I've worked at GVC for just over two years. Things haven't been the best all the time and it took me a very, very long time not to yearn for working back at my first job. It was my first job and my first love. Its a shame I got fucked over.
Earlier this summer, there were some defiant times when I was ready to just up and quit. It appears that those times are behind me. Now I realize how much better this job is for me and my career. There are some many things that I am given free rein to do. Things I would have never dreamed of doing but somehow am forced into it. Is it that people in this area expect me to do more? Are unable to do more (referral) for themselves?
At my last job, I would have never even considered the idea of removing a kidney unless it was an emergency situation. Doing it on as just about as routine as you can would have just been unheard of. A PU on a dog and especially on a cat? Crazy! I never did entropion or cherry eye surgeries. If these were to be done, I wasn't the one that was going to be doing it. I did two c-sections in my two years there. I can do two a week here. I don't even think about it. I just do it. GDV surgeries? If these dogs presented to my last job they had two options-euthanasia or referral. Here, well, we tell the owners that referral is best, even if it is after we do surgery but if needed we'll just go ahead and cut that. No promises but CB and I have a 100% success rate. I tapped a dog's joints yesterday. That's insane. I had never done it before but looked like an old pro it went so well. Blood transfusions-why not? On Christmas Eve, I pulled blood on my dog and put it into another all by myself. It was a long night.
On the large animal side, I'm palpating colicky horses with every colic I see. (I don't like it but do it.) I'm becoming proficient in dehorning goats with large horns. I did an c-section on a goat and assisted on one with a cow. I gave a goat kid a blood transfusion last week. Sure, most of the large animal things I could have done at my last job if I had the chance but never did. The only thing that I could complain about is the frequency my fetatome comes out. Partially, I might use it more often because I am wiser about what I can and can't manually remove from a cow.
Anyway, as usual, as much as I complain about my job (which is a lot), I am finally glad that I have a new job that allows me to be bold and constantly try new things and new procedures.
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Friday, July 11, 2014
Recipe to Pin
So there's a good chance that I'll do some shameless self promotion on Pinterest later tonight about tonight's dinner.
Let me preface this with the fact that I have my followers in mind.
I love Asian food. From cheap Chinese buffets to Pad Thai to Kim Chee, I love Asian food. And if it wasn't for a sometimes questionable GI tract, I'd probably readily seek more of it out.
When Joe and I got married, we had our rehearsal dinner at Amy's Thai which is arguably the best restaurant in Carlisle. I had been only a few times but never had a bad dish unlike the Straits Settlement here in town which insists on giving me a side of peanut allergy with my Pad Thai. Anyway, Amy's gave us a beautiful Thai cookbook as a gift. I was thinking about making Pad Thai (which I will later this week with a spaghetti squash!) when I can across this recipe.
Pad Ped Nuea (Stir-Fried Curry Beef with Long Beans)
2 tbsp oil
1 garlic clove-minced
1/2 lb ground beef
2 cups sting or snake beans into 1" segments
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp red curry paste
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup sliced red bell pepper
1/4 cup sliced green bell pepper
5-8 Thai chilis
Heat a large skillet and add oil and garlic. Then add the ground beef and sauté on medium high until browned.
Then add the rest if the ingredients and cook until beans are tender.
Okay, I doubled the recipe and served over white rice.
I seemingly forgot to chop the green beans. I forgot to double the sugar or garlic. I added an onion. I used a jalapeño instead of Thai chilies. The beans were never tender; chopping probably would have fixed that! Also add bell peppers in much later so they aren't completely mushy. I drained the beef.
Overall, it was good. A nice lingering heat but not devastatingly so.
Let me preface this with the fact that I have my followers in mind.
I love Asian food. From cheap Chinese buffets to Pad Thai to Kim Chee, I love Asian food. And if it wasn't for a sometimes questionable GI tract, I'd probably readily seek more of it out.
When Joe and I got married, we had our rehearsal dinner at Amy's Thai which is arguably the best restaurant in Carlisle. I had been only a few times but never had a bad dish unlike the Straits Settlement here in town which insists on giving me a side of peanut allergy with my Pad Thai. Anyway, Amy's gave us a beautiful Thai cookbook as a gift. I was thinking about making Pad Thai (which I will later this week with a spaghetti squash!) when I can across this recipe.
Pad Ped Nuea (Stir-Fried Curry Beef with Long Beans)
2 tbsp oil
1 garlic clove-minced
1/2 lb ground beef
2 cups sting or snake beans into 1" segments
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp red curry paste
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup sliced red bell pepper
1/4 cup sliced green bell pepper
5-8 Thai chilis
Heat a large skillet and add oil and garlic. Then add the ground beef and sauté on medium high until browned.
Then add the rest if the ingredients and cook until beans are tender.
Okay, I doubled the recipe and served over white rice.
I seemingly forgot to chop the green beans. I forgot to double the sugar or garlic. I added an onion. I used a jalapeño instead of Thai chilies. The beans were never tender; chopping probably would have fixed that! Also add bell peppers in much later so they aren't completely mushy. I drained the beef.
Overall, it was good. A nice lingering heat but not devastatingly so.
An Emergency
Scene: 4:50pm, Friday. Your average mixed practice veterinary clinic in a small town.
Participants: Receptionist (R), Equine Owner (EO), Vet (DVM)
(phone rings)
R: Hello, Greater Good Animal Hospital, how can I help you?
EO: I need a Coggins test on my horse by Tuesday. The fair starts on Wednesday.
R: I'm not sure that's possible. It normally takes a few days for the test to be done.
EO: I need a Coggins test on my horse by Tuesday. The fair starts on Wednesday.
R: Okay, let me consult with one of the doctors.
(Puts EO on hold. Phone cuts out.)
DVM: So, do they need the Coggins drawn by Tuesday or back?
R: Back.
DVM: Yeah, that's not going to happen. Even if we run the rush test, the blood has to be there by noon. It won't get shipped till Monday and there would be no guarantee of it being there on time Tuesday. Maybe ready by Wednesday.
R: Okay, I'll tell her.
(EO calls back.)
R: The vet said that it isn't likely to happen. The blood has to get to a lab in the center of the state by noon to get ran that day and it won't get shipped till Monday. It might be back by Wednesday.
EO: I need a Coggins test on my horse by Tuesday. The fair starts on Wednesday.
R: I understand that. But it's just not possible to promise that.
EO: I understand I can get the results by email.
R: Yes.
EO: What if you came on Saturday? Or if I brought the horse to you? Would that make it quicker?
R: No. It's the shipping that's the problem. The blood won't be shipped till Monday. It has to be there by Tuesday at noon to be read that day. It just isn't possible.
EO: I need a Coggins test on my horse by Tuesday. The fair starts on Wednesday. I'd like you to come pull the test.
R: Please hold.
(EO put on hold. R consults with DVM who agrees to go out when she is still normally asleep before doing morning small animal appointments. EO rejoices!)
Participants: Receptionist (R), Equine Owner (EO), Vet (DVM)
(phone rings)
R: Hello, Greater Good Animal Hospital, how can I help you?
EO: I need a Coggins test on my horse by Tuesday. The fair starts on Wednesday.
R: I'm not sure that's possible. It normally takes a few days for the test to be done.
EO: I need a Coggins test on my horse by Tuesday. The fair starts on Wednesday.
R: Okay, let me consult with one of the doctors.
(Puts EO on hold. Phone cuts out.)
DVM: So, do they need the Coggins drawn by Tuesday or back?
R: Back.
DVM: Yeah, that's not going to happen. Even if we run the rush test, the blood has to be there by noon. It won't get shipped till Monday and there would be no guarantee of it being there on time Tuesday. Maybe ready by Wednesday.
R: Okay, I'll tell her.
(EO calls back.)
R: The vet said that it isn't likely to happen. The blood has to get to a lab in the center of the state by noon to get ran that day and it won't get shipped till Monday. It might be back by Wednesday.
EO: I need a Coggins test on my horse by Tuesday. The fair starts on Wednesday.
R: I understand that. But it's just not possible to promise that.
EO: I understand I can get the results by email.
R: Yes.
EO: What if you came on Saturday? Or if I brought the horse to you? Would that make it quicker?
R: No. It's the shipping that's the problem. The blood won't be shipped till Monday. It has to be there by Tuesday at noon to be read that day. It just isn't possible.
EO: I need a Coggins test on my horse by Tuesday. The fair starts on Wednesday. I'd like you to come pull the test.
R: Please hold.
(EO put on hold. R consults with DVM who agrees to go out when she is still normally asleep before doing morning small animal appointments. EO rejoices!)
Friday, July 4, 2014
The Goldfinch
In my last blogpost regarding the books I was reading, I alluded to the fact that the next book I was going to read was the 770+ tome by Donna Tartt called The Goldfinch. It had won a Pulitzer (I think) and I had actually purchased the hardback meaning I had high hopes for this book...
IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!
I can easily say, though, this is not a book for everyone. It is not a terribly easy read and it is a book that makes you think. I would end up having dreams about it afterwards. And now I will ruin the book for you.
The book's main character is Theo Decker and it starts when he is 12 or 13 years old. Theo and his mother live in New York City. His father has ran off and has not been heard from but it doesn't matter since Theo has always been closer to his mother. (His dad was an alcoholic.)
Theo has been suspended from school and he and his mother have a meeting with the school on the morning that changes his life. It was a rainy spring day and in the spare time they have before the meeting, they decide to run into a museum to stay dry.
Then the bomb goes off. When Theo comes to, he is disoriented and alone. All is still and quiet. He wonders around the ruined halls looking for his mother when he comes across an old man, Welty, who is dying. Theo had seen Welty and a young girl (Pippa) earlier. As he kneels near Welty, Theo is handed his ring, a painting (The Goldfinch) and the message of where to go with the ring.
Theo wonders home and falls asleep waiting for his mother who never returns as she was killed in the explosion. Eventually, Theo is taken to his friend, Andy's house, where he stays. Theo ends up taking the ring from Welty to Hobie who was Welty's partner in an antique's business. There he sees Pippa and this strengthens a strange longing he has for her. As Andy's family prepares to take Theo in, his father resurfaces with his girlfriend, Xandra. Theo and his mother's apartment is packed up but he takes the painting and realizing its value takes it with him for safekeeping. Theo goes out to Las Vegas with his father and Xandra.
Despite what he says about not drinking, Theo's father is into even worse things-gambling, living beyond his means, still drinking and pain pills. Xandra and the father pretty much ignore Theo which leaves him to find a friend in the nearly deserted neighborhood. Boris is the same age as Theo and is the son of a Russian mining official. Boris has lived alone and has had to grow up quick which unfortunately leads the pair into stealing and escalating drug and alcohol abuse.
Then one night, Theo's father is killed. Which isn't the worse thing since he owed some bookies large amounts of money and was trying to tap into Theo's trustfund. Theo decides that he needs to get out of there so he gets on a bus and heads back to NYC. (Of course, taking the painting with him. At this point, the painting is the one constant in his life. He realizes that he should not have it or keep it but is at a loss as to how to return it. Returning it may mean jail. Selling it means jail. Leaving it anonymously someplace may mean the painting's destruction.)
Back in NYC, Theo goes to live with Hobie who teaches Theo the art of refinishing antique furniture. Pippa remains just out of Theo's grasp having gone to live with a sister (?), then overseas to a boarding school. As Theo gets older, Theo takes over Welty's part of the business-selling. Theo is a natural despite his drug problem (prescription pills) and unfortunately has made many dodgy business deals by selling some of Hobie's pieced together furniture as something they are not. On particular client threatens to make waves about the piece he bought and despite Theo's attempts to buy back the piece and make peace, he is rebuffed. This client also ends up insinuating that he knows about the painting, which Theo has to deny.
Theo eventually returns to Andy's family as an adult. Andy and his father (mentally unstable) have met a tragic end in a boating accident which has left the family unstable. Theo will eventually become engaged to Kitsy, Andy's younger sister. Theo runs into Boris and it is a joyous coke fueled reunion.
Then the truth comes out. The package that Theo has taken some much care over and worried so very much over, the package that he thought contained his precious painting is nothing more than a school workbook. Boris has had the painting this whole time. ACTUALLY, he's used it as a pawn in his drug dealing (?) schemes to get further ahead. Now the painting is MIA.
Boris decides that he will get the painting back for Theo and the pair go off to Amsterdam at Christmas. Their plot to steal the painting back goes better than planned and as they are preparing to celebrate the two are ambushed. The painting is stolen and the two people that ambushed them are dead. Theo sits for several days in his hotel room until Boris reappears. Boris gives Theo a large amount of money which Theo is instantly suspicious of. Boris explains that he decided to just turn in the robbers. The painting as well as many others are found and Boris and his crew reap the rewards!
Theo comes back to the US and explains all to Hobie.
The last few pages of the book got really preachy and was sore of a let down. Overall, I would grade The Goldfinch as a B. Initially, I would have given it higher but the ending was confusing and too metaphorical/philosophical for my liking. It's worth the read though.
IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!
I can easily say, though, this is not a book for everyone. It is not a terribly easy read and it is a book that makes you think. I would end up having dreams about it afterwards. And now I will ruin the book for you.
The book's main character is Theo Decker and it starts when he is 12 or 13 years old. Theo and his mother live in New York City. His father has ran off and has not been heard from but it doesn't matter since Theo has always been closer to his mother. (His dad was an alcoholic.)
Theo has been suspended from school and he and his mother have a meeting with the school on the morning that changes his life. It was a rainy spring day and in the spare time they have before the meeting, they decide to run into a museum to stay dry.
Then the bomb goes off. When Theo comes to, he is disoriented and alone. All is still and quiet. He wonders around the ruined halls looking for his mother when he comes across an old man, Welty, who is dying. Theo had seen Welty and a young girl (Pippa) earlier. As he kneels near Welty, Theo is handed his ring, a painting (The Goldfinch) and the message of where to go with the ring.
Theo wonders home and falls asleep waiting for his mother who never returns as she was killed in the explosion. Eventually, Theo is taken to his friend, Andy's house, where he stays. Theo ends up taking the ring from Welty to Hobie who was Welty's partner in an antique's business. There he sees Pippa and this strengthens a strange longing he has for her. As Andy's family prepares to take Theo in, his father resurfaces with his girlfriend, Xandra. Theo and his mother's apartment is packed up but he takes the painting and realizing its value takes it with him for safekeeping. Theo goes out to Las Vegas with his father and Xandra.
Despite what he says about not drinking, Theo's father is into even worse things-gambling, living beyond his means, still drinking and pain pills. Xandra and the father pretty much ignore Theo which leaves him to find a friend in the nearly deserted neighborhood. Boris is the same age as Theo and is the son of a Russian mining official. Boris has lived alone and has had to grow up quick which unfortunately leads the pair into stealing and escalating drug and alcohol abuse.
Then one night, Theo's father is killed. Which isn't the worse thing since he owed some bookies large amounts of money and was trying to tap into Theo's trustfund. Theo decides that he needs to get out of there so he gets on a bus and heads back to NYC. (Of course, taking the painting with him. At this point, the painting is the one constant in his life. He realizes that he should not have it or keep it but is at a loss as to how to return it. Returning it may mean jail. Selling it means jail. Leaving it anonymously someplace may mean the painting's destruction.)
Back in NYC, Theo goes to live with Hobie who teaches Theo the art of refinishing antique furniture. Pippa remains just out of Theo's grasp having gone to live with a sister (?), then overseas to a boarding school. As Theo gets older, Theo takes over Welty's part of the business-selling. Theo is a natural despite his drug problem (prescription pills) and unfortunately has made many dodgy business deals by selling some of Hobie's pieced together furniture as something they are not. On particular client threatens to make waves about the piece he bought and despite Theo's attempts to buy back the piece and make peace, he is rebuffed. This client also ends up insinuating that he knows about the painting, which Theo has to deny.
Theo eventually returns to Andy's family as an adult. Andy and his father (mentally unstable) have met a tragic end in a boating accident which has left the family unstable. Theo will eventually become engaged to Kitsy, Andy's younger sister. Theo runs into Boris and it is a joyous coke fueled reunion.
Then the truth comes out. The package that Theo has taken some much care over and worried so very much over, the package that he thought contained his precious painting is nothing more than a school workbook. Boris has had the painting this whole time. ACTUALLY, he's used it as a pawn in his drug dealing (?) schemes to get further ahead. Now the painting is MIA.
Boris decides that he will get the painting back for Theo and the pair go off to Amsterdam at Christmas. Their plot to steal the painting back goes better than planned and as they are preparing to celebrate the two are ambushed. The painting is stolen and the two people that ambushed them are dead. Theo sits for several days in his hotel room until Boris reappears. Boris gives Theo a large amount of money which Theo is instantly suspicious of. Boris explains that he decided to just turn in the robbers. The painting as well as many others are found and Boris and his crew reap the rewards!
Theo comes back to the US and explains all to Hobie.
The last few pages of the book got really preachy and was sore of a let down. Overall, I would grade The Goldfinch as a B. Initially, I would have given it higher but the ending was confusing and too metaphorical/philosophical for my liking. It's worth the read though.
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