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!!!)

2008 edition of getting to know your friends

My very good friend, Terah (and keeper of the horses), sends me those silly chain emails about yourself. Since I have nothing better to do (besdides study) I thought I’d post one. She sent this a month ago and it’s been sitting in my drafts box waiting to go back to her:

1. What time did you get up this morning? 5:30 am, dang cat!

2. Diamonds or pearls? Tiffany & Co or Mikimoto, depends on the function (click Tiffany link to see my engagement ring-- all I need is the man of my dreams to buy it!)

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? wow I don't know. That was over a year ago.

4. What is your favorite TV show? House, but Law & Order comes on more often

5. What do you usually have for breakfast? mangos (‘tis the season)

6. What is your middle name? Amalie

7. What food do you dislike? Liver, egags!

8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? none (I don't even think I one with music on it that I didn't make myself.)

9. What time is it right now? 3:57pm EST July 7... 9:08pm EST July 26

10. Favorite sandwich? Pastrami from A&M's deli.

11. What characteristic do you dislike in people? liars

12. Favorite item of clothing? pj's

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Mediterranean

14. Where would you retire to? I have no idea

15. What was your most recent memorable birthday? 16th-- I got a car!

16. Furthest place you are sending this? Texas

17. Person you expect to send it back first? either Eric, who are both hooked on my blog

18. When is your birthday? August 23, I’ll be 26. (Terah said her’s is Groundhog’s Day—have to remember that!)

19. Morning person or a night person? Night owl for sure!

20. Pets? Oh god.

21. Exciting news? Ross built a fence to keep our cars from rolling out of the parking lot into the Caribbean Sea!

22. What did you want to be when you were little? A veterinarian.

23. How are you today? Super

24. What is your favorite flower? Stargazer lilies

25. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Sometime in Aug 2010 when I graduate.

26. What are you listening to right now? Strauss- Blue Danube

27. What was the last thing you ate? Chicken Tortilla ‘de Soup

28. Do you wish on stars? Yes!

29. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Strawberry Red

30. How is the weather right now? Raining

31. Last person you spoke to on the phone? A friend asking me if I wanted a ride to campus, and thus, I’m on campus. (My car is wet.)

32. Favorite soft drink? Cherry-Vanilla Dr Pepper, Cherry Coke, A&W Rootbeer

33. Favorite restaurant? Café Eccel in College Station, TX

34. Hair color? Naturally-light brown, but it’s bleached blonde with the sun down here. If I dye it- red!

35. What was your favorite toy as a child? Baby Doll (who I think is 44 yrs old now) and the Breyer horses I inherited from my older sister

36. Summer or winter?

37. Chocolate or Vanilla?

38. Coffee or Tea? But I’m getting slowly hooked on Godiva hazelnut coffee.

39. Do you want your friends to email you back? Of course!

40. What is your favorite color? Pastels, red, purple, or blue. I don’t like Orange

41. What is under your bed? My suitcase and the cat.

42. What did you do last night? Studied

43. What are you afraid of? Failing out of vet school

44. Salty or sweet? Sour

45. How many keys on your key ring? A lot: my apt, the laundry room, my car, lab, 3 spare keys to several of my friend’s apts, and a friend’s car (they have mine too, I’m good at locking myself out and our landlord is off island).

46. How many years at your current job? Vet school >1yr, the research project I acquired once I got here, <1yr

47. Favorite day of the week? Sunday because if I sleep all day Saturday then by Sunday I’m well rested enough to have fun and go to the beach! (or study)

48. Do you make friends easily? No.

49. How many people will you send this to? Back to Terah to let her know I’m sticking this on my blog

50. How many will respond? No idea, but I think it would be cool if you copy and pasted it with your name under 'Comment.'

51. Do you like finding out all this stuff about your friends? Yes! (esp the birthdays, because I can’t always keep them straight)

Happy 57th Birthday MOM!

Mom has aged yet again! How exciting! (LOL, but she probably doesn't think so.)

For a vacation this year, she's decided to come visit me! (And bring goodies!) I have a 2+ week break in August starting the 14th going to the 31st.

She's confirmed to leave from DFW at 6 a.m. on August 20, Wednesday (Flight 2175) with a 40 minute layover in Miami arriving in St. Kitts (SKB) at 1:50 p.m

She will be leaving SKB on Wednesday, August 27 at 2:55 p.m. with a 3 hr layover in Miami getting back to DFW at 11:30 p.m.

I've decided that the easiest way to wear her out is to hike the volcano! We also plan on going to Nevis for a day, maybe SCUBA dive a wreck another day. It should be interesting.

Yesterday I heard a strange sound, like a chirp, or an injured Guinea Pig. Since the dogs looked like they were up to no good, I panicked and and ran to save my poor little pig! (Remember, they run loose in and out of the house with the dogs.)

When I checked, the pigs were fine, happily munching the weeds in my garden. Rudder was sleeping, but Salty was at the gate whining. I looked and didn't see anything-- she usually barks and snarls at Kittitians, and whimpers at cats. Then something moved! It was a monkey not 3 feet from my car!

This is the best pict I got before it ran off, but how cool?! A huge monkey on the other side of the street fom my apt! It's like one of those Priceless commercials: $150,000 for vet school tuition, $550 for an apartment close to campus, $1000 for an old beat up car, seeing a Green Vervet Monkey outside your apartment next to your car while in vet school-- PRICELESS!

Half Done

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! Exams are over! (Until finals.) Over half of my 28-month term is over.

I didn't do spectacular on my Pharm2 exam, but I passed with plenty of room to spare. As long as I don't screw up the final, I foresee clear sailing into Semester 5.

Then one more year, and I'll be back in the states-- the land of exorbitant gas prices and gourmet food. How exciting! Meanwhile, I'm going to go back to the tv and get sucked in by cable.

No good deed goes unpunished

Ross has a low cost (free) spay/neuter program for locals. Over a month ago I passed the sign up sheet around on a Friday night when the Chicken Lady cooks. I got 2 takers, plus my apartment’s handyman (Spoose) who has 2 dogs.

Last week, Spoose was supposed to bring his dogs in for a pre-surgery checkup, but he forgot. We made another appointment (for today), but his transportation failed him.

Additionally over the weekend, to prevent a no-show, I spoke with one of the local dog owners and we decided I’d take her dog in to make things easier. At 7am this morning I got a call from her, panicked. Her dog had gotten wind of what was in for him so he took off to visit his lady friends and would not come back. Happens to all of us.

So I rearranged the appointments so that the other locally owned dog could come in. I got in the car to fetch this second, spare dog to drag in for his pre-surgery workup. Low and behold when I drove up, there was dog #1 thrilled to see me! I still took dog #2 just because I’d already switched their appointments.

I drag this poor guy to the clinic and put in him a cage. There’s a flea study going on, so I run to tell a professor that he has fleas, as I pick one off my neck. On my 20 min break, I rush back to the dog, who is wildly thumping his tail happy to see me. A friend and I start combing the fleas off him, putting them in a tube. We got quite a bit, and one tick, and then I rushed back to class.

I’d say it was about 15 min of me sitting in class when I first felt it—the flea. It was running through my hair. Around and around it went, first on the right then on the left, going from my scalp to the nape of my neck. I started to itch.

My classes dragged on for hours, plus a review, then more class. It still itched under my tight ponytail. During a break between classes, I had Jossie start picking through my hair like a monkey. Two others joined her. I could feel it running, hiding, evading them. They couldn’t find it and decided it was a psychogenic response.

I can still feel it rushing through my hair. Bugs, bugs, bugs everywhere. Last night I couldn’t sleep because I felt like there were ants all over me. Eventually I got up, thinking that I’m crazy. When I flipped on the light, my bed was covered in ants. Covered! I opted to relocate to the couch.

I guess it could be worse—the malaria-ridden mosquitoes have vanished. Three dogs to go, lets hope my flea really is psychogenic. I still itch all over.