Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Ruffled

I think it's a juvenile pigeon or something, he didn't look to well. I was able to get super close for the photo, and he/she just stared, then when I left he hopped away underneath a car.
Allow me this post to just vent. I feel as scraggly and bedraggled as this little guy I found this morning. So let me start: I love my life. I really do; I have 2 adorable dogs, I still get to live with my parents (yes that's a good thing, I mean, free rent?!), I have Doom and I love school, I have a job where I'm not standing behind a register or serving people food (which I've heard is a form of painful, minimum-wage torture) and I'm slowly creeping towards my goal of getting into veterinary school. But let's face it, I can't be Miss Sunshine all the time. All the crappy things in life have a way of catching up to me sometimes and making me want to just lay down and give up.
I guess this all boils down to me adapting to working and school, as well as planning out my future. At the moment, I'm on the fence about whether I should take another year before applying to vet school, or whether I should go full-steam ahead and apply in a year's time. I'm worried about my GPA. I'm worried about money. And at the same time, I'm trying to keep up with this class, without being able to just relax during the weekends. 7am-5pm is a tough shift, I've learned. It leaves no time in the mornings and little time at night. And so what, you may ask. So what if you don't get to lay around like a potato during the weekends? Well, it's more than that. I'm having art withdrawals! I don't want my art to be lost in a black hole. I don't want to give up on my calendar project. And I'm always torn between spending time with Doom, spending time with my doggies, spending time with my family, spending time with my friends, or giving myself some "me-time"... and with all of these things pulling me in different directions, I often just go hide in my room and do absolutely nothing. I feel... sad, unable to pinpoint an exact cause. I feel depressed. I eat too much, I feel sick-ish, all I want to do is sleep. I'm unable to concentrate. Waa, waa, waa, you get the idea.
I'm sure the past couple weeks is just a dark cloud spoiling my blue skies, it'll pass, but right now, I'm feeling crappy.
And thus I shall conclude this vent. I hope everything turned out okay for the scraggly bird.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Chug-chug chuggin' along

Well, I've been extremely busy all week with school and work. I do miss my free weekends filled with painting and relaxing, but hey, work is good for me (and my wallet). I can finally start saving for that day looming in the future where I move out of my house and go off to vet school. But, back to school: things seem to be going good for me in physics, (*knock on wood*) I'm quite surprised actually because Munster+Math=Baaaaaad and physics can be quite math-y. But I kinda like the logic of physics I guess, the conceptual problems aren't too bad. I'm not sure what I'll end up with in this class, if there's a decent curve at the end I might just be able to pad my GPA a little bit more! But I still have 2 exams to go. So I shouldn't get ahead of myself.
As for work... well, things have gotten better since Sunday. I worked a little bit on Wednesday, and I worked a full shift today. Its still stressful but I'm starting to get the hang of "looking busy" and I'm trying to be nice and helpful. So I didn't get bitched at today, and hopefully I won't get bitched at as long as I keep learning and improving. (Optimism!) I actually helped a doctor a little today with some dogs, and I saw my first real life dead dog... I didn't know I'd be looking at a dead dog, I was just told to grab a blue bag and then all of a sudden I was told to "bag that dog up" that had been euthanized. I hadn't done it before so I got help. Overall it wasn't too weird of an experience, I didn't get too sad, or disgusted. It was still warm. I don't know the circumstances of its euthanasia, it was probably sick.
So I don't know what I'll be doing for the rest of the evening besides showering (I smell of bleach, ick!) Maybe I'll finish a painting. ^_^


Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Better late than never!

I realize I never posted the work in progress pics from Mr. Owl! So since they're gathering dust in my phone, here ya go:

Monday, June 18, 2012

My first dog...

This is just a post, dedicated to my baby boy.
Titus is my first dog. I got him when I was a freshman in high school. He saw me through those awkward teen years, he was there when I left halfway through high school to go to another school, miles away in a dry, hot, hellish desert. He helped me find joy in this wasteland. Perhaps it is partly because of him I set my sights on being a veterinarian. He was there for me when I graduated high school, and when I went to college. He has comforted me through my fears and worries, depressing points and he's shared my joy and love and happiness. He wasn't happy when I got him a little brother, but he's learned to love the little bugger too. He wasn't happy when I got a boyfriend, but it's hard not to love someone who scratches ears so good!
He'll be 6 years old in about a month. I can't believe it. Time flies. Next year he'll be considered a senior, and that makes me sad. The life of a dog is too damned short. But hopefully he'll have many more years, and I desperately hope I can take him somewhere to live with fields and trees when/if I leave for vet school.
I love the way he gives kisses, he's a very thorough kisser. He'll lick every inch of your face/arms/legs if you give him a chance. It can be annoying, but it's cute too. I like the way he snuffles you before he gives you a kiss. And the way he carries toys around the house. He'll also steal your shoes if he can get away with it. He's such a dorky dog. He'll make the weirdest whining sounds when he's upset, and I can't help but laugh. He's spoiled and stubborn but he's mine. And I love him. So here's to you, baby boy, let's go places together!




All of a sudden, work!

Where have I been? Well, remember that interview I mentioned maybe a month ago? I got it, and got hired. Well it wasn't even really much of an interview as an introduction + a job offer. I now work in the kennels of a veterinary clinic on the weekends. Its hard work, the dogs are sometimes difficult, but I expected that. Getting the hang of things was kind of confusing, but again, I expected that. What I didn't expect was the hostility of 2 people in the hospital. They didn't care that I was new, its like I had a giant bulls-eye on my forehead on my second day. Why the second day, you might ask? Well, on that day the head tech that hired me happens to not be there that day, so these 2 "hostiles" took it upon themselves to boss the kennel crew around. *sigh* Thankfully, after venting and crying to Doom after my shift on Sunday, I feel much better. I realize these 2 people don't really matter, and they can bitch and screech all they want, they didn't hire me and they can't fire me.
So, I've gotten a general impression about how a small animal veterinary clinic works now after my first two days and its not all what I expected. Of course, my perspective is from the bottom-of-the-totem-pole, and I can honestly say I find the bizarre disrespect between the techs and the non-licensed employees to be just disgusting. I (semi)jokingly told Doom, "Fuck it, I wanna do large animal medicine!" Now, I realize that it could just be these 2 individuals, and not all small animal hospitals are like that, but still... it was kind of a slap in the face, to be brutally honest. Nonetheless, I'm a stubborn girl and I shall persevere. I have yet to talk to any of the doctors as I spend most of the time in the back (not to mention I am shy!) but maybe I'll have some new experiences to talk about in the future.
I can't forget that I'm gaining veterinary experience and I can start saving money with this job. Stay positive!
Art note: my weekend free-time is now limited, but hopefully I can figure out a way to complete my calendar at a reasonable pace!
So if anyone else has small animal hospital experiences they'd like to share or input, feel free! :)

Thursday, June 14, 2012

No longer Doomless!

Just pokin' my head in to say Doom has returned, my friends picked him up from the airport yesterday. I would have done it myself but I had lab at that time! Its good to have him back. But, of course, I can't really celebrate much because I have an exam tomorrow! So I shall spend the next several hours trying to make Fizziks make sense to myself (har har, is it possible? We shall see).
To compensate for this short, lame, anti-climactic update, here's a deer doodle from class:

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Doggie time!

Treasure hunt!

Eager faces; they love treasure hunts

"Om nom nom!"

Snufflin'

*pant pant* It's f***in' hot!!!

Better cool off!







Sunday, June 10, 2012

Wrapping up the weekend

 So I finished up calendar painting number 2! This one was a lot of fun, but man I got the worst headache after I was done... Those trees seemed simple enough at the start but they were actually a lot of work! But since Blogadog suggested a crow, I did oblige!
My goal for these is to get them done at least by Thanksgiving!
The WIP

The set up!
Here's my set up, I've got an eeny-meeny square table to fit all my paints and brushes and water cups on. But it works! I use my lap top to look at my references, and lately while painting I've been watching some of the TED Talks series on Netflix! I love them, the speakers are great, the topics are awesome! I love that if I get bored of the medicine talks, I can go to the archaeology talks or the biology talks, or the space talks. I love the spirit of science and discovery, and I love that most aren't too long or uninteresting. I guess you can say I'm kind of addicted at the moment, kinda like I was addicted to Cosmos by Carl Sagan a few months ago. I think I enjoy listening to talks/documentaries while painting rather than movies/series because I don't have to watch to know what's happening. So sorry Blogadog, I'll try watching more shows eventually, but its easier to watch documentaries! haha ;)
But anyhoo, back to the calendar: I think I'll start a list and see where I get with it.
  1. Barn Owl & Forest (completed)
  2. Crow & Misty landscape (completed)
  3. Jackrabbit & Desert 
  4. Bison & Badlands
  5. Rhino & Thunderstorm
  6. Blogadog suggested a canid... maybe a Painted dog?
  7. I need some wintery ones...
  8. ?
  9. ?
  10. ?
  11. ?
  12. ?
So yeah, my list isn't all that great right now, but I know I'll get some fun ideas as I go. Feel free to suggest some things! I'm going for diversity of landscapes and animals. 
Well now I'm off to do some Fizziks stuffs. ^~^ 

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Summer Cleaning

So I decided to clean Doom's room while he was away, and MAN is that a tough project to take on. The boy has NO organization, and his room (well the whole apartment, really) smells like man-funk. I guess that's what happens when you put 3 young guys into a small space, in the desert, in the summertime. So I did the usual, put his clothes away, organized the mountains of JUNK that he refuses to throw away, and picked up all the trash. But the thing I'm most proud of is buying him a filing box and folders and labels. He is constantly losing important papers and.. well, as an adult, that's a very bad thing I've learned. Now I think I'm gonna have to buy myself my very own filing box eventually. I feel like such an old lady, cleaning my boyfriend's room for him on my free time. >_< Oh well, it had to be done.
But it made me realize: going through someone's crap is one way to really get to know them. Of course, I really just wanted to strangle him the whole time I cleaned... Good thing he's out of the state, eh?
Before (makes me cringe)

Don't tell Doom, but that Easter basket is definitely one of the things I consider "junk", sentimental value and all.

After

I actually removed the sheets and took them home to wash.

Man-cave

Doomless weekend

Munster's log: Okay, okay, kinda lost track of this log but that's alright. 
Yesterday I went and took my first physics exam, I was above the average so I can't complain but now I realize just how much studying I need to do. Continuing like I did last week just ain't gonna cut it. After my exam I started the first of my calendar paintings! The barn owl. Before I could finish it though I went to go see Prometheus with Chickadee. It was... well, I liked it, there were some annoying things like I just wanted to know WHY at the end, but I enjoyed watching it. The biologist in the movie was kind of derpy... I mean, if a worm-shaped alien is hissing at you, why would you want to play with it?
Anyhoo, after I got home I CRASHED, weekends tend to be my catch-up-on-sleep time.
But this morning I was able to finish my owl painting!
I'm actually pleased with the background for the most part, and the owl, (though I know the face isn't perfect, who would've guessed owl faces could be so hard to get right?) I had a lot of fun painting this one. I'm not entirely sure what my next painting will be, but I will hopefully get another one finished before this weekend is over.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Day 2: Hanging in there

Sketch I made while I was sposed to be paying attention to physics lecture... oops.
Munster's log, Day 2: It is Doomless Day number 2, and I must point out: I am alive. I had some strange apocalyptic dreams last night, but aside from that I slept well. This physics material is confusing and makes me think... which means there is a lot of room for mistakes. But it also means that as long as I have homework and studying, I don't have much time to be missing Doom. After I finish my exam tomorrow, however.. who knows. I have a feeling that my exam tomorrow will be much harder than my math class exams that I had been taking first session. But I know I always blubber and complain about exams as if the world is ending, so I shall stop typing about it and start typing about other things.
I don't wanna jinx myself, but I think I should mention I'm planning a fun project over the next several weekends: I am hoping to make 12 watercolor paintings for a calendar. :) We'll see how it goes. I have my eyes set on some beautiful (and challenging) landscapes, as well as a jackrabbit, a barn owl (powerful, frightening creatures, I've realized!) and who knows what else.
Alrighty... I have to go study for my exam tomorrow...
Munster out!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Doomless days: Day 1

Doom has gone on vacation to visit his family in the east. So now I'm all aloooone! I dropped him off at the airport this morning. We haven't really ever spent much time apart before, except for a small trip he took a looong time ago. So we'll see how I hold up. 


Munster's log, Day one: after a pitiful good-bye (pitiful on my part), I went to school. Thankfully the coursework took my mind off of my partner-less existence. Called Doom in the afternoon to confirm that he arrived safely. He sounded happy, therefore I am happy. I came home, planned out some activities for the weekend, then began my homework. I don't feel quite as pitiful as last night/this morning.

-Munster out

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Birch Trees & Socials!

This weekend I got to do some socializing with the pre-veterinary group I'm in! Okay, only 2 members besides myself showed up, but I did drag Doom along and we got to meet some lovely people and have food and swim in a pool and play some music! Immediately after that I had a get together with my friends at Doom's apartment, and aside from some awkwardness due to the boyfriend of my friend, who I shall call "Finch". Finch's boyfriend doesn't really get along with everyone, he doesn't usually come to our get-togethers as he has an ego or something. Oh well, don't matter, things went smoothly. Doom is still sick but I feel like he's getting better, even though he's kinda hoarse still. I ran into some sinus issues yesterday, but with nasal decongestant I feel better!

 So on to art news: I finished another watercolor painting, and yes there's a human in it. I didn't use a reference so its far from perfect, and its honestly made me realize why I don't draw people often. HAHA I'm just not a fan of drawing humans. But the birch trees were fun! Makes me want to give it another shot soon.
But alas, my carefree ways must end tomorrow! Physics 1 is starting up, I'm nervous/scared, but I'm trying to be brave.

Friday, June 1, 2012

The Summer Bug

Doom and I got sick this week, around the same time. We both started complaining of sore throats. Doom got much sicker than me, however, and has been feeling awful for days. Poor thing. Not much I could do for him though except buy him some soup. He even went to UMC Quick Care, but all they could tell him was that it wasn't strep throat, and it was a "virus" instead. Which is vague, but either way there wasn't anything they could do either but prescribe him some mucinex and anti-inflammatory meds. I'm amazed I recovered so quickly, I had none of the aches that he had, just a sore throat and some mucus. Guess I'm just lucky, (or my immune system kicks ass).
Here are some adorable pics of my silly dog trying to comfort my silly sick boyfriend:
Aside from our sickness, today I took my final exam for my first session summer class. AND I was upset at how difficult it was... I had a really hard time answering many of the questions. I only hope my teacher has mercy (partial points plzzz). Oh well, it is what it is. I'll find out around Monday what I got in the class!
Oh, and today is my father's birthday! Mmm, I can smell the shish kabobs cooking! And I spied a very frost-covered cake. (I love frosting... sugar is my weakness. Unfortunately!)