Happy National Mutt Day today!
Please don't breed & don't buy- adopt a mutt =)
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
A Hands-On Sort of Day
I spent most of yesterday hanging out at the vet clinic (yay!), and apparently it was a good day to have done so! I walked in at 8:20 and the intern was at the desk and said "oh good! you're here! we could use another set of hands today- [the receptionist] is gone today". A moment later the vet comes up front and says "i'm glad you're here! we've got 8 surgeries this morning!". Yowza! Considering I have been there morning with no surgeries, I'm usually lucky to get 2 or 3 to watch-- 8 is unheard of at this little 1-vet clinic! It's always nice to feel welcome and useful there.
Turns out we had six 5mos old farm cats dropped off to be fixed (sponsored by the Spay Dakota program). There was also a 7th cat about the same age that needed to be neutered, and a boxer needing an exploratory to check a mass in the left rear paw that was causing swelling (also yay- something that wasn't a spay/neuter for once!).
Due to the receptionist being gone the vet tech was running the desk so the intern & I got to handle the rest. This means I got to get very hands-on today! It was my first time getting to help in surgical prep procedures; I was glad I had been paying attention so that when the vet asked me to do something I was able to say how it should be done to verify before she instructed me- which let her know I've been observing not just her but everyone and every little detail. We also did a sort of "bucket line" of cats to neuter- there were 5 altogether. That was interesting because she was neutering as quickly as I could sterilize the next cat! haha
Also, turns out I knew the boxer! She was a regular at the doggy daycare about 4yrs ago (her and her surely long since deceased sister), they got blacklisted when the boxer (who was just 1-2 yrs old) got stuck trying to squeeze through a gate and bit the pet tech trying to free her- it was a technicality- obviously not the scared puppy's fault she bit the tech. It was a sad day when we had to turn those 2 away. It was good to see her again! The mass turned out to be a cyst- just fluid so nothing to remove.
There was also a rescued kitten that was in to get it's Leukemia test & rabies that was hanging out at the clinic for the day until the rescue group came back for it-- which it didn't get a chance to because it went home that afternoon with a nice family in with a sick kitty. Gotta love happy endings! (and those pretty blue eyes!)
There was also a kitten with a (previously) broken leg that was in for a follow-up: x-rays to check the progress and a re-bandaging. I bring up this kitten because the last time I saw it, it got it's new sock and walked around no problem-- this time (and apparently every other time than the time I saw it) it gets its new sock on and would take a step or two and then just plop over onto it's side! It was adorable- like a fainting goat- only it was a kitten and wasn't fainting lol It was just being over dramatic, but so cute!
UPDATE:: And to update my previous blog on the negligence- it turns out the emergency vet thought the puppy was a patient of the vet I am shadowing with. My vet used to work with the emergency vet & his clinic, so he was apparently holding a grudge and refusing to treat the puppy because he thought it was one of my vet's patients! How unprofessional can you get??? Holding a grudge against a vet for leaving your practice to start their own. There's a reason I didn't enjoy my time shadowing at that clinic a few years ago!
Turns out we had six 5mos old farm cats dropped off to be fixed (sponsored by the Spay Dakota program). There was also a 7th cat about the same age that needed to be neutered, and a boxer needing an exploratory to check a mass in the left rear paw that was causing swelling (also yay- something that wasn't a spay/neuter for once!).
Due to the receptionist being gone the vet tech was running the desk so the intern & I got to handle the rest. This means I got to get very hands-on today! It was my first time getting to help in surgical prep procedures; I was glad I had been paying attention so that when the vet asked me to do something I was able to say how it should be done to verify before she instructed me- which let her know I've been observing not just her but everyone and every little detail. We also did a sort of "bucket line" of cats to neuter- there were 5 altogether. That was interesting because she was neutering as quickly as I could sterilize the next cat! haha
Also, turns out I knew the boxer! She was a regular at the doggy daycare about 4yrs ago (her and her surely long since deceased sister), they got blacklisted when the boxer (who was just 1-2 yrs old) got stuck trying to squeeze through a gate and bit the pet tech trying to free her- it was a technicality- obviously not the scared puppy's fault she bit the tech. It was a sad day when we had to turn those 2 away. It was good to see her again! The mass turned out to be a cyst- just fluid so nothing to remove.
There was also a rescued kitten that was in to get it's Leukemia test & rabies that was hanging out at the clinic for the day until the rescue group came back for it-- which it didn't get a chance to because it went home that afternoon with a nice family in with a sick kitty. Gotta love happy endings! (and those pretty blue eyes!)
UPDATE:: And to update my previous blog on the negligence- it turns out the emergency vet thought the puppy was a patient of the vet I am shadowing with. My vet used to work with the emergency vet & his clinic, so he was apparently holding a grudge and refusing to treat the puppy because he thought it was one of my vet's patients! How unprofessional can you get??? Holding a grudge against a vet for leaving your practice to start their own. There's a reason I didn't enjoy my time shadowing at that clinic a few years ago!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
A Case of Veterinary Negligence?
So I worked this weekend at the doggy daycare, it was a pretty busy weekend (35-ish dogs) but I only had a real problem with one dog- the 4mos great pyrenees puppy I mentioned/pictured in my previous blog.
Sunday morning I caught the puppy with it's face buried in the mop bucket drinking the soapy/bleachy water!!! I immediately got it out of the bucket and filled a bowl with fresh water for it to drink. Long story short it spent the next 2 hours drinking then vomiting water. After these 2 hours I contacted my boss and we opted to try giving pepto bismol to prevent vomitting before calling the vet. 40 minutes and 3 piles of cherry-scented pink vomit later my boss called the vet and here's where I get to my point:
It was a Sunday so all of the vet clinics were closed and we do not have an emergency clinic in town. However, one-and ONLY one- clinic in town keeps a vet on-call for emergency purposes when the other clinics are closed. The vet did not answer and my boss left a message- this is pretty common. The problem is that we didn't hear back after an hour- left another message, didn't hear back the next hour-left another message--it took nearly 5 hours before the vet even returned the call! Next issue: He asked if his clinic had seen the puppy before-no-then said that his clinic isn't "credited" to see pets they haven't seen before and that we should take the puppy to see it's own vet. A) This has never been a policy of theirs as they are the ONLY emergency service in town, they have always been available to any emergency (this very vet just saw my cat for an emergency call in March w/o having ever seen him before) & B) He is well aware that he is the ONLY vet available on a Sunday! He kept saying it would be $150 just to come in and see the puppy and my boss kept saying money wasn't an issue we just wanted the puppy checked and he ultimately refused to see the puppy even though my boss was willing to pay the emergency fee!
Does anybody else feel this is negligence on the part of the vet? Albeit I was pretty sure the puppy only needed some antiemetics and fluids (after approximately 8hours of vomitting), but had this been a life-or-death emergency that dog would have been dead hours before the call was even returned! I think if the vet is the only on-call vet he has a responsibility to keep his phone with him, answer/return calls as soon as possible and offer emergency care to anyone willing to pay the emergency fee (especially since that has been the policy for as long as I have lived here-15years- & I have shadowed at this clinic in the past so I know what their rules are unless they've changed drastically since March).
That's my rant-- I'd love to hear your thoughts on it! Also, I am happy to say the puppy started keeping food/water down later that evening and other than a minor infection (no relation to the bleach) the puppy was all clear at her vet check the next morning.
Sunday morning I caught the puppy with it's face buried in the mop bucket drinking the soapy/bleachy water!!! I immediately got it out of the bucket and filled a bowl with fresh water for it to drink. Long story short it spent the next 2 hours drinking then vomiting water. After these 2 hours I contacted my boss and we opted to try giving pepto bismol to prevent vomitting before calling the vet. 40 minutes and 3 piles of cherry-scented pink vomit later my boss called the vet and here's where I get to my point:
It was a Sunday so all of the vet clinics were closed and we do not have an emergency clinic in town. However, one-and ONLY one- clinic in town keeps a vet on-call for emergency purposes when the other clinics are closed. The vet did not answer and my boss left a message- this is pretty common. The problem is that we didn't hear back after an hour- left another message, didn't hear back the next hour-left another message--it took nearly 5 hours before the vet even returned the call! Next issue: He asked if his clinic had seen the puppy before-no-then said that his clinic isn't "credited" to see pets they haven't seen before and that we should take the puppy to see it's own vet. A) This has never been a policy of theirs as they are the ONLY emergency service in town, they have always been available to any emergency (this very vet just saw my cat for an emergency call in March w/o having ever seen him before) & B) He is well aware that he is the ONLY vet available on a Sunday! He kept saying it would be $150 just to come in and see the puppy and my boss kept saying money wasn't an issue we just wanted the puppy checked and he ultimately refused to see the puppy even though my boss was willing to pay the emergency fee!
Does anybody else feel this is negligence on the part of the vet? Albeit I was pretty sure the puppy only needed some antiemetics and fluids (after approximately 8hours of vomitting), but had this been a life-or-death emergency that dog would have been dead hours before the call was even returned! I think if the vet is the only on-call vet he has a responsibility to keep his phone with him, answer/return calls as soon as possible and offer emergency care to anyone willing to pay the emergency fee (especially since that has been the policy for as long as I have lived here-15years- & I have shadowed at this clinic in the past so I know what their rules are unless they've changed drastically since March).
That's my rant-- I'd love to hear your thoughts on it! Also, I am happy to say the puppy started keeping food/water down later that evening and other than a minor infection (no relation to the bleach) the puppy was all clear at her vet check the next morning.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
GRE once- CHECK!
I took my GRE (old version) yesterday in Bismarck, it was quite the hassle to get up at 5:30am to get there on time! I'm gonna blame a little bit of the score on lack of sleep since I only got about 5-6hours the night prior.
The check-in process for the GRE was far more complex than for the ACT. I had to read through 2 pages of information and sign things- the hardest part of the day was probably when they told me I had to rewrite a term of agreement in cursive! I haven't written cursive in so long, it was pretty sad looking when I finished it. I then had to be further informed/lectured to about the exam, prove that my pockets were empty, be scanned with a metal-detecting wand, lock up all of my belongings, have my photo taken and sign a check-in sheet all before being allowed into the room! Once in I had to have my locker key & ID sitting on top of table, wasn't allowed to touch my scratch paper until the essays started- even the kleenex had to be specially issued and left on the desk lol
The tutorial was time-consuming and mostly worthless ( I know how to use a computer...), this was followed by the 2 essays, I believe these both went quite well but I won't know for a few weeks what I scored on them. I got a 10minute break then I was given Quantitative. Time was a bit of an issue, I didn't have time to answer my last question and the last few were rushed. The Verbal section followed and time was a HUGE issue there! I was given 3 passages during this section to answer questions from, the first was fine, the 2nd was lengthy but simply enough to read, the 3rd was monstrously long and full of complicated scientific "mumbo-jumbo" which made it much more difficult to answer questions over because I had to keep double checking which scientific name was related to what info... I then received a "bonus" Q section and then my exam was complete-finally!
I ended up with: V--490 & Q--520
Not what I had hoped for. I'm not surprised by the Q but I had anticipated a much higher V score! My practice would indicate I should've gotten around a 600, the Q was only about 50 pts off from what my practice had indicated. It's a little disappointing, I was hoping to be mid-high 500s in each as that seems to be pretty standard for GRE scores of accepted students on SDN forums, and since that's where I was with practice. But I can't beat myself up over low scores the first time around when I only had a few days of review and was lacking in sleep. UMN, WSU, & UoI will be the only 3 just getting this score and only UMN is a top pick. I'm hoping that my essays will score high to help make up for the low V.
To finish up the Vet related news I have begun filling out my VMCAS today and setting up log-ins for all of my supplemental apps. I am looking at 5 schools altogether (in order of top-pick): CSU, UMN, ISU, WSU & UoI. My choices were greatly based on proximity and eligibility. Wisconsin is heavy on Farm-Animal/LA vets so I passed on them, and there are an additional 3 of interest that would require me to take a Nutrition course in addition to my other missing math/physics classes that I will look into for application cycle #2 if that be the case.
In other news there is plenty to report on from the Daycare!
We are in the tail-end of a pretty nasty heat wave- tornado alerts and sever T-storms almost every day the last 5days or so, and humidity so bad that the instant you step outside from air-conditioning your glasses are covered in condensation, completely obscuring your vision. Due to this we've got the pools up and running at work. The large pool was drained today for cleaning but the kiddie pool was full and pretty popular! It started with our House Dog playing in it, followed by 2 labs, and then everyone joined in! It's always great to see the dogs all playing and having fun.
The check-in process for the GRE was far more complex than for the ACT. I had to read through 2 pages of information and sign things- the hardest part of the day was probably when they told me I had to rewrite a term of agreement in cursive! I haven't written cursive in so long, it was pretty sad looking when I finished it. I then had to be further informed/lectured to about the exam, prove that my pockets were empty, be scanned with a metal-detecting wand, lock up all of my belongings, have my photo taken and sign a check-in sheet all before being allowed into the room! Once in I had to have my locker key & ID sitting on top of table, wasn't allowed to touch my scratch paper until the essays started- even the kleenex had to be specially issued and left on the desk lol
The tutorial was time-consuming and mostly worthless ( I know how to use a computer...), this was followed by the 2 essays, I believe these both went quite well but I won't know for a few weeks what I scored on them. I got a 10minute break then I was given Quantitative. Time was a bit of an issue, I didn't have time to answer my last question and the last few were rushed. The Verbal section followed and time was a HUGE issue there! I was given 3 passages during this section to answer questions from, the first was fine, the 2nd was lengthy but simply enough to read, the 3rd was monstrously long and full of complicated scientific "mumbo-jumbo" which made it much more difficult to answer questions over because I had to keep double checking which scientific name was related to what info... I then received a "bonus" Q section and then my exam was complete-finally!
I ended up with: V--490 & Q--520
Not what I had hoped for. I'm not surprised by the Q but I had anticipated a much higher V score! My practice would indicate I should've gotten around a 600, the Q was only about 50 pts off from what my practice had indicated. It's a little disappointing, I was hoping to be mid-high 500s in each as that seems to be pretty standard for GRE scores of accepted students on SDN forums, and since that's where I was with practice. But I can't beat myself up over low scores the first time around when I only had a few days of review and was lacking in sleep. UMN, WSU, & UoI will be the only 3 just getting this score and only UMN is a top pick. I'm hoping that my essays will score high to help make up for the low V.
To finish up the Vet related news I have begun filling out my VMCAS today and setting up log-ins for all of my supplemental apps. I am looking at 5 schools altogether (in order of top-pick): CSU, UMN, ISU, WSU & UoI. My choices were greatly based on proximity and eligibility. Wisconsin is heavy on Farm-Animal/LA vets so I passed on them, and there are an additional 3 of interest that would require me to take a Nutrition course in addition to my other missing math/physics classes that I will look into for application cycle #2 if that be the case.
In other news there is plenty to report on from the Daycare!
We are in the tail-end of a pretty nasty heat wave- tornado alerts and sever T-storms almost every day the last 5days or so, and humidity so bad that the instant you step outside from air-conditioning your glasses are covered in condensation, completely obscuring your vision. Due to this we've got the pools up and running at work. The large pool was drained today for cleaning but the kiddie pool was full and pretty popular! It started with our House Dog playing in it, followed by 2 labs, and then everyone joined in! It's always great to see the dogs all playing and having fun.
We also have in a 3-4mos Great Pyranese puppy, his "big" brother, and their sister- a siamese cat + litter of kittens. They are with us under special circumstances- The owner's home was torn in half by one of the recent tornadoes in a nearby town, the GP puppy was tied to a tree during the ordeal- and survived mostly unscathed! Caked in mud/debris and some minor scratches/cuts, the most damage was psychological- quite nervous now.
The brother, momma kitty and kittens were all gathered up before hand; the papa siamese has yet to be found.
These little guys are just one week old!
Friday, July 15, 2011
As Big as his Bark!
I worked my usual 12hr Thursday shift at the Doggy Daycare yesterday and had quite the run-in between customers.
I was in the middle of sending two dogs home: a lapdog-sized mix and his considerably larger brother, a Great Dane. I had brought the smaller of the two out to his very pregnant mother who was sitting in the lobby, just as I left the lobby another customer came in with her teenage son and their pug and doxie cross- who stood on the opposite side of the lobby and waited.
I then returned from the back with the G.D. (who was being a bit of a brat- having refused to sit and instead drug me through the hallway). We halted at the clear sliding door- through which he could see his mom and brother sitting & waiting- and I waited until he sat before allowing him through, instructing him to walk nicely, as we have been working with him and his behavior to help his very small and pregnant mom handle him better. He did quite well until he got to the end of the lobby's desk and saw the people and little dogs on the other side of the lobby- just as I was passing the leash off to his mom! He began jumping and barking and his mom was hauled halfway across the lobby, his brother's leash was dropped and the poor woman, her son and two dogs practically flew to hide behind the lobby desk! We quickly got the G.D. settled down and the other dog gathered up and they left immediately after. Once they had left I found the other customers huddled together looking absolutely panicked hiding behind the desk- I apologized profusely, assured them he is all bark and no bite, and just protective of his mom (he thinks he is the size of his little brother and gets carried away). The son just kept muttering that "dogs always come after me" and the mother was beyond flustered. I felt terrible, but it was a rather entertaining scenario after wards! I can't blame them though, he's a rather large dane and his bark is quite deep and robust! But THIS is why we require dogs always come and go on a leash- you never know who's coming through the door next-I don't care how perfect your dog is!
I returned to the Veterinary clinic today- it has been exactly 2 week since I was there last. It was great to be back there, I hadn't realized how much I had missed it and everyone there after such a short period! The vet was in a particularly "educational" mood today, she did a wonderful job of trying to find new things to tell me about the spay/neuters I observed and bringing up recent patients. It was a very slow uneventful morning overall but I did get to see something new, a "cosmetic" surgery of sorts.
A 1.5yr female yellow lab was in to be spayed, but in addition the right eye had excess skin/tissue below it that was causing a bit of the lower eyelid to curl up and into the eye- causing fur to be pressed against the eyeball. Not to any extent to cause any real damage or discomfort but enough that the owner wanted it fixed. She removed excess skin in a crescent shape a few centimeters below the eyelid until it fell in place correctly. She said you could either "eyeball" the amount of skin that needed to be removed (pun intended lol) or you could do what she opted to do (for the less artistic types as she put it)- use forceps to pinch up a pile of excess skin until the lid fell how she wanted it, and then trim away the excess. It may not have been the most exciting and complex procedure but it was great to see something completely new, especially when you're in a small town full of general practice clinics and mostly see spay/neuters during surgery hours. I also had a nice chat with her letting her know I have decided to apply to Vet School this year and about taking the GRE next week.
I swung by the Doggy Daycare on my way home to see the newest edition to one of our regular customer's families who just lost a dog this spring-- the first dog I ever met when I started working at the daycare in fact! They still have a 2-3yr old yorkie mix, and just got this 9wk old purebred yorkie puppy! He was an absolute sweety, fell asleep in my arms in minutes!
I was in the middle of sending two dogs home: a lapdog-sized mix and his considerably larger brother, a Great Dane. I had brought the smaller of the two out to his very pregnant mother who was sitting in the lobby, just as I left the lobby another customer came in with her teenage son and their pug and doxie cross- who stood on the opposite side of the lobby and waited.
I then returned from the back with the G.D. (who was being a bit of a brat- having refused to sit and instead drug me through the hallway). We halted at the clear sliding door- through which he could see his mom and brother sitting & waiting- and I waited until he sat before allowing him through, instructing him to walk nicely, as we have been working with him and his behavior to help his very small and pregnant mom handle him better. He did quite well until he got to the end of the lobby's desk and saw the people and little dogs on the other side of the lobby- just as I was passing the leash off to his mom! He began jumping and barking and his mom was hauled halfway across the lobby, his brother's leash was dropped and the poor woman, her son and two dogs practically flew to hide behind the lobby desk! We quickly got the G.D. settled down and the other dog gathered up and they left immediately after. Once they had left I found the other customers huddled together looking absolutely panicked hiding behind the desk- I apologized profusely, assured them he is all bark and no bite, and just protective of his mom (he thinks he is the size of his little brother and gets carried away). The son just kept muttering that "dogs always come after me" and the mother was beyond flustered. I felt terrible, but it was a rather entertaining scenario after wards! I can't blame them though, he's a rather large dane and his bark is quite deep and robust! But THIS is why we require dogs always come and go on a leash- you never know who's coming through the door next-I don't care how perfect your dog is!
I returned to the Veterinary clinic today- it has been exactly 2 week since I was there last. It was great to be back there, I hadn't realized how much I had missed it and everyone there after such a short period! The vet was in a particularly "educational" mood today, she did a wonderful job of trying to find new things to tell me about the spay/neuters I observed and bringing up recent patients. It was a very slow uneventful morning overall but I did get to see something new, a "cosmetic" surgery of sorts.
A 1.5yr female yellow lab was in to be spayed, but in addition the right eye had excess skin/tissue below it that was causing a bit of the lower eyelid to curl up and into the eye- causing fur to be pressed against the eyeball. Not to any extent to cause any real damage or discomfort but enough that the owner wanted it fixed. She removed excess skin in a crescent shape a few centimeters below the eyelid until it fell in place correctly. She said you could either "eyeball" the amount of skin that needed to be removed (pun intended lol) or you could do what she opted to do (for the less artistic types as she put it)- use forceps to pinch up a pile of excess skin until the lid fell how she wanted it, and then trim away the excess. It may not have been the most exciting and complex procedure but it was great to see something completely new, especially when you're in a small town full of general practice clinics and mostly see spay/neuters during surgery hours. I also had a nice chat with her letting her know I have decided to apply to Vet School this year and about taking the GRE next week.
I swung by the Doggy Daycare on my way home to see the newest edition to one of our regular customer's families who just lost a dog this spring-- the first dog I ever met when I started working at the daycare in fact! They still have a 2-3yr old yorkie mix, and just got this 9wk old purebred yorkie puppy! He was an absolute sweety, fell asleep in my arms in minutes!
Great day overall!
Busy reviewing math for the GRE- you can all expect my next post to be a summary of how my GRE went! Wish me luck!!! =)
Thursday, July 14, 2011
No turning back
I scheduled my GRE as you all know, and it ended up having to be scheduled for about 1.5weeks sooner than I had hoped. I have always had a bit of a problem with anxiety and have been a glutton for piling on more than I can handle- all of this application stuff has been getting to me more and more and Sunday evening brought the straw that broke the camel's back.
On the way back from visiting a friend in Bismarck with my best friend, he informs me on the ride home that he is putting in a request to transfer to Utah by the end of the week and will make the final decision as to whether he will transfer this Fall if they accept him. This was just one bit of information more than I could handle and I've ultimately spent the last several days as a useless lump wallowing in my anxiety buried in a pile of things to do... all but ready to cancel my GRE and scratch the whole vet application idea this year.
It hasn't helped that I also spent quite a few days not-so-patiently awaiting my GRE review books to arrive in the mail (3 day shipping my foot!). They finally arrived late Tuesday night, and to my dismay they are all reviews for the NEW revised GRE! I had forgotten I ordered ones specifically for the new one.
I have since gotten my act together, enough to be functioning at least, and began a little online review last night. I went through the sample problems for the Quantitative section on the official ETS site and that didn't end so promising...
A warning to those that are also planning to use the official site for review: They offer a Powerprep software for free download. Let me tell you, this thing looked ancient from what I saw and what I read about it. I downloaded it anyways, followed the FAQ on how to run it on my Windows 7 OS and guess what- didn't work! I wasted about an hour between the download and googling for help to get it to work. There was a site I found that said you could download a virtual PC and run windows XP in the VPC- and this could then be used to run the Powerprep software. According to the VPC site my system is not an "ultimate" or other top-notch system so I'm not allowed to download the VPC either... My advice, stay far... far.. far... away from the Powerprep!
I am back at work again today (and thankfully so for the opportunity to keep me occupied for 12hrs and have a little return to normalcy); I'm starting to feel the crunch for the GRE- only 3-4 more days to review! I have to remind myself that it is only necessary for just 1 of my picks (UMN) and that I will have the chance to retake the New GRE for my other choices, and can be better prepared for them.
Nobody ever said this would be easy, NO turning back now! >.<
On the way back from visiting a friend in Bismarck with my best friend, he informs me on the ride home that he is putting in a request to transfer to Utah by the end of the week and will make the final decision as to whether he will transfer this Fall if they accept him. This was just one bit of information more than I could handle and I've ultimately spent the last several days as a useless lump wallowing in my anxiety buried in a pile of things to do... all but ready to cancel my GRE and scratch the whole vet application idea this year.
It hasn't helped that I also spent quite a few days not-so-patiently awaiting my GRE review books to arrive in the mail (3 day shipping my foot!). They finally arrived late Tuesday night, and to my dismay they are all reviews for the NEW revised GRE! I had forgotten I ordered ones specifically for the new one.
I have since gotten my act together, enough to be functioning at least, and began a little online review last night. I went through the sample problems for the Quantitative section on the official ETS site and that didn't end so promising...
A warning to those that are also planning to use the official site for review: They offer a Powerprep software for free download. Let me tell you, this thing looked ancient from what I saw and what I read about it. I downloaded it anyways, followed the FAQ on how to run it on my Windows 7 OS and guess what- didn't work! I wasted about an hour between the download and googling for help to get it to work. There was a site I found that said you could download a virtual PC and run windows XP in the VPC- and this could then be used to run the Powerprep software. According to the VPC site my system is not an "ultimate" or other top-notch system so I'm not allowed to download the VPC either... My advice, stay far... far.. far... away from the Powerprep!
I am back at work again today (and thankfully so for the opportunity to keep me occupied for 12hrs and have a little return to normalcy); I'm starting to feel the crunch for the GRE- only 3-4 more days to review! I have to remind myself that it is only necessary for just 1 of my picks (UMN) and that I will have the chance to retake the New GRE for my other choices, and can be better prepared for them.
Nobody ever said this would be easy, NO turning back now! >.<
Saturday, July 9, 2011
GRE for me!
In a sudden turn of events- I spur-of-the-moment decided I am going to apply for both my CLS year-long program AND veterinary school for Fall 2012! May the best program win! By that I mean, may I please God get accepted to a vet school and not have to finish with the CLS major! haha But I remain firmly realistic that I will be promptly denied everywhere I apply at this point in time.
I have decided, a little late in the game, to try my hand at applying to veterinary school RIGHT NOW as I will be taking my final pre-reqs this year and will be eligible for Fall 2012. So I should have begun studying for the GRE and prepping applications months ago! I'm really just eager to get my first round of rejections out of the way when I still have other options to follow through on, and hopefully get a little feedback on my applications!
Further complicating my life is the fact that there will be a newly revised GRE that begins August 1st with results not available until November 8th. This is complicating because some of my Vet picks- such as UMN- need the results by October which means I MUST take the old version by July 31st. And yet again, further complicating this is that out of the 3 available test sites in ND-- only 1 had one day and one time available by the time I finished registering! (That site started with 2 days and 3 times--of which I tried to sign up for each of those prior to the one I got stuck with). I am officially registered to take my test in 10 days- July 19th at 9:00am in Bismarck! Assuming my boss will give me the day off haha Didn't really have a chance to ask...
In other news, I have managed to dip my toe back into the world of fitness: I have done Yoga once and Pilates once since my last post. Good start :) Can't jump straight in, still sore from the Yoga a few days ago!
I got mself a new phone as well: the Droid Charge. My first touch screen phone and smart phone! I am enjoying it so far. I managed my first evening to make a flub and email my calendar event of "Work :( " to my boss after she called me in to fill a few hours the next day since I am not actually in Colorado & am available to work. And on the subject of work, our Groomer has been let go due to showing up to work late (I'm talking hours late); they were given a final ultimatum and let go when they came in 4hours late yesterday. Luckily, we had just hired back a previous groomer about a week ago so that shouldn't cause any major scheduling headaches for us.
I also received the last bit of wardrobe for my Maid of Honor ensemble- a white sash to tie around my black dress. As if I didn't have enough to worry about in the next few months I am Maid of Honor for my best friend's wedding on November 19th! That entails rehearsals, throwing showers, bachelorette party, helping make invitations, decorate, etc... And the wedding is set for the 2nd day of my Thanksgiving break which means a week of midterms prior to it! YIKES! I am in for a rough ride this year...
Hopefully my GRE review books will get here by Monday so I can start cramming! It's a good thing only one school needs scores from the Old GRE, which will give me plenty of review time for a retake or 2 that I can send to all of my other picks and feel more comfortable with them.
I have decided, a little late in the game, to try my hand at applying to veterinary school RIGHT NOW as I will be taking my final pre-reqs this year and will be eligible for Fall 2012. So I should have begun studying for the GRE and prepping applications months ago! I'm really just eager to get my first round of rejections out of the way when I still have other options to follow through on, and hopefully get a little feedback on my applications!
Further complicating my life is the fact that there will be a newly revised GRE that begins August 1st with results not available until November 8th. This is complicating because some of my Vet picks- such as UMN- need the results by October which means I MUST take the old version by July 31st. And yet again, further complicating this is that out of the 3 available test sites in ND-- only 1 had one day and one time available by the time I finished registering! (That site started with 2 days and 3 times--of which I tried to sign up for each of those prior to the one I got stuck with). I am officially registered to take my test in 10 days- July 19th at 9:00am in Bismarck! Assuming my boss will give me the day off haha Didn't really have a chance to ask...
In other news, I have managed to dip my toe back into the world of fitness: I have done Yoga once and Pilates once since my last post. Good start :) Can't jump straight in, still sore from the Yoga a few days ago!
I also received the last bit of wardrobe for my Maid of Honor ensemble- a white sash to tie around my black dress. As if I didn't have enough to worry about in the next few months I am Maid of Honor for my best friend's wedding on November 19th! That entails rehearsals, throwing showers, bachelorette party, helping make invitations, decorate, etc... And the wedding is set for the 2nd day of my Thanksgiving break which means a week of midterms prior to it! YIKES! I am in for a rough ride this year...
Hopefully my GRE review books will get here by Monday so I can start cramming! It's a good thing only one school needs scores from the Old GRE, which will give me plenty of review time for a retake or 2 that I can send to all of my other picks and feel more comfortable with them.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
And so begins the "Week of Productivity"!
Beginning today I have until the 14th off from my job at the doggy daycare. This time was originally requested off to take a road trip with my mom to Colorado to check out potential clinical sites to apply to this fall for my CLS major, and to also take a tour of CSU. This trip has fallen through, unfortunately, but I am going to seize this opportunity to be productive and get some things done I've been pushing off in my free time between shifts. I am now challenging myself to accomplish as many things in this time as possible!
Today I finally put in my air conditioner after a string of 95 degree days has crushed my basement apartment's ability to remain naturally cool. I have also continued researching the mess that is deciding between WICHE, residency, or contract for picking a vet school when you don't have one in your state- but that is a rant for another blog another day!
My present task is compiling my experience hours and accomplishments and the like from my past- quite the undertaking since my record keeping of these things has been a tad disorganized or incomplete... But looking at the outline reassures me that I can balance out my lower GPA.
Tomorrow I set out to return to my Yoga! I have done it on-and-off for the past 5 years or so (by that I mean 2-3 times in a month and then nothing for 6+ months) but this past Lent I opted to do Yoga 6 times a week instead of giving something up which is a far more challenging goal when you do this towards the end of a very busy spring semester and every minute is priceless! It went quite well, I met my goal, and I got to the point I couldn't imagine ever spending another week without a yoga practice; but then Finals week rolled around and ruined everything-as it tends to do and I was down to yoga just once a week. Then came a 10 day vacation to Maui where I still managed to do yoga 4 times, but upon my return home I jumped straight into work and good-bye yoga! I've only done one session since May, and that just won't do...
Let the games begin!
Today I finally put in my air conditioner after a string of 95 degree days has crushed my basement apartment's ability to remain naturally cool. I have also continued researching the mess that is deciding between WICHE, residency, or contract for picking a vet school when you don't have one in your state- but that is a rant for another blog another day!
My present task is compiling my experience hours and accomplishments and the like from my past- quite the undertaking since my record keeping of these things has been a tad disorganized or incomplete... But looking at the outline reassures me that I can balance out my lower GPA.
Tomorrow I set out to return to my Yoga! I have done it on-and-off for the past 5 years or so (by that I mean 2-3 times in a month and then nothing for 6+ months) but this past Lent I opted to do Yoga 6 times a week instead of giving something up which is a far more challenging goal when you do this towards the end of a very busy spring semester and every minute is priceless! It went quite well, I met my goal, and I got to the point I couldn't imagine ever spending another week without a yoga practice; but then Finals week rolled around and ruined everything-as it tends to do and I was down to yoga just once a week. Then came a 10 day vacation to Maui where I still managed to do yoga 4 times, but upon my return home I jumped straight into work and good-bye yoga! I've only done one session since May, and that just won't do...
Let the games begin!
Monday, July 4, 2011
4th of July at the Doggy Daycare
I was the lucky Pack Leader scheduled to work this 3 day holiday weekend shift at the Doggy Daycare.
We were close to capacity with approximately 35-45 dogs (+3 cats) in during our peak (I say approximately because it is hard to say exactly how many dogs are in at any one time when a few dogs are not counted on the roll call, daycare dogs are present, and hotel dogs are arriving/departing). Whether it was 35 or 45 dogs-- that's still a lot of dogs for one person to deal with! Add to that 95 degree weather with ridiculous humidity and you get one miserable weekend of work! Thankfully the inside is well air conditioned, the only real downside to the heat is many of the dogs go outside and just lull around because they are hot, instead of going potty- which increases messes inside.
Saturday started off with what may quite possibly have been the worst altercation between dogs I've had to break up in my 4 & a half years working there. While letting the "large" dogs outside to potty in the morning, the largest boxer I have ever seen (and had not previously cared for) attacked a 1st time stay-golden retriever that had come to us from a very distant state. This happened within a foot of where I stood and was completely unprovoked. The golden was quite frightened and did it's best to be submissive during the ordeal- it took considerable force on my part to break the boxer away from the poor golden. Miraculously (and to my great surprise and relief!) neither dog was injured at the end of the attack- not so much as a scratch, considering I was half expecting to have a mortally wounded Golden on my hands... Needless to say the boxer will not be welcome back again.
It is always incredibly unnerving and frustrating when something like this happens as we take every precaution to avoid such problems- especially as since I take great comfort in my ability to judge a dog's behavior and anticipate potential behavioral issues having worked with dogs for many years between the doggy daycare and a local no-kill shelter. It is times like this that I have to remind myself that these occasional mishaps are bound to happen in a social boarding facility because animals are unpredictable and some things just can't be avoided. And although I have not personally cared for this boxer before, the notes left by my coworker that evaluated the dog said there were no signs of aggression and the only problem was that he was overbearing with small dogs and shouldn't be left unattended with any. It serves as a good reminder that even though we do a thorough temperament evaluation with every dog before it is allowed to use the daycare/hotel facilities- the only true indicator of a dog's fit in the environment is time.
The rest of the weekend was fairly uneventful- very busy between dogs and customers on Saturday & Sunday-- and thankfully we are closed to the public on holidays so I could spend today focusing on cleaning and playing with the doggies. It's a pretty typical holiday weekend except for one difficulty particular to this holiday-- fireworks.
Fireworks are sold and legal to shoot off in city limits here. This causes quite the disturbance to the dogs staying with us, especially those from out of state that are not used to the sound of fireworks and those that are new or just particularly anxious in the hotel. A few dogs always come in with things such as benadryl or prescription sedatives for us to administer before leaving for the night-- I wish all of the dogs would come in with such things during this holiday! Every morning when I open, not only are there 40-some dogs to be let out, and breakfast/meds to be given to some of them-- but quite a few dogs have made a terrible mess of their suite because they have been woken &/or startled by the fireworks. This leaves me with extra cleaning and a terrible terrible odor to try and dissipate from the air (thank God for Lysol spray & an air-exchanger!).
I only drink socially, but after a long weekend like this I'll make an exception! I'm ready to end it with a glass of wine - and some sleep (assuming my own dog that is terrified of fireworks will let me!)
I hope you have all had a safe and happy Independence Day!
We were close to capacity with approximately 35-45 dogs (+3 cats) in during our peak (I say approximately because it is hard to say exactly how many dogs are in at any one time when a few dogs are not counted on the roll call, daycare dogs are present, and hotel dogs are arriving/departing). Whether it was 35 or 45 dogs-- that's still a lot of dogs for one person to deal with! Add to that 95 degree weather with ridiculous humidity and you get one miserable weekend of work! Thankfully the inside is well air conditioned, the only real downside to the heat is many of the dogs go outside and just lull around because they are hot, instead of going potty- which increases messes inside.
Saturday started off with what may quite possibly have been the worst altercation between dogs I've had to break up in my 4 & a half years working there. While letting the "large" dogs outside to potty in the morning, the largest boxer I have ever seen (and had not previously cared for) attacked a 1st time stay-golden retriever that had come to us from a very distant state. This happened within a foot of where I stood and was completely unprovoked. The golden was quite frightened and did it's best to be submissive during the ordeal- it took considerable force on my part to break the boxer away from the poor golden. Miraculously (and to my great surprise and relief!) neither dog was injured at the end of the attack- not so much as a scratch, considering I was half expecting to have a mortally wounded Golden on my hands... Needless to say the boxer will not be welcome back again.
It is always incredibly unnerving and frustrating when something like this happens as we take every precaution to avoid such problems- especially as since I take great comfort in my ability to judge a dog's behavior and anticipate potential behavioral issues having worked with dogs for many years between the doggy daycare and a local no-kill shelter. It is times like this that I have to remind myself that these occasional mishaps are bound to happen in a social boarding facility because animals are unpredictable and some things just can't be avoided. And although I have not personally cared for this boxer before, the notes left by my coworker that evaluated the dog said there were no signs of aggression and the only problem was that he was overbearing with small dogs and shouldn't be left unattended with any. It serves as a good reminder that even though we do a thorough temperament evaluation with every dog before it is allowed to use the daycare/hotel facilities- the only true indicator of a dog's fit in the environment is time.
The rest of the weekend was fairly uneventful- very busy between dogs and customers on Saturday & Sunday-- and thankfully we are closed to the public on holidays so I could spend today focusing on cleaning and playing with the doggies. It's a pretty typical holiday weekend except for one difficulty particular to this holiday-- fireworks.
Fireworks are sold and legal to shoot off in city limits here. This causes quite the disturbance to the dogs staying with us, especially those from out of state that are not used to the sound of fireworks and those that are new or just particularly anxious in the hotel. A few dogs always come in with things such as benadryl or prescription sedatives for us to administer before leaving for the night-- I wish all of the dogs would come in with such things during this holiday! Every morning when I open, not only are there 40-some dogs to be let out, and breakfast/meds to be given to some of them-- but quite a few dogs have made a terrible mess of their suite because they have been woken &/or startled by the fireworks. This leaves me with extra cleaning and a terrible terrible odor to try and dissipate from the air (thank God for Lysol spray & an air-exchanger!).
I only drink socially, but after a long weekend like this I'll make an exception! I'm ready to end it with a glass of wine - and some sleep (assuming my own dog that is terrified of fireworks will let me!)
I hope you have all had a safe and happy Independence Day!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Welcome!
If you have stumbled upon this blog- welcome!
I haven't blogged for about 5-6 years now! I have been meaning to get back into it, especially now that I have more interesting things to discuss than my life as a high school student in a small midwestern town- granted, I'm still in that same small midwestern town...
I hope to find time to post at least once weekly. Here's to hoping! =D
I haven't blogged for about 5-6 years now! I have been meaning to get back into it, especially now that I have more interesting things to discuss than my life as a high school student in a small midwestern town- granted, I'm still in that same small midwestern town...
I hope to find time to post at least once weekly. Here's to hoping! =D
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