Today began five finals in five days. Fortunately, I think today’s will be my worst, and now that it’s behind me, I’m feeling a wee bit giddy.
I’ve been studying histology since that one ended, and my brain cells are starting to explode. Or implode. Or crenate, just because I like that word.
Histology, as you may know, is Greek for “the study of meaningless pink and blue blobs.”
I think it can be interesting, really, but when you’ve stared at pink and blue slide after pink and blue slide, it starts to get to you.
I’m still having trouble identifying a few things, but I’m getting a lot better. And then I got to this slide. What the heck is it?
Read the rest of this entry »
Dec 14, 2010 | | School Daze
I am happy to report that Cat Mandu is 1) alive and 2) her eosinophilic crapola flareup is under control.
A couple months ago, she started acting really lethargic and not eating–and when she doesn’t eat, something is really wrong. Her right leg was also a little swollen, with a bit of muscle wasting. In an odd and possibly incidental finding, there was about a millimeter of exposed bone on the very tip of her tail.
I took her in for an exam and blood work, and everything, save the above, was completely normal. As much as you hate to see illness appear on blood work, sometimes it’s just nice to know that you have an answer. In her case, we had no idea.
(I got a little frustrated at the idea that I am going to spend the next four years, and then the rest of my life, learning about veterinary medicine, only to be presented with some case like this, where I have to admit I have no idea what’s wrong. Ugh.) Read the rest of this entry »
Dec 09, 2010 | | Animal Tales
I have been snoozing by this fireplace my whole life. Can't you tell?
Mr. Tabby, my little adoptee, has come out of the closet! It’s only been oh, 11 months. That has to be some kind of record.
It was a relatively quick affair once he’d made up his mind about it, poor bubsy. And now that he’s out, he is a super snugglesaurus lap cat. Yay!
Cat Mandu is tolerating him pretty well, unless he gets too close, at which point she’ll bop him on the nose. He takes it like a pro, since he lived around so many other cats for so long. I’ve been intrigued by how he sneaks up a little bit closer to her every week, gradually getting her used to him.
Once, they were even in my lap at the same time! I think Mandu was too sleepy to notice he’d snuck in, because when she woke up, she bopped him on the head and left in a huff.
He’s still a bit timid, but all in all he’s turning out to be a heckuva nice cat.
Two cats at once!
Dec 06, 2010 | | Animal Tales
Holy moley.
Being in vet school is a lot like being on a roller coaster. Parts of it are scary, parts of it are a rush, there are ups, and there are downs. So far there are a lot more ups than downs (which would be physically impossible on a roller coaster, so I guess my analogy doesn’t hold, but you get the idea. That, and the going down is the fun part on the roller coaster. Wow, bad analogy all around).
Anyway, I’ll start with the downs, so that I can end with the ups.
1. The built-in inner tube I am sporting around my midsection. Not pretty.
2. Being a terrible time manager so that it feels like I am studying constantly (even though it’s interspersed with serious procrastination), and when I actually plan an activity that’s not studying, I feel guilty.
3. Having to learn about a few things I’m not all that interested in, just because they might be on the licensing exam or they’re part of establishing a broad knowledge base. (Oh, histo, how I loathe thee…) Read the rest of this entry »
Dec 05, 2010 | | School Daze
I am trying desperately to learn the arteries, veins, and nerves near the brachial plexus. I’m also trying desperately not to have a nervous breakdown. I think I’m *this* close to the latter.
For those who’ve never had a peek inside a dog’s naked armpit, this is what it looks like:
Um, yeah.
My parents just called, and it was all I could do to keep from bawling.
Puh. Not a good day.
P.S. The way cool image comes from Dr. Whalen’s canine anatomy CD, available at vettext.org. Well, the CD is way cool, I should say. That image makes me want to cry.
Oct 04, 2010 | | School Daze
This post is for all you people who are applying to vet school this year, and who are reading this blog instead of working on your application (which, I might add, is due in a mere four days). I know you’re out there. Why else would the personal statement from my application have gotten 80 bazillion hits in the last 30 days?
Here is some last-minute advice for you:
Read the rest of this entry »
Sep 28, 2010 | | Getting In
…so she had to go to the Pi D.
That’s the silly little memory trick we used in 9th grade geometry to remember how to calculate circumference.
I couldn’t help but remember that this week as I noticed how much my circumference has been growing since starting vet school. If only it were as simple as going “Pi D” to get rid of all this excess blubber. Eesh.
Read the rest of this entry »
Sep 27, 2010 | | School Daze
Last night, I took my first night off since starting vet school. As in, didn’t even think about cracking open a textbook.
The better half and I had a leisurely dinner, wandered over to Starbucks for some leisurely conversation, then picked up a movie at the local video place. Mmmm. It was loooooooveeeeeelllllllyyyyyyyyy.
At about 10:45 PM, I realized I’d forgotten to take the weekly histology quiz online. The one that’s due at 10 PM. Oops.
It’s only worth five points, but I feel a little idiotic for having forgotten… You know what? So worth it.
Sep 25, 2010 | | School Daze
This time last year, I was frantically trying to finish my vet school application, get into a Master’s program, and keep up with my classes. It seemed pretty stressful at the time. Now, that seems like a cake walk!
This week was our first anatomy exam, and the fear and pressure leading up to said exam was unlike anything I have ever experienced. Several times, I thought to myself, “WHY did I want to go to vet school, again?” I studied nothing but anatomy for about two weeks–morning, noon, and night. I had anatomy dreams. And nightmares. The whole freshman class was awash with stress. I considered all the people who are in the throes of the application process right now, so hoping to get into vet school… “If you only knew,” I thought.
Anatomy is a TON of information (I already have more notes from that class alone than I did in an entire semester’s worth of undergrad classes–plural). Unfortunately, though, it’s not the kind of thing you just memorize and be done with. It’s something you have to visualize in three dimensions, and on different scales–scrappy little mutts and horses have pretty similar musculature in their hind limbs, but they look nothing alike… No two animals are the same. At all.
Read the rest of this entry »
Sep 18, 2010 | | School Daze
Seriously?! I have the beginnings of a cold, and it is only the 8th day of class. ARG! Worse yet, I don’t think I’m the first one from our class to be out due to illness. A warning to future students: vet school hits you hard, and fast!
I started feeling icky a few days ago, but didn’t start feeling really yucky until yesterday afternoon. And then I felt a smidge better yesterday evening, and I thought, “Tomorrow’s only four hours of class–I can go, and then sleep, right?”
But then the little birdie’s voice said, “If you’re sick, stay home.”
Why is it that I have such a problem staying home when I’m sick? Thirty years ago, I would have given up my lunch money to stay home from school. I get really annoyed when other people come to school sick, so why do I have a problem staying home?
Read the rest of this entry »
Sep 01, 2010 | | School Daze
