Marathon Madness and Pony Love

I registered for the Illinois Marathon this weekend. If that wasn't enough, I also decided to sign up for the 5k iChallenge because I'm crazy. The iChallenge is new this year - it involves running a 5k the Friday night before the marathon (or half-marathon) and then running your race Saturday morning. You get extra medals/shirts for doing it - plus bragging rights and pride. I'm all over this - I'll just run an easy 5k as a mini warm up for the actual marathon. Is this crazy to do before my very first marathon? Maybe. But its a challenge (like the marathon isn't enough of a challenge???) and it is a new opportunity, so I'd like to do my part to support this because it really is a cool idea. This is my third year participating in the Illinois marathon/half-marathon madness - this is the third year and I've done the half the past two years, so I am very excited for this race. I'd like to say I just want to finish (which I do), but it is very difficult not to set a goal time. I operate completely on goal times and goal distances... it makes long runs sometimes not as much fun just because I am so focused on mileage and time goals... I am trying to be better. I think 4:30 will be my goal time and if I am completely off, then at least I WILL finish. I plan on ordering my PaceTat, because those are just fantastic. If you have never heard of it, here is the link: PaceTat.
I did my 9 mile run on Friday on the treadmill... I watched Sex and the City and Say Yes to the Dress... I get a little bored on the treadmill during longer runs, but once I get into a show, time sort of flies (sort of). I have a 10 mile run planned for this Friday or sometime this weekend - although I hear an ice/snow storm is supposed to hit and they are predicting 12 inches of snow, so I may be repeating my treadmill run instead of running outside.

I've been horseback riding Tuesday mornings this semester as well. I am lucky enough to 1. have a fiance whose family has horses, 2. have a fiance whose family has their own awesome indoor arena, 3. eventually live in the house 1/2 mile down the road from said indoor arena and horses (moving May 2012), and 4. eventually live in the house 1/2 mile down the road that also comes with a 4 stall barn for horses of our own.

It is a rough life sometimes, but I deal with it.

I've always loved horses (from afar since I was so involved with swimming my entire life). My closest encounter with horses was my annual hour long trail ride on my birthday and the occasional trail ride on vacations (my family really likes horses too). We just grew up in the suburbs where horses aren't easily accessible. I grew up with walls plastered with Horse Illustrated breed centerfolds and tons of Breyer horses and Grand Champion horses and My Little Ponies... the list goes on and on. Now, to have horses at my fingertips is almost too good to be true! Plus, their horses are very well trained since many are used for carts and combined driving. They only have Haflingers, which is a really neat breed and a great sized pony/horse (they are considered draft ponies, but their horses range in height from 13 hands up to about 15, so they technically have ponies and horses). Anyway, its all fantastic and I'm excited to get more involved in riding and horses once we graduate!

As for school... its still school. We still have class, I start surgery in a few weeks again, and are a little disinterested with the classes. Swine ends on Friday and we start Ruminant again, so I can't say it will get better (interest wise) for me, but we'll see :)

Shy

Since I rarely blog (I've been trying to be better) and I have all of a handful of readers (thank you readers!), I haven't shared my Shy story. She is a beautiful, wonderfully sweet pit bull that was relinquished to the animal hospital 4 months ago. She's been living at the KJ's mom's animal hospital all this time and she really needs a home - there is no quality of life with spending all of your time in a kennel... here is her tale: Shy's story at Two Pitties in the City. If anyone sees this or knows of a rescue/foster/forever home for her, please let me know :) or pass on her story if you can. She is near Urbana, IL - but I will drive her to where she needs to go. If I didn't have cats or a sometimes temperamental (but perfect for us) pit bull of my own, I would take her in a second. Thanks guys. Hope everyone's 2011 is going great! More to come!

Merry Christmas Break!

Finals ended beautifully. I ended up with only 1 "C" (in equine medicine... this is why I will OWN horses, not treat them!)... because my "C" in Ruminant health turned into a "B"... a holiday miracle! I actually pulled off an "A" in Large animal surgery, which is awesome and I'm really happy about it! All in all, it turned out pretty great - that is, studying for the cumulative finals the day before :) whoops! I'll try to do better with studying next semester...

Christmas was awesome - I am a very, very lucky girl and got to open a ton of awesome gifts - I'm so excited to bust out my new running tights and clothes when the weather gets a tiny bit warmer and the snow melts a little. We spent Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas day with KJ's family - two Christmases!!! So much fun. Plus the animals were really spoiled this year - lots of treats, toys, new beds for the kitties, etc. Our friend NO bought Ben a fantastic wifebeater tank that says "I heart bitches". It is so perfect for him - he is so mellow and stoic and a such a good, sweet boy :)

Our plans for this week are wedding planning, and RELAXING! Playing video games, watching How I Met Your Mother and Grey's Anatomy and RELAXING. I will be ready on Monday to go back for our last semester of class EVER and I'm excited for what this new year is going to be bringing... We are getting married in 10 months... EEEEEEK!

The Homestretch and Hospitals

6 finals down. 4 of which were cumulative. Tomorrow (Anesthesia) is cumulative too and worth 45% of the grade - but I have a solid A and don't care if I end up with a B! So take that vet school!

I still have my sanity (somewhat) after this hellish, awful week. Finals everyday for a week and a half? Fun! I haven't cried, I haven't freaked out, I haven't had a meltdown - wait - I DID cry watching a rerun Grey's anatomy episode Tuesday while fiance and I ate lunch between study sessions... (it was the one in the second season where the mom won't tell her teenage daughter that she has cancer and is dying - so at the end she tells her in a way that she gives her daughter life advice until the daughter asks why - heartbreaking... not good to watch when I'm at my breaking point).

So to celebrate what I hope was a decent Large animal surgery exam - I came home and made this delicious pasta that Life in Vet School made a few days ago.

Heavenly... words can't describe. Especially after the pizza/cereal/tuna fish sandwich combinations that I've been throwing in my mouth this week. My poor over-caffeinated, exercise deprived body is freaking out right now - but I soothed her over with pasta and clams. I think I can make it until tomorrow when I can run stress my stresses away! I'm not a cook, but it seemed too easy not to try - I didn't have fresh clams, but the sauce was very tasty, and I'll be eating it for dinner tonight because KJ doesn't like clams (score!).

I'm feeling a little apprehensive about today and studying though - I know I need to do it - but at 1 pm I have a doctor's appointment that I'm not looking forward to. Last year, during finals, I found out that I had HPV. Not only that, but that I had high risk HPV - so they made me immediately come in for a colposcopy in order to take some biopsies. DURING FINALS WEEK. As if I wasn't stressed enough. Turns out I have cervical dysplasia - nothing pre-cancerous or (god willing) cancerous, but not completely normal. So if you have a couple fingers to spare and aren't already crossing them for yourselves, cross your fingers that this goes alright and hasn't progressed into something more. I don't need anymore hospital time and visits after my mangled finger this year!

If you are taking finals this week too - GOOD LUCK! If you aren't, then count yourselves lucky :)

Disappointed

As I last mentioned, Ruminant health is slowly killing me. We had a "review" last night (sweet 1.5 hour review on a Friday Night) and we were given our exams back as well as our fluid therapy assignment. After all my bitching, I actually got a 10/10 on it... but that's besides the point because apparently I got a 2/10 in our ruminant parasitology lab.

Lets go back to a few weeks ago to said lab. We enter and are told that this is "laid-back" and all we have to do is "put our names on it and we'll get full credit" and that we "don't even have to do all the stations if we don't want to". So my little group of 5 did all the stations as best we could without notes and laptops (since we didn't know we would need them) - half the groups had notes out, the other half was like us. Then this week, we get lab grades posted - 42/50... damn it parasitolgy, you weren't supposed to be graded! My reaction = whatever, at this point, I'm cool with just passing. I'm all for large animal medicine, but my love of steak and milk outweighs my interest in treating them medically.

Fast forward now to last night's review. Our class rep very tactfully asks the course coordinator (the only faculty member at the review) about this grading mishap. He sort of implies that he can go and change those grades since we were told it wouldn't be graded and since he is the one with the computer and power. Moving on to the review... But like I mentioned, he usually isn't organized or prepared, so he runs to his office to grab some papers.

Now enters Dr. F - the parasit man and the man responsible for half of the new material on our upcoming final. A girl in our class raises her hand and mentions this lab grading issue again in a very antagonistic manner. And. Wouldn't. Drop. It. Finally, he gets pissed (and rightfully so, in my opinion) and says something along the lines of "I was at a conference this past week and without being handing notes or powerpoints, I was able to take away information and implement those idea already this week." Without a pause, a guy in the front row says, "And how long have you been in practice?" with an attitude.

UGH.

The class gets uncomfortably silent and Dr. F responds with, "I'm not even going to go there with you."

Come on guys, this man is writing our exam. More importantly, this man is a respected clinician that we will be working with next semester and next year in clinics. Use your heads! Do you honestly think we as a class deserve their time and respect when we are acting like children? Yes, my group got a 2/10... we probably deserved it... and yes, we were told it wouldn't be graded. Instead of dropping the issue like the professionals we are aspiring to be - we drag the issue out like children and get slapped in the face.

I was so angry last night and embarrassed to be a part of this nonsense, as were many of my friends that I was sitting with. This isn't the first time situations like this have come up and it won't be the last time... but I wish people would learn to have a little common sense, a little common courtesy, and a little tact.

Glad I got that off my mind :) Work today was fun, took some videos and pictures of the little pittie at the animal hospital that is in need of a home. She is a diabetic and going blind and cannot live with cats - so it is sort of a tall order to ask of her future owners... but we are looking because she is a complete sweetheart and I absolutely adore her. Unfortunately, KJ and I have cats... or I would take her in an instant.

Have a wonderful weekend! Hope the weather is better elsewhere (we have storms - snow AND rain) coming up in the next two days... it is the perfect weekend to stay home and watch movies and snuggle with animals!

Ruminant Health

It is one of our core classes this semester and it is giving me the most trouble. Mostly because the notes are completely disorganized (if we even have them at all) and the faculty in charge are terrible lecturers. For example, we were given a really extensive assignment a couple of days ago that was due today in lab. The clinician really stressed the importance of it and that we needed to work INDEPENDENTLY by making a questionable threat via email to us. Apparently, it should have taken 3 hours max to do it. Around hour 4, I started getting irritated and the quality of my work definitely decreased. Why weren't we given it before break to work on it? Because he is too disorganized to get it together. So while we should be studying for the 6 finals coming up, we are struggling through a pointless assignment that is unrealistic. And that I don't are about since I will never treat a cow. Anyway, so at 10:30 this morning when lab was beginning, we had all turned in our problems at the front of the room and sat down. 10:35 passes... 10:40 passes... finally he shows up over 10 minutes late with no apology or explanation. Of course, for the first 3o minutes (of a 1.5 hour lab), he starts discussing some other random case that we weren't assigned to do. Plus he was completely unprepared to actually "discuss" the cases we had actually done. He considered running back to his office to get a copy of the cases, but decided to wing it. THIS is a professional curriculum? If my entire class is on time to lab, shouldn't the faculty be required to do the same? Shouldn't they be required to be prepared for class?

Side note - we have multiple faculty members that come to class late and then keep us during our 10 minute break. I (and many others) use that break to use the bathroom and grab something to drink... please don't take that away from us.

So many other things to rant about in relation to the faculty and curriculum at this god-awful school, but that will wait until another day. Have I mentioned how much school sucks right now?

I'm off to cuddle with piglets at the swine farm. Happy Friday!

Thanksgiving BREAK

I feel like I have been waiting months for today. Oh wait... I have! Today marks the beginning of a lovely 10 days of break. Class and all the extra things we do at school has kept me super busy. Exams, surgery, more exams, more surgery...

My first official surgery was a couple of weeks ago, and it was awesome. Each week, the surgery lab switches between spays and neuters. Although the powers that be try to provide females for spay labs and males for neuter labs, there aren't always enough animals, so you never really know what you are getting until the day before. Which is fine, I was ready for either - but I did end up with a neuter. And after two weeks of spays, it was nice to have a neuter for our group and get done a little earlier. The first two Tuesdays of surgery (surgery is done every Tuesday), we barely had time for lunch before class in the afternoon! That is not to say our surgeons were slow (they were great!) but it takes time for the animal to be pre-medded, clipped, induced, prepped, etc. And then the animals are required to be at a certain temperature after surgery before we are able to leave them in a cage... so if it takes 2 hours for your animal to raise its temperature a sufficient amount... then that can really prolong your surgery day :)

My surgery day turned out really well. My group had had two relatively stress-less weeks because the dogs were pretty healthy. Switch to week 3 and we received a maniac. Really very sweet boy (loved to give hugs), but a maniac nonetheless. He was a cage biter and often looked like his jaws were stuck on the cage door (he was "rescued" by many other classmates). He had really diffuse alopecia (hairloss) all over this body, severe otitis externa (basic ear infection), and interestingly colored teeth. I say that because his teeth were silver. From chewing on cage doors. He had a pretty amazing grill if I do say so myself :)

Surgery was completed, no complications. I was stressed going into surgery, but once I was standing at the table and the dog was prepped and ready to go, it all just clicked into place. I knew what I had to do and although I don't have the muscle memory yet and my hands were a little shaky, I was able to neuter our pup with no problem.

Fast forward to Thursday morning, the day that the animals go back to the shelter. His incision looks awesome and is healing well. He has left it alone - which is good, because he successfully chewed through 2 e-collars during the week (within 30 minutes of having it on). The powers that be decided a second go at the e-collar would be okay... but it wasn't. He is a little Houdini. It was on tight, it was the right size... yet, he was able to rip it to shreds. I don't know... We also moved him to another kennel with different doors, because we were getting worried about his jaws actually getting stuck on the door when no one was around to save him. This dog was super brilliant. Plus, he was aptly named "Ace", and halfway through the week, we actually had to Ace him due to his anxiety. Anyway, Thursday morning. We arrive to find that he had been moved back to his regular run (by the powers that be) and had ripped off about an inch and a half of skin/tissue off the top of his nose - presumably from getting stuck in the run door. It was as deep as it could be without damaging bone, so we clipped and cleaned the area after calling a resident to check him out. Luckily, an hour later the dogs went home and my stress level was able to go down.

At least there were no surgical complications!

Today we are headed to Chicago (after a few hours of work) for the Illini v. Northwestern game - at WRIGLEY FIELD. Free tickets, free unlimited food and drinks... HEAVEN! I am so excited. Happy Thanksgiving break everyone!