Test Day: Biochem

The biochem test was tonight, from 7:00pm-8:30pm.  That’s usually when I’m winding down my evening and getting ready for bed.  To counter this habit I brought Stash Chai Spice black tea to school as a dinner time pick me up.  I don’t usually drink black tea, and definitely don’t drink caffeine that late in the day.  It left me bouncy and excited going into the exam.

Leaving the exam I was much more subdued.  The first question was calculating the charge of a polypeptide at a given pH, which is fine and I can do it no problem, but for some reason my brain was struggling with the pKa > pH > pKa thing and which would be protonated and which wouldn’t.  So I took extra time on that question that I probably shouldn’t have had to.  Then I talked myself into a circle in part C of that question trying to decide which of the two polypeptides would be more likely to form a globular protein (since they were both only 6 amino acids long the answer would logically be neither but I didn’t think they would want that.  The second question I aced because I learned collagen inside and out last year and still remember all of my stuff, even stuff about scurvy.  The third question was a graph, and I’m terrible at graphs so I’m not sure how well I did but I should at least get partial credit.

Question 4 started in on the metabolism section, which was a different lecturer, my new nemesis.  I got questions 4, 5, and 6 alright for a total of 20 points I should get at least 15.  Questions 6 and 7 were both on poisons, which took up a total of two slides and maybe two minutes of lecture time.  Both questions were 10 points each. Question 7 had me completely stumped and I’ll be glad to get 2/10 because I just didn’t study that part of the study guide since it was less “general biochem that is essential for the understanding of the subject” and more “something interesting that will maybe entice you to keep studying”.  Needless to say I am annoyed.  Question 8 was easy enough because I know all about red blood cells and why they don’t have oxidative phosphorylation (they lack mitochondria, because if they had mitochondria they would use up all of the oxygen before the rest of our cells had a chance at it, not very efficient).  Question 9 was also easy because I rock at ATP-synthase, though I may have mixed up a few details because I was pressed for time and wanted to at least write something for Question 7.  Needless to say I needed a stiff drink when I got home.  I settled for a London Porter.  It did the trick, I am feeling much less irritated and much more relaxed.

Lectures today were good.  Animal Handling talked about Deer again and was actually entertaining.  Physiology and Anatomy were both dealing with the cardiovascular system and I was able to take good notes for both classes taught by the same lecturer.

During the break between Physiology and Anatomy I was able to go to the Massey Doctors and actually see a doctor and actually get a prescription for antibiotics, which I picked up when I went into town after the RADIC meeting.  The only problem with the antibiotics is that they recommend taking them an hour before meals.  This wouldn’t seem to be an issue, except that I don’t really plan when I eat.  I eat when I get hungry.  That’s pretty random.  I eat breakfast right when I wake up because otherwise I forget.  So for the next few days I will have to take my pill when I wake up and then eat toast or something on the way to school, then remember to take my second pill an hour before the lunch break (good luck with that), and the third an hour before I eat dinner (as if I ever know when that is going to be), and the last at some point.  I’m not sure if they think I eat 4 times a day, or if I should be.  I ‘m lucky if I remember to eat twice a day.

I am so ready for this week to be over.  I should have passed my test, I will be shocked if I didn’t.  Even if I didn’t, I can still pass the final and therefore the whole class.  Tomorrow is a Biochem lecture followed by a Histology lab for Physiology on cardiac muscle.  I am not impressed.  I just want to sleep through all of it, but knowing me I’ll be up before my alarm tomorrow anyway.  Joy of Joys.

Test day: Animal Handling

This morning was the mid-semester exam for Animal Behaviour, Handling, and Welfare.  The test itself wasn’t too difficult, but upper classmen have warned us that Kevin Stafford is a tough grader.  Luckily he is also equally tough on everyone, so even though we will get answers wrong, we will likely all get just as many wrong answers as everyone else, so the curve will be low but most of us will get good grades.  Not sure if that is a good thing, but as long as I pass, I should be okay.

After the test we had Physiology lecture taught by the Anatomy paper coordinator (the lecturer for the first 15 or so lectures in Anatomy).  This apparently confused a number of my classmates into thinking that we had Anatomy instead of Physiology.  I fear for the future of the veterinary profession.

After Physiology was a one hour break during which I took my sick throat over to the Massey Doctors to get looked at.  I was booked in to see the triage nurse and was seen within fifteen minutes of my arrival.  Unfortunately because my strep wasn’t BAD enough (only slight yellowing of my tonsils not “big white fluffy clouds”) they couldn’t do anything for me today.  She did get me an appointment with one of the doctors tomorrow during the same time slot though.  Hopefully by then my throat will be bad enough to get some attention.  These doctors are absolutely useless.  Though that’s probably why they work at the school, only a captive audience and revolving door of new faces can keep them in business.

Anatomy was the same lecturer again, which made me happy though annoyed some of my classmates who can’t get past her accent.  We learned about the function and embriology of the upper respiratory system.  Again she finished early but had a lot of good information.

After lectures were finished we all piled into the vet tower to get our free polo shirts with the Massey Vet logo embroidered on them.  These are supposed to make us look more professional at practicals and work experience.  Mostly its just another shirt in my drawer so that I don’t have to do laundry as often.  It is purple and black though so that is cool.  Maybe I’ll post a pic when I get a chance.

Lab today was focusing on the thoracic cavity so we got to crush some ribs.  The snapping sound was actually really satisfying and the process was a lot more fun than I expected.  One of my table mates is now nicknamed Bone Crusher because she did most of the crushing.  We made it through lab in record time (finished before 4) and found all of the things we needed to find.  The fourth year demonstrators were actually kinda impressed.  Though we did get a bit of a slow start trying to figure out where to cut (and ran into the deep pectoral muscle rib-blocking us like a punk) we did an awesome job and only cut the lungs a little bit.

Tomorrow is the Biochem midterm, I am not worried.  We are done with lectures at noon, then RADIC till one, then nothing till the test at seven.  There will be plenty of time to review and helping others study will help me study.

I got my carepackage from the states today as well.  It had Goldfishes, chocolate, Pirate Booty (so excited) and a shirt that smells like home.  I am a happy camper.

First Monday Back (after the study break)

After three weeks off due to a combination of illness and scheduled study break it was actually really nice to be back at school.  I missed the routine and the schedule and the people.  I even enjoyed sitting in lecture for hour stretches.  Even the long hikes between classes didn’t seem so bad.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  I really am a school nerd.

We started the deer section in Animal Handling today, new lecturer.  Its not nearly as much fun as listening to Kevin Stafford’s Irish accent, but the deer guy is pretty interesting and I like learning about deer.  Its mostly the same lecture he gave when I took Animal Health, Behaviour, and Welfare last year, but he does tailor it a bit for vet students.  The midterm for this class is tomorrow, I’m not terribly worried about it.

In Physiology we had our last endocrinology lecture (which I already went over thanks to not knowing where to stop during my makeup study over the break).  The computer wasn’t working so we worked entirely off of the overhead projector, which was not ideal.  His handwriting is very messy and he talks way too fast.  Overall it was not the best lecture but I don’t feel like I missed out on any important information so its okay.

In Biochemistry we finished up the lecture on regulation of glycolysis.  This stuff is still pretty much review for me so it was easy and a nice mental break.  The midterm for this class is on Wednesday.  I looked over the previous year’s midterms and feel confident in my ability to pass easily.

In Anatomy we started on the thoracic cavity and learned all about ribs and muscles and sternum.  This was also a new lecturer, a woman with a thick Indian accent.  She was perky and fun and not terribly difficult to understand (though she did try her hardest to make herself as understandable as possible).  I really enjoyed her lecture and hope we get at least one more with her.  She even ended early even though she engaged the class with questions and such.

After lectures was a SVECCS meeting.  The presenter talked about all of the random side effects and negative reactions that horses can have to commonly used drugs (including penicillin and alpha blockers).  It was a very interesting talk, this is one of my favourite clubs to be a part of.

After SCECCS there was an hour break before the tutorial for Biochem.  I sat in the vet tower and had my lunch (and more tea for my throat) until a scheduled fire drill.  When I was ousted from my comfy spot in the vet tower, I wandered over to the AgHort building where the tutorial was being held.  After sitting there for about fifteen minutes, you guessed it, another fire drill.  This time I was able to wait it out with my classmates at the fire assembly point before heading back inside for the tut (pronounced toot, its kiwi slang I guess).  Most of the questions people asked were really good, and most of the answers were along the lines of “don’t worry too much about the nitty gritty details.” Which prompted me to post to FaceBook “Damnit Jim, I’m a Doctor not a Biochemist!”

I took the bus home and stopped in at the pharmacy that I pass on the way home from the far bus stop to get throat lozenges.  They are called ManukaGuard Honey Lozenges with 100% pure active Manuka Honey (whatever that means).  I like them because its like eating honey.  Well apparently it IS eating honey (pretty precisely).  Supposedly it “soothes throats and supports healing” but whatever they taste good and while I’m sucking on them I can ignore the pain in my throat.  I did a self examination (using a flashlight and a mirror) and have decided that its most likely strep throat, so I am taking myself to the doctor sometime this week for antibiotics.  Ah the joys of a less than optimum immune system.  Though at least my joints have been better.

I’m off to bed so that I can shuffle around all of the information that I have on Animal Handling for the test tomorrow.

 

Last Friday of the break

Today wasn’t nearly as productive as I had intended.  I think I’m coming down with another cold.  I have the slightly runny nose, dry scratchy throat, and a tickle in my lungs threatening to make me cough.  Good thing I have sniffle tea, honey, and ginger.  I think I will buy lemons the next time I go shopping so that I can make my lemon tea that seems to help me recover faster (I don’t care if it’s a placebo effect, I’ll take what I can get).

I did study some of my Animal Handling notes, even though I couldn’t focus very well.  I got through about half the lectures that are going to be covered, and it was all pretty easy stuff.  I have found that joking with my friends about some of the stuff is a good way for me to remember the things I’m going over.  Like how crazy cats are, and how puppies are born in a larval form and have to pupate before they become cute (our professor actually refers to them as slugs).  That and amusing them with bits of random information they didn’t have before, like that there were never any wolves in Ireland so the Irish Wolf Hound is purely a human creation for the sake of creation (scaled up Deer Hounds with their best attribute being their tolerance for bag pipes).

Shadow was a bit of a pest today.  He would NOT leave me alone.  When I went to make myself a sandwich for lunch (grilled cheese with tomato and avocado, amazingly good), he followed me into the kitchen and then proceeded to headbutt me and clamour for attention.  I figured that my Feline Overlord wanted tribute from the wet cat food sachet, but no he was not pleased by my offering.  I ate my lunch and still he was pestering me for Something.  Every time I tried to pet him he would nuzzle my hand and then walk away.  Finally I realised that he was looking for playtime.  He was frustrated that the weather was not permitting him his usual outside time and needed a good distraction.  A rousing game of stringaling was just what he needed.  After we played he went right to the food dish and stuffed his little black face.

Tomorrow I will again attempt studying, even though it is Saturday.  Because I have a midterm coming up and those don’t allow for weekends.  It will require copious amounts of tea, but I will succeed.

 

a friend of mine turned me onto an new band called Flyleaf (they’ve been around since 2004 but I only just how found them so they are new to me, like my used car).  So far I have liked every song of theirs that I have been able to find on the YouTubes.  Please, enjoy their music.  As my friend said, they are very grassy rootsy with a sincerity that you just don’t hear in music these days.

Captains log: Day…something…break is almost over

More reading of articles and taking notes today.  The boring part of writing an essay.  I’m still not sure what training time I’m going to use for the write-up, but at least I will have my references hashed out.  I may have become side tracked when my darling friend back home sent me an article on training that I probably won’t be able to work into the actual assignment, but at least it was an interesting read.

For lunch today I cooked my favourite fettuccine Alfredo.  I did this at the same time as two of my loved ones back home did, so it was almost like we were all doing it together.  We even skyped while we ate (and did dishes) which made it even better.  My lunch was a bit later than usual though so I’m only having a small dinner (avocado and tomato salad with salt and pepper, so good).  I didn’t get any pictures sorry, just think fancy high end restaurant quality (since the recipe comes from a Cordon Bleu chef).

Tomorrow I start studying for the Animal Handling midterm and the Biochem midterm.  I’m going to try to split it up so that I don’t get burned out on any one thing.  Especially since both are mostly review.  I hope to be able to do a bit each day until the tests which are Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

Study Break day 8

Today I had intended to go out to sushi for lunch, but the wind was really bad so I stayed in.  I then tried to make roasted zucchini for lunch (with a balsamic vinegar reduction and garlic toast), but that failed because the zucchini was off.  So instead I stayed in, found articles to use as resources for my assignment, and asked my friend Hawaii to take me to the market when she was done milking cows.

I picked up some Caesar salad fixins and made myself a chicken Caesar salad for dinner (with garlic cheesy bread) and picked up ingredients to make my own re-fried beans and Spanish rice for the weekend.  But my day was not all about food (though I wish it were).  I also worked on my assignment by finding articles and taking notes on the relevant parts so that I can reference them easily in my paper.

I also ate some chocolate.  And made a Chai late.  Because those things plus academic articles are my happy place.

Study Break Day 7 (not counting weekends of course)

Today I slept in, because nightmares.  That is the last time I think a picture of a spider actually looks pretty.

Thankfully that didn’t slow me down today.  I was still quite productive, managing to get through most of my assignment for my E-Portfolio.  I am leaving it in rough draft form so that I can go over it with my group when we get back from the break.  I wrote up my entire section about mental and physical health and how I maintain it in my busy school life, and most of my part on Animal Welfare.

Tomorrow I will work on my last assignment: my animal handling assignment.  In that one I get to talk about how I trained my flatmate’s dog to sit when she wants attention from me, rather than jumping around like a lunatic.  Ah the joys of small dogs.

Study Break Week Two

I had a nice weekend of not doing anything study related at all.  I even had a nice lunch with the bestie on Sunday followed by watching the 13th Warrior.  I also played a great deal of Harvest Moon, because I love farming video games.

Today I buckled down and wrote my anatomy assignment.  We dissected the palmar carpal ligament and then had do describe  it in anatomical terms.  I kept it under 300 words as required.  Now all I have to do is draw it.  I have been practicing on scrap pieces of paper, but its not going to be pretty.  Thankfully we are not being graded on our drawing abilities.

Tonight I am having dinner with some friends I made back in my first year trying to get into vet.  Apparently they made nachos, so we shall see how they turn out.  She is a fantastic cook so it should be pretty delicious, but the access to good Mexican food (and supplies for making your own) are pretty limited.