The Year of the Ologies

Apparently, the second semester of vet school is when they begin to dump ologies on you.  You know; ologies:

-Path-ology
-Neur-ology
-Physi-ology
-Immun-ology
-And also Nutrition and Anatomy but those sound less impressive without that all important suffix

It's only into the second week of classes so hard to tell yet how the term will shake out.  We've certainly got the full range of teaching styles though.  It runs from old-school (really...with a slide projector that he makes the students at the back of the room operate for him) to high tech with powerpoint shows and remote clickers and receivers to compile the input from the class in realtime.  Our brains are having to span not just volumes but decades of information.

We also have considerably more lab time this semester.  Each week holds two pathology labs, one microscopic and one gross specimens, a long (looooong) neuro lab wherein we poke about in dog brain with our "Canine Atlas of the Brain" which was printed in 1986.  1986 and they made me pay for it.  It is also in black and white because apparently color photography had not yet been introduced in 1986.  I don't know because I wasn't alive.  Moving on.  Also a physiology lab and three days of large animal anatomy lab, although we're not dissecting all of those days.  Our anatomy groups are divided into A and B subunits and on alternating days, except when we're only doing bones, or reviewing for an exam, or working on the bovine cadavers, or the moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with Mars, the A group dissects and the B group studies and vice versa.

So, in sum, I think I spend ~15 hours of the week in a lab which is pretty cool because it means I get to do something.  I am not good at learning on my butt.  I get a lot more out of moving around and learning, like when I'm dissecting or when I'm cleaning the house and making Eli follow me around and read bold terms to me.  He gets a headache, but I get a lot more out of it.  The flip side of this coin is that I'm extremely clumsy, and in the anatomy lab alone have a running tally of one broken skeleton pelvis, one previously labelled femur which might not be described as such so much anymore, a small scar from where I walked into Jessica's scalpel blade, and a 4-inch bruise and laceration on my shin where I tried (and failed) to walk through one of the huge steel racks from which our pony cadavers are suspended.  You will understand, then, why my lab partners were so very, very excited when the instructors handed me a 7 inch knife for our dissections.  Yee-HAAA!  So far no casualties but I'll keep you posted.

Signing off for tonight: 8 o' clock class tomorrow morning.

On the Road (Again)

Back in Pullman after a long lovely break, and here in my living room after a long lovely week.  If I may climb onto the metaphorical couch for a second, I'm conflicted.  I wasn't ready to come back to classes and homework and exams but when I got to class Monday morning (on time, in the right place, a minor miracle in and of itself) I felt like I had a purpose again.  I'm here to do something!  I'm a human data sponge!  Woo-hoo!

Indiana is not feeling so fulfilled.  She was irritated on the car ride home and downright petulant when I shoved her into her crate the first morning (would not be an issue if she hadn't started chewing on my walls) but she's starting to get over herself.  It's nice to be allowed on all the furniture again, right?

It was a great time being home, though, and so wonderful to see many friends and family.  Although it was relaxing, there was not a whole lot of downtime!

I:

• got snowshoeing at Hurricane Ridge (is it really snowshoeing if there are only six inches? or is it just strapping goofy contraptions to your feet at that point?), 
• ate my way through Seattle (Kell's, Piroshky, Habesha, I love you) 
• had a great time snooping around at a local barn ostensibly working with Dr. Mary who may or may not have paid me in wine (the way to a grad student's heart, I tell you)
• went to Portland where (hello?!) it snowed four very wet sloggy inches and rendered all the snow-plowless Portlanders totally useless on the road, resulting in,
• driving Eli's standard transmission one-ton pickup beast all the way back home to Poulsbo by myself without mishap, although I did get some patronizing looks from the good ol' boys when I pulled up to the [diesel] pump on the wrong side and was then forced to execute an 83,754 point turn to extricate myself,
• got a trail ride in with Beau, the best Morgan ever, 
• had some wonderful rides with Jaegermeister who not so gently reminded me that I should really work on those core muscles while I'm here at school, 
• had a fabulous Christmas with more eating and lots of kitchen related gifts which made me wonder how I am not 400 pounds already
• went on a 'snowboard' trip only to abandon snowboarding after one (soaking wet, bruised, but definitely enjoyable) day, to return to my much drier skiing roots the next--stick with what you know, people, and
• was totally out-lasted by my parents and their friends on New Year's Eve.  By the way, you know who you are, I am having dreams about those carob chip muffins.  I must know the recipe, please help!

Now it's Friday, and I'm getting back into the swing of things.  Actually, it's better than that: I've done my dishes every day I've been home and there is nothing on my floor that is not supposed to be there.  Oh, no, I'm becoming a grown-up!  Send sugary treats and insolent slovenly attitude at once!  To add to the nauseating responsibility around here, I must go take my dog for a walk before I head out for the night: free bowling thanks to GPSA--I hate bowling but love my friends, for whom I will even brave used shoes.

Stay tuned this weekend, at which time since my house is clean (that sound you heard was my mom swooning) I might give you a tour.  And also recap my first week as a second semester veterinary student (spoiler: involves guts).

TTFN,

Kate