the DVM life - Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

It is ONE week until I am on spring break. In that one week, painful brain things happen. In a cruel twist of fate we have 5 exams before any type of mental pause. ARGH.

Not gonna lie, I'm only on here to procastinate studying. Yep. Try as I might, I don't want to learn all about nematodes. Nope. And I don't really care about gossypol poisoning right now either. All I want is to get on my plane, take a damn nap, and wake up in a warm place with a beach. Really.

But noooo, I get the opposite of a beach vacation. For the next week it's all brain use on things I really don't care to contemplate. Especially when the beach is calling my name. Would really, really like a time machine right now...

It doesn't help that one of my friends is extra perky. She has a new boyfriend and is downright chipper. I need someone to be all pissed off with me. Someone to help me carry on my conversations of "you know what really blows?" and reply with "school, that's what blows."

Nope, right now it's "Know what blows?" "Nothing really. Guess who made dinner for me last night."

Guess who made dinner for me last night? Damn it! That is not how you play 'what blows?'.

I suppose if someone was cooking me dinner (etc) I'd be more chipper too. Damn it. All I have are vacation dreamy-dreams and a crap load of exams to study for.

Guess what blows? Vet school.

Many of my professors will agree. Letting your dog lick you all over the face is unsanitary.

Studies have suggested that a dog's mouth has less bacteria than a human mouth.

To that we say: do you have any idea how many bacteria that still is!?! Way too many.

They also lick their butts. Then they lick you. The equivalent of you licking dog butt. Hey, I'm not going to judge if you like licking dog butt, but I'm not up for it.

Therefore, if you're offended that I'm not letting your dog lick my face, I'm offended at you.

Last week we had a lab at school where students could bring their own dogs.

One of my lab mates was happy to bring hers: an over enthusiastic lab who did not understand any obedience. Needless to say the lab didn't go well for that dog and they ended up getting the boot. It couldn't hold still, was like a maniac on crack and snapped at the restrainer.

Even vets (future vets) have poorly behaved animals. It is embarrassing. Especially when compared to the other dogs. All the other dogs were well behaved, sitting calmly, letting their owners focus on the clinical experience.

My lab mate was disappointed in her dog. I wouldn't have tried to bring her in the first place; clearly the dog could be called out of control. I have no idea why people let their animals get to be such jackasses. They just say "Oh, she's just so happy/excitable." No, you just can't lay down the law.

Currently I do not have a dog. I do not have the time available to care for one. Taking proper care of a dog takes a lot of work. Someday when I have more free time, perhaps I will get one. And I can guarantee you that it will be well behaved. I won't tolerate anything otherwise.

Now, I do have an aggressive lagomorph. But I don't bring him to public settings and I sure don't let him get near anyone except me. I always caution visitors: Do not try to touch him, do not go near his cage, never put your hand near him, generally just leave him the hell alone.

And it works great. Anytime he's been in contact with veterinary staff they've gotten the full warning from me. I didn't raise him from a baby, I adopted him with full knowledge that he was aggressive (about to get the sleepy juice for biting people, in fact). I can handle him, highly experienced rabbit people can handle him, end of story.

Am I going to try to rehab him to cuddle other people? No. My goal is just to make it so he won't try to take your face off. In the meantime, stay the hell away.

Is it any different from me owning an aggressive dog? I think so, because:

a) He's not in public.
b) A rabbit bite may hurt but (usually) won't take you to the hospital.
c) Few people interact with him. Actually, it's just me 99% of the time...
d) I don't pass his aggression off as "cute". I know it and give due warning.

In short, I honestly believe bad dogs come from bad owners. Sure there are some exceptions. But I think at the core of the issue, people need to stop seeing them as people stuck in dog bodies and recognize that they are animals who need leadership.

I know this will get me some flak from the cutesy-woo type of owners. To them I say: are your dogs well behaved? Will they walk obediently beside you? Will they be quiet on command? Can they stay, refrain from licking others in the face, and not jump all over visitors? If they can, then fine. Keep doing what you're doing, props to you. There are many opinions on animal handling in the world. If what you're doing results in a well behaved dog then we're probably on the same page.

It's the ones with the poorly behaved dogs who don't get a backbone to correct bad behavior that get my frown.

Goals:

1) Complete vet school.
2) Internship? Residency? Stay with mom and work at local clinic?
3) Save up money
4) Used saved money to attend culinary school
5) Attend culinary school (pastry specific)
6) Meanwhile, work part time as a vet to pay bills
7) Get pastry degree
8) Work part time as a pastry chef/vet
9) Save up money
10) Open my own bakery
11) Make said bakery lucrative

Beautiful, no?

I am currently eating dinner. I have a sumptuous meal of phad thai noodles (from a package) in front of me. Price: $4.35. Not the best in the world but it's warm, I'm hungry: a great combo.

I'm also looking at a cookbook I picked up from the library yesterday. It is called "Rice: from Risotto to Sushi". It lured me in with nice colorful photos. It is luring me out with it's ridiculous ingredient list.

Seriously, how can like 50% of these recipes call for saffron and expect people to cook this stuff? Saffron is only the most expensive spice in the world and I sure as crap don't have any. In fact, a quick google search reveals that one ounce of the threads will cost a mere $1,701. Too much? Then you can get a whopping 3 grams for $30.

The author, Clare Ferguson, has an "international reputation as a writer and radio and television personality on food and cooking." She is also very far removed from reality.

Say I want to make spicy seeded pilaf. That sounds good, right? MMM, just look at that great picture: brilliant yellow rice juxtaposed with green veggies and tiny little poppy seeds. Well I should gather my ingredients.

I only need *19 freaking ingredients*. I have five of the ingredients in my house - which I consider well stocked for a normal person. It serves four and will probably cost well over $40 to make. Not to mention it asks for asafoetida. What the hell is asafoetida? As I type, it looks like I've just mashed my face on the keyboard.

Clare Ferguson: kiss my ass. Or share your damn saffron.

Have you seen Koyaanisqatsi? No? Well, it's very strange. I'd imagine that if I took a WHOLE LOT of drugs it would be a great representation of life.

Still haven't had enough drug laced weirdness? Then watch Baraka. It's like Koyannisqatsi, but focused on temple ruins and whatnot. On crack. Or K, or whatever it is the kids are huffing these days.

I watched K.. in class during undergrad. It was interesting but weirded me out more than anything. Last night I rented Baraka from the public library and within the first few moments thought "hey, this is a lot like K....". Because it was. I mean, I think the same guy was involved in making the film. He sure knows how to bring the hopped-up-on-drugs feel to a movie.

Do I recommend? Well, if you don't mind being curious, impressed, and disturbed all at the same time, you should go for it. I just don't recommend you watch it and fall asleep. You will have cracked out dreams. Which I did, causing me to sleep poorly, causing me to miss my pseudo boyfriend, which led me to being down for a major part of the day. So in essence: No. I do not recommend this movie unless you want to screw yourself over for around a day.

Applicant interviews! They start tomorrow - yay!!

I'm excited because they're excited. It's nice to see people excited to be somewhere. I know I sure as hell wasn't excited to be here last semester. So this will be a good reminder of where I used to be.

Two years ago I was just begging to be in my shoes now. Silly girl ; )

I have one friend applying and I'm really rooting for her. We'll see how it goes, I'll keep my fingers crossed. It will be so good to have excitement in the air.

Something special happened today too. Today was my first Sunday off in a year. I got to sleep in and read my surgery book. It was delightful. Though to be completely honest the surgery book put me back to sleep for a short while.

Plus I got to make myself dinner and lunch for the next day. I've never been this prepared for the school week before since I've always worked Sundays. Even more I think this less-work-thing has been a good move.

My dear little compy has suffered from a virus. I spent all Friday afternoon fixing it. This steadfast bit of machinery is 7 years old and still faithfully trucking along. I appreciate its good spirits. I hope it lasts through vet school.

Saturday was nice, I did some house chores (I never had much time to do those either with work!) and now everything is all orderly. Beautiful.

In the evening I went out to dinner with friends. The place was new and, unfortunately, not very good. I could have made much better myself, especially for a $13 plate. I have no idea why food around here is so expensive, back in the city I could get a great meal for under $10. Afterwards they went off to drink and I went home.

Sometimes I feel like I'm missing out on a lot because I don't drink. But then I see my friends get drunk/stupid/hungover and I'm sure I'm not really missing out. There must be some cool people who don't drink and aren't freakishly religious. I wonder where they are and if they want to play with me. I'll bring the Jenga.

I'm also noticing a second dilemma. I have a sort of boyfriend who lives far away. We see each other on breaks and during the summer. I go months at a time without seeing him. It gets lonely. He's not the world's best communicator either, so I'm not exactly getting lots of calls or e-mails. No flowers, no surprise visits, just one letter so far. But I know he cares. He's just not very good about showing it. We're going on a trip for spring break!

On the one hand, it's nice not to be distracted from school with an official boyfriend. On the other hand, I feel like I'm missing out on a lot of the support and nurturing that kind of relationship can offer. It would be nice to have that kind of company. To go out on dates, make dinner with someone, fall asleep watching a movie at home together.

Which brings me to the dilemma. He says I should try dating other people if I want. He's not seeing anyone else, but he wants me to be happy. He says I deserve more than what he can give. He doesn't want me to be deprived of normal happiness just because he can't be around.

You see, I would like all the nice features of having a boyfriend. But I don't want to shop around for a replacement. I just want him. Here. More often.

And it's been a non-issue for a while since I've been so busy. However lately I've gotten a few date propositions. I'm not interested in the boys, but I'm lonely. All I wanted was a date...with my guy. I turned them down.

But afterwards I wondered. Maybe I should have accepted? Would that have been fair to them? I mean my heart wouldn't be in it, I'd just want some company, and that's not really a nice thing to do to someone asking you out: going out with them just because you're bored.

So I guess I'm in kind of a limbo. What if I'm missing out of something really great that's right in front of me - pining away for the long distance guy? But, who could be better than my boyfriend? I love him.

Ponder, ponder, ponder...

We have a surgery exam coming up this Tuesday. Some parts of it annoy the crap out of me. For example, we're learning the theory of bandaging but we DON'T get to ACTUALLY bandage anything. How stupid is that?!? We have to wait until year 3 to learn how to bandage. And sometimes I wonder why I'm pissed off at school ::: rolls eyes:::

Which brings me back to the beginning of the post: once upon a time I wished upon all the stars to get into vet school. I should be content, even if I don't get to bandage things quite yet...