Day in the life of a vet student - sheep tipping edition

For real, this is a legit sheep restraint method, and goes something like this:

1. Chase sheep around a pen until you're sweaty and tired and they're just getting warmed up.
2. Grab a sheep by its jaw. This will stop the sheep from going forward.
3. Put your leg behind the sheep's butt. This will stop the sheep from going backward and might also leave a nice rorschach smear on your pant leg.
4. Flip the sheep onto its butt, like a judo twist.
5. The sheep will sit quietly between your knees, and will mostly allow you to examine it.

[Disclaimer: don't try this at home unless you're an experienced sheep tipper or are being supervised by one. Also don't try this with anything other than sheep, such as cows, bears, or cats. Also, it goes without saying, but no sheep were harmed during this exercise - just cuddled a bit.]

The spice of life

I've been buying spices in bulk for a couple of years now, because I can't bear to spend $5 on a little glass bottle of paprika at the grocery store. But this meant that I unfortunately had a basket full of little baggies twist-tied with spices in them - not the most attractive or organized presentation.

When we moved to Guelph, I decided to buy a spice rack to fill with bulk spices - we found a really cool magnetic system that stood on the counter, which seemed like a good idea because we didn't have much cupboard space (we don't have much counter space either, but it didn't seem like much of an issue at the time). We bought a few extra tins that we figured we'd cram onto the easel, and went home.

I'm not sure how it transpired that Davis figured out that - being magnetic - the tins would also stick to the fridge, but as far as I'm concerned this discovery is right up there with penicillin, flubber, and the theory of relativity. I still remember the dawning look of revelation on his face as he stood there, still holding the tin stuck to the fridge door. We returned the easel set, and bought a bunch more individual tins. And they've been multiplying ever since.


[note also Davis's hercules beetle magnet and the requisite bird on top of the wine rack - well, I assure you it's a bird, it looks more like a blob]

I've labeled the back of each of them and arranged them in alphabetical order - primarily because I'm a nerd, but it also makes things easier to find.



I love my spice rack. Realistically, I'll never run out of room, the tins are just over a dollar each, and if I decide for some unknown reason I never want to eat cardamom anymore, I can just wash the tin and stick a new label on. And most importantly, I can buy spices in bulk without sorting through a bunch of baggies every time I want to cook.

Reduce, reuse, recycle

I'm not sure what we could reuse her for... although I always say I vacuum enough cat hair each week to make a brand new cat. That sounds like a kind of never-ending cycle though -  creating a new cat out of the old cat's old fur? And then, you can make a new cat from the fur from the cat you made from the old cat's fur, and then before you know it your cats have multiplied every 20 minutes like bacteria and then they build an evil cat army intent on chewing your toes through the blanket at four in the morning and coming out of the litter box to park their butts straight on your school assignments.

I think I need another coffee.

Avoid responsibilities.

That is the moral of the story.

I walked out of school at 5 p.m. today after intensely observing the genitalia of a 4-month-old bull (really, that was our lab) and the first thing I saw was the moon - nearly full and low in the sky, looking like I could reach out and poke it and have it roll off its perch and stop at my feet.

"I wish I had my camera," I thought. "This would make a really great photo."

"I could walk home right now and grab my camera and tripod," I thought. "It's a 15 minute walk. The moon won't change that much in 15 minutes."

"You have to buy tomatoes and soy sauce," I told myself firmly, looking at the grocery list scribbled on my wrist. "You can't eat photos of the moon."

Unfortunately the grocery store is in the same general direction as our house, so for 15 minutes as I walked in the nose-sniffling cold I flip flopped. Tomatoes. Moon. Soy sauce. Creativity. Food.

But, as I kind of suspected all along, my feet took me home to my camera and my tripod.

So, today's life lesson?



Creativity first. Groceries later.

I'm pleased with this photo especially because I've never had a good opportunity to take low light photos before (other than when we were running through the forest at night trying to see owls and making coyote calls), and I was able to play around a bit today. The sky wasn't nearly this black - in fact, it was still relatively light out, but I had to make the shutter speed a lot faster than I expected (about 1/400) in order to get the details of the moon - otherwise it was just a bright smudge. I wish I'd remembered to try a few different f-stops, but that will be a goal for next time.

Some crows flew by. There are a couple hundred roosting next to our house at the moment, but that's for another post.

Vet student super hero

Most of the time, I love vet school. But sometimes... I feel like this:



"The new vet student action figure from Mattel: it has foldable legs for long periods of sitting and studying.  You can watch its hair turn grey before your eyes. Comes complete with 40-pound backpack and scoliosis. Happiness not included."

Which is why (and also because I have only two hours of class today - three hours apart!) I am playing hooky. I have decided to get more efficient things done today such as:

• list some new things in my Etsy shop
• go wine shopping
• make cashew chicken curry
• pay bills
• do laundry
• pay attention to cats
• make a Simon & Garfunkel CD for my mom

And, okay, maybe a leeetle bit of studying. Because I have no other employable skills. ;o)