answers come when i'm not looking for them...

i'm home again and restless. it's 1:20am - and i'm not used to being this awake and having nothing to do. i'm officially on break until january 2nd. boards are over. the matching/internship application deadline is past - everything is turned in - finished. i'm free. for the time being, that is. and what to do - what to do? well, other than shop for christmas presents, clean, pack, and get ready to frolic off for a jaunt to home, then florida...

i think i neglected to mention that the cat whose leg i amputated on my externship is now residing in my household (temporarily, i hope). the owner didn't want to pay for surgery so he relinquished the kitty. he was named grayson, but i changed it to norman (after norman bates). this kitty is a hair on the psychotic side - bipolar, at the very least. he goes from loving to be petted to growling. of course, his stump probably hurts...so i'm going to wait a bit before i make any judgements about true temperament. pictures will be forthcoming, once i've charged the camera battery.

i might have raved about how much i enjoyed my externship. seems like i did, eh? i had my exit interview today - and i think, if i so desire, i could return to that clinic for an internship. and it just might be the answer to all of my concerns. the ALMOST perfect answer. it pays $30,000 (compared to $20,000 - 27,000 at any of my other choices). i love the city - the little i saw of it during my time there. you work a week, then you have a week off - during which you can do relief vet work at local clinics and earn an extra $35-40,000 a year (relief work pays very well). it's a mere hour and 45 minutes away - allowing the husband easy commute time should he need to see his advisor for dissertation consultation, also allowing him to keep his stipend/assistanceship and teach 2 days a week (=$20,000 extra a year). imagine - we could be making $90,000 a year in just 5 months time. on top of all this, i loved the clinic and staff. i had access to excellent diagnostics - we had ultrasound, digital radiography (with access to the radiologists at my school for review/collaboration), 2 surgery suites, monitoring equipment for anesthesia, and excellent technicians. furthermore, specialists in ophthalmology, internal medicine, orthopedics, etc are present or available much of the time. and i LOVED emergency work. i found it (despite the odd bad case - see the post below) to be very rewarding. even though i lost some of my most difficult cases - the owners of these animals were so wonderful and so grateful - it made the sadness easier to bear.

there is a downside to all this upside, though - the organization was a little lacking and the clinic tended to run out of important stuff- like heartworm tests and green blood tubes and diff-kwik stain for blood smears. but those things - eh. you find stuff like that anywhere. my only real concern is that this internship wouldn't be super-competitive if i decided that - after all - i did want to pursue further training and do a residency. i might have to do another internship later on - at an academic institution or a more well-known referral center.

what i keep coming back to is this - i loved it there. i relished what i was doing. i felt challenged and excited and fulfilled. isn't that what's most important? i could see myself being very happy in that environment. it would be a good decision for not just myself but for my husband - which is very important, too.

yes, it might just be the answer after all...