Graduation

It was one long, busy day yesterday. It started with getting up around 7:30am and getting ready for the big day. My sister and brother-in-law came over around 9am. My mom, sister, and I headed to the Women's Fall Expo while the guys hung out at home. It was a free event with lots of free stuff: samples, pens, and other fun stuff. One stand was giving away reusable shopping bags if you signed a petition and had ur picture taken telling why you would use the bag. So my sister and I did it and got free shopping bags. Too bad they didn't come with groceries in them! Another stand was giving away the new energysaver lightbulbs! So that was exciting to come across.

Anyways, after the expo, we headed back to the house to get my dad and brother-in-law. We then began the journey to the cities. Once up there, we got abunch of pre-grad photos around my school. Most of them were outside, but there were some cool shots taken on the staircase. Around 12:30pm, the journey continued to IHOP for a cheap, yummy lunch. At IHOP, we met up with my aunt, uncle, and cousin. I stayed with them for half my schooling, so it was nice to see them again. And lunch at IHOP is ALWAYS yummy! I got my usual stuffed french toast topped with strawberries.

We arrived at the school around 3pm to check in for the ceremony, and then there we more waiting til the ceremony actually started at 4pm. We took some photos outside to pass the time. Once the doors opened, my family went to find a spot to sit while I ventured behind stage to line up. Surprisingly, the ceremony was pretty quick. There should have been about 220 people graduating, but barely 100 decided to attend. Really the only bad part about it was the speaker. It was the President of the entire university, not just my campus. He opened his speech explaining how he knows that people do not look forward to the speaker because they talk forever and ever and ever... Yet, he spoke for almost a half hour! It started out interesting, but it wasn't the best at keeping my attention. Upon handing out the diplomas, each student got a picture of them recieving the diploma as well as posing between the American flag and the Minnesotan flag. After the ceremony, there was really yummy cake and not so yummy lemonade.

And then it was FINALLY time for ValleyScare, the Halloween Haunt of Valleyfair! And it was awesome! We made it for the starlight prices, so we saved about 10 bucks if not more per person. We went on some rides and through all the haunted attractions. These include Blood Creek Cemetary, Mr. Cleaver's Bloodshed, Hellside Farm, Carnage at Crimson Isle, Chateau du Damn, CarnEvil in 3D, and the Mangler's Asylum. We also watched a Ritual of Fire VooDoo show outside. I've been to it the last two years, and its amazing. The haunted attractions always have the same theme, but the trails are different every season. The show has changed too, but it is always hypnotizing. For those of you that love Halloween, I highly recommend checking it out. It's awesome!

After the Halloween fun, we headed to White Castle for a midnight snack. And because my dad needed his "crave case." So my car isn't gonna smell very good for the next few days. Hopefully I can get it aired out soon! Other than that, it was a great day. And it's exciting to say that I'm now a college graduate. Too bad I don't have a diploma to show for it! I won't get that piece of paper until I'm done with my internship, so I'll have it in a couple months if I'm lucky.

BTW...I've gots a new countdown for all you bloggers out there. Since I reached my first day off a couple days ago, it's time for a new one to start. So, today started that new countdown: 39 days of working until a day off. Since I had today out of the way, there's only 38 days left. And that just happens to be the same countdown til Thanksgiving. Better start that Christmas shopping!

First Day Off in 26 Days

After working 25 days in a row, I finally got a day off today. It was amazing! But first, let's talk about my last 2 days of working. On Wednesday, I did my first chemo patient. The poor dog has lymphoma reoccur, so chemo was necessary again. I wasn't aware of how much went into chemo for dogs. Besides the dog being hooked up to fluids the whole time, both me and the doctor had to full "gown-up" with a gown, goggles, gloves, and masks. It was very hot in the room with all that extra protection, but it was still interesting. The chemo drug was injected through the IV catheter over a time span of about 20 minutes, so it was hot for quite awhile. My goggles were even fogging up! But it was interesting. Aside from the chemo, the breed of the day was sharpeis. 4 appointments in a row involved the breed, in addition to 3 appointments later that day. It was crazy to see that many in one day! On Thursday, I was very busy with appointments. For a couple house, the doc and I went to a near by shelter for puppy shots. There were several labs ranging from 8 to 12 weeks old. They were mostly black, with a couple chocolate and one yellow. They were all so cute and playful! Very well socialized.

Anyways, today was my first day off in 26 days. It was pretty relaxing. I had to go to the cities to pick up my cap and gown for tomorrow. I also met a friend for lunch to celebrate since she can't come tomorrow. She is going to homecoming with her boyfriend instead, so I guess he is more important :P Other than that, I've been relaxing at home in my pjs with my puppies. I'm so excited for tomorrow! It's the big day. And don't worry, I'll be sure to share all the details when I get back.

Blood, Feces, and Urine

In case you couldn't tell from the title, the past 2 days have been spent working in the lab as an intern. I have done fecal exams in the past during my internship, so I have them down really well. However, I haven't done much with the blood or urine throughout my internship, let alone the machines. So I have been working side-by-side with the lab tech learning how to work the crazy machines. I was able to spin down some blood to check electrolytes and kidney/liver enzymes and spin down hematocrit tubes to obtain packed cell volume (pcv) values. I also learned how to work the CBC machine to gather RBC and WBC numbers. Aside from the blood machines, I have ran quite a few heartworm and feline leukemia tests. Luckily, only one was positive! Well, at least in the last 2 days. The poor dog was positive for lyme disease and anaplasmosis, both of which are tick-bourne diseases. The poor dog wasn't on any preventative, and now the owners will pay a whole lot more now. Other than the blood and feces, I have learned how to use the urinalysis machine and perform a UA. Back in school, we would have to analyze the urine strips on our own. At the clinic, there is a machine to do it for me! I simply apply urine to the strip and stick it in the machine. Within minutes, out pops a piece of paper with values. It's very nice to have around. During the slow times, I helped fill meds at the pharmacy and cleaned out rooms. It's been a busy 2 days.

Now for the latest countdown... I have only 2 days left of working until time off!!! And I graduate on Saturday!! It's gonna be a great weekend :)

Let's... Play... HOCKEY!!!

Last night was the first home season opener for the Minnesota Wild, and it was an awesome way to start the season! We played Boston, so of course there were quite a few Boston fans. The best part was that some of them were yelling for wild fans to go home. It was a home game, so we were already home! Boston people are silly. Anyways, it was a pretty intense game. First period, Boston scored the first goal. Towards the end, we tied it up 1-1. Second period had all the excitement in it. We scored a second goal a few minutes into it. That was followed by a third, and a fourth. 2 of which were power play goals! It was AWESOME! Sadly, Boston decided to score 2 more goals in third period. However, we still one 4-3. It was a great way to start the season. Since it was the home opener, all the fans got free stuff. Upon entering Xcel before the game, all the fans received a MN Wild calender, complete with all games and hockey events listed in it. Each month is a different player with basic info: birthday, hometown, ect. Since were were NW Division champs last year, the banner was hung during pre-game. After the game, all the fans got a mini banner. It is pretty sweet. Yay for fan appreciation! :)

BTW... I'm down to 4 days left of working until a day off. And that means, I'm halfway through my internship! It also means that I'm less than a week away from graduating! It's gonna be a pretty exciting week, or at least the weekend to come will be. Have a great Monday everyone!

5 Weeks Down, 7 To Go

I'm sorry it's been so long since my last posting. It has been a crazy week! Especially with me working every day. Last Thursday was a pretty intense surgery day. The first kitty was a 4-month old neuter victim. Since kitty neuters take a whole 5 mins, they are just masked down. As the kitty was waking up, he decided not to wake up fully and passed out again. Next thing I know, the kitty stopped breathing and was turning blue. I freaked out! Luckily, I had a tube on the counter just in case, so the doctor quickly passed the tube and started doing CPR. Within a few seconds, the kitty started breathing again and all was well. It was a good ending, but we were paranoid the rest of the day. It was a great teaching experience for me though, cuz now I know even more signs to watch for during recovery. And just how important monitoring throughout recovery is.

The rest of the weekend was spent working, as usual. Today started a new month, so I started with a new doctor today. This doctor just happens to be owner of the clinic, and he gets the weirdest scenarios. Today we saw a sun conure for a wing trim and a nail trim. I've handled conures before with thanks to the most awesomest lab partner in the world. Her green cheek conure is soo friendly. The other unusual animal was a box turtle. The poor "girl" had severe myelitis, aka a really bad bacterial infection in her shell. The shell was rotting and peeling off on the bottom and abscessing on top. Hopefully the antibiotics help her, cuz they 've only had her for about 4 months.

Thats the extent of the excitement in the past week. Tomorrow should be just as exciting, cuz Tuesday is my new surgery day. I'll be sure to post all the weird stuff I see tomorrow. BTW, only 10 days left til I have a day off!!