Inspiration

Another "blogger"* friend of mine just posted after a bit of a hiatus, so I was inspired to update as well, if only to get down some perspectives on the second year of vet school.

For those of you keeping track, there are four years of vet school total. I am currently 25% veterinarian. At the end of this year, I'll be 50% veterinarian and next year (God willing) I'll be performing surgeries (under strict supervision, of course.)

Holy. Stinking. Crap.

This year has started off completely differently than the last. I'm four weeks in and I just feel like I have a better outlook overall. I think I spent a lot of last year overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the sheer amount of material that I was supposed to cram into my brain. Overwhelmed because my brain hadn't had to work really hard in... oh... ever. Overwhelmed because, "what is this "study" thing of which you speak?" Overwhelmed because vet school is so very much like high school and I promised myself after I left my first "real" job that I would never ever go back to that sort of situation. Overwhelmed because I missed my friends. Overwhelmed because I had been in the "real world" for over 10 years, and this? was anything but. 

This year I've been more proactive. I find the material a bit more interesting, so I'm more engaged. I'm keeping up on studying (and totally impressing the boy with my diligence) and making sure to make flashcards so that my old brain gets the repetition that it needs. I've got my friends in vet school, and while it's still like high school, I'm now comfortable navigating the parts I like and completely avoiding the parts I don't.

And, as a side note, after a brief stint in the hospital last semester and the amazing support and assistance that I received from the faculty, I feel like I have friends in the school that are rooting for me and supporting me through every step. That feeling can't really be discounted, you know?

We haven't had our first test yet, so you might want to check back in with me after September 26th. But this year? I feel like I've found my groove. To clarify, "groove" does not mean "Emily will be on the Dean's list." "Groove" means that I'll be able to balance my life and school without living in constant stress and misery like last year.

Keep your fingers crossed :-)

*I use the term loosely (but with love.)

Blue

I love this picture. Love it. This picture is why the curtains in my house are also blue. And the recliner matches too! Funny enough, the color of the recliner was an accident. I fought for it without knowing exactly why I loved it so much. Apparently it was because I knew that five years later, it would match my home decor perfectly.

Inside my Closet

I know that from this angle, it LOOKS like I have a lot of clothes. But really, I have nothing to wear. And my closet is tiny. So it looks like there's a lot. Besides, I'm not embarrassed to show you my clothes. Because there really aren't many. You don't see me showing you where I keep my SHOES, now, do you?

Makes Me Happy

So... There has been quite a bit going on in the life of Emily besides school lately. Apparently both of my animals have gone insane with very expensive health problems and I had no idea until everything exploded in a mess of stress and animal problems that needed to be solved IMMEDIATELY.

That said, Laney was eventually diagnosed with feline idiopathic cystitis. This literally means that Laney has an inflammation of her urinary tract/bladder of unknown origin. So she's feeling bad and peeing inappropriately (which is AWFUL just in case you've never smelled cat pee in your life) and we're not sure why.

The veterinarians kept asking me if I had any major upheaval in my life lately. Anything that would stress my cat out? Anything at all? I could think of nothing. The vet mentioned that even something as minor as moving furniture so that the cat could no longer see out the window could be a cause. Because the cat could be stressed, and that is what is manifesting itself into a bladder infection.

I could think of nothing at the vet's office. Then I went home and had the sudden memory that I had moved my bookcase away from the window and over to the opposite wall so that A) I could fit a new piece of furniture in my house and B) I would no longer run into my bookcase when I scooted my chair too far back from my desk. Both good reasons, but the end result was that Laney could no longer see out the windows.

So I did what any self-respecting, independent, thirty-something girl would do. I called my father and asked him to build a window seat for my cat. He did, it was shipped, I was grateful, and the cat is no longer peeing inappropriately.

There was a little bit of uncertainty about whether or not the cat would use the new window seat. Cats are finicky in case you didn't know. But the first day after the new seat was installed, I drove home from school and saw the cat in the window. WOOO HOOOO!!



So now I run my chair into a cat window seat when I scoot too far back from my desk. I think the cat still rules all.

Self Portrait

The day to take a self-portrait was fitting. It was after two very difficult back-to-back tests. So this is how I spent my exciting Friday evening.

Front Door

I was going to post a picture of the front door of the vet school. But which makes me more happy? Going into school or going into my house? That's an easy question to answer. (Unlike any on vet school exams, FYI.)

Sun

There was no sun on February 8th. There hadn't been sun in DAYS. So I really had no idea how to interpret this one. But I had a big test on Thursday. So I was studying and had my iTunes on shuffle. And then this song came on. Voila! The Beatles solve everything.