Saturday, December 31, 2011

Martinus

"He felt like he was pondering a million different thoughts as he ran through several samples; air, clothing, water…. The only thing they were missing was the magic. He began to think more and more about it as each sample proved inconclusive, just as Addie had found them to be, and all the lab assistants. He felt a shadow towering in a corner of his mind: the realization that it was no parasite, nor animalcule, nor toxin. Whatever it was didn’t behave like any traditional disease anybody had seen before. He wanted to run to the tall towers of Magic, but he remembered their previous failure in solving this. Clearly, it didn’t behave the way they had predicted either."
I'm just updating about my story that I blogged about awhile ago, and YES, I have actually been continuing it. It's actually really fun to write, not easy, mind you, but fun. So this is Martinus, a scientist type guy. Teehee. I even had to go about painting him! I usually suck at painting/drawing humans but this was a good experience.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Contemplative

This blog is just a collection of pictures of my dogs, my best friends. Animals mean more to me than most else in this world. I love their lack of humanity, their pureness, and innocence, and wildness. To me they act as mirrors, reflecting my flaws back onto myself, teaching me about progress and development, giving me chances to change. Without them, I would feel claustrophobic in this populated world of ours. Their reactions to their environments speak louder than words, for they are a product of this earth just as we are, I sometimes think we forget that.

Scuplting

I got some clay awhile back but I didn't have a chance to play with it until this winter break. I decided to sculpt my dogs, but when that became too daunting, I decided to sculpt my dog Titus' head. The process was... difficult. I don't sculpt often so its a challenge for me, also, getting individual features down on dogs is difficult! The clay was hard and difficult to work with.
Titus was recently shaved nekkid so he doesn't even look like a poodle really. Thusly, my sculpture looks like a lab. Ah, well. It was a learning experience.
 At least it is definitely canine! Now I can cross sculpting off my list of things I need to do this winter break. And hopefully I can do more of it!



Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Collaboration & Friendship


This post will be an update on some art, as well as a dedication to my friend, Blogadog.
We met in high school, had some classes together, and discovered a common love for dogs, then for animals as a whole, then for art! Too good to be true, eh? But then I moved to the desert, and she stayed in that northern prairie of hers. However, I introduced her to Flickr and then the art exchange truly began! Ever since then we've been sharing art and ideas together. We currently have an ongoing project of some shared characters. I started sending her snail mail letters cause I thought it would be fun, and it has been! It's a way to exchange art as well.
It's amazing having someone to share my artisitic side with. So, thank you Blogadog for being my friend for all these years.




Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Pondering

I volunteered at the feral cat clinic recently, and events like this always get me thinking about veterinary medicine; aspects of that career path, the difficulty of getting there, etc. Whilst scrubbing a couple hundred cat genitalia for surgery prep, I wondered if I wanted to focus on small animal medicine if/when I eventually get there. Volunteering at this clinic has given me the opportunity to observe a few surgeries and to get a feel of what it's like to work in this type of environment. The beauty of it is that I have years to decide on the specifics of my future, but it is something I enjoy thinking about.
Small animal medicine is definitely a consideration, but I do tend to lean towards the idea of large animal medicine, or a mixed practice type deal. I wouldn't mind living somewhere rural, and Doom says as long as he has internet he doesn't care (boys... ). There's something about cows, horses, pigs, etc. that just seems so... fascinating. 
When I used to work as a dog bather at a grooming salon I felt like it was similar to vet med in the sense that I took care of other people's animals and interacted directly with the owners. But it does seem a tad tame (especially after standing up and prepping cats for 5 hours straight). Also... owners of pets can be kinda crazy, and I know my people skills lack luster.
  Sometimes I dream about being a researcher or eventually teaching (which oft go hand-in-hand) since I do enjoy the science of it. Not sure if I'll ever get there, however I'll get to experience research as an undergrad eventually!
It seems just so diverse, even though I've narrowed my choice down to veterinary medicine, there is still so much I can do.


On a thread, I found an AMA from a first year veterinary student, so I asked a few questions. They were pretty helpful and interesting. Here's what I got from it:
  • Schools want "well-rounded" individuals with "life-changing" experiences or accomplishments
  •  Schools want you to be interested in all aspects of veterinary medicine, they don't want you to slot yourself into 'small-animal private practice' right out of undergrad
  • There are 2-6 interviewers, typically 2-3 (how nerve-wracking!)
  • apply to schools that genuinely work best for you, don't force yourself to be somewhere miserable if you can help it.
  • personal statements on applications are important
  • BE PASSIONATE!
I've learned a lot about this whole 'applying to veterinary school' thing from talking to my adviser and other pre-veterinary students at my school, but it's nice to talk to someone who's actually gotten there (even if it was just a couple of exchanged comments/replies)!
I'm still gathering up knowledge about this, and striving to improve myself as I go (character, academics, etc.)
Here's to pondering, 'cause it'll get you somewhere if you keep at it!

I survived Fall 2011

Haven't gotten all of my grades back yet obviously, but I know I got an A in microbiology so far. And that puts me in a good mood, because that was my favorite class this semester. Now that it's all said and done, I don't know what to do with myself! So I shall post some things, since I plan on being artsy this break! I've got some sculpey to play with, some paints that have been neglected and some parks that need hiking! I'll also be studying this break but I plan on keeping it stress-free (as much as possible).