Friday, July 26, 2002

My. Feet. _Hurt_. My -back- hurts. My -behind- hurts. My toes and arches and calves and knees hurt.

But you know what? I'm having _such_ a good time. The people are pretty much all spiffy, the animals are -wonderful- (even the ones that are terribly sick, more in a sec), I'm getting PAID, and I am learing so damned much it's not funny. It's a miracle that my brain hasn't tried to escape, rebelling and screaming... But I'm _learning_. I've learned to hold animals for various things (No X-rays, yet, but I've done a couple of blood draws, nail trims, and an ultrasound), I'm learning about vaccines (just bordatella, so far, but I hope for more soon), I can do boarding drop-offs and go-homes, I can do the laundry and clean kennels (whee), I know that you can't mix bleach and Roccal, I know that you only use alcohol on the dental stuff, and _so_ much more.

Roccal is this killer disinfectant, but it'll make animals (and people) sick if they consume it in the diluted form. The concentrated form was used to put animals down before the advent/discovery of more humane methods. The sick animals... We had a little rottweiler in for a spay, today, and she had an accident in her kennel. It wasn't too bad, except that she'd laid down and put her feet in her fecal matter. Fortunately, one of the techs came to get her to take her to surgery and volunteered to clean her up. I cleaned her kennel and went off to do other things. She took for _ever_ to come around, and when she did, the techs put her back in, whereupon she promptly had another -- only this time, it was urine and -liquid- fecal matter. Icky, icky, _icky_. I took her out and put her into a run (which could be hosed down far more easily), told her that she was a good girl and that she'd done nothing wrong, and cleaned her kennel up again.

She's really the worst mess I've dealt with to date, and even then it wasn't -that- bad. It was just smelly and, to my prissy little Virgo self, yet another chance to spend the day reeking of dog poop. I managed to avoid getting much on myself, and the little I _did_ get on me didn't smell, so yay.

There's been vomit, too, of course, but mostly big chunky stuff that's been easy to deal with. I also visited the morgue (a big chest freezer) and helped shift and label bodies, which was sad but necessary. (Those of you that live in states with -real- winters, like ground freezes solid type winters, know exactly why we have a deep freeze as our morgue. For our friends in sunnier climes: you can't dig graves in winter, so we hold animals for people whose pets have perished in the middle of winter. Unfortunately, sometimes people forget about them... And apparently, there was a German shepherd that spent three years in the morgue because no one knew anything. Erk. Also, your Vet Tip Of The Day? Don't bring dead animals to your vet (unless they're -yours-). The bunny (opossum, deer, collared earwig, etc.) has perished and the vet can't do anything for it -- besides, there are plenty of scavengers that will happily consume it. If you must do _something_ with a deceased animal, move it off the side of the road into the brush, or at least into the ditch. Or you can bag it in a couple of heavy black garbage bags, tag it with a 'Good Sam' tag, and contact your local pet crematorium about adding it to a mass cremation. Say a prayer for its spirit; bury it; but really -- a vet won't be able to help and they won't feed it to anyone in the clinic. You might see if a local raptor rehab center would want it, particularly if it's A) a rabbit or 'possum or other prey item and B) fresh, like hours-old fresh.)

So, anyway. I've been having a good time. I get to wear scrubs, which are basically pajamas, which is fun. I get to talk to all kinds of people and animals, and watch the vets and the techs do their things, and I get paid! (Have I mentioned the paycheck yet? 'Cause I get one. Which is my favorite part, 'cause it means I have money for anime and junk food. I mean, school.)

My feet hurt.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:57 PM |

All of the post I can think of to make are dull or dumb or full of idiotic syntax. So, like, I'm just gonna like, go read or, like, watch TV or somethin', 'kay?

Or sleep. Sleep is good.

It would be funny to see Kelvath and Avrath deal with a kennel situation... Heh. I swear that I'll write again, some day, when I have a minute to breathe where I don't wish I were asleep... Maybe. Possibly.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:09 PM |

Tuesday, July 23, 2002

Mari -- Heh. I still think the guy is an ass. I'll give a more coherent report later.

Worked seven and a half hours today. I get to work eight tomorrow. And Thursday. And if I don't get the routines down soon, next week when I'm on my lonesome, it will be HELL.

But I got to wash a dirty, -dirty- dog and make her life that much better, did all my Important Paperwork so I'm all official and stuff, learned how to log into the system so I get paid (yay!), got my scrubs on order and a set of loaner scrubs so no one looks askance at me, and my own mail-cubby and bin in the Veterinary Technician Assistant's Room (aka the laundry).

...my feet hurt.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:26 PM |

Monday, July 22, 2002

[...]the author's hypotheses of there being no difference between poor readers diagnosed with dyslexia and poor readers who simply have a low IQ ("Dull Students").

In which case, Mari, I have to tell you that the 'author' is an ASS. And a victim of their own low IQ. Anyone, ANYONE that has read the definition of dyslexia knows that there is NO WAY IN HELL that a dyslexic and someone with a low IQ are one and the same. Now, someone with low IQ -can- have a learning disability, but still -- a learning disability is _different than_ being dyslexic.

An example: The student with dyslexia learns that one makes bookmarks in Netscape* and uses links in building webpages. They -know- and can -recall- that one must go into Netscape, find the bookmark they made, and then copy-and-paste the URL into their homepage builder in order to make a link. The (also dyslexic) student with a learning disability has a very hard time remembering/learning that bookmarks are made in Netscape, links are used in webpages.

Neither of these students are 'dull', or stupid. In fact, they normally test in the above-average to gifted ranges, with good reason. The merely dyslexic student has a potential side-career in web design, due to the copious quantities of creativity that their dyslexia has bestowed upon them -- provided, of course, they're not too busy being an engineer or a pro hockey player. The one with the learning disability has potential, too -- just in a different field. Dance, for instance; perhaps choreography or teaching. Just because they have a tough time learning the difference between what actions are available in a couple of applications that they may or may not be using in any future career doesn't make them 'dull'.

To conclude? The 'author' is stupid and should be beaten soundly with the latest issue of The Annals Of Dyslexia.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:16 AM |

* I simply used this particular browser as an example. Inclusion in my post in no way implies any endorsement of the aforementioned browser. Heh.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:17 AM |

I'm home! I'm employed! I nearly got knocked over by two enthusiastic mastiffs! Thank you, Reesa, Mari, for your good wishes. *Grin*

I started off by helping to swab down the XRay room, the boarding and medical dog wards, the boarding cat ward, and the tech assistant area (a.k.a the laundry, the food prep area, the kitchen). I probably won't remember everything I learned today, but that's okay -- there are lists of what needs to be done where and when, so that's nice. Besides that, I'll be working in the afternoons/early evenings, so I won't have to worry about the major cleaning tasks as they're usually all done in the mornings.

My responsibilities will include walking -every- dog twice; making sure everyone has food and water; cleaning up anything that needs cleaning (for instance, there was a Scotty that got all excited about getting to go outside and spilled some of her water -- I cleaned that up while my trainer took her out); doing laundry; emptying trash cans; giving cats and dogs any required meds; helping to hold for vax, bloodwork, or X-rays; ferrying towels to surgery or anywhere else they're needed; cleaning up in surgery if necessary; and anything else anyone asks me to do.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 2:02 PM |

Off to paint. More later!
Posted by: Shannon M.: 2:16 PM |

Sunday, July 21, 2002

It's funny -- I really don't care for Luis Royo, Boris Vallejo, Frank Frazetta, or Julie whatsername's 'fantasy art' stuff. Particularly and especially their portrayals of the female form. But Brom? I'll look at any of Brom's pictures, any time, anywhere, and I'll look until I think I've seen everything I can see.

I'd whine about needing a job, but... See Next Post. *Grin*
Posted by: Shannon M.: 3:15 PM |

So. Friday morning, I go in for my interview. They ask me questions, I answer. I ask a very few questions (forgetting to ask if there were any other benifits aside from getting to work with animals), get a tour of the whole facility (which is very cool and much, much larger than I thought it was), and go off to get gas and some groceries, including some Edy's Ice Cream Parlor ice cream to celebrate the fact that I actually did really well at the interview (I don't know if I thought I aced it, but I certainly didn't fall over in a heap or trip over anything).

Fast forward to mid-afternoon. Phone rings, and I answer. C, the woman that did some of the interviewing, says hi! We really liked talking with you, and is your schedule clear Monday morning? 10:30? Why don't you come in, work a couple of hours -- we'll pay you -- see how you like it? I say damn right my schedule is clear and I'm not just penciling you in, I'm using a bloody sharpie! (only not in so many words.) So I'm headed in to clean up after big dogs and little dogs and friendly cats and cranky cats and all the points in between, tomorrow morning.

The best part, and the upshot of all this, is: I believe that if I'm still interested in the job Monday after working, I get the job. Yaaaaaaaay!
Posted by: Shannon M.: 3:23 PM |