Ramblings of a Dick Vet

Survey says? Cha-ching!

2011-06-22T12:08:00.000-04:00

I officially passed 1st year of vet school! :D *fist pump!* So freakin happy! No resits this year and now can fully relax in Spain. Thank you baby Jesus! Next update will be in September...bring on 2nd year!

Vet School: 20% Completed

2011-06-05T09:51:00.000-04:00

In all the years that I've been in school, I must say that 1st year of vet school flew on ludicrous speed! It hasn't really hit me that I'm done with classes and exams till September and that I'm officially in summer vacation even though the weather is still cold and grey. Our last day of exams were blessed with sunny 70 degree weather that disappeared all too quickly. I was really looking

I'm still alive!

2011-05-13T13:48:00.000-04:00

Hi! I know I've disappeared off the face of this earth and for that I deeply apologize to my ever mysterious and faithful readers. After my successful sheep EMS, I've been cast out into a pit of parasites and viruses with no chance to breath. I promise I will give you all a proper update once exams are over (June 3). Wish me luck and pray for my soul! :D

Spring Break-ish

2011-03-26T06:12:00.000-04:00

Things that I've learned/done lately: I learned from Mr. Antibody that I will need to take a prophylactic because I'm one of the lucky women in the human population to have Rh- blood. Without the prophylactic, my future children will most likely get Blue Baby Syndrome and die. Lucky me... My friends and I clearly reenacted a scene from the movie Twilight, where everybody was taking advantage of

1/10ths a Vet and Beginner's luck

2011-03-13T07:35:00.001-04:00

I got my results and I passed by the skin of my teeth. I'm happy but at the same time a bit disappointed in the sense that I thought I did a bit better then just barely making the grade. Oh well. I'm officially 1/10ths a vet! BOOYAH! On an even brighter side, I finally got over my plague, no thanks to my friend who ended up being the messenger of Death for the rest of the class. Some of my

Bubonic Plague

2011-03-01T05:39:00.002-05:00

Why is it that whenever I really get into working out and losing weight I get infected with the bubonic plague or maybe according to Mr. Antibody, "The pig flu is quite fashionable." Karma really hates me. ^_^ I blame it on my low immune system caused by the stress of exams. I've tried my best to stay in class but today I'm coughing up a lung and most likely am contagious. Unfortunately, I have

Taste of Freedom

2011-02-19T05:59:00.001-05:00

I really should get one of those Halloween Horror Nights T-shirt that says "I've survived!" Hell week is finally over and I can finally breathe again. I've learned a valuable lesson on how to prepare myself in advance and not fall behind during the semester. Lesson definitely learned. Although I'm finished with Animal Body I, I still have to work on my Anatomy lab book that's due on Monday but,

Exams Will Send You to The Loony Bin

2011-02-01T18:49:00.000-05:00

Life... ....What is life? What is the meaning of a social life? Does anything exist beyond this sea of BOOKS, NOTES, and DIAGRAMS!? Sadly, no. At least not until February 18. >_< This exam will be hell, in fact, studying for this exam is already hell. My brain feels deflated yet I have to cram in more knowledge in one sitting than I have ever done in my life. Imagine taking a final exam (the

Dolly's Beauty Salon

2011-01-18T15:26:00.001-05:00

Have you ever given sheep a pedicure? Well I have! And pregnant ones to boot! They really do deserve a bit of TLC being pregnant and all. Some of them are even carrying triplets! I seriously have no idea how they do it. ;D We even gave them a nice blue dot on the back of their heads just to make them look a bit more posh. Although, I did spray paint my finger instead of the ewe. My quick

Blue Cheese, anyone?

2011-01-12T13:05:00.001-05:00

Classes started up today for round 2 of Animal Body 1! Exams are in a month or so and everybody is feeling the pressure, myself included. Today was a normal day of 2 lectures and a dissection in the afternoon with lunch somewhere in between with my mates. Normally, I have a very strong tolerance for anything nasty, especially during dissection but this time I have been bested. Who knew the site

So long sweet Summer...err Winter.

2011-01-05T14:14:00.000-05:00

I'm flying today leaving my home of sand and sunshine to the cold wintery depths of Edinburgh. ...I am none too happy about that. My vacation went by a tad bit fast for the main reason that I spent half of it working on my dog/cat EMS. I learned a lot from them and they even gave me a huge handful of expired sutures to practice on in order for me to get used to the dexterity of working with

Holy strawberries Batman! We're in a jam!

2010-12-21T14:15:00.001-05:00

Heathrow Airport This is the first thing I saw when I finally arrived at London Heathrow airport at 9 AM after being stuck in traffic for 1.5 hours. Immediately, my heart fell but luckily my Miami flight was still up and running (rightmost panel). There are not enough words to describe the chaos of this airport or any transportation hub for that matter. To get the most accurate idea is to

Biosecurity Assessment

2010-12-14T15:15:00.000-05:00

I've been a wreck (still am) all week for a number of things: 1) Biosecurity assessment 2) Forecast of Heavy Snow 3) Last week of classes 4) Leaving Kira at the kennel 5) Due to the forecast of heavy snow this weekend, I am getting myself out of Edinburgh to London 3 days in advance. I feel like I'm evacuating the city from a zombie apocalypse. My flight home is not until Monday but the forecast

Snow Update

2010-12-08T11:34:00.001-05:00

I'm almost done with this semester! Well, technically, I wont finish till February when I have my Animal Body I exams but still. I can't wait to go home for Christmas and be in WARM weather. I plan on vegetating on the beach and gladly absorb some UV radiation. The weather in Scotland has been dreadful even to the locals. In total we have had 8 days of non stop snowing and the forecast says

My Winter Wonderland

2010-12-01T15:15:00.000-05:00

Whoever said it rarely snows in Edinburgh should be whacked upside the head with my sandal. Its been snowing since Friday night and not sure when its going to let up. Not that I'm complaining though! All this snow is such a new experience for me and I find myself just oohing and aahing to everything snow-related. My neighborhood is currently under 2 feet of snow and its up to the neighbors to

Siblings and Sangria

2010-11-22T15:27:00.006-05:00

My brother is coming to visit tomorrow!! Yahoo!I am beyond stoked to see him. It's been 4 months since I've seen anyone from my family [Skype doesn't count! :D ] Luckily I'm able to pick him up at the airport without having to miss any practicals but I swear he picked the worst week. Not so much school wise but weather wise. It MIGHT be snowing Tuesday night until Saturday. *gets all giddy*I am

Bag o' Bones

2010-11-17T09:02:00.009-05:00

Disclaimer: 1) All names have been changed to protect their identity. 2) The majority of pictures are mine, however, I will give credit where its due. 3) This is my PERSONAL blog. I will write my opinions on whatever crosses my mind. Whether you love it or hate it, thanks for reading. ;)------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I know, I know, I've been "

Bovine Sumo Wrestling

2010-11-04T16:00:00.004-04:00

This week has been one of the busiest since I started here in lovely Auld Reekie. Its been nonstop going to lectures, doing practicals, many side assignments to work on, all the while trying to keep up on revision work, maintain my house to healthy livable standards, and of course, keep my puppy happy with attention. Also this time change isn't helping whatsoever! Nighttime hits around 4:30 so

Happy Cows Come From...Langhill?

2010-10-28T14:05:00.010-04:00

"So get ready to get dirty!" -Mike Rowe, Dirty JobsToday's practical was all about the How To's of milking dairy cattle at Langhill Farm. The milking parlour and methods of milking were pretty similar to milking sheep in my dad's cousins farm except that everything here is super sized. So everyone dons on their waterproof tops, trousers, and wellies and we trek our way across "sludge" to The

Embryology

2010-10-27T09:00:00.003-04:00

We finally started working on topics that I've never really gone in detail during my undergrad. Oh Embryology... I find one of the lecturers to be awesome, very clear, and easy to understand the new material. I can't say the same for some Roslin lecturers. [Roslin meaning The Roslin Institute that merged with the Vet School - They created Dolly, the cloned sheep FYI] Almost everyone around me,

Have you scooped your horses POOP???

2010-10-14T12:22:00.006-04:00

*Peeks from behind the door*Sorry for the delay in posts! I know, no excuse, but things are starting to pile up here.I wanted to wait a bit so that I can post some pictures and add a bit of spice onto my blog. At least, to give you a window of my life so far. Classes are starting to pick up and it just seems that once you're done revising a lecture, you have 3 more added on plus practical work.

Week 1 Completed!

2010-09-24T17:24:00.006-04:00

Thank god its Friday...Week 1 is over and my energy level has gone caput. I'm not a morning person, might never be one, but the worry that I will forever be on the bad side of a professor is enough incentive to get my sorry ass out of my warm bed. I know this is a professional school, but these professors have a giant pet peeve about tardiness.So yea, this semester its all about Animal Body 1.

Tomb Raider

2010-09-16T14:37:00.001-04:00

I bought a car!I'm thrilled to have my own car and not a rental anymore. Still trying to figure out a name for it but I know its personality will show itself. I'm ecstatic that its diesel and a bit comforted when it rumbles to life. Although I know I'm not going to do some crazy off-roading, but I can trust that my 4x4 will get me out of any sticky situation....wait until it snows here. Anybody

Fresher's Week - Day 1

2010-09-13T12:43:00.002-04:00

Today was my first day of orientation A.K.A. Fresher's Week!!I made it to Summerhall (more like my mother dropped me off LOL) and bumped into all the people I have been aquainted with on Facebook and SDN. I looked at everybody's faces and they all showed the same nervousness and excitement of starting a new school. I guess these students will kind of become my extended family for the next 5 years

Stinging Nettles

2010-09-09T14:12:00.002-04:00

My house is looking more like a home everyday. I'm really loving this place and love the fact that my garden will always need my attention, even if I learned what a stinging nettle is the hard way. *Glares at weed in trash can* I'm pretty much set to start classes except I still need the cable guy to hook up my wifi and landline. At least, they already hooked up my TV! (Don't ask me why they

Project Overload

2010-08-31T16:42:00.002-04:00

Hi Hi.I've come to realize that settling down has been a lot more stressful than packing all my crap. I'm finally in my new flat! It's in a great location with a yard, however, the previous tenants kinda left it like a dump. We've all been cleaning, cataloging, organizing that it seems like its never going to end. Costco and IKEA have been life savers and today I found a pet store and a home

The Hardest Goodbye

2010-08-25T18:18:00.009-04:00

On the day of my flight, I just couldn't stop crying. It's never easy to say goodbye to my loved ones and to my hometown. I'm going out on my own in a different country across the ocean. It's pretty frightening!I did all my goodbyes at an Irish pub in downtown and I was surprised by the amount of friends that showed up. Even friends I haven't seen in years. To all you guys, thank you with all my

Destination: UK

2010-08-20T00:00:00.005-04:00

24 hours left for my flight....I feel like I have ulcers in my stomach. Geez.I haven't been able to eat right, my palms get clammy, heartbeat increases, and I'm trying so hard to hold the contents of my stomach. I haven't had such a severe case of an anxiety attack...well, let me rephrase. I've NEVER had a severe case of anxiety.It's not just my fear of flying, a big portion of today's anxiety

Chicken without a Head

2010-08-17T16:23:00.004-04:00

I've commenced packing and although I felt like I was running around without a head, its getting done. My dog is patiently lying down away from the battle zone looking at my mother and I like we're nuts....which we might be.I've made 2 piles: one that is necessary to take now and the other that isn't necessary but I still want to take. Pile #2 will obviously come with me when I am home for

Au revoir, ma voiture!

2010-08-13T09:32:00.003-04:00

Sold my car last night!!! Yahoooooooooooo!! Big thanks to, Joseph my bf, for being my adviser on everything car-ish and dealing with the sale. I learned a lot and will be using that experience for when I buy a used car in the UK.Another great news is that my award letter is already on its way to me. I wonder how much mula I will be getting?Everything is going smoothly (although it wasn't always

Blackout

2010-08-10T11:04:00.004-04:00

I'm a hot mess...My emotions and anxiety levels are having a time of their lives on this damn roller coaster. I'm fine one minute, then tearing up the next, and finally hyperventilating within 5 minutes. I really need to calm down. Maybe I should watch that Hawaiian yoga lady with the wreaths of flowers around her head, neck, wrists, and ankles with the waves crashing against the rocks behind her

Care Bear Stare

2010-08-03T17:22:00.003-04:00

I think the glaring has paid off...Finally received my cost of attendance email...ehh, I think I became a couple of shades paler after seeing the yearly cost and how much I can borrow from the Stafford loans. It looks like I will need to apply for the Graduate PLUS loans in order to cover my tuition and have about $25,000 left. I may not need to max out on the PLUS but you never know. I'll let it

Frustrated with a dash of Grumpiness

2010-08-02T11:00:00.004-04:00

I'm frustrated...Still haven't been able to sell my car and I'm thinking that when the financial office says "we will send it to you shortly" it really means "you will get an email from us within 2 or more weeks." I have a feeling I'll settle my loans when I'm already in Edinburgh. Maybe that's good so I'll have a chance to wring someone's neck there. Although, mayhap they are taking so long

1 Month Away

2010-07-21T10:57:00.003-04:00

Have you ever had severe butterflies in your stomach that makes you feel the need to run to the bathroom?? It may be a bit 'too much info', but I'm sure you have felt this at some point in your life.I'm currently killing time before I need to volunteer at the Wildlife Center and I realized today is the 21st...I have exactly one month till D-Day. Immediately I felt like I was punched in the gut

Gift for Moi

2010-07-16T13:23:00.011-04:00

I got my first equipment, albeit the most important tool, for a vet student. My Stethoscope! Maybe I should give it a name? Any ideas are appreciated in the comments box.It's going to sound so corny but I felt like He-man when I put the stetho around my shoulders."I have the powah!!!" I immediately checked my heart, I'm guessing it sounded good, then I checked Kira's. She sniffed it and deduced

Butterflies

2010-07-08T08:35:00.002-04:00

I'm starting to get butterflies in my stomach whenever I see the counter steadily getting closer to D-Day. I remember when I first set up the counter it was at 160 days before D-Day. Now its what, 43 days? Crap.Thankfully I'm not stressed...yet. The majority of the things I needed done are done. The only thing I need to do for now is try to get the darkest natural tan as possible. God knows its

A Place I Can Call Home

2010-06-22T11:13:00.009-04:00

A huge load of stress has been lifted now that I officially have a place to call home in Edinburgh. It feels nearly impossible to find a pet friendly home, but I need to count my lucky stars on this one. It's going to feel great to have a backyard again and I'm sure Kira will enjoy the extra space!Now my only concern is how Kira will endure the flight and pray that all her papers are in order for

Yo ho, Yo Ho, A Pirate's Life For Me

2010-06-16T09:55:00.005-04:00

I'm back from Disney. Holy hell it was 110 degrees out there. I lost count of how many water bottles I chugged.It was fun taking my niece through Magic Kingdom and Universal Studios albeit she was scared of the majority of the rides. She is only 3 but acts much older. However, we did find out that she loves anything that deals with speed, for example, kiddie roller coasters, the teacup spinning

June Schmoo

2010-06-07T16:51:00.003-04:00

I would like to give my thanks to lei325 for giving me the heads up that I can apply for a bank account online with HSBC. Everything is going great in that department and I just need to finalize everything once I get to Scotland.June is already here but there still isn't much I can do in terms of my moving progress.I tried looking for potential flats/houses, but the Realtors all told me to wait 1

Questionable Bankers

2010-05-24T19:28:00.003-04:00

You can tell that a trip to a UK bank was a waste of time when the banker asks, "Where is Edinburgh?" I received my official UCAS letter of admission and thought it would be worth a shot to try to open a bank account before moving. There is this catch 22 where in order to open an account, you need to have a permanent UK address, however, in order to rent a flat, you need a UK bank account. Get my

Loans and whatnot...

2010-05-19T17:30:00.005-04:00

In the end, I applied for FAFSA. However, due to Mr. Obama and his socialistic ways, the government has supreme power in dealing with student loans. No more private lenders, no more Stafford, Sallie Mae, GradPLUS loans......Prick So now, everyone has to wait until July 1st for the crew in Edinburgh to train themselves for the new protocol in dealing with overseas student loans. I feel bad for

Officially A Dick Vet

2010-05-11T21:31:00.007-04:00

Colonel Sandurz: Prepare ship for light speed.Dark Helmet: No, no, no, light speed is too slow.Colonel Sandurz: Light speed, too slow?Dark Helmet: Yes, we're gonna have to go right to ludicrous speed.Colonel Sandurz: Sir hadn't you better buckle up?Dark Helmet: Ah, buckle this! LUDICROUS SPEED! *GO!*-SpaceballsI feel like I've been stuck in traffic for a long time then all of a sudden

drumroll Survey Says?....

2010-04-29T13:30:00.002-04:00

I have never looked so forward to a day as this day. Grades are finally posted up and I completely forgot about it until I happened to look at my calender. I mean, I've been checking my grades online for the past week in case they'd like to give me an early surprise, right? Nahhh. So it doesn't surprise me one bit that the day grades are posted, it just slips from my mind along with everything

April Update

2010-04-06T12:40:00.005-04:00

Happy April! At the end of this month, I will find out for sure if I am officially a student at the University of Edinburgh! ::excited:: My final exam is April 22nd and the grades are up April 29th. Nothing much has happened after my last post except that my lovely niece gave me a nice infestation of lice. I just finished treating my hair and apparently there were a lot of eggs. Ewwwww. I'm

Trucks and Basketball

2010-03-19T18:27:00.019-04:00

I had to post this random picture of Kira. I was goofing around with my camera and found this neat feature. Obviously, I used the same feature for the Heat game.Unlike previous blog posts, I actually have crap to talk about this time around. I am currently on Spring Break but Miami is STILL going through a cold snap and its much too frigid to take some much needed sunbathing. It sux monkey butt.

Stonehenge, Robin Hood, Backward Rotundas Oh My!

2010-03-05T18:51:00.007-05:00

March already?! Jesus, time is def flying. I'm thinking of doing a countdown till take off....the bf won't like the reminder, though. Hmmm, decisions decisions...Just like the last blog there hasn't been anything exciting going on except for the preparations for the move. Got another A in Orgo so all is left is my 3rd exam at the end of this month and the final exam in April. Over the summer I

Birthdays, Rum, and Sliding Glass Doors do NOT mix well..

2010-02-24T13:10:00.010-05:00

I turned 24 last Sunday and yet I don't feel any different from being 23. ;D I'll give half a year before it clicks in my head that I'm almost a quarter of a century old. *shudders* My bf, Joseph, and I share the same birthday so we decided to be a bit low key and throw a small party at his house filled with lots of laughter, my infamous bean dip, burgers/hot dogs, video games, and the Cuban

Mmm Balls of Rice...

2010-02-03T18:55:00.006-05:00

January has come and gone and I still can't believe we are already in February. I'm turning 24 on the 21st and I have half a year left before the big move. Orgo 2 is so far going really really well. First exam I got an A, which totally blew my mind. I'm marking that down as a natural wonder of my life. ^_^Preparations for the "BIG MOVE" are going slow but steady. Today I renewed my Spanish

Life in a Time Warp...

2010-01-24T18:29:00.005-05:00

Life has kind of slowed down a bit after the rush of the New years in Spain. In a way I'm glad it's like this since I don't want to get to the airport when I leave to Scotland and think to myself, "Man, how time flew and I never truly savored every moment." I have taught myself to stop and revel in the now, committing to memory my emotions, my thoughts, my surroundings, and the most random events

La Republica Independiente de Mi Casa ;D

2010-01-04T13:10:00.004-05:00

Today is officially the start of the new semester. Where has Winter Break gone? It seems only yesterday that I took my last final and celebrated my grades. My week in Spain was fantastic! It never snowed, much to my disappointment, and it rained practically all week, but I thoroughly enjoyed the temperature. I think I brought the cold weather with me back home for Miami is going through a cold

Christmas and New Years!!

2009-12-23T14:52:00.007-05:00

The Christmas shopping is over and I no longer have to fight the hoards of cars and people at the malls. It was surprisingly easy to shop for gifts this year except, of course, for my boyfriend. I really hope I find him something in Spain.I spent last weekend in the Keys helping my boyfriend's family paint their house. It was hard work and my arm became sore but it was relaxing at the same time.

Stress begone!

2009-12-17T12:20:00.005-05:00

The semester is finally over! :D It feels great to not have to worry about Biochemistry and deal with the worst professor in my college career. However, I managed to get a B- in the class! Parrtaayy! I really hope that's enough for the conditional offer (they wanted a B if I never mentioned it before). Now all that is left is Organic Chem 2. I am not too worried since my brother is taking it with

And the cycle starts all over...

2009-12-04T11:04:00.002-05:00

So I'm back! I finally have things to blog about. lol.Just to recap, I graduated (yay!) and moved back home to start another semester at my old university (boo!). It felt really weird to already have graduated and STILL taking classes. I tried looking for a job in equine medicine but in this city its like finding a needle in a haystack. It's practically nonexistent. I would have to drive to West

When Life throws you a curve ball...

2009-05-26T17:06:00.005-04:00

Last Friday I finally got word from Yvonne and to my utter disappointment...I've been rejected. *sigh* Man, I really thought I got in. Oh well, after crying my eyes out over the phone to my parents and getting an extra hug from Joseph when he drove up to visit me, I felt better. I began organizing "Plan B" which pretty much entails to get my damn degree in 3 weeks, move back home, go back to FIU

Class again...

2009-05-13T09:19:00.003-04:00

I started my last semester at UF this past Monday. It's kinda weird being here when only half the student population is here. There is actually parking and they opened up the commuter lot garage for any parking decals! Hallelujah! I'm taking 3 classes: Speech [lame], Genetic Improvement, and Fundamentals of Geological Science [online]. I know, I know what the hell am I taking an intro class to

At a snails pace...

2009-05-08T14:56:00.005-04:00

I got my results from this past semester....sucked! I didn't make the conditional offer but at least I passed! One way or another I'm getting that damn degree. I already told Yvonne my results and sent her my transcripts. Now its the moment of truth and the agonizingly slow waiting game for the final decision of where my life is going. I'm definitely standing on some crossroads and I'm getting

Se finito...

2009-05-02T11:49:00.003-04:00

So I am finally done with Spring semester and back home for a week before I have to go back to UF to finish my last 2 classes in Summer A. It's such a tease to be done for now when soon I'll have to do it all over again. Tuesday I'll find out what my grades are. At this point I just want to pass and deal with the conditional offer for Scotland later. My Admissions Coordinator, Yvonne, told me not

Damn you Whorgo!!

2009-04-07T13:57:00.005-04:00

So, I finished my Orgo Exam. It was alright. I don't like to say how I think I did b/c I'll end up disappointing myself for having certain expectations. ^_~ Now I have a week and 2 days to study for a mega Biochem optional exam. Basically my prof is setting up an optional exam if you a) missed an exam b) failed an exam c) you love biochem sooo much that you NEED to take another exam or your life

Welcome!

2009-04-06T11:59:00.001-04:00

Hello!I've created yet another blog [the old ones were deleted] about the everyday life of a vet student just trying to make a mark in the world. I am hoping this blog will help those that know me to keep tabs on me when I'm miles from home but also for those that do not and want to learn something from this blog, especially if you are wanting to be a vet yourself.As of right now, I am currently