relief

i feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my body. today was our 3rd GI exam. i took it on about 2 hours of solid sleep. i don't think i performed particularly well. and i don't care. for the next week and 4 days, i don't have a single test to take. the feeling is one of immense relief. i can study slowly, focus on what i'm learning, and prepare for my finals. the last 4 weeks have been a nightmare, for a variety of reasons - chief among them the fact that we've had approx 2 tests a week - repeatedly. i was about to the end of my rope. in fact, i think i was at the end of my rope, technically. since, instead of studying as much as i should have for this test, i got distracted a lot. it was the worst, most blurred 4 weeks of my life. i think. other things outside of school are affecting me too, but ... i hope everything will be smoother from here on to the end of the semester. i have one more week of classes, then the weekend + 2 study days, then 4 finals. and then i'm officially a third year vet student. kind of dizzying how fast time is flying by me.

i won an award at the annual honors convocation dinner. it was a Merck award, for demonstrating outstanding leadership and citizenship within the vet school. i was nominated by a faculty member, though i will never know who precisely. i got to go to a big fancy dinner (incidentally - on the night BEFORE my GI exam) - and got to eat a lot - and then had to go up on stage and have my picture taken in front of 300 people. it was embarrassing but nice to be recognized. at any rate...

tonight, i went to dinner with 2 of the avian vets from school, classmates, and a noted avian veterinarian who has won the LaFeber award before (big award in the world of avian medicine). it was a good time. we went to stir fry cafe, i had a red stripe and general tso's chicken, and it relaxed me. now i'm just chilling. because i'm taking the FREAKING weekend off. i haven't had a weekend that i didn't have to study on for 3 weeks or something ridiculous like that.

tomorrow is the vet school 'prom' - actually the congrats 2nd year students, you're officially halfway done with clinics big drunkfest. it's an animal masquerade, held at the knoxville zoo. it promises to be a lot of fun. i'm going as a cockatoo. i have a long, slinky white dress and a fabulous head crest of white feathers designed by sharon - and a big feather white boa. i'm going to be very convincing and very sexy. i might post pictures.

my sister-in-law was accepted into dental school. she and andrew will be moving to memphis in a couple of months, to prepare for starting dental school in the fall. i'm excited and anxious for her (since i know what medical programs can do to people - i fall more on the anxious side).

i think that's about all to report here. not very interesting. i've lost the ability to be interesting.