Ah, fall. When the air gets crisp, mornings are frosty, Halloween costumes and decor appear in stores (and quite often Christmas items... yuck! Too early!), and instructors lay the smack down with exams. Also, the time of year when the temperature in the vet school matches that of the outdoors in the evening. No, it doesn't get colder this time of year inside - it's ALWAYS that cold. This is why my friends tease me about constantly wearing the red IA State hoodie. I NEED it, okay?! (They really need to fix/update/do SOMETHING about the temperature control in that building!!)
I survived today's Micro exam. It was about ready to make me cry when the first two questions looked like a foreign language, but the next few were relatively easy. At least I felt that most of the answers I put for the fill-in-the-blank section was correct. I know multiple choice and true/false sounds like it would be easy, but trust me - when Dr/ Griffith's writes it, it's NOT. There were a number of questions that definately had me thinking "Was this concept ever even HINTED at in the notes/lectures/lab/anywhere?!" So we'll see how that went. At least I got a perfect score on the lab quiz to balance it out. (Although mu current lab "unknowns" are giving me fits.) We still haven't gotten our Parasit exams back. Seriously not sure why it takes over 10 days to give us back an exam when you're not even lecturing/leading lab for us for the last two weeks. Hopefully that's not a bad sign.
On the brighter side, I found myself a cheap and simple Halloween costume today! I'm going to be a bunny! (No, not a Playboy one - you should know that by now!) And not just ANY bunny, but one with BIG NASTY TEETH! Yes, I will be the attack rabbit from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It should be fun. Not that I'm even certain of where I'm going to wear this costume quite yet. I'm hoping to have a small Halloween party at my place, though. Have to chat with Lisa about that still to be sure the timing isn't bad for her.
Well, tonight I'm off to the annual Hayride/Bonfire cookout the vet students have each year. Here's hoping it's a good time (I didn't go last year). Incidentally, the hayride ends up at Dr. Griffith's place for the cookout. Here's hoping nobody really has it in for him over the exam... Well, I'll let you know how it goes. Take care!
Friday, September 30, 2005
Thursday, September 22, 2005
"Sanity" Saving
Well, I survived my exam and quizzes for the week. Not sure exactly how well any of them went thus far, but it wasn't a huge disaster as far as I can tell. The Lord was merciful once again, and I know I did just about as much studying as I could (without staying up later and getting so tired that it was negated anyway).
So I'm sure you're all aware by now that I'm a big nerd and I study all the time. The last couple days, however, I've really tried to take it easy a bit. I just really don't like it when I get so worn down that I'm grumpy and smart-aleck-ey about things, so I decided to do a bit of "sanity" saving (in quotes 'cause you all know I'm a little nuts anyway). Yesterday after my Parasitology exam I went and got a haircut (which I've needed for like a month), ran some simple errands, did laundry, and generally just relaxed. - Side note on the laundry: something in the closet ate my detergent, 'cause it's totally not there or anywhere else in the apartment... creepy... - Today after I got out of class early I did a little shopping (made sure to take my time in every store even though I wasn't going to buy much) and painted my tonails. One thing I've been trying to do for relaxation lately is to do my Quiet Time when I get home from class instead of leaving it for the last minute right before bed. My current devotional book can be a challenge for me sometimes. I don't always like the writer's style, and sometimes it annoys me a lot. However, every once in awhile there is a really good entry. I thought this one was cool, so I'd like to share it with you guys. - Side note on poetry: In general I like it, but not usually the kind where you have to dig really hard through the big words to find the meaning. This one is a bit of a "digger," but I liked it anyway. - Here you go, I hope you like it!
BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT
(Based on Matthew 5:3)
A beech tree in winter, white
Intricacies unconcealed
Against sky blue and billowed
Clouds, carries his emptiness.
Ripeness: sap ready to rise
On signal, buds alert to burst
To leaf. And then after a season
Of summer a lean ring to remember
The lush fulfilled promises.
Empty again in wise povert
That lets the reaching branches stretch
A millimeter more towards heaven,
The bole expands ever so slightly
And push roots into the firm
Foundation, lucky to be leafless:
Deciduous reminder to let it go.
- Eugene H. Peterson
(If you're having trouble with it like I did the first time through it, I'd suggest reading it again with no pauses at the ends of the lines - like a set of run-on sentences.) I just thought it was a great reminder of there being a purpose to every season of life. I especially liked the last three lines - sometimes the hardest and yet wisest thing to do is just "let go and let God!"
Quick prayer request before I go - my Mom is frustrated with her job again, so she's started looking around for some new possibilities. Please thank God that this job search isn't due to being laid off like the last few and ask Him to guide her search and help her to correctly approach her current job.
So I'm sure you're all aware by now that I'm a big nerd and I study all the time. The last couple days, however, I've really tried to take it easy a bit. I just really don't like it when I get so worn down that I'm grumpy and smart-aleck-ey about things, so I decided to do a bit of "sanity" saving (in quotes 'cause you all know I'm a little nuts anyway). Yesterday after my Parasitology exam I went and got a haircut (which I've needed for like a month), ran some simple errands, did laundry, and generally just relaxed. - Side note on the laundry: something in the closet ate my detergent, 'cause it's totally not there or anywhere else in the apartment... creepy... - Today after I got out of class early I did a little shopping (made sure to take my time in every store even though I wasn't going to buy much) and painted my tonails. One thing I've been trying to do for relaxation lately is to do my Quiet Time when I get home from class instead of leaving it for the last minute right before bed. My current devotional book can be a challenge for me sometimes. I don't always like the writer's style, and sometimes it annoys me a lot. However, every once in awhile there is a really good entry. I thought this one was cool, so I'd like to share it with you guys. - Side note on poetry: In general I like it, but not usually the kind where you have to dig really hard through the big words to find the meaning. This one is a bit of a "digger," but I liked it anyway. - Here you go, I hope you like it!
BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT
(Based on Matthew 5:3)
A beech tree in winter, white
Intricacies unconcealed
Against sky blue and billowed
Clouds, carries his emptiness.
Ripeness: sap ready to rise
On signal, buds alert to burst
To leaf. And then after a season
Of summer a lean ring to remember
The lush fulfilled promises.
Empty again in wise povert
That lets the reaching branches stretch
A millimeter more towards heaven,
The bole expands ever so slightly
And push roots into the firm
Foundation, lucky to be leafless:
Deciduous reminder to let it go.
- Eugene H. Peterson
(If you're having trouble with it like I did the first time through it, I'd suggest reading it again with no pauses at the ends of the lines - like a set of run-on sentences.) I just thought it was a great reminder of there being a purpose to every season of life. I especially liked the last three lines - sometimes the hardest and yet wisest thing to do is just "let go and let God!"
Quick prayer request before I go - my Mom is frustrated with her job again, so she's started looking around for some new possibilities. Please thank God that this job search isn't due to being laid off like the last few and ask Him to guide her search and help her to correctly approach her current job.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Busy Busy
Umm.... exam coming up on Tuesday in Parasitology. Then some quizzes in Pathology and Microbiology. Thus, I am not able to do a decent post for awhile. My appologies. Catch you on the flip side!
Saturday, September 10, 2005
The Irony of being a Cyclone
So yeah, I know it's been a long wait for me to update this - I promise you it was bothering me to not keep up with my posting! However, I have good reasons for the delay: being out of town two weekends ago, having guests here last weekend, and being busy with class and meetings and studying in between. (Also, being sick recently has slowed things down. Darn first years bringing in their new germs!) Guess I'll procrastinate a bit by finally blogging.
I had a great time at the CVC (Central Veterinary Conference) a couple weekends ago. The convention center down there is sooo perfect for this type of event. Major props to the people who organized it - they made it so easy to get around that I never had to ask for help with finding any rooms. I got to listen to many excellent talks on topics from pregnant dogs to psittacines (parrots), to cats in respiratory distress. I also got loads of free stuff and food - we all seriously doubled our luggage with free junk. I didn't spend any money while I was there other than on the hotel stay. (It was a VERY nice hotel for the cost - were I the stealing type I would have pilfered the shower curtain. Yes, I'm wierd.) Now I was fully expecting to enjoy the conference, but Kansas City, MO surprised me. I did NOT expect to be so intrigued by anything in Missouri. (No offense.) But as we rode around the city on the free shuttle to and from the convention and our hotel, I liked a lot of what I saw. They had lots of big fountains (I really like those), beautifully lit horse-drawn carriages for hire (looked like something out of Cinderella), and I was just feet away from some other cool attractions. Alas, but our busy schedule didn't allow us to experience any of these things. I will have to go back there some day and make sure I have time for the sights! Good thing the CVC is there every year! (Don't get me wrong - I was not blind the the parts of the city that looked kinda slummy or to the wacky roads, but the nice parts were very appealing.) Of course, we all came back to news about the hurricane. It's been amazing to see how willing people here are to help out. It's also been disturbing to see the finger-pointing and slander and looting on the media. I will not get into details, but I've struggled with how to look at the whole situation. I found it very ironic to be an ISU Cyclone (Tropical Cyclone = Hurricane, I found out). Iowa recently took in its first refugees, and I hope they find it as friendly and welcoming as I did.
After that was week two of class. I don't recall much of significance from that other than constantly being frustrated with how much I was NOT back in the study mode. I still survived my first two quizzes of the semester that week. (It was supposed to be 3, but one was moved to after Labor Day.) I spent much of my free time preparing for Ryan's arrival. He came over to visit Friday night thru Monday lunch. My parents also came Saturday afternoon thru Sunday afternoon and brought my grandparents with them from Rockford. Good times were had - we all went to see "March of the Penguins" together, and let me tell you it is an inspiring movie! I nearly cried at several points, but especially when they were talking about how the Emperor penguins make this long, arduous journey back to the place where every one of them was born. It really made me think about heaven, and how we're all God's creations struggling in our own ways to make it through life and back to heaven where He first formed us. I doubt that was what National Geographic was intending viewers to get out of it, but that's my take anyway. My only disappointment over the weekend was that it was REALLY hot on Sunday when we were all at the Reiman Gardens. I'm no plant/flower/garden buff, but I find ISU's Reiman Gardens to be a real delight. My grandpa is quite the gardener, so I was very excited about showing him ISU's jewel but it was too hot to really take it all in and be relaxed by it. Oh well, hopefully they can maintain their health (or even improve it) and come back next year to see it and there will be better weather. Ryan and I got to see "Madagascar" (my second time, his first) at the cheap theater. I really enjoy that movie. The penguins and lemurs just crack me up! It was generally wonderful to have time to relax and chat with my Ryan. We even got to go swimming twice in my apartment complex's pool (which I NEVER made it into last year). And as I have discovered the wonder of Banana Boat sunblock, we did not get burned. Lisa and Morgan were actually around for part of the weekend, so Ryan finally met them. 'Twas a nearly perfect long weekend, indeed.
And then I had to say goodbye and go study. Bummer. It took me several more days to get myself mostly back into the typical study mode. Two more quizzes down this past week. Also, first CVF meeting, first Morning Prayer, and first SCAVMA meeting (which was REALLY LONG, but had good info about vet roles in disasters like Katrina). The first CVF meeting (where we do more of an informative thing than our usual Bible study) went well, although I was disappointed with the number of no-shows we had (I'd be surprised if half of the people who signed up for the meeting actually came). Nobody new came to prayer the next morning, but there was a conflicting ZEW club meeting that I was tempted to go to as well. Please be praying for our first regular Bible study this Tuesday at noon, as we would really like the first years and other newcomers to feel welcome and get involved so that we can all work together to learn about God's will for us.
Ames had a tornado on Thursday at about 12:30pm. Sirens never went off. It didn't "officially" touch down, but there was a funnel cloud that got pretty darn close to it on main campus and some wind damage to houses (okay, mostly old trailers in the park by the vet school) and trees. Most vet students were unaware until much later in the day. Sometimes I guess it pays to be locked away in a school built like a bomb shelter...
Thursday night I had a tickle in my throat which escalated to a nasty sinus attack by Friday morning. I came home after morning class (didn't have anything to do in the afternoon lab) and went right back to bed. Didn't get up til 1:30 and that was to clean the bunny cage and brush Gwennie (she's shedding SOOOO bad) and trim her nails. Hopefully with ice cream (the Ruthi Remedy) and NyQuil (drug of champions) whatever I have will be gone ASAP. At least it doesn't appear to be Whooping Cough. That went around Ames last year, and currently a friend and classmate from Minnesota is the only member of her immediate family (who she believes were all vaccinated against it) to escape it. Yuck. Darned mutant strains! I'll take a first year germ over a 5-day quarrantine any day.
Hopefully the Hawkeyes and other crazy football fans will be, too. They all took over Ames this weekend for the Cy-Hawk rivalry's bitter duel at Jack Trice Stadium. This meant that my beloved third home (the vet school) was literally surrounded, since it's just south of the football field. I've got to hand it to those crazy Iowans - both teams' fans really know how to tailgate in full force! This of course meant the worst of the Ames drivers were out and about, so I stayed home to study (I would have needed a special clearance pass to even go to school to study). And yes, I did actually study some in the distraction-filled confines of my apartment. I'm gaining that ability a bit more this semester, which is a good thing because I'm usually home for at least part of every Thursday night to bake goodies for the CVF bake sales that happen every Friday. But I digress - Yay for the Cyclones beating the Hawkeyes today and Yay for the bad traffic and inebriated crowds going away. Well, this has been a long and successful procrastination sesstion. Hope you've enjoyed it! As for me, study mode calls again - three quizzes and at least that many meetings this week.
P.S. - Put this on your calendar, Illini: Feb 10&11 is Illini Club Hockey vs. Cyclone Hockey here in Ames. Unless my academic schedule is usually cruel, I'd love to have some visitors that weekend. I'll have more details next semester.
P.P.S. - I find it hard to carry on conversations at times when using acronyms. ISU here = IA State, while it meant IL State to me for so long. U of I means Illinois to me, but it means Iowa (eew... Hawkeyes...) to most people around here. For blog purposes, ISU means IA State and U of I means Illinois - and the "s" is SILENT!! :-p
I had a great time at the CVC (Central Veterinary Conference) a couple weekends ago. The convention center down there is sooo perfect for this type of event. Major props to the people who organized it - they made it so easy to get around that I never had to ask for help with finding any rooms. I got to listen to many excellent talks on topics from pregnant dogs to psittacines (parrots), to cats in respiratory distress. I also got loads of free stuff and food - we all seriously doubled our luggage with free junk. I didn't spend any money while I was there other than on the hotel stay. (It was a VERY nice hotel for the cost - were I the stealing type I would have pilfered the shower curtain. Yes, I'm wierd.) Now I was fully expecting to enjoy the conference, but Kansas City, MO surprised me. I did NOT expect to be so intrigued by anything in Missouri. (No offense.) But as we rode around the city on the free shuttle to and from the convention and our hotel, I liked a lot of what I saw. They had lots of big fountains (I really like those), beautifully lit horse-drawn carriages for hire (looked like something out of Cinderella), and I was just feet away from some other cool attractions. Alas, but our busy schedule didn't allow us to experience any of these things. I will have to go back there some day and make sure I have time for the sights! Good thing the CVC is there every year! (Don't get me wrong - I was not blind the the parts of the city that looked kinda slummy or to the wacky roads, but the nice parts were very appealing.) Of course, we all came back to news about the hurricane. It's been amazing to see how willing people here are to help out. It's also been disturbing to see the finger-pointing and slander and looting on the media. I will not get into details, but I've struggled with how to look at the whole situation. I found it very ironic to be an ISU Cyclone (Tropical Cyclone = Hurricane, I found out). Iowa recently took in its first refugees, and I hope they find it as friendly and welcoming as I did.
After that was week two of class. I don't recall much of significance from that other than constantly being frustrated with how much I was NOT back in the study mode. I still survived my first two quizzes of the semester that week. (It was supposed to be 3, but one was moved to after Labor Day.) I spent much of my free time preparing for Ryan's arrival. He came over to visit Friday night thru Monday lunch. My parents also came Saturday afternoon thru Sunday afternoon and brought my grandparents with them from Rockford. Good times were had - we all went to see "March of the Penguins" together, and let me tell you it is an inspiring movie! I nearly cried at several points, but especially when they were talking about how the Emperor penguins make this long, arduous journey back to the place where every one of them was born. It really made me think about heaven, and how we're all God's creations struggling in our own ways to make it through life and back to heaven where He first formed us. I doubt that was what National Geographic was intending viewers to get out of it, but that's my take anyway. My only disappointment over the weekend was that it was REALLY hot on Sunday when we were all at the Reiman Gardens. I'm no plant/flower/garden buff, but I find ISU's Reiman Gardens to be a real delight. My grandpa is quite the gardener, so I was very excited about showing him ISU's jewel but it was too hot to really take it all in and be relaxed by it. Oh well, hopefully they can maintain their health (or even improve it) and come back next year to see it and there will be better weather. Ryan and I got to see "Madagascar" (my second time, his first) at the cheap theater. I really enjoy that movie. The penguins and lemurs just crack me up! It was generally wonderful to have time to relax and chat with my Ryan. We even got to go swimming twice in my apartment complex's pool (which I NEVER made it into last year). And as I have discovered the wonder of Banana Boat sunblock, we did not get burned. Lisa and Morgan were actually around for part of the weekend, so Ryan finally met them. 'Twas a nearly perfect long weekend, indeed.
And then I had to say goodbye and go study. Bummer. It took me several more days to get myself mostly back into the typical study mode. Two more quizzes down this past week. Also, first CVF meeting, first Morning Prayer, and first SCAVMA meeting (which was REALLY LONG, but had good info about vet roles in disasters like Katrina). The first CVF meeting (where we do more of an informative thing than our usual Bible study) went well, although I was disappointed with the number of no-shows we had (I'd be surprised if half of the people who signed up for the meeting actually came). Nobody new came to prayer the next morning, but there was a conflicting ZEW club meeting that I was tempted to go to as well. Please be praying for our first regular Bible study this Tuesday at noon, as we would really like the first years and other newcomers to feel welcome and get involved so that we can all work together to learn about God's will for us.
Ames had a tornado on Thursday at about 12:30pm. Sirens never went off. It didn't "officially" touch down, but there was a funnel cloud that got pretty darn close to it on main campus and some wind damage to houses (okay, mostly old trailers in the park by the vet school) and trees. Most vet students were unaware until much later in the day. Sometimes I guess it pays to be locked away in a school built like a bomb shelter...
Thursday night I had a tickle in my throat which escalated to a nasty sinus attack by Friday morning. I came home after morning class (didn't have anything to do in the afternoon lab) and went right back to bed. Didn't get up til 1:30 and that was to clean the bunny cage and brush Gwennie (she's shedding SOOOO bad) and trim her nails. Hopefully with ice cream (the Ruthi Remedy) and NyQuil (drug of champions) whatever I have will be gone ASAP. At least it doesn't appear to be Whooping Cough. That went around Ames last year, and currently a friend and classmate from Minnesota is the only member of her immediate family (who she believes were all vaccinated against it) to escape it. Yuck. Darned mutant strains! I'll take a first year germ over a 5-day quarrantine any day.
Hopefully the Hawkeyes and other crazy football fans will be, too. They all took over Ames this weekend for the Cy-Hawk rivalry's bitter duel at Jack Trice Stadium. This meant that my beloved third home (the vet school) was literally surrounded, since it's just south of the football field. I've got to hand it to those crazy Iowans - both teams' fans really know how to tailgate in full force! This of course meant the worst of the Ames drivers were out and about, so I stayed home to study (I would have needed a special clearance pass to even go to school to study). And yes, I did actually study some in the distraction-filled confines of my apartment. I'm gaining that ability a bit more this semester, which is a good thing because I'm usually home for at least part of every Thursday night to bake goodies for the CVF bake sales that happen every Friday. But I digress - Yay for the Cyclones beating the Hawkeyes today and Yay for the bad traffic and inebriated crowds going away. Well, this has been a long and successful procrastination sesstion. Hope you've enjoyed it! As for me, study mode calls again - three quizzes and at least that many meetings this week.
P.S. - Put this on your calendar, Illini: Feb 10&11 is Illini Club Hockey vs. Cyclone Hockey here in Ames. Unless my academic schedule is usually cruel, I'd love to have some visitors that weekend. I'll have more details next semester.
P.P.S. - I find it hard to carry on conversations at times when using acronyms. ISU here = IA State, while it meant IL State to me for so long. U of I means Illinois to me, but it means Iowa (eew... Hawkeyes...) to most people around here. For blog purposes, ISU means IA State and U of I means Illinois - and the "s" is SILENT!! :-p
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