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.

A Recipe Card, economics, and job hunting

Here's a recipe card I made for someone at ATCsforALL :)


We're starting a new book in YP Sunday school called Money, Greed, and God. This last Sunday was the very first day of the study and was merely an introduction to what we'd be discussing. We spent the first 30 minutes discussing how economics affects every aspect of your life: where you live, what you eat, when/if you have kids, all relationships, how much free time you have, EVERYTHING! So I left the class feeling remarkably depressed and worried about the future. The main worry on my mind now is finding a job where Chase is...ie close to Mizzou. The simple truth is...there are no veterinary jobs here...or even within 2 hours of hear. So it seems like my only option will be to move away and leave Chase here to finish up his doctorate...and then post doc. Having a distance engagement was no fun...and I can only imagine what a distance marriage will be like. And of course, my troubled mind wonders if Chase wants to work here forever..will we never be able to live and work in the same city again? With 120 new graduate veterinarians coming from Mizzou a year, it seems unlikely that a job will ever be open for me here. My loan repayment will be nearly 2K a month to pay off my student loans in 10 years...not working is NOT an option for me. I know these things tend to work out in the end, but it's hard to think about right now. I know I just need to focus on the task at hand, and do my best to develop into the veterinarian I want to be. It's so easy to let worries of the future drown out the joy of today.

"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

Saturday Musings

Last weekend, Chase and I went bowling. I kicked BUTT. No joke! I normally barely ever knock pins down, but for whatever reason I bowled a 119 (a personal best) and smoked everyone! Before all that fun I rearranged the guest room. Now I can decide where to hang all the pictures. Ugh..

Today I had to go check on a patient this morning. I'm sick again (and ever so slightly grumpy) so I went back to bed after I was done that. As for my plans for the rest of this Saturday....

-get dressed
-clean the kitchen
-pick up all the fuzz from a pillow Ruby destroyed
-laundry
-construct a "Patent Ductus Arteriosis Board Game" (this is my method of avoiding a presentation by making a game)
-Study...study...study....I can't just squeak by w/o studying during this block!
-Buy dog food
-Buy flowers and draw them for Draw! Sketch! Doodle!
-figure out what to cook for the upcoming week...

Of course, I feel like doing none of that on this Saturday afternoon...except perhaps buying myself some flowers.

Mastering the Scone: Attempt 1

Today I decided to make scones for a mini-food day tomorrow. I found a recipe online, and began following it. Lesson #1: Always carefully read the ENTIRE recipe before going grocery shopping. First problem...I didn't have light cream...but I did have whipping cream. So I used that... Then I didn't have unsalted butter, so I used regular butter. Well...I thought the consistency was a bit odd as I was kneading the dough so I added some skim milk. Problem #2 I lacked a pastry blender...so I just used my fingers. That brings me to the finished product...these little, odd tasting bread things. Problem #3 I don't really know what a scone is supposed to be... Did they turn out? Well I don't rightly know, because I've never really had a scone before (well maybe once). The mental picture (or taste) I had in my mind was of essetially flat, wedge shaped muffins (muffins, in my mind, are essentially non iced cupcakes with fruit). However, through internet research I discovered they are supposed to be more like biscuits than a muffin. I also discovered they rhyme with con...not cone. It looks like I'm no scone-artist yet (har har har har- just couldn't resist...get it? rhymes with con artist!), I certainly want to try my hand at a scone later. Perhaps I'll actually follow a recipe...

A Rainbow of Grey

Yesterday Chase and I ventured to Eagle Bluffs for the first time in what seems like months. It was one of those grey days that you'd be content to sit in your PJs and stare out the window with a book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. However, we were tired of sitting in our apartment studying/cleaning/doing homework. It's good for the soul to have a change of pace and get out doors - even on grey days! You'll find that grey days are full of color - if you just look for it!


How many cardinals are in this picture? The females blend right in

We saw numerous Bald Eagles flying about. This one was particularly photogenic.

Lately I've had a thing for taking pictures of signs. For some reason their messages speak to me of more than just driving directions.



Just look at all the color in this shot: purples, reds, oranges, yellows, blues! Eagle bluffs lived up to its reputation today - as beautiful in the cold of winter as in the glorious spring.



Peace and love, ya'll!

Cooking in 2011

So the trend of cooking more at home continues :) Today I decided to find another way to use my new skillet! I learned this last week that buying an entire chicken is so much cheaper than buying parts of chickens. Ah...but how to cook a whole chicken. You'd think it take a lot more effort, but it was actually easier. I just rinsed it, rubbed it with spices in melted butter (on and under the skin), trimmed off some of the fat, thought of the time I used to know all the muscles and bones by name (and promptly banished that "schoolish" line of thinking from my mind), placed in my spankin new skillet w/ a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, and threw it in my oven (400F) for about 2 hours. I cooked the veggies separately b/c I like them crunchy...and then added them to the skillet at the end for presentation ^_^ Voila! Dinner is served! Of course not pictured is the obligatory green thing...green beans I microwaved in a prepackaged steam pack from the frozen food section.

I spent the rest of my evening drawing and swapping out cards!

Isn't Sunbonnet Sue cute? Drawing all these made me want to sew a quilt...but I should probably finish the 2 I have started before starting yet one more quilt!

Cats with Hearts.



Peace and Love, ya'll! It's back to the daily grind tomorrow - back to my world of dogs with chronic diarrhea, kidney failure, and other various and sundry disease. Hopefully I'll still have time to cook and paint this week :) God bless!

New Fishy

So Chase and I have successfully kept a betta fish alive for over a year (I think). We've been slowly upgrading General Iroh's crib with new gadgets...first a 10 gallon tank, then a heater... Now we've added a filtration system and 2 emerald cories (Brochis splendens). Now we have Betta splendens and Brochis spendens ^_^ During this transition peroid we're keeping a very close eye on General Iroh to make sure he doesn't bully Montezuma (the smaller one) and Quetzalcoatl (the bigger one), and vice versa. So far General Iroh has chased them a little but he seems to be ignoring them now. They are much, much faster than General Iroh and could swim circles around him. I hope we don't wake up to 3 dead fish tomorrow!

Don't even think about it General Iroh! I see that look on your face!

What's on Your Workspace Wednesday?

Better late than never I suppose. This is the first WOYWW I've done in a while, but I actually had time today ^_^ First up, I cleaned my den up and rearrange all the pictures and bookshelves. It looks less cluttered so I can enjoy it more now ^_^

I actually had time to sit down and paint today :) So I finished up a swap that I've been meaning to do for months. Now which 4 should I send? Haha, notice my white coat and veterinary drug handbook...school/work is never far from my mind.

I opened up a drawer this week for people to peep into :) I made the little organizer b/c it drives me nuts to have all the different cards mixing together.

Some "finished cards" I think I might work on the hot air balloons and the bottom picture just a touch more as they don't seem quite finished.

Girls' Day: Fondue Fun

So as many of you saw on Facebook, I kicked Chase out of the apartment today for a girls-only party. I made chocolate fondue dip in my crock pot and pretzels. Someone else brought a cheese dip (and not your Velveeta based dip...I'm talking a real cheese dip with fancy schmancy cheese, roasted garlic, and white wine), meat balls, bread, veggies, and sodas :) I had angel food cake (cubed), strawberries, pineapple, and marshmallows for dipping in the chocolate. Of course pretzels you could dip in either the chocolate or the cheese. It was soooo blissfully yummy and so peaceful to just hang out with the girls. No drama, no worries.



Kneading my pretzel dough

Rolling the dough and making the pretzels.

The spread of deliciousness (notice our make shift fondue pot). And yes...I did buy Tangled dessert plates, because it was an adorable movie...and it makes me smile ^_^

Hehe...this our first attempt at pretzels. They tasted wonderful, but we didn't quite roll them into thin enough ropes as the pretzels turned out rather pudgy. Pretzel salt and butter would have been great, but a las...we just dipped them in chocolate or cheese and called it a day.


Peace and Love, y'all.


Say a prayer for me tomorrow...it's going to be one BUSY day.

Draw Sketch Doodle!

I caught up on all the challenges for my other blog (Draw! Sketch! Doodle!). Now aren't I a terrible host? I should probably finish challenges a week ahead so I have something to post over there, but i get so DARN BUSY!

Now don't you laugh (well...laugh away if you want, but don't let me know). Think you can't draw...and there's no way you'd try the challenge? well take courage! I can't draw either! But here I am spreading around my mediocrity to hopefully inspire someone to give their right brain a chance to take over for a while.


Here's my self portrait from a mirror. It's kinda messed up! At least it looks like a human face...even if it is a rather anorexic, elderly, grumpy version of myself....

Blizzard -2011 Continued

Mizzou has already announced that it is closed tomorrow, and thus the clinician in charge of us said we aren't expected to be at school. I think I might be able to make it in though, so I might come in in the morning to make sure all is well.

Here is a tastey dinner Chase made for us:

12" iron skillet = awesome. I'm so glad I bought it.


So what does 20" of snow look like in windy Missouri? Here are some pictures for you.

What should any self-respecting, veterinary-to-be do upon discovering a snow drift up to her knees? Jump in face first, of course! (and yes, I asked if Chase had the camera ready...because I am that person who loves having pictures of herself as well as others).

Once Ruby got over the initial shock of cold, wet, white stuff that's taller than she is (in some areas), she really seemed to enjoy herself. We don't trust her not to run off, so she has her long lead on. She was absolutely adorable as she jumped from footprint to footprint - only occasionally jumping out on her own.

And here is my husband :) Isn't he a hottie? I think so!




In other news today I had a bout of the typical female insecurity. You know...men just don't seem to all of the sudden...out of the clear blue start doubting themselves. Maybe women just talk more, but it seems to me that sudden bouts of insecurity are sort of girl thing. What the heck started me up this time? Well the prospect of getting to school tomorrow (even though it's technically optional), the thought of the terrifyingly huge case load about to hit us come Monday, and well...just pure insecurity about myself. Sometimes (like today) I wish I had picked a low stress career...like a children's book illustrator. I worry about the way I come across to my clinicians... Are my questions annoying? Am I just annoying in general? I'm so worried about being annoying, I'm annoying myself (and Chase)...and over apologize and over thank for stuff. I'm easy going, and I'm almost always smiling...do I come accross as fake? Does that annoy less out-going people? Does my happy-go-lucky attitude come accross as being flippant...or even make me look like a ditz? My logical side recognizes I'm being completely ridiculous, but the other half cries out. And this is probably all because I'm tired and achey (and thus whiney) from shoveling snow for half the day. Why didn't I go to art school? Anyway, I have to snap myself out of it (or have God push me out of this rut) so here's a bible verse to help...I hope it helps someone else out there too :)


"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. " -Phillipians 4:6-9


Haha...it looks like I might need to finish So Long Insecurity by Beth Moore sooner rather than later :)


Peace and love, y'all

Snowpocalypse -2011

Today was a snow day. Tomorrow will be a snow day. And for once...those snow days include me and many of my classmates! So I'm working on some cases, catching up with chores, and doing some art! And God bless all the students and employees stuck at school taking care of all the animals.