news from the western (virginia) front

so...this thing DOES still work.
weird.

hope all is well with everyone.
things here are pretty good.
Thanks to the supportive reference of some great folks over at Channel 6 I've got a new job at
(....mhhhh...let me clear my throat...)
The Shenandoah Regional Veterinary Emergency Clinic
I think that's the official name. I don't have the business card in front of me.
anyhow, i start training a couple nights a week in october and should be on my own in november (front desk reception)
i think it'll be exciting.

all for now.
more soon.

testing

testing
testing

where the heck have i been?

taking tests. that's where.
3 "quiz" a week for the last 3 weeks.
Only 2 this week..wow, what a break.
what's funny is that they call them quizzes.
quiz, my butt.
these are freakin' tests!
a quiz is 5 or so general questions...NOT 50-60 detailed questions covering multiple topics
i think NOT calling them tests is supposed to reduce the stress you feel.
it doesn't work.

things have been good, though.
i still want to be here.
my advisor is the head of the department, which is good because i think it makes him less intimidating...because i HAVE to sit there and talk to him.
he's a neat guy anyway. i'll have him as a professor next year.

my grades are good.
if final grades were handed out today i think i'd have straight "A's"
the test i had last friday was a doozie.
Anatomy & Physiology. test covered cell anatomy, the entire skeletal system AND joints. that's a HUGE amount of information....i actually had to stop the professor in the middle of lecture and remind her of the test by asking how much time we'd have to take it. (there were only 45 min left in class and i knew there would be AT LEAST 50 questions.....whatever happened to about 1 min per question????)
who knows how long the lecture would've continued...
taking a test AFTER 2 hours of NEW lecture material SUCKS!

more new pics of where i'm living are up on the snapfish site. if you don't still have the link i sent, let me know and i'll send it again. i'll try my hand at making a link to a page of them (wish me luck)

i miss Richmond. i really do.
(i miss walking around the block with Frisco at midnight barefoot....one of our favorite things to do)

hugs to everyone!

A Bit of Relief....

Well...had my first anatomy test today...had to wade through 2 1/2 hours of lecture (new material) BEFORE taking the test the last 1/2 hour of class. shear torture.
But, good news, the prof had the test results up a few hours later and ta-da! I got a 95! woohoo.
Doing well so far.
Got a test monday & tuesday (yes, i've got classes on labor day) and then 2 tests a week for the next three weeks...talk about moving through some material!
I hope to get involved in the vet tech club once meetings start, and i got a free student membership in the AAHA (American Animal Hospital Assoc)and into NAVTA too (National Assoc. of Vet Techs in America). All sorts of neat stuff will start going on in the fall with those associations.
Hope all is well in Richmond and elsewhere.
Its been raining all day today.
i couldn't be happier....its not hot! :)

Reality Check

Ok. first week of classes went well...
positives-
1. I got a 100 on my first quiz (taken on the 1st day of class)
2. I still want to be a vet tech
3. I've got lorazepam for any panic attacks that may occur
(already had one on wednesday...not too bad, though)
also...don't worry, mariah's no junkie...i take 1/2 mg pill...nothing compared to some folks..just helps me calm down so i can focus, function (aka..talk to people instead of looking like a hunkered down surly hermit crab/turtle staring/glaring into space...ie..looking creepy and mean)
4. I've been talking to folks and interjecting in conversations...not worrying so much about how i'm percieved (ie..typically mariah overthinking the situation and ending up not participating at all)

negatives-
1. none, really.
i did have a bit of a panic attack on wednesday when we recieved our "CVTEA Essential Task List" ... the Committe on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities. A thin green bound volume containing everything that i should be proficient in at the time of graduation. each item must be witnessed, signed and dated by either a licensed veterinarian or veterinary technician. yeah. and its 52 pages long with tasks such as "dehorning cattle & goats, gastric intubation, restraining rats and expressing canine anal sacs" interesting stuff to say the least.

on Friday at my first Anatomy & Physiology class i had a mini-attack when presented with materials for the entire semester all at once. Three bound volumes. one thin & blue, a lecture outline. One green and about 110 pgs, part 1 of the prof. slide presentation (the text of her powerpoint slides) and last a thick white volume of lecture illustrations to accompany the powerpoint slides.
very convenient and helpful material, yes. makes it much easier to take notes, review material and pay attention in class. but...
to recieve it all at once on the first day of class...
just a little shocking. (not to mention that she immediatley launched into lecture and sped through 88 slides in 3 hours) we do get a ten-min. break every hour, though.
all of the prof. are good about that.

My schedule has turned out interesting.
I've got the same prof. for 2 classes (intro to animal science & intro to vet tech)
which meet 2x a week on Mon & Wed for about 75 min...back to back.
then Tues. I've got the same prof for lab (for the same 2 classes) that's 3 hour labs, back to back.
So, i only see one prof all day MTW.
ThF i have anatomy (3hr lab TH/ 3hr lecture F)

woohoo.
actually, i really am liking it.
its intimidating and a hard program, yes.
its not so much the difficulty of the material as it is the sheer mass we're expected to ingest in such a short time period. intense, to say the least.
and i still want to be here!
yeah!

ok, enough babble...got to study my vocab...got a test on Tues.