Things have been pretty good lately. Asher is doing great after his vet appointment. He is getting better about taking his antibiotics (I don't have to sit on him to get it down his throat). I have given up on his collar. He takes it off every day, usually under my bed at the very back. It is a break-away, so it is not hard for him to snap it off while he's scratching. He can just go commando :)
The lab has been pretty slow recently. I helped Jessy make three different kinds of media yesterday for oocyte collection/maturation. That took a few hours, but was not difficult, just tedious. I have to watch each media be made, then make it with someone, then have someone watch me make it in order to be able to make them on my own. Kim and I will be making more tomorrow between classes. Friday, I get to go to Bean Station Slaughterhouse by myself for the first time to get one thermos full of ovaries.
On this past Sunday evening, I went to a concert at First Baptist Knoxville and Brooke came with me. It was The Isaacs, an amazing southern gospel group that has been around for 30 years. They're bluegrass and have PHENOMENAL harmonies. They often sing at the Grand Ole Opry and on the Gaither Band shows. That concert was awesome and I have already downloaded some of their music. FBK has a fall/winter concert series and I think the next group to come is a Gospel Choir. Justin and I know how much fun those can be :)
I bought my plane ticket this week for my trip HOME for Thanksgiving. I am so excited I get to come home and will not mind the Thanksgiving airport rush one bit because it will save me lots of driving time so I'll have more time to spend with friends and family. I am also very excited about getting to see Justin in about 2.5 weeks. We are going to meet in the mountains again, current plans are not known (to me anyway), but we are going to try to go somewhere instead of sitting around in his dad's house all weekend. Is it October 15th yet? No? What about now?
Other updates:
*I did my first rectal ultrasound on a cow on Monday and saw a little baby cow!! I saw its skull, pretty neat!
*We had lunch today at Litton's (best burger joint in Knoxville area) and it was pretty good. Not the best burgers I've had, but their desserts were delicious!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
A Nice Saturday
Asher had his first vet visit on Saturday. His vet, Dr. Mark Jones, is a really nice man and was very informative and helpful. He and his vet tech were impressed that I seemed to know what I was talking about and were glad to find out that Justin is in vet school. As for Asher, poor guy, he was pretty traumatized. They checked his temperature, swabbed his ears, stained his eyes and looked at them, gave him a shot, and made him eat yicky dewormer. He did not like the dewormer at all and ended up getting it everywhere! He has tapeworms (treatable and not a real problem) and ear mites. He is on an antibiotic for 2 weeks for his little sneeze/watery eyes. He has to have 1/2 cc twice a day with food. This morning was the first day and I already have a battle wound. Needless to say, he does not like medicine! But who does?
After his appointment, my great Aunt Baby Rachel and great Uncle Charlie came to Knoxville from their vacation cabin in Pigeon Forge, TN. We sat around in my apartment and talked for a while (and by we talked, I mean she talked and we listened). You'd just have to know Baby Rachel to understand :) I then took them to Calhoun's for lunch, which they really enjoyed. That was by far the most incredibly delicious bbq I have ever eaten. If you ever come to Knoxville, you MUST go eat there!
After they left, I went to the barn for a couple hours. I rode Essau and then let two of the younger girls ride him walk/trot on a lunge line. They enjoyed him and he was just perfect. They were wanted to ride off the line, but he is no where near ready for that. Too strong and too inconsistent! Anyway, I was proud of him and they had fun.
After his appointment, my great Aunt Baby Rachel and great Uncle Charlie came to Knoxville from their vacation cabin in Pigeon Forge, TN. We sat around in my apartment and talked for a while (and by we talked, I mean she talked and we listened). You'd just have to know Baby Rachel to understand :) I then took them to Calhoun's for lunch, which they really enjoyed. That was by far the most incredibly delicious bbq I have ever eaten. If you ever come to Knoxville, you MUST go eat there!
After they left, I went to the barn for a couple hours. I rode Essau and then let two of the younger girls ride him walk/trot on a lunge line. They enjoyed him and he was just perfect. They were wanted to ride off the line, but he is no where near ready for that. Too strong and too inconsistent! Anyway, I was proud of him and they had fun.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Asher
I have a kitty!!! I went to Petsmart in Turkey Creek (the Brier Creek of Knoxville) today to meet a kitten named Shadrack. I got there and met him, a beautiful guy, but he would have nothing to do with being held. I was bummed because he was my favorite of the three I was going to meet. I was looking for a solid gray, short-hair and he was going to be the one. Apparently fate had a different idea. I spent a while talking with the lady from Granger County Humane Society and then decided to look at this other kitty in a different crate. He was a tabby, very uniquely stripped and patterned, but still gray. I picked him up and he melted into my arms. He was snuggly and quiet and sweet, just how I like them! I pretty much knew right then that he would be the one I would adopt, but I told the lady I was going to meet two other kitties tomorrow and that I would let her know tomorrow evening about this guy.
After calling my mom and Justin, I decided to go back and get him today. I would save me and the lady an hour drive each direction and there was no real point in waiting since I knew he was the one for me. I brought him home and he has settled in amazingly fast! He likes to lay on the couch and will come to me when I call him. He also likes to lay in the chairs under the dining room table, under the tablecloth where it is dark. Jack used to lay there too, so I'm not surprised. He is super laid back and sweet as pie! So a funny story on his name. I wanted to name him something that was related to the color gray. I did not want anything obvious like Smokey or Dusty. He also did not need a super manly name like Slater (I just think of a macho guy whenever I hear that name). I e-mailed Justin and said what about Asher? He texted me a while later and said Asher. He had not received my e-mail yet and so we both came up with that name on our own! Needless to say, the little guy is Asher! I am sure many nick names will come from that and I will keep you posted as they come along. Here are some pictures of him from today! Asher is 4 months old, has been neutered, and is all up to date on shots, deworming, and Frontline. I will be taking him to the vet within the next week to have a general check up. I am so excited about this little guy and I don't think I could have picked a more perfect cat! I am sure there will be funny stories to tell about him as he grows up :)
After calling my mom and Justin, I decided to go back and get him today. I would save me and the lady an hour drive each direction and there was no real point in waiting since I knew he was the one for me. I brought him home and he has settled in amazingly fast! He likes to lay on the couch and will come to me when I call him. He also likes to lay in the chairs under the dining room table, under the tablecloth where it is dark. Jack used to lay there too, so I'm not surprised. He is super laid back and sweet as pie! So a funny story on his name. I wanted to name him something that was related to the color gray. I did not want anything obvious like Smokey or Dusty. He also did not need a super manly name like Slater (I just think of a macho guy whenever I hear that name). I e-mailed Justin and said what about Asher? He texted me a while later and said Asher. He had not received my e-mail yet and so we both came up with that name on our own! Needless to say, the little guy is Asher! I am sure many nick names will come from that and I will keep you posted as they come along. Here are some pictures of him from today! Asher is 4 months old, has been neutered, and is all up to date on shots, deworming, and Frontline. I will be taking him to the vet within the next week to have a general check up. I am so excited about this little guy and I don't think I could have picked a more perfect cat! I am sure there will be funny stories to tell about him as he grows up :)
Monday, September 13, 2010
Here Kitty Kitty...
So things have been a little rough lately. I had my first exam today, which went fine. I had a fun time with Brooke on Saturday at the Tennessee Valley Fair. We got caught in a terrible storm, but had a fun time nonetheless. I introduced her to deep-fried Snickers, which she enjoyed! I've been feeling sort of lonely lately, really missing my friends, family, and just home in general. I miss my horse and I miss people who know me really well and understand me. I do have friends here, but I guess I just don't spend a lot of quality time with them. I do spend a lot of time with a few of them, but it is never in a fashion that would build a strong friendship or make deep connections. I miss Justin a lot and seem to question my being here occasionally. Due to all of these things...I have decided that I think I need a kitty. I have had a cat, Peanut, my entire life and really enjoyed living with Jack, Delaina's cat, last year. Even though he drove me nuts sometimes, it was nice to have something to talk to. Essau is a good listener and I really enjoy having him here, but when I come home, I am alone and sometimes that gets tough. I think it might be good for me to have something to look after, to care for, and to play with. Something to make me laugh, to snuggle with, and to show love. I have been looking at local animal shelters and classified ads to find a gray kitten. I don't care if it is a male or female, or if it has a little bit of white. I am just looking for a normal, short hair, gray kitten. We'll see what turns up! The more I think about it, the more I think it is something I want to do.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Quick Trip to NC and Back to Reality
Well the Labor Day weekend was amazing!! Justin and I stayed at his Dad's house and we saw all kinds of family. Saturday we went to Lake James and had lunch out on the boat. It was pretty windy and we were cold when we got out of the water. That night, we went to Hickory and met my grandparents and parents for dinner at Ruby Tuesday. It was so great to have everyone together, socializing, and enjoying each other's company. Sunday, Justin and I went to "Sunday Dinner" at Grandma Shirley's. This is the weekly event of home-cooking heaven that we try to attend whenever we're in town. We had BBQ ribs, green beans, fresh cream corn, biscuits, stew potatoes, and the most delicious blueberry cake I have ever tasted. Oh, and some homemade pina colada ice cream :) We then went to Justin's mom's house to see her and Rick, who had just come home from having back surgery. He is doing well, still in some pain, but glad to be home. Sunday night, Justin and I had dinner with his high school friends Katie and Heather. We drove to Asheville and ate at Applebees.
Monday, we went to Grandmamma & Grandaddy's for lunch and then parted our separate ways to head back to our respective worlds. I enjoyed every minute of this weekend. It was SO good to see Justin, to just hug him and have him physically next to me. The departure Monday was not as difficult as I had imagined, which hopefully means this will get easier as we go along. I did, however miss him a lot this morning when I started my day without him. I sometimes wonder why I am here when I really just want to be with him, but I know God put me here for a reason. I am sure one day that reason will be crystal clear, but for now I just have to push through the emotions, live one day at a time, and cherish the phone and skype conversations. What we have is amazing. I cannot put it in words. It is just unique, strong, and incredible. As much as it pains both of us to be apart, as much of a strain it puts on our lives and emotions at times, and as much as it STINKS...it will only make our time together more special and will ultimately make our relationship stronger. I have no doubt.
Today was uneventful and slightly boring. I was extremely tired, having to wake up at 6:15 after sleeping in all weekend. The advanced repro class had a dystocia lab today that the TAs had to set that up. They each had to figure out how the calf was presented, maneuver it around to where they could put chains on the legs, and pull it slightly out of the dystocia box. They enjoyed that and it was fun to watch their faces as they struggled to twist legs around, bring heads forward, etc. This lasted until 11:00 AM. I then ate lunch, ran some tracts over to the Therio lab, and read articles for a few hours. After my head started to nod and my eyes got googly, I decided to take a break and read some stuff for my research ethics class. Finally 5:00 came and I ran to wolf camera and lunged Essau. I think I'm going to ride him out in the big rolling pasture tomorrow! Oh, and I just realized today that Essau's neighbor is a mare. No wonder he pins his ears at her! I never thought to look, and with a name like "Sporty", I was under the impression she was a he. Whoops! A quick run to Wal-Mart resulted in a big failure on the one item I wanted (Granola). They also were completely out of eggs. I bought Special K Granola and some Kashi GoLean Crunch stuff that I am going to try out. If I cannot find Granola anywhere, I might shed a few tears, but hopefully I can find something to replace it.
Well it is back to reality now. I have another oocyte collection day on Friday and my first exam on Monday in my molecular biology class. I will be going to the Tennessee Valley Fair on Saturday with Brooke and hope to enjoy some roasted corn and deep-fried something delicious. I honestly do feel like I am living in a different world here in Tennessee. I feel like I have two lives, one here and one at home. It was nice to "run away" from TN for the weekend, but now I have to buckle down and get back to it. Wish me luck.
Monday, we went to Grandmamma & Grandaddy's for lunch and then parted our separate ways to head back to our respective worlds. I enjoyed every minute of this weekend. It was SO good to see Justin, to just hug him and have him physically next to me. The departure Monday was not as difficult as I had imagined, which hopefully means this will get easier as we go along. I did, however miss him a lot this morning when I started my day without him. I sometimes wonder why I am here when I really just want to be with him, but I know God put me here for a reason. I am sure one day that reason will be crystal clear, but for now I just have to push through the emotions, live one day at a time, and cherish the phone and skype conversations. What we have is amazing. I cannot put it in words. It is just unique, strong, and incredible. As much as it pains both of us to be apart, as much of a strain it puts on our lives and emotions at times, and as much as it STINKS...it will only make our time together more special and will ultimately make our relationship stronger. I have no doubt.
Today was uneventful and slightly boring. I was extremely tired, having to wake up at 6:15 after sleeping in all weekend. The advanced repro class had a dystocia lab today that the TAs had to set that up. They each had to figure out how the calf was presented, maneuver it around to where they could put chains on the legs, and pull it slightly out of the dystocia box. They enjoyed that and it was fun to watch their faces as they struggled to twist legs around, bring heads forward, etc. This lasted until 11:00 AM. I then ate lunch, ran some tracts over to the Therio lab, and read articles for a few hours. After my head started to nod and my eyes got googly, I decided to take a break and read some stuff for my research ethics class. Finally 5:00 came and I ran to wolf camera and lunged Essau. I think I'm going to ride him out in the big rolling pasture tomorrow! Oh, and I just realized today that Essau's neighbor is a mare. No wonder he pins his ears at her! I never thought to look, and with a name like "Sporty", I was under the impression she was a he. Whoops! A quick run to Wal-Mart resulted in a big failure on the one item I wanted (Granola). They also were completely out of eggs. I bought Special K Granola and some Kashi GoLean Crunch stuff that I am going to try out. If I cannot find Granola anywhere, I might shed a few tears, but hopefully I can find something to replace it.
Well it is back to reality now. I have another oocyte collection day on Friday and my first exam on Monday in my molecular biology class. I will be going to the Tennessee Valley Fair on Saturday with Brooke and hope to enjoy some roasted corn and deep-fried something delicious. I honestly do feel like I am living in a different world here in Tennessee. I feel like I have two lives, one here and one at home. It was nice to "run away" from TN for the weekend, but now I have to buckle down and get back to it. Wish me luck.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Is It Friday Yet?
Well it's certainly time for an update. Last weekend was very busy, but fun-filled! Saturday, I went with Brooke and Kim to Norris Lake, about 45 minutes north of Knoxville. Brooke's Bible study group rented a double-decker pontoon boat and a small boat for skiing/tubing. We arrived around noon and had a cookout with lots of yummy potluck items and desserts. We then boarded the boat and went out into the lake. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was very warm. Perfect weather for swimming! Not to mention, the water temperature was perfect as well, nice and cool! I am pretty sure the last time I swam in a lake and went tubing was about 8 years ago when I went with my aunt and uncle and family to a lake down in Georgia. It was not hard to get used to tubing again, but I was surprised at how much work it is on your arms! I am currently still a little bit sore even today. I fell pretty hard the first time and the second time practically lost my bathing suit bottom :o !! It was really fun and Brooke, Kim, and I had a great time hanging out, chatting, and enjoying the day.
After the lake, we went to a party at Schrick and Edwards's house for one of the PhD students who is moving. We had yet another cookout here and enjoyed more delicious potluck snackies and desserts. Brooke made a heavenly peanut butter pie (which I now have the recipe for). I enjoyed hanging out with lots of the people from the lab and the department in a non-school setting.
This week has actually gone by pretty quickly so far, which is great because I am really looking forward to going to the mountains Friday to spend the weekend with Justin!! I will be having dinner with my grandparents and parents Saturday, so it'll be great to see them too! This week has been pretty easy going. I rode Essau bareback Monday, have been going to classes as usual, and I gave blood Tuesday. So that is a whole other story.
I guess Knoxville doesn't have an American Red Cross center, so I went to Medic Regional Blood Center. Everyone there was super nice and it was great to give blood in a place that is permanent and set up for that purpose. I usually donate at blood drives where everything is brought to a location. This place had super comfy chairs to lay in for donating and everything was well-organized. I think I surprised the nurse with my vitals...106/72 BP, 46 pulse, 96.7 temp. When I told Justin these numbers, he said "are you dead?". Haha, I actually felt just fine, except a little bit cold. The donation itself went slow, as usual. My veins apparently have shrunk over the past few years because they never used to have a problem with them. This time, the vein was the same size as the needle, so I did bruise a little bit. I was running very slowly and the nurse kept coming to check on it. She found out that if she put pressure on the needle, my blood flowed faster, so she stood there holding it down for a good 10 minutes. This gave us some time to chat and I found out she is from Lenoir, NC and her mother used to live in Durham. Small world.
Today was my first hands-on Therio lab. We went to Cherokee Farm which is actually right behind JARTU. This is where the vet school does a lot of their labs on horses and cows. Our lab today was palpation of the cow and mare. The group was split in half and we palpated one or the other. Next lab, we will switch. I decided to go with the mare today. It was really awesome because I had only palpated one mare before. They are much different than cows. It is a lot easier to feel the cervix in a cow because it always feels the same way, like a chicken neck. In a mare, her cervix can relax and go flat when she is in estrus, so some of the mares did not feel like they had a cervix at all. This makes palpating more difficult because when you do not have a "landmark" to start from, it can be hard to find the other structures. I was successful in finding the uterus in each mare and in almost all of them I was able to find both ovaries. I look forward to palpating the cow next time because it has been a while since I have done that.
Tomorrow will most likely be a long day as I do not have much going on. I have 420 lecture in the morning (TA), a meeting at 10:00 with Edwards, Voy, and Ben, and BCMB discussion at 3:40. I hope it goes by quickly so Friday can go ahead and come so I can leave! My next update will most likely be after the Labor Day weekend.
After the lake, we went to a party at Schrick and Edwards's house for one of the PhD students who is moving. We had yet another cookout here and enjoyed more delicious potluck snackies and desserts. Brooke made a heavenly peanut butter pie (which I now have the recipe for). I enjoyed hanging out with lots of the people from the lab and the department in a non-school setting.
This week has actually gone by pretty quickly so far, which is great because I am really looking forward to going to the mountains Friday to spend the weekend with Justin!! I will be having dinner with my grandparents and parents Saturday, so it'll be great to see them too! This week has been pretty easy going. I rode Essau bareback Monday, have been going to classes as usual, and I gave blood Tuesday. So that is a whole other story.
I guess Knoxville doesn't have an American Red Cross center, so I went to Medic Regional Blood Center. Everyone there was super nice and it was great to give blood in a place that is permanent and set up for that purpose. I usually donate at blood drives where everything is brought to a location. This place had super comfy chairs to lay in for donating and everything was well-organized. I think I surprised the nurse with my vitals...106/72 BP, 46 pulse, 96.7 temp. When I told Justin these numbers, he said "are you dead?". Haha, I actually felt just fine, except a little bit cold. The donation itself went slow, as usual. My veins apparently have shrunk over the past few years because they never used to have a problem with them. This time, the vein was the same size as the needle, so I did bruise a little bit. I was running very slowly and the nurse kept coming to check on it. She found out that if she put pressure on the needle, my blood flowed faster, so she stood there holding it down for a good 10 minutes. This gave us some time to chat and I found out she is from Lenoir, NC and her mother used to live in Durham. Small world.
Today was my first hands-on Therio lab. We went to Cherokee Farm which is actually right behind JARTU. This is where the vet school does a lot of their labs on horses and cows. Our lab today was palpation of the cow and mare. The group was split in half and we palpated one or the other. Next lab, we will switch. I decided to go with the mare today. It was really awesome because I had only palpated one mare before. They are much different than cows. It is a lot easier to feel the cervix in a cow because it always feels the same way, like a chicken neck. In a mare, her cervix can relax and go flat when she is in estrus, so some of the mares did not feel like they had a cervix at all. This makes palpating more difficult because when you do not have a "landmark" to start from, it can be hard to find the other structures. I was successful in finding the uterus in each mare and in almost all of them I was able to find both ovaries. I look forward to palpating the cow next time because it has been a while since I have done that.
Tomorrow will most likely be a long day as I do not have much going on. I have 420 lecture in the morning (TA), a meeting at 10:00 with Edwards, Voy, and Ben, and BCMB discussion at 3:40. I hope it goes by quickly so Friday can go ahead and come so I can leave! My next update will most likely be after the Labor Day weekend.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Success!
Today was a much better day in the world of oocytes. I practiced slicing again and did NOT clot!!! YAY!! I got 35 oocytes from 8 ovaries (kinda low, but pretty good for a first timer). I retrieved them, denuded them, and pronased them. It was neat to see them in each step and to get some experience doing all of the procedures. It was also good to have more practice mouth pipetting. It was even harder today as I had to manipulate the oocytes and put a few in individual droplets of Pronase, which breaks down the zona pellucida. I also learned how to set up and clean up for all of these procedures. The day went by pretty fast and after a great ride on Essau, I'm back at home hanging out. Tomorrow is Norris Lake with Kim, Brooke, and her Bible study group, then a going-away party for Fernando (a PhD student) at Schrick and Edwards's house. Should be a fun day! Oh yeah, and I get to see Justin and my parents and grandparents ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!!
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