The Half-Dead Duck

I finished my cardiology block last week. As I walked away from the vet school on the last day of that block, I had a sense of satisfaction in knowing that I put in my best effort. There's nothing like the satisfaction of doing a job well done. I loved the clinician we worked with, and I loved my classmates. I also loved my clients (but I always love my clients). Dr. Fine said I should consider doing an internship (the step before doing a residency to specialize). I thought about it, but I really just want to be a regular veterinarian. I want regular hours and regular clients. :) I'm not sure I even want to own my own practice. If you do an internship without going through a residency, "they" say you loose $50,000 just because of the lack of a substantial salary and the fact that your loans are accruing interest. You're better off just taking a cut in pay for the first year at your first job in exchange for mentorship. So my clinical experience so far has been A, B, A, A :) I was a mediocre student in the class room, but it's really important to me to be exceptional in clinics. After all, I want to be a darn good vet (even if I only want to work part time in someone else's clinic).

So what have I been doing with my free time? Well...I've been reading books, cleaning the apartment, taking the dogs on walks, sleeping, cooking, playing the Wii, and watching anime :)


Book:
The Hidden Art of Homemaking - Edith Schaeffer
This little gem of a book discusses simple ways to make where you live a home. As children of God, we all have creativity. No matter where we live, our lives will be enriched if we take the time to incorporate this creativity in our every day lives. It's a book that's best read in small doses and ruminating over the passages. Mrs. Schaeffer has helped me to change my attitude about the little apartment where we live. I've been lusting after a "real home" but I need to be content with the many blessings I already have. Let me share an excerpt that pierced my heart and nailed my bad attitude at its root.

It makes an enormous difference if someone creates an environment for you to live in. One person sleeps half the day, gets up looking like a half-dead duck, drags around with eyelids scarcely open, slurping coffee and leaving a mess all over the newly polished sink, leaves the bed unmade and a week of clothing in a heap or the bed, heaves a sigh and moans about what a drag life is, then prepares to sit and philosophize while you work. What is the effect of this on you? Surely, you begin to feel tired, discouraged, irritated,frustrated and hopeless. Your own energy begins to ebb away. You decide to put off the rush of getting your article written. After all, you might as well go out for a walk. And so one wasted, ugly life infects another.

A second person gets up when the alarm goes off, or soon after,puts water on for the tea or coffee and helps to get breakfast, takes a bath and dresses so cheerily that you feel the sun must be shining and have to look again to realize the sky is still gray, makes his bed and clears things up so that you feel the urge to get to work soon, tidies the living room so that it looks better than it had been left the night before, and talks with an awareness and enthusiasm that gives you inspiration for your article and you feel there will be no doubt about getting it finished in time. Both have pitched into work before the hope-for starting time, feeling a surge of accomplishment and energy that seems to multiply the time instead of wasting it.

I really want to be the second person and not the half dead duck.

Other books:
-God, Greed, and Money - for YP Sunday School.
-The Millionaire Next Door - because I need to learn how to manage my finances...

Anime:
Clannad and Clannad Afterstory
I watched this series from start to finish. It's an endearing slice of life tale about a shy, sickly high school girl and a pessimistic, self labeled "delinquent" who develop an unexpected friendship. The theme is family - the ups the downs, broken hearts, pain and loss, and forgiveness. The first series is a pretty typical high school anime, but the second season is an absolute tear jerker as the two main characters graduate and start life as a married couple. It's not the best anime I've seen, but it was a good one.

Well...I guess I have to go be person number 2 now and combat the half-dead duck that I am now :)

Peace and love, y'all!


Ps - Chase informs my blog is ridiculously slow to load b/c of all the huge pictures. So I'm going to *try* to remember to shrink them first from now on.