...see below.

I'm not sure what is going to happen regarding [EDIT] (other than my continued hatred of those that speak French). I'm sure there will be some name calling behind my back in French. Probably in front of me as well. I plan to ignore them both and wait for this to blow over. Perhaps take more solice in my room and with The Tudors.
As for Estella, well, I suppose things have cleared themselves up (?). I think my frustrations are a lack of attention and are very similar to those that I have experienced in the past with other people. But this is odd since I'm the one not going upstairs. Though too, its part of when plans are made, my decision is made upon said plans and then they are changed to something that would have changed my mind. Ugh. Its tiresome.
And as for [EDIT], the girl with the negative attitude that hates corgis for no particular reason, well, I still may end up yelling at her. Perferably, not yelling and more along the lines of just asking (maybe jokingly) why she's so negative. Her husband is coming up this weekend so maybe a good boning will put her in a better mood. *Sigh* I'm tired of having to play little miss nice. And hate when my temper gets ahold of me. And its not even lady illness week. (That was last week.)

Anyway, I called Joe and had a garbled conversation and he essentially said that I wouldn't want to hear what he had to say about all this which is true because I know it would amount to me having a bad temper and that I was wrong because I sleep in class. Whatever. I might be wrong about what he would really say, but I doubt it. And that's why I don't see him as supportive. He knows that skipping class is my biggest pet peeve and the correct response to this conversation is 'I'm sorry that happened. That sucks. I know you were doing really well with trying to be friends with everybody.' And then he could leave it at that. And I have been trying really, really hard. And doing really well but eventually, everybody's true colors comes out.

And for the record, I'm glad that I yelled at [EDIT]. It really felt good. I mean its going to suck for the next few days as people talk bad about me behind my back or in front of me in French but whatever. I think it may have been enough to get me out of this frustrated mood (or will be in a couple of days) but it still doesn't excuse Steph to be negative about literally everything.

So why is skipping class my biggest pet peeve. Because 1) I hardly ever do it and 2) I believe that there are other people that would so willingly take the place of those that can't bother to show up. Here's the deal. We're in professional school. I think the professional thing is to show up to class and be prepared for learning. However, anyone that has sat in on our classes knows for the most part that they are as  boring as hell, however, still one should be present for them. If they can be discrete in doing other things, well that's fine. I enjoy the occasional word puzzle or writing to my grandma. So you may be asking yourself, but doesn't Leslie routinely sleep through class? And you'd be right. But I have a medical condition called narcolepsy. Its undiagnosed by an MD as of now, but I'm pretty sure I have it. I'm not saying its right for me to sleep in class but that at least I'm there. I COULD be learning (providing I was awake). You can't be learning if you're not there. My other thing is that there are a huge number of people that get rejected from vet school every year for one thing or another. These are people that would sell their first born for a seat yet meanwhile there is a seat open because someone in the class couldn't be professional enough to come to class. That just sucks. Go to class for those that can't! As for [EDIT], its my understanding that she didn't orginally get into SDI and had to beg to be let in. So really, she should be coming to class (all the classes and field trips) for 1) herself, 2) the people that didn't get in, 3) her job that's paying for her to be here and 4) for the people that let her in.

[EDIT-Originally posted to Blogger on 7/1/11]

MySpace-June 29, 2009-Weekend

This week is full of field trips so it looks promising. I think we are having yet another BBQ at another professor's house.
Friday, we had a BBQ and played on the lake.
Saturday, I spent the day being lazy. I went for a walk and took some pictures of the gorge. I also ducked beneath some police tape (figuring that it was up because the gorge was a little more full of water than normal because of all the rain we've been having) that was put up because they pulled a body out of the water there. After my walk, I took the empties to the grocery store for some beer money and was disappointed what a full trashcan and an afternoon smelling like beer got me. We had a BBQ and when people went to go out, I went to bed. I did this because I thought they were going to a crappy bar that I don't particularly like but then their plans changed. And I was frustrated when I found this out the next morning.
Sunday, I found out that Billy Mays died. That's some devistating news. Some people don't think that his death nearly compared to that of Michael Jackson's or Farrah Fawcett's but I argue that it does. As of before any of them died, Billy Mays was more socially realivant. Yes, him yelling at me to buy Oxi-Clean won't last the test of time like maybe Thriller but in the past few years, he certainly has exceeded Michael Jackson in popularity. Michael Jackson meant nothing to me (maybe it has to do with the fact that I've always listened to crappy music and grew up without MTV) while Billy Mays and that beautiful black beard certainly did.
Sunday, ten of us went to the harness track and watched the races. Some people bet money. And as usual, I did not. And had I, I would have come away with like $50 from one race where my longshot won. Not alot, but it would of been something. I never bet and always regret not doing it.
I've been watching The Tudors on NetFlix. Okay, I've watched one episode but I love it. Its very sexy.
I miss Joe.
I posted some more pictures of my adventures. Check them out.
I hope that this week goes well.

[EDIT-Originally posted to Blogger on 7/1/11]

MySpace-June 28, 2009-Secretly Part Four

I really don’t like negative people. It bothers me because I always try to be positive and happy. Being positive and happy makes me a better person and I can tell the difference when I have been negative and snarky for too long. I’ve done a good job of being super happy and positive while at SDI but as these ‘secretly’ blogs can attest, there are some things that really get me. And negative people is a big one!
There is this one girl that always has a negative remark for something. Some says we’re going to a bar called the L Bar or something and she has to be like lesbian bar…I talk about feeding the geese, she tells me not to feed the pests. I talk about Riley and she goes on and on about how much she hates corgis. I’ll admit corgis aren’t always the greatest dogs. They do tend to be snappy and mean because they are protecting their people. They have these twisted little legs that are hard to draw blood from. But in general, they are nice dogs. Riley is a super awesome dog once she knows you. And all this girl can say is that she hates corgis. She never makes an attempt to say that maybe my dog is the exception or apologize or give reason for her feelings, just that she hates corgis. I want to say, ‘well, I hate your dog too’. Ugh. I hate negative people. And I hate people that hate my dog without even knowing her.

[EDIT-Originally posted to Blogger on 7/1/11]

MySpace-June 26, 2009-Busy Week

I've had a very busy week.

Somehow tonight, I peed on my foot. I'm not sure how it happened. Just that it did.

Tuesday, we went to a bar that was somehow deemed 'shady' by some of the Cornell people. It was in the basement of a building and located in Collegetown. We went to play RockBand. Miller Lite was on special so I drank some of that. Some being three glasses in like an hour and a half. I think I was dehydrated. (Sorry kidneys.) Anyway, we had a fantastic time playing RockBand and pretty much sucked it up. It was a fantastic time! The bar wasn't shady...maybe because it was nearly empty and reminded me of someone's rec room in the basement of their house.

Wednesday, I went with a local practitioner and went on calls. We palpated a bunch of cows (from which my arm and shoulder are still sore. I wonder if having a previous injury to my rotator cuff in my palpating arm will make it wear down faster?), performed a flush for embryos and then embryo transfer in some heifers, had a meeting with some Mexican milkers (en espanol!) and diagnosed (but not correct) a DA. It was a good time.

Thursday it thunderstormed in the afternoon and did so into Friday morning making Friday afternoon's plans look a little difficult. After morning classes (during which I slept but had questions but felt too guilty to ask them), some of us got the afternoon off and some went to a farm to investigate the fresh cow care. After that, we went over to Steve Eiker's house. He invented a dairy software program and has lots of money. He lives on Cayuga Lake. He's nice but a little crazy too. Anyway, we drank beer and went out in the speed boat. Those that could swim water skied and wakeboarded and went out on the jet ski too. I put on my swimsuit in preparation to go canoeing but my canoeing partner decided that she didn't feel as if she knew enough to go with someone inexperienced too. I felt jipped but kept my suit on and didn't even get wet. I wore it under my clothes till I took a shower.

Some people left early (including Estella who complained about the cold and wouldn't even come down to the water). This included my ride though in my absence (I was on the boat.) a ride was arranged for me. Some people went out (I guess?) before we got back. It frustrates me because it seems that whenever (but not always) I try to have fun, someone decides that they don't want to at the same time. Sigh.

I registered for NAVLE (boards) this week. $525! And for VetPrep which is a boards review program. It was $200. Ugh. I still have to sign up for Missouri's boards or whatever. I think that in particular if I don't get a job in Missouri (as is the plan) I will try to convince my mom to pay for my Missouri license. Its only $200 and in the long run if she pays for that, the cost for vaccinations and syringes, needles, etc and then for Coggins to be ran, she'll save money. I think that's for a three year license. She can still use our vet for emergencies. He just won't be out there for the once a year thing unless I can't take vaccation when she wants it done. I could do it at Christmas because it doesn't really matter when Coggins are drawn, they're good for a year from that date and the only reason the horses get vaccinated in the spring is because its before foaling. But West Nile needs to be done close to the summer too...hmmm.

I miss Joe terribly and can't wait to come home and see him and all of the animals again.

[EDIT-Originally posted to Blogger on 6/26/11]

MySpace-June 23, 2009-New York! New York!

Well, let's cover some basic things.

Yesterday, I fed the geese some more bread. They weren't nearly as frightening this time as they had been previously. The goslings are all growing up and getting grown up feathers! And the best part was that I petted one of the goslings on the back.

Tomorrow, I am spending the day with a local vet. I hope its a good day and doesn't involve too much palpating since I hate it.

Saturday night, we were just hanging out and doing nothing. Estella had been drinking and then decided that she and Annie wanted to go out. Estella declared that I was to be responsible for her and I was to go too. So I drove those two and another to to a local bar. It seemed that there were a large number of lesbians there that night. (From now on referred to in terms of softball or rugby.) Craig thought one girl was cute and he wished to talk to her but was weirded out that he thought this but she was dressed like a dude. Terri from Ohio was dancing to the band when on of the rugby players started dancing with her. Annie leaned in and asked me if Terri was being flirted with. Terri eventually came back to us and asked 'Is this a gay bar?'. I about lost it because she asked it just so incent and sweet. Anyway, I eventually was to take Terri and Craig home but not before Estella groped me and tried to make out with me. I waited for Annie and Estella's call to pick them up later. Once I did, Estella proceeded to pound on every door in the house and jump in bed with who ever she found. That girl is crazy.

I have found it weird that twice people (once a speaker and once a farm owner) have made reference that they either could go to college or go to Vietnam. That's not the weird part. The weird part is that only the non-Americans (the Canadians and French girl, in particular) laugh. I think that we, as Americans, have it ingrained in us no matter how much we oppose war, that you don't laugh about running from it. (Even if its what you would of done too.) I don't know.

Anyway, I am going to New York City towards the end of July. Estella and I booked our trip yesterday. Even though I have a car here, I don't plan on driving because it would be just too hard and scary. So we're flying. We got round trip plane tickets for about $150 each out of Syracuse which is an hour away. We have to book it out of class on Friday afternoon and go straight to the airport. Even then, we'll only have an hour to make the plane once in Syracuse if traffic and all goes okay. Then we'll check into our hostel where we're sharing a room with four other women. Saturday, we roughly have planned to take in a Broadway show providing we can get some student discount tickets. Sunday first thing we are going to the Statue of Liberty then flying home in the early evening.
That's right up there I said hostel. Estella tells me it will be okay and that she's stayed in plenty. I glanced over her sholder one day in class and noticed that she was looking at hostels.com and later I told Joe that I think she had it confused with hotels.com. I thought that was rather funny.
Anyway, I am looking forward to NYC and all of the cool souveniers. Still haven't made it to Canada...Niagra Falls (the Canadian side) is close enough for a day trip if needed. I do have my passport with me too.

[EDIT-Originally posted to Blogger on 6/26/11]

MySpace-June 18, 2009-F*** You PETA

This is what happens when PETA tries to take on the AVMA!
Read these news articles:PETA Fails to Derail Veterinarians' Fish Toss
PETA vs. Pike Place Fish-Throwers


And the full AVMA response-

June 12, 2009

Dear Colleagues,

Many of you are already aware of the controversy surrounding the inclusion of a motivational presentation by the Pike Place Fish Market during the Opening Ceremony at the upcoming AVMA Convention. Briefly, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) initiated a media campaign to protest the use of real fish during this event. They have openly declared that they will continue their media campaign and will publicly protest during the convention if the AVMA does not cancel the event or substitute fake fish.

As AVMA leadership discussed the issue and our options, we received input from a number of animal welfare and scientific experts, as well as AVMA councils and committees. We have received feedback from members expressing support as well as opposition to the inclusion of this presentation, and this feedback was considered during our discussions. All factors were thoroughly weighed when the decision was being made.

To that end, the AVMA has chosen to continue with the presentation as it was originally designed, using real fish.

Although the Pike Place Fish Market program uses fish during the presentation, they are not alive. The presentation is designed to be motivational and educational, and focuses on team building and developing and maintaining positive workplace attitudes. In addition, Pike Place Fish Market is a cultural icon in Seattle and sets a high standard for community outreach efforts; it was for these reasons the presentation was initially selected as a feature of the Opening Ceremony. It is for these same reasons we reaffirmed our commitment to the presentation.

We feel strongly that the protest is little more than an attempt by PETA to garner media attention to fuel their campaigns against the fishing and agricultural industries. There is no doubt that PETA's fundamental philosophy differs greatly from that of the AVMA; in short, PETA opposes all human use of animals, whereas the AVMA supports the responsible use of animals for human purposes. As we reviewed the Pike Place Fish Market presentation materials, we determined the program falls within AVMA guidelines and policies. In addition, the input received from experts, councils and committees indicated the majority opposed responding to PETA's demands by cancelling or altering the program.

The AVMA has been, and will continue to be, involved in international dialog regarding animal welfare issues, including those associated with aquatic animals. In fact, the convention educational program includes sessions discussing science and welfare issues as they pertain to aquatic animals.

As always, the AVMA will continue to work to advance the art and science of veterinary medicine and to promote and protect the interests of all veterinarians. We hope you will join us in our common goals.

Sincerely,

Your AVMA Executive Board

[EDIT-Originally posted to Blogger on 6/21/11]

MySpace-June 17, 2009-I Am Not A Consultant

Somewhere over the weekend, I developed a sore throat. This only seemed to worsen and now is to the point of waxing and wanning. I now have a slight cough and sneeze. It sucks. I never get sick. What's up with this?
Today, we went to a farm to see their manure management system. As boring as that sounds, it only gets more boring as it became an ag econ lecture and a lecture about how to live my life as a veterinarian.

This is the thing that has been bothering me since the first week. While for the most part all of the things that are being presented to us at SDI are important to know. They are not going to directly improve my clinical skills as a veterinarian. I do think its important to understand all the nutritional aspects, understand the manure management systems and how the crops have to be grown to feed the cattle. However, unlike most of the participants here, I did not go to vet school to become a consultant.
I do realize that being a consultant comes naturally with veterinary medicine be it large or small animal medicine. People are always going to come to you with questions and expect free advice. That's just how it is. I just don't want that to become my main focus of my career.
I went to vet school because I enjoy treating animals. I enjoy medicine and making animals feel better and in turn do better for their owners. I want to cut DAs, treat mastitis and pull calves. I want to get my hands dirty. I don't want to spend a majority of my time formulating diets and telling people that they did this or that wrong unless they asked for it, I need to because its glaringly obvious or it will help my client and patient.
I feel that if I wanted to become a consultant that instead of going the DVM route, I could have just worked on a Masters or PhD in Animal Science. I know that those people know just as much about nutrition and all other aspects of dairying that I do/will. No one can argue that (though they try). Besides, you don't even need to be a vet to cut a DA. Lots of large farms have a Mexican trained to do it.
We all admit that once we start out no one is going to be looking to us for the answers. There will be years of cutting DAs, giving calcium for milk fevers, pulling calves and checking for pregnancy. But as I see it right now, that's where I want to stay. If it means staying an associate and being paid less, fine.
I'm becoming a veterinarian because of the medicine. I already have a degree in consulting.

[EDIT-Originally posted to Blogger on 6/21/11]

MySpace-June17, 2009-Secretly Part 3

I really hate when people skip class. I also really hate when people skip class for selfish reasons such as to exercise. And because a day that goes from 8-5:30 with an hour lunch is too long. Do you think you’ll have all that time off once you’re in practice?
And its not just the Cornell kids that are skipping class anymore either. I have to be honest, I wanted to skip this morning but only because my throat was on fire and I was thinking about dying. I heard someone say this afternoon that the days are just too long (they are) and that they would no longer be staying in the afternoon for Spanish or Dairy Comp. Dairy Comp is just about worthless but having even the vaguest idea what is going on will be helpful in the future. I love Spanish though I am horrible at it and am retaining very little. (i.e. nothing)
I suppose on one hand, we all paid our money and this time is to make what we will of it. But on another hand, there are 17 other people that didn’t get in and would have wanted to come. This is especially hurtful to them considering the person that thinks that the days are too long begged her way off of the wait list to come. And apparently also begged to be switched to something else on her last Wednesday trip, which then she incessantly complained about that it was worthless. I went on the same trip and had a good time. Its all what you make of it and she choose not to make anything of it.

[EDIT-Originally posted to Blogger on 6/21/11]

MySpace-June 13, 2009-Cookies and Irony

[EDIT-June 12, 2009's entry was too difficult to edit for public viewing. So its being skipped.-LP-6/14/11]

(MySpace insisted on eating the beginning of what would have been my original post so somehow I fear that this one won’t have the same fiery spirit as before.)
Milk from cows treated with rBST (recombinant bovine somatotrophin (essentially a growth hormone)) is more environmentally friendly than milk from cows not being treated. Milk from organic cows is even worse for the environment. RBST makes cows give more milk. More milk means less cows which means less feed, less land, less manure. You may know that cows are methane machines. And methane is a green house gas, which apparently are bad for the environment (*rolls eyes*) so wouldn’t we want less cows? Think about it.
But, Leslie, you say to yourself, how can this be true? Why are you telling us this? We know your anti-environmental views and how you don’t believe in global warming (Its true, I don’t believe in it.).We’ve read your facebook status. What are you talking about?
Well, let me tell you. Here’s the deal-
RBST (recombinant bovine somatotrophin for the slow kids not catching on) is one of the most researched and tested drugs being given to animals today. There is no difference in the milk from cows being given rBST and cows that don’t get it. Read your milk carton label. If its from cows not being given rBST and it says so, it will say essentially the same of what I said above. Unless you’re in Ohio. Ohio has passed a law that says you can’t make such a label claim because they believe so strongly that there isn’t a difference. Meanwhile, they are also trying to pass a bill similar to Proposition 2 in California which banned battery cages for chickens and other confinement farming practices for swine and calves. OHIO! STOP BEING TWO FACED!
Anyway, there is no scientific evidence that rBST has any effect on human health. Like I said, its been researched since the early ‘80s for its use in cattle and has been used since like the mid-90s. In fact, rBST’s original promising use was in the ‘50s and ‘60s for injecting into midget children in hopes that they would grow to their full height. It didn’t work.
Also, rBST has no effect on a cow’s health either. Well, that’s at least what I am told.  When like seven or eight years ago, when I was doing research on rBST for a paper, I did find that rBST increases the chances of double ovulation resulting in twins. Twinning in any species (except maybe goats/sheep and deer) increases the odds of a difficult birth and death in one or both twins and the dam. But it can occur naturally as well. Also, mastitis is an increased risk BUT it is increased to the degree that it would occur if the cow was naturally producing the same volume of milk. So essentially, I think the cow health issue is a moot point.
What have they been teaching us in uber-liberal Ithaca, New York? Well, I learned that cows today produce more methane than cows in 1944, the time when there were the most dairy cows in the US. BUT because each of these cows produce more milk more efficiently, on a per gallon basis, which is what we really should be looking at (the end product), today’s cows produce less methane. I have also learned that if one million of the like nine million cows in the US produced an extra ten pounds of milk daily (which is the average increase in milk production for cows on rBST), we would be able to decrease the environmental impact by 9%. What’s 9% you ask? 9% is 2.5 million tons less feed, 3 million tons less crap, enough fuel saved to heat 15700 households and would decrease the carbon footprint (I don’t even know what that is!) the equivalent of removing 400000 cars from the road or planting about 300 million trees. That should be enough for you.
But if its not, a small farm of about 150 milking cows (roughly the size of Foremost or even smaller) that was producing an extra ten pounds of milk per cow per day would require 245 tons less feed, 53 fewer acres of cropland, use 132000 gallons less water (that one’s for you Gabbi) and decrease the carbon footprint the same as taking 38 cars off the road annually or planting 28375 trees annually. Buying milk from cows treated with rBST would cut the average family of four’s footprint the same as planting 25 trees annually. What family is out there doing that? Maybe tree farming families. Anyway, I think the evidence is pretty clear.
And worse than milk from cows not treated with rBST is organic cows. Organic cows produce even less milk. They require more land because they have to graze and because the organic crops which make their feed are less efficient and produce less as well. Essentially, everyone that says that they think traditional commercial milk production is bad for the environment and use that as a reason to drink organic or rBST free milk, is WRONG!
Today, we went to an organic farm. I was willing to give it a chance because in theory, organic farming sounds good. The cows get to graze, no antibiotics are used decreasing the ever pesky problem of resistance (mostly doctors’ faults), etc. BUT there is a reason that veterinary medicine has progressed beyond witchcraft. That aside, I went to the farm this morning with an open mind. But when the farmer started telling us about all of the problems that he had when he was traditionally farming, it became clear that it was/had been a management issue. When asked simple questions such as average production, pregnancy rate, SCC and income over cost, he couldn’t come up with solid answers. It seemed that his answer was turning the cows out to pasture and not worrying about much else. It seemed like it was all one big hobby for him. We asked about medications for sick cows and they use a lot of homeopathic drugs. Someone asked about the withdrawal time that they use for treated cows. (Withdrawal time is the amount of time that an animal can’t enter the food chain for meat or milk is held out of the bulk tank and not sold because of possible drug residues.) They said that they don’t establish times because their treatments are all natural! WHOA! Wait a minute! These are herbal supplements that are not evaluated by the FDA for safety and efficacy. We don’t know withdrawal times because no one has done research because its all hocus pocus anyway. And now, these people are letting essentially untested drugs potentially go into the organic milk supply. That’s not cool. In 20 years, when everyone is wondering why they have cancer because their whole lives they’ve been drinking organic milk or eating organic foods, I’m telling you its going to be because of supplements given to cows all willy nilly because they are natural.
On the plus side, the cows did look happy in the pasture but this may have been because their barn was the worse place I have ever seen. The stalls were too small and not appropriately bedded or comfortable. There were minimal fans. The barn was dark. It’s a good thing the cows only have to spend a few hours a day in there. And another plus side is that we all got some Organic Valley chocolate milk. One of the guys was also advocating raw milk and someone said that he said that people that couldn’t drink normal milk could drink raw milk without the lactose intolerance problems (not something I was willing to risk) and that raw milk killed the bacteria. Umm…pretty sure that it doesn’t. Pretty sure that it could still have all sorts of things in it…Brucella, Listeria, ecoli, staph…some of those things are deadly and cause abortions, which is why pregnant women are told not to drink raw milk and to stay away from some soft cheeses.
Other things that have gone on this week included going to a milk processor and to a Kraft factory where they made cream cheese. Both places were pretty cool and we took home a lot of cream cheese. The Kraft factory was down the road from the vet clinic where the guy that played Charlie Bucket in the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory works. He’s now a dairy vet.
Last night, we had a BBQ at one of the professors houses. I drank way too much PBR but I think I did okay and didn’t make too much of a fool of myself.

All is going well and tonight, I think they may try to take me salsa dancing. But I said I would only go if I got hit on. There may be a Canada trip (it seems I'm the only one that has not been out of the country) and a NYC trip in the works.
[EDIT-Originally published to Blogger on June 14, 2011]

MySpace-June 7, 2009-Spoiled Frat Boys

Friday night after coming back from a day of field trips (we went to three dairy farms.), we decided to get cleaned up and about ten of us headed to downtown Ithaca to see the sites, get some dinner and drink some drinks. Much to the dislike of some members of the group, we went to a sports bar and ate and drank some before calling it an early night and coming back home. We stopped and got ice cream first and on the way, I went the wrong way down a one way street. It was only for a block and in my defense there were some confusing signs. And the street was two lane so there was plenty of room for oncoming traffic to move. This made me realize that in the 'city' I have a really hard time seeing at night esp. if it has rained.
So anyway, as we hit the door, some random girl asked us if we were certified. I didn't know what this meant and walked on by. Once going to the third floor balcony, it seemed that since it was alumni weekend, a bunch of frat guys and guests had came to use the house as their party spot. They had been told to leave several times but after the girl's rudeness, someone finally told them they had to leave or we would call the cops.
Saturday, we knew that we had to be gone from our house from three to six to allow for allumni to show up. The house mates split up and I went with three others to the Ithaca Farmer's Market. There were lots and lots of hippies there. I saw a little girl's vagina because she was dancing in a bucket holding her dress up in the air with no underwear while her hippie parents tried to wash your windshield for money. I ate a vegetable pocket thing which was good but would of been better with some meat in it and better if I wasn't about to set out on a four mile hike. I also had an apple and berry fritter for which the same thing goes except the meat part.
We then went on about a four mile hike around one of the gorges in a state park. There were two waterfalls there and the scenary was fantastic. I will get pictures posted in the next couple of days or so. Watch for them!
After that, we went to the store (which makes Hy-Vee look tiny) (And it was a madhouse! And not very well lit. And they have a no candy lane for parents so their brats won't grab it off the shelves.) and bought things for a BBQ we were planning. On our return to the house at six, the frat guys (or former frat guys as the case really seemed) hadn't left. So after a little while, we made a compromise and moved them to the back porch. We had our BBQ and talked with a few frat guys that insisted on hanging out. One of these guys was Kyle who looked like Zach-khakis, t-shirt (navy and not white though), dark hair, same skin tone. We played beer pong and I was super excited for most of the night meaning that my like four beers went pretty far.
Anyway, some of the frat guys convinced a group of us to go downtown and party some more. I stayed behind and helped clean up. But then Kyle convinced me and Estella to go with him and his girlfriend to a party that was described as being held on Cayuga Lake by a well to do gay guy. Two more frat guys, Tom and Jason (who were devistating and gay), showed up and we all piled into Kyle's car to go. He chose to go a short cut which involved a road with hairpin turns. He took a turn too quick, jumped the passenger side up onto a curb and blew out a tire. We convinced him to stop. The guys tried to change the tire but somehow the jack wasn't working. (I verified this and it was f-ed up. I don't know how it was supposed to work.) But all this time, Kyle was just like 'I don't care about the car; I just want to get to the party and have fun.' Now mind you, this wasn't some beater like the Turdcel or something, it was a 2008 VW. A new super nice car. He went on and on about not caring about the car and how it would be okay to drive the five or seven miles out to the party and we could get AAA to come out there and fix the tire. He was totally being the spoiled rich kid and trying to get his way. Estella and I couldn't believe it. Eventually, a tow truck showed up and changed out the tire and we were on our way!
Once at the party, it was revealed to us in our jeans that this was a themed party. A Great Gatsby themed party. All of the guys were dressed in tuxs and similar black and white attire. The girls were in flapper dresses with flowers and feathers in their hair. You know how when you have a themed party or a halloween party not everyone will show up in costume and while disappointing, it just will happen that way. Not so here. We walked in and of the four in our group that were not dressed up, were the ONLY four not dressed up. We got a drink and sat down and people watched. There was this creepy kid that sat next to us clearly stoned out of his gord. The cops showed up for a noise violation but were sneaky enough about it I 'm pretty sure they were looking for people doing drugs (which there were but I am still so totally nieve about drugs). The creepy guy was carrying around this bag and we asked him what was in it and he pulled out these random balls. Jason turned to me and said that it wasn't what he was expecting. Then some random old lady came and sat with us telling us all this random stuff about prescription drugs in Mexico. At one point, in a different conversation with her, she said, 'That bud they are looking for is in my bag.' Or something to that extent. There were two gay guys dancing away and then they were frantically making out. Not just a little kissing but total make outs. Eventually, because Kyle's girlfriend was passed out (or close to it) we piled back in the car and Kyle took us home. It was 3:30am when we roled in. But the people from downtown weren't back yet.
This morning Estella came by and wondered if all the random things that happened were real. Yes they were but they really could of been part of a dream.

[EDIT-Originally published to Blogger on June 14, 2011]

MySpace-June 6, 2009-Funny Video-For all you '80s fans!

I suggest that you check out this link that I have provided for you:Total Eclipse of the Heart Remake. This video is really good except for when they get to the part of just speaking without subtitles. I think it loses some credibility there.

[EDIT-Originally published to Blogger on June 14, 2011]

MySpace-June 4, 2009-New York Thus Far...

I'm not sure where I left off on the things that we've been doing but here's a run down.

Sunday, we did teambuilding exercises like we did before I started vet school at Camp Windermere. We ate pizza and had some beer because the frat house has 'no rules'!

Monday, we went to school and had some lectures. Then we walked home which sucked and had dinner. I think it was Chinese.

Tuesday, we had some more lectures and walked very far to school. We figured out quicker and shorter ways of doing this. I continued to fall asleep in class because well, I can't not do it. We had chicken parm for dinner.

Wednesday, we went on our field trips. I went to the Quality Milk Production Services place at 5:30am. Kerry, the tech that I met there, and I drove for an hour to a dairy farm where we collected some milk samples from unhappy cows. Then we drove back. I talked to someone for a while, sat in on a video confrence call and then wandered around the lab before coming home. Everyone that went to the cheese plant brought back tons of cheese. I go there next week. We had beef strogonoff and stir fry for dinner. It wasn't appriciated by me.

Today, we went to school and I decided that I am going to start drinking coffee in an vague effort to stay awake. We had tacos for dinner.

The highlight of my days seem to be spanish when we have it. I just enjoy it for some reason but enjoy doesn't translate to being very good at it.

I have elected a guy named John that looks vaguely like Kevin Stokes as my new classroom boyfriend. He's very nice.

I've been having super vivid dreams which may account for being so tired.

Every night, I have been having a beer. We're doing beer in alphabetical order.

Saturday, we are having a BBQ and playing beer pong.

Check out the pictures I've loaded if you haven't yet. I think I loaded them here at least.

[EDIT-Originally published to Blogger on June 14, 2011]

MySpace-June 4, 2009-Secretly...

[EDIT-I'm not so sure how much I feel this to be true anymore.-LP-6/14/11]

...I think Cornell sucks.

I know this makes Martha happy and I was really excited to come here but here are some things that make me think that it sucks.

First of all, despite being an Ivy League school, its not all that impressive. I'm not sure what I was expecting. Maybe some more ivy covered buildings...maybe some older looking buildings. Even my poor little state school has older buildings, a bigger campus (1372 acres versus Cornell's 745 acres) (it certainly doesn't feel that way on my two mile hike to or from school!) and was founded before Cornell. This may actually be one time when I am proud to be from Mizzou! The only thing that they have going for them are these beautiful gorges! A river (probably more like a creek) runs through them and makes some beautiful waterfalls.

The town is little. Ithaca has a population of 29287 versus Columbia's 84531. They don't have a Super Wal-Mart. Even DeSoto with a population of between 6000 and 7000 has a Super Wal-Mart. And Columbia has three.

I haven't been on a tour of the vet school yet. While it might only take speaking with one of the Cornell students or one of the program's coordinators, I've heard that its rather hard to get. Last year, a USDA program had to essentially sell its first born for a tour. What does the vet school have to hide? Oh wait, they don't call themselves a Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital like we do, they are the Cornell Hospital for Animals. I do know that they have a rather impressive cafeteria (well, almost anything would be The Zou) and a coffee cart in the hospital.

And finally, the Cornell students are snobs that do very little. First, with the exception of one student (there are five from Cornell.) They don't live in the house, which I guess I understand. I wouldn't want to pay rent and live somewhere else too. The girl that does live here has be designated the house mom and seems to regret every minute of it. The other three girls only show up for meals and then pretty much leave. Only one student came to the team building exercises. Tomorrow, we have a field trip and I know that one is skipping and the others were considering it too. I just feel that these places were held open for them and there were plently of students from other schools that would of loved to have the places and live in the dirty frat house and thus the students need to be a little more respectful of everyone and everything.

[EDIT-Originally published to Blogger on June 14, 2011]