I have a telephone!

That's right folks, I've moved into the 20th Century... er, make that the 21st Century?

The brand is Magic Jack and it is basically a USB with a phone jack in it. It hooks up to my computer and then you just plug the phone in! How great!

Even better is the price! It was $40USD for the device and a year of service. If I keep it, it's $20USD/yr after that. Much cheaper than Vonage which is $25USD/mo.

It is a states number, a Dallas 214, so everyone could call and pester me, but the battery in the phone my mother brough me only lasts for 38min, so my class may be limited. Email me if you want my new number or send me your number.

My computer has to be on to accept calls, but the Magic Jack emails me digital voice messages, which I can check anywhere, even at school.

Trip to Texas booked

For the first time in what seems like years, I'll be coming back to Texas! It's all Eric's fault-- he's getting married and stuck me in his wedding as a bridesmaid or something.

So parentally funded, for 60,000 AA miles and $39.50, I got this reservation:

SAT 13DEC
Flight 2280 SKB (3:45 PM) to MIA (6:05 PM)
Flight 1724 MIA (9:15 PM) to DFW (11:25 PM)

FRI 02JAN
Flight 919 DFW (6:00 AM) to MIA (9:30 AM)
Flight 2299 MIA (10:50 AM) to SKB (2:50 PM)

So I have the following dates available:

Dec 13 (S) - SKB to DFW arrive at 11:25pm
Dec 14 (N) - Visit my favorite niece and nephew (Selina/Dallas)
Dec 15 (M) - Dentist appointment 9:45am (Dallas)
Dec 16 (T)
Dec 17 (W)
Dec 18 (R)
Dec 19 (F) - Wedding Rehearsal (Plano/Dallas)
Dec 20 (S) - Wedding Murder Mystery Party (Plano/Dallas)
Dec 21 (N) - Eric's Wedding!!! (Plano/Dallas)
Dec 22 (M) - My favorite niece and nephew are out of school!
Dec 23 (T)
Dec 24 (W)
Dec 25 (R)
Dec 26 (F)
Dec 27 (S)
Dec 28 (N)
Dec 29 (M)
Dec 30 (T)
Dec 31 (W)
Jan 1 (R)
Jan 2 (F) - DFW to SKB departing at 6am

Visiting the horses that I miss so much are floating around the list, but haven't made exact plans. I'd also like to get my eyes lazered (preferable the first Monday or Tuesday that I'm there). Need to get a tooth fixed at the dentist (which will probably be a cavity by December). Email me if you want to book a specific day, otherwise I'll meander about Texas.

For all you island internet stalkers, the dogs will still be guarding my house (with a house sitter) so it will be futile to try to break in. Besides, I wouldn't leave anything valuable there anyway (like my laptop, rice cooker, or car), and I'm broke, so there isn't any money, and all the jewlry that I have on island, I wear every day... and what else? oh you can steal the tv, it's not mine.

If anyone wants to house sit for me let me know! All you'd have to do is feed the dogs, which is easy and would save me $300USD.

Done With 4th!

My last final was today-- Path. It was as hard as I expected, but I think most expected it to be easier. I don't care, it's over and I needed a 33% to pass. (I needed a whopping 23% to pass Clin Path.)

So into 5th semester I go... after the next 18 days of glorious summer break!

I'm going to start reading The Third Chimpanzee by Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs, and Steel. Although I found the subject matter facinating, I only got half way through Guns, Germs, and Steel because I found the writing style a bit annoying. I suppose that's how popular writers are these days. We'll see how it goes.

Twas the weekend before finals...

And my landlord's brother just came by with a tax/building inspector to look at our apartments without notice. Riiight. Any other weekend would have been fine, but they decided this would throw us off the most. I'm at home, studying, only because I couldn't brave the frigid cold of the library any longer! One other girl in my apt came home for a quick bite of lunch. She and I looked at each other, then looked at them, and with an incredulous chuckle, we, in unison, declined. Besides, they’d have to come back to see the other apartments anyway.

Meanwhile, I’ve been tackling a long list of poisonous plants for Ross’s Toxic Plant Garden with quite a bit of success. With only a bit more than a handful left to go, I’ve been able to secure scary things like Poison Hemlock, Belladonna, Henbane, and Foxglove, along with the not so scary Tiger Lily, St John’s Wart, and lucky Four Leaf Clovers. In my search, I met a very nice lady on ebay who rescues herding dogs and shows Chinese Cresteds. She and a friend of hers are going out of their way to help locate the remaining plants I need, like the nut of a Tung Oil Tree. (As if I wasn’t nuts already!)

I also decided that I needed to invest in some Gladiola bulbs as a present to myself, so I ordered 50 pastel pink and 50 lavender-blue. The gardening should keep me plenty entertained over the next few weeks of break until the next semester starts on September 1st. Until then, I really should unplug my ever so distracting internet so I can continue to cram for finals!

Already taken --> Epidemiology and Poultry
Monday --> Clinical Pathology
Tuesday --> Pharmacology 2
Wednesday --> Pathology 2
Thursday --> FUN FUN FUN!!!

Preparing for 4th Finals & Sidetracked in Dubai

I'm trying to study... surfing the net mainly. Up at school in my hot pink leggings and army green sweatshirt.

Watched 60 Minutes yesterday? Maybe the day before, I can't remember. It was about Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the dramatic changes in Dubai. If you don't have Google Earth, download it here, just to look. It's really amazing; maybe a modern day Babylon. Two of my profs have urged me to check it out because, let's face it, I'm in love with my horse. The royally owned Godolphin Stables, seems to only have the fast TB's rather than the magnificent Arabian horses though.

So I've had some concerns, like I'm female and stick out like a sore thumb with my blue eyes and sun-bleached blonde hair, but then I spoke with a 3rd prof, who acts as a consultant to the Godolphin breeding program (lucky!), and he said it's relatively safe and I'd have a blast! (Without being required to dress like a black ghost of course!) And a British friend of mine (at Ross) lived there, and her daughter (my age) was trying to move back to Dubai!

I checked with the US Travel/State Dept and it seems I wouldn't need a Visa to enter the UAE either. I've found a hostel to stay at for $25US/night, and flights starting at $1200US round trip. So this is my new plan, maybe in April 2009 if i don't go to Africa to tag wildlife or to St Croix to spay puppies and kitties or sit at home and study for the PAVE, then I'd really like to go to Dubai... or Egypt too (some of Zaldi's relatives are still in Giza at Albadeia).

My profs said that if I contacted Shiekh Maktoum, as a student (ie now) then I'd be far more likely to be invited to see his collection world-class champion horses than if I'd already graduated and was job hunting. While I doubt I'd want job there because I still plan on specializing in poultry, it would be amazing to watch some of the desert endurance races/rides. Gosh, I'd love to travel.

Back to studying for finals... look at this amazing photo of a cycloptic calf from a cow that ate False Hellebore (Veratrum californicum). I think I love all my classes this semester (definitely have had great profs).

(Man-made waste isn't always to blame for mutants!!!)