Masters

I've been debating doing a masters for a while now, and this week I attended a conference for vet students who were thinking about taking a year to do a BSc, MSc, or even a PhD. I've pretty much decided I would like to study some more, but there are so many different topics ranging all the way from animal behaviour to molecular immunology. I still have several problems though, the main one being my parents. The masters will probably be funded, but what if the vet tuition fees increase (again) during my year out? I will also miss my classmates. I suppose I could finish this course, graduate, and then study the masters, but the call of clinical work is really strong at the moment. Many options.

At the moment I have no time to think about this. My shifts at work aren't getting covered at the moment, so on top of lectures and practicals (which thankfully finished today) as well as revision I have to work until at least 2am today. And tomorrow. I can't mess these exams up.

Busy few days

Sleep is for wimps, or so my body has apparently decided. I however didn't get the memo and have been heading to bed every night just to gradually notice the improvement of my night vision over time. I've also been at uni from 9-5ish every day, and done some revision in my down time. It's good to do a lot of work, although I may have overdone it this time.

Today was another suturing practical - continuous sutures this time around. Was great fun, but I need to practice my vertical mattress a bit more before it's ready to hit something alive. From this prac I went straight to work. Now I arrived home. Now I go to bed.

Intrahorse

I have spent most of my afternoon with horses looking at teeth. A proportion of this time was spent with my arm in the horses mouth investigating various conditions, feeling sharp edges on the teeth and similar fun things.

Combine this with a few pathology lectures and an anaesthesia tutorial on multiple trauma and my brain is fried. Can't stop yet though. Too much to do.

Good And The Bad

So today was full of good news and news. We shall start with the good, as always. A friend of mine may be spawning. Yay humans! Actually babies scare me in every way, unless they are puppies.

Unfortunately I also learned today that a class mate of mine from secondary school has passed away. Very odd for someone of my age I think. I hadn't seen her for a while, but it is still strange to hear.

Odd that I got these calls within a few minutes of each other. It's odd how life balances sometimes.

Long Day

It's been a very long day. My personal favourite was carrying 30+ kg of compressed gas across the city not once, not twice, but three whole times. I must be crazy. It did bad things to my arms and made me a little tired. Running up the Crags after work didn't really help either. Sleep now.

Fingers

I seem to be losing the skin from my finger tips. It's really odd. Not sure whether it is due to climbing or some dodgy chemicals either at uni or at work. The thing I notice the most is my temperature sensation has changed in the affected areas. Strange.

Home again

It has been quite a few hours since I was home last. Not quite a full day, but close enough. The morning was spent at uni doing all kinds of fun pathology based things, climbing in the afternoon, then work this evening.

Pathology was fun, a few cases of Johnes' disease, some lymphosarcoma, and quite a few cases of fluke this week. The gross pathology is getting better, but histopathology is rather scary as always. Too many cells!

Climbing was great fun. My first real time outside with Colin. He was placing the gear and lead climbing with me following up later, removing the gear from the route, and him up top belaying. We chose some difficult routes to play with including a wonderful slab that lead on to an overhang, then up to the top. The second route didn't have an overhang, but a more difficult slab path that required a few dodgy manoeuvres to stay safe.

Work was interesting as always. I hadn't been there 20 minutes before some idiot managed to damage himself crossing the road and wander in to the bar. A few small lacerations and cuts, he will be fine. My medical skills were not even slightly tested when cleaning the wound and applying a bandage to the head, but interacting with a patient was useful. It's been a while since I last engaged anyone in a first aid situation. Especially humans. Can't trust them.

The rest of work was uneventful, but lasted a while. Now I plan to sleep before more work tomorrow morning and indeed all day. Fun fun.

More Doggy Fun

The news seems to be littered with dog-based stories today. This naughty Basset hound managed to devour some tights which were only discovered when the dog in question had digestive problems. Reminds me of another dog I know although he has a love of IV catheters too...

Puppies

Dog in Nepal are having a good day. I'm not sure what my dog would think of this though.

Free Time

Well I thought there would be free time this week, but it turns out not to be happening. Today I have only just got home after leaving the flat at 0820 for 4 hours of lectures, then a few hours of climbing followed by a couple of hours at the gym, then pub with friends. I will be awake again in about 6 hours for another 3 hours of lectures, although I have tomorrow afternoon free to do more work. Woo! Thursday will be more lectures, more time spent in the gym, and hopefully some bouldering, then Friday I have a pathology morning, followed by an afternoon of climbing then work. So very busy. My biggest worry is to pick up an injury that doesn't have time to heal before my next expedition. And of course not having time to study and failing exams miserably.

Home

There is a way to get home form Easter Bush when classes finish, it just takes a very very long time. If I weren't so sure that death would be the outcome of an attempt to cycle I may attempt it, but I value my limbs too much. It's like being back in Wales. There are maybe 3 buses all day and none of them stop where I need to go.

Week 8

Week 8 is about to start. I don't quite know how we got here, but the first 2 months of third year are over. It's nearly the end of term, and nearly exam time. Time seems to have gone quickly, but slowly at the same time - individual classes have sometimes seemed to take a while, yet the weeks are flying by. I still have loads of work to do, including the finishing touches to my group project section and a lot of revision. At least I have the afternoons off this week to do some work, providing I can actually get home from Easter Bush.

The Best Laid Plans

So I had a very exciting plan tonight to go home after uni work was over and do some work. My anatomy was a bit off over the past few weeks and I planned to revise more. But no. I was called away to a whisky meeting to allow someone else entry to the building. And I stayed for one drink. And I stayed for 2 drinks. You can see where this is going. Bad plan. Bed, sleep and hopefully unconscious soon.