Stuff and things

Well hello there, bloggy folks. Here's a quickie on a Wednesday night to quench your thirst for Caitlin blog updates, or as I like to call them, "semi-annual self-soothing mental hostage negotiations". That is to say, I often post when I should be doing something more important, but have somehow worked myself into a mental frenzy for one reason or another and require some form of healthful outlet in order to talk myself down. But I digress. "How is vet school?", you must be wondering. "How did her exams go?" "What music is she listening to right now?" and most importantly, "DID she finally get that haircut she so desperately needed?!"

Well panic no more, friends. The answers, in no particular order, are "fine, The Cinematic Orchestra, yes, and busy". In all honesty, I feel that this pretty much covers last term in its entirety. The point is, it's done- I am now 2/3 of the way finished 2nd year and have just been thrust (rather unceremoniously, complete with a wicked laryngitis) into my third term. My courses are Anesthesia, General Medicine, Surgery, Public Health, Epidemiology, Toxicology, and Ethics. All in all, a pretty awesome selection of courses! Lots of good, solid, exciting clinical stuff, just in time for a busy summer packed with more of the same. Also, today I picked a beautiful pink flower to wear in my hair- my first of the season. I'm a pretty lucky woman. :)

Aaaand I'm out. Told you it would be short! Lots of love from spring blooming, sunshine-y warm Corvallis. xoxo

Procrastiblogging

OK friends, step down off those ledges: It's time for an update. Your worlds can resume turning, etc.

I'm a month into school now. Where did the time go? No, seriously? I have no idea how 4 weeks have passed so quickly, but evidently they have. I've been busy, busy, busy. Classes are going well, and I'm really enjoying the material this term. I've had two midterms so far, Pharm and Clin Path (which was just today), and both have gone really well. Diagnostic imaging is pretty daunting, but I'm working on feeling more caught up with it this week, before a couple of big scary midterms next week. I've gotta say, sometimes when it's late at night and I'm hunched over my 46 lb textbook and trying bitterly to identify every stupid bump and bone and muscle attachment of the equine distal limb (not to mention all of the zillions of things that go wrong with them), I secretly yearn for the time when a lame horse didn't get dorsomedial palmerolateral oblique x-ray views...it just got the shotgun. It would save me a whole lot of study grief. ;) Haha, just kidding- it's a good thing I love 'em! I had a prof at Murdoch once say that never will you find an animal so incredibly determined to off itself, and I would have to agree there. Still, it's pretty incredible to learn firsthand about the advancements that have been made in the field of veterinary medicine, particularly with our large animal friends.

I've been enjoying the company of Emma's little old Cairn terrier, whose name is Adrian. He's been my little shadow and constant companion for the past month while Ems has been in Cambodia being her usual incredible self. We go for nice long walks and he is my little foot warmer when it's cold at night. I'm going to miss him when Emma takes him home! The idea of adopting my own dog has been more than a passing thought recently, but then I think of the amount of time I'll be away this coming summer, as well as the fact that I'm single now, and I realize that now is probably not the right time. We'll see how that goes- single or not, I've been adapting my whole adult life to having dogs, and I've always managed. I definitely can't see spending any significant period of time without a dog in my life, but I'm going to concede that right now, I have no idea what things will look like 3 hours from now, let alone 3 days or 3 weeks or 3 months, so I'll let the universe give me a little nudge when the time is right.

I've been going to the gym a lot here, and that feels amazing. I'm doing dance classes, and am getting back into belly dancing. There's a restaurant here in town that has hosted a weekly performance night every week for over 20 years! So if anyone even needed yet another reason to visit the bustling metropolis of Corvallis, there you go...you can come watch me on stage shakin' stuff. So exciting! I've also been trying out martial arts classes, because I would like to make that a part of my life again. My perfect recipe for well being has always been the combination of dance and martial arts- both feed different, but equal important, parts of my happiness.

Lately I've been dreaming about spending time in Ireland when I'm done with school. I don't know why, but it feels important to live there for a period of time. That might have something to do with Aidan Turner. While I'm there, I would like to take advantage of this dual citizenship thing and spend some time in England and Scotland, as well. Maybe I should spend some time working in rural practice, simply so I can work with the Cutest Cattle In The World, Highland cattle. Yes, you should probably google Highland cattle immediately. While you're at it, you should probably google Aidan Turner as well. I've got the major travel bug right now, but I'm trying very hard to be present and enjoy vet school. Sometimes that takes gritting my teeth and reminding myself that I signed up for this (says she, who is running on 3 hours of sleep and so very much coffee). That said, sometimes I feel like I have to pinch myself to make sure that this is all real. I am LIVING MY DREAM. I am the luckiest girl.

You're welcome for the most disjointed, uninspired blog post ever! I'm pretty sure this reads like my 13 year-old self's diary. Except without the lovingly-applied scent of Elizabeth Arden's "Sunflowers" perfume, and without the tear-stained pages and declarations that no one understands me. Fine, ok...NO ONE UNDERSTANDS ME! *sob*

Aaaand, there it is. :)

Happy New Year!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season! I am back in Corvallis after enjoying a very-much-needed month in Vancouver, being totally loved and just generally immersed in care and support by my family and friends. How very, very lucky I am! I'm grateful to have so many incredible people in my life, and I feel it especially acutely when I am away from them. Home though is in Corvallis for now, and I genuinely feel a warm attachment to my little town. I realized when I was home in Van that I had definitely built a normal little routine for myself here, so (with some mild surprise) I noticed that it was hard to keep up some of the positive habits that I'd established last term to maintain (regain?) my sanity while in school. Still, I managed to do everything from hiking to dancing to beach combing to burlesque, and even got out of town for a bit. I am definitely a mountains-and-oceans kind of girl, so being back in Vancouver felt like being plugged into a charger for a good long while until my batteries were once again humming with energy.

I have so, so much exciting stuff on the horizon. I love my classes so far this term, which include the following:

Systemic Pathology II: We're starting with neuromuscular and CNS pathology, and having Chester (my mystery neuro dog) thankfully triggered a profound interest in neuropathology, which has served me well so far.

Pharmacology II: I got way too excited about a two-hour lecture on cancer drugs yesterday! If I were to pick an internal medicine specialty to study, I actually think it would be oncology, depressing though it may sound.  

Diagnostic Imaging: Pro- learning to interpret radiographs is super exciting! Con- it's heavy on the physics. Enough said.

Clinical Pathology: Love it. That is all. My blood smears leave something to be desired, but I'm working on it! Wait, there's a chance that came out sounding weird. I don't even think I'm going to bother explaining stuff like that anymore- I'm just going to shrug apologetically and say "vet student". Except minus the apology. ;-) 

I found out that I made the Dean's List last term. That felt nice given that at the beginning of the year, there were so many challenges that I wondered if I'd be better off deferring a year. I've pushed through the struggles though, and feel much more hopeful about my time here now. I'm in a different place, and I am a different person- my relationship of 6 years has ended, I no longer have my Chester, and there is a lot of uncertainty in general. Still, I am making a commitment to investing my energy each day in things that are good and healthy and positive. It can be scary not to have any clue of what the future holds, but it's also very exciting. 

I found out last term during finals (after writing my Pharmacology exam, to be exact!) that I was selected as the 2nd year student to represent OSU at the Smith-Kilborne Foreign Animal Disease program in New York in May. I am HUGELY EXCITED! It's a massive honor- the USDA sponsors one student from each veterinary school in the United States to attend, so I'll be spending several days each at both Cornell vet school (!!) and the Plum Island Animal Disease Centre. I will get to nerd out to the max with 27 other (presumably equally nerdy) vet students. Here's some information about it, for anyone who's interested. 

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/smith_kilborne/

In addition, I found out over the holidays that I've been accepted for my first choice in RAVS trips this summer. I'll be spending 2 weeks in July in Spirit Lake, North Dakota and Cheyenne River, South Dakota. There, I'll be improving my surgical, anesthesia, and physical exam skills on two separate high-volume clinic projects. RAVS stands for Rural Area Veterinary Services, and is a program run by the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association. It will be an incredible learning experience! I also plan on driving to meet the rest of the team- I have seen so little of the States, I love road trips, and I'd really, really like to drive through Montana and/or Wyoming. I may even see about doing a little camping in Glacier or Yellowstone- we'll see what happens and whether time permits a bit of an adventure! 

Here's some information on RAVS: http://www.ruralareavet.org/

I've also applied to be a team member on our own vet school's "pet" project, which is an annual small and large animal clinic on the island of Ometepe, in Nicaragua. It will take place in early September, and students plan the whole thing throughout the year, leading up to the clinic itself. That would be the icing on the cake for me, but we'll see. It's competitive of course, and there is a selection process involved, so I won't know for a bit whether I've been accepted. I am also looking forward to applying for a CAAT trip or two- I am so grateful that my summer breaks now coincide with the time of year that there are a lot of amazing clinic projects. This is the area of vet med from which I glean immense satisfaction and reward...it's always in the back of my mind when I'm studying, learning, and working. What information will be the most important for me to remember when I'm working in underserved, remote communities? What are the needs of the animals...the people? What sorts of diseases and parasites should I expect? Am I aware of any unique cultural perceptions in animal and human health that might impact the provision of services in these communities? There's so much to know...and so much to look forward to. 

This weekend, I'm volunteering on Saturday with a cat vaccine clinic in Salem. Sunday, I am headed to Eugene to volunteer with Pro-Bone-O for the day. It's nice to be able to do these things before things start getting really crazy with school, though let's be honest, I'll keep doing them even when they do! These are the things that keep me focused, keep me passionate, and keep me in the moment. 

Lots of love to all of you. On my mind, and in my heart. <3

Finals week

Here's a very short, very academic-related post, because I know there are people out there (person? A person, singular? Hi mum!) who are curious about school, as it's a relatively significant reason for me living in Oregon at the moment. There are a lot of other things going on this week, but I'll stick to school stuff for now.

I have five finals in five days coming up. This past Friday was the last day of classes (read: Examinable material), and come tomorrow morning, it's the beginning of the end. That wasn't supposed to sound so ominous, but take it as you will, haha. First up, it's Virology, which I suppose is nice because for me, it's the least petrifying. I have Pharmacology on Tuesday, Parasitology on Wednesday (which I'm actually excited to write...what's wrong with me?!), Bacteriology/Mycology on Thursday, and then, the icing on the Least Fun Cake Ever, is Systemic Pathology on Friday. There are two big bads for me this week, and they will be Pharm and Sys Path. They're not actually "bad" courses in any way- to be honest, I really enjoy both and they are actually the most important courses I'm taking this term. This, I suppose, is part of the problem- the pressure quotient gets upped and there is SO MUCH MATERIAL TO KNOW. Why do we have so many drugs?! It's staggering. I guess I'll appreciate that as a clinician, but as a wide-eyed baby vet student, it's a bit of a struggle. I haven't had a course so heavy on straight memorization since undergrad, so it's just a different learning style I am having to get used to again. 

Sys Path has been really interesting as well- I enjoy the labs and I love that we get to use the knowledge that we are gradually accruing to solve these medical mysteries. Still, there is no way to retain every single bit of material we've been taught for this exam. Instead, I am trying to focus on the most important concepts: The most common diseases that we'll see over and over, reportable stuff because it's so important for disease control and public health, etc. I will be so unbelievably glad to get this week over with. Ems is coming down here on Tuesday for some much-appreciated sisterly support, and then we'll drive home together on Friday with maybe a little stop overnight in Portland to do some Christmas shopping. I can't even really let myself get excited about that yet, because it feels like there is so, so much to do before I get there.

Ah well, one day at a time is all I can do. Now, it's time to stop procrastinating, skim over a few more notes for tomorrow, and get to bed. I'm pretty sure writing a blog entry was LITERALLY the very last thing I could justifiably do tonight to keep from continuing to study...I already did laundry, went to the gym, walked the dog, organized my textbooks, made several lists and study schedules to avoid actually having to *do* said study, etc. Sigh. Wish me luck!

Sweeping declaration

Let it be known that when you climb a reasonably tall tree, and then do a cherry drop on a (thankfully low-hanging) branch in an effort to gain back your youthful joie-de-vivre, but then you fall out of said tree because you are not ten years old anymore and you are sleep-deprived and maybe a bit hysterical, you have nobody but yourself to blame. That is all.

*rubs sore shoulder*

Apparently, I was riding a false sense of confidence high after working on some fun gymnastic-y stuff at the gym today. It felt so good to do some backbends and handstands and front walk overs again. It's also the first time in years, I think, that I managed a back walkover without any help. I fully want to be that 90 year old woman someday who schools all the young 'uns by sprinting up a mountain or something. OK, I'll totally be happy just to have both of my hips and all of my own teeth at that age, even if I am motoring around in a scooter with a flag on it with all of my ancient, toothless dogs crammed around me like some canine version of Tetris. I will also probably be wearing all the t-shirts with kittens on them that I want. But they will still be kind of sexy t-shirts (is there any other kind of kitten t-shirt?).

On the other hand! My sister Emma and her partner Steve are driving down here as we speak! I am deliriously excited, because they're already in Portland so they'll be here soon. I have heaps of study to do (being that I'm smack in the middle of midterms), but we'll be able to squeeze in coffee breaks and dinners and maybe even some cheeky drinks later on tonight. It's just that I don't want to have to study at all. You *could* say that I'm experiencing...an Emma Dilemma. Hey-o!

*crickets*

Chester, Dixie, and Iska

...for when I need 3 very, very important reminders of why I'm in vet school.

Dixie and Chester and their (in)famous car snuggles- I guess they didn't have much choice. Ever try to fit 200 lbs of dog in the back of a Toyota Echo?

Iska- the best childhood friend a girl could ever have.

Dixie surveys her Queendom and one of my favorite places in the world- the South Okanagan, British Columbia.

More Dixie and Chester road trip antics. Super obscene, yet pretty adorable.

Those eyes break my heart. They used to watch my every move, and I miss that gaze every single day.

Chester was a water dog through and through, and I enjoyed exploiting his obsession for my own amusement. :)

Chester's favorite co-pilot position and signature move- his head on my shoulder.

Iska flaunts one of her (shocking) haircuts.

My girls. It is perplexing to me that in this shot the Cairn Terrier looks to be half the size of the Great Dane.

Dog of my heart.

The kids taking a break while hiking the North Coast Trail. San Josef Bay, Vancouver Island, BC.

I remember this day so well...a gorgeous, sunny day with the dogs in Fort Langley, BC.

Trying to get a nice, posed shot...take fifty. Ah well, this one's better, anyway!

Chester and I took a road trip every summer, just the two of us, for nearly all of his 13 years.  

Sympathy, people.

Ignore the smirk, I'm in severe physical pain.

Here's the photographic evidence. I realize that from here, it looks like there's only *possibly* a bit of a shadow there, but in real life TRUST ME- I look pretty badass. Now all I need is a couple of tear drop tattoos and I'll be set. I think it nicely accentuates the ever-growing bags under my eyes, don't you?