Oh, There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays--Week 5

Wow, what a hectic week this was! That's the only explanation I can give for why this post is about a day or so overdue.

Tuesday was Sarah's Sankta Lucia performance. She read part of a holiday poem (in the original Swedish) called "Tomten" about a gnome observing the wintery scene outside his home. She read with a very nice accent and a very clear voice. She was definitely one of the better readers. She was all dressed up in a white robe and shiny silver wreath around her head. She said it was really itchy, but she looked like a Christmas angel! I got to meet her parents after the show, and they are both really nice. I'm glad that Sarah was able to introduce us.

Wednesday was the much-awaited suturing seminar. I actually wasn't half bad at it! Maybe I've just seen so much from watching surgeries at the St. Francis Vet Clinic that it was more or less second nature to me. Admittedly, I really only practiced a couple of really basic styles of suturing, but it gave me confidence that suturing is a skill that I will be able to learn and really get good at in veterinary school. I also opened my Christmas present from Sarah on Wednesday. She got me pretty much the coolest present I can think of: a necklace with a bird and a bow-and-arrow. Now, that might not seem remarkable to you, but I am a huge fan of the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. The bird and bow-and-arrow are very similar to the symbol on the front of the books. I won't go into a lot of details because you can all read up on it (and read the books!) yourselves, but suffice it to say that the necklace and the symbol has a lot of significance for the series. I got Sarah a hot pad...I felt like I got the better end of the bargain. Devon told both of us that she will try to send our gifts to us over break or, at the very least, bring them back to school with her when we are at Augie again in January.

Sorry about the bluriness. I took this picture with my cell phone. But compare to...

The mockingjay symbol (you'll have to read the books to really understand what a mockingjay is and why this symbol is so important in the books...)

Thursday was also pretty intense. I wanted to go to the Christmas convocation, but my Molecular Genetics class went a little bit over time, so I felt like I shouldn't go late and bother people. Besides, I felt better having extra time to do homework before proctoring. In the evening, I went to Lessons and Carols in Ascension Chapel. It was really nice and relaxing, a great way to wind down the week and get into the spirit of Christmas. I loved getting to sing some Christmas songs, including "Angels We Have Heard on High" and "Silent Night" by candlelight. Nothing like fire and college students to make everything more interesting, right?

Friday after class I did a lot of the packing I needed to do for going home the next day. I was glad for all of the extra time that I wouldn't have had if I had left on Friday instead of Saturday.

And that was pretty much it for this week. As you probably know, right now I am chilling at home. Not too much has happened so far. I am working at Hidden Treasures over the break. It is a bit stressful and not really what I need right now, but I also really need the money. Besides, I am still having a fairly relaxing time at home watching movies and talking with my family even after I get home from work in the afternoons and evenings. I'm very fortunate to get both Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve off because the store will be closed.

On Wednesday, I was able to shadow Dr. J, the small animal vet who is married to my old AP Biology teacher. I watched three cat spays and a cat neuter and paid special attention to Dr. J's suturing techniques based on what I had learned in the suturing seminar. I think I understand a little bit better how to do a continuous suture after watching her. I was pleased to see that I really understood what she was doing when she did the basic stitch to close up the body cavity; I had done really similar stuff when I was practicing during the suturing seminar. I saw so many cute and friendly animals during my shadowing day (my boss is really nice and lets me take Wednesdays off for just this purpose). I was reunited with the clinic cat, Odie. He is toothless and clawless, but he is such a great cat! He loves attention, which I give him plenty of because I really don't seem him that often. He enjoys sleeping on my lap whenever Dr. J and I have down time, and I happen to be sitting at the table in the break room with an open lap and a book in my hands. I also got to play with six Cavalier King Charles puppies. I met a friendly FIV cat named Tuffy (why are they all so awesome? I think I'm going to adopt one someday). I also met a German short-hair pointer/lab mix named Cooper who is looking for a home. He came into the clinic with a mangled paw, and the man in charge of him said that he was going to be shot. However, the kind hearts at the clinic couldn't let such a terrible thing happen. Cooper is sweet  with beautiful brown, soulful eyes, but he also needs a lot of training. He's about two years old. One appointment that Dr. J had was with a man and his dog, who has bone cancer. The poor thing was surprisingly happy and calm. He didn't look too uncomfortable and was glad to meet me (he wanted me to keep patting his head and almost looked like he was going to jump up on me and lick my face). Perhaps my favorite animal, though, was a tiny pit bull puppy who came in wearing an adorable sleeveless sweater. Oh my gosh. He was the cutest thing ever.

As you can see, break is pretty busy for me so far. I am excited for everyone to open his or her gifts on Christmas because I really think I did well in the gift-buying department this year. I'm not sure when I will post next (I'm trying to keep this blog centered on my school and veterinary experiences and less on stuff that happens at home), so I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Someone on campus obviously has a sense of humor. Charlie Brown, anyone?

I thought it might be nice for you all to see the front of the house since you've already seen the inside. Home, sweet Heimdall!