Diary of a Vet Student

Hello.
Just had probably one of the most productive weekends of my life. Actually that’s not strictly true. At least I hope it isn’t, because if it is that makes me generally quite an unproductive person. Anyway. Check me. I’ve written a 3000word statistics project (which may well be totally wrong, but we’ll see). I’ve done a behavioural consultation and written a cover letter to the owner plus a treatment plan and I’ve finished my outreach leaflet. Also managed to go out Friday and Saturday night and watch a rugby match yesterday. Awesome.
Friday was a great night. Super Dooper Pete had managed to organise three very good bands to play at the bar on sight. They were all brilliant, so good to hear a few old classics courtesy of the amazing “Langford Stranglers”. Gutted that Glasgow don’t have a band of their own and Bristol have got 3 at the mo. Maybe I could start one when I get back. Although learning to play guitar/ learn to sing not howl might be quite instrumental in this. Oo, awful pun. Sorry.
Anyway. Saturday night was a few quiet drinks at a mate’s house, washed down with a couple of pork pies. Strange isn’t it that in most cases, we wash food down with drink, but when the drink’s alcoholic it seems to work so much better in reverse. I love pork pies. Cor.
Yesterday the Bristol vets had a pre-clinical against clinical rugby match, which was great to watch. Lots of thighs and things, but I’m also pleased that my knowledge of rugby seems to be developing. I reckon I’ve managed to compile a basic catalogue of important rugby facts now. The most important point seems to be that you can’t throw the ball forwards. This is fundamental and yet very rarely emphasised to amateur rugby watchers, who like me often watch 2 or 3 matches without even realising. Sadly pre-clinical won yesterday and to top things off my flat mate spent most of the night and a large chunk of the morning nursing very broken boyfriend in casualty.
Tonight I’m off to a jazz ball, which is a bit different but should be good. Got a quieter week now work-wise. Just trying to work out what to write for my dissertation. Hmm.
Bye

Things are a bit manic on the work front at the moment. Just been to print services, trying to get a leaflet about how vet students can get themselves more involved in animal welfare. I've just got too much information on the leaflet and the nice leady there is pulling her hair out and probably wants to kill me. Also got 3000 words to write about the welfare of rainbow fish (hello?) for next week. This Friday am doing a behavioural consult to write up for Monday. But it's nearly easter and i've got my eye on an amazing giant sized Yorkie Easter egg in Budgens so all will be well, when it is mine.

Last week managed to haul my sorry ass out to 2 pub quizzes. Pub quizzes are great, because you can never underestimate how great you'll feel when you contribute the one tiiny obscure answer that no-one else knows, but that makes all the difference in terms of raising your team's status from "the bunch of total numpties" to " lets give them the benefit of the doubt". My big answers this week was "Brookside" which gives you some indication as to the complexity of the quiz. Never the less, I felt good when I bellowed that one out (actually I squeaked it out, becauuse if the truth be known I wan't actually that confident about being right).

Anyway the weekend consisted of lasagne eating and wine drinking with lots of nice people. There was a lot of love in that lasgane. I've never made one before, but it turned out pretty yum.

This weekend should be good. Pete the super-organiser has organised a band night, for Friday. I've go to work for the rest of the weekend, but will have to think of something to do to break it up. AS we've got no lectures anymore, just course work we're all confined to the hostel and it's making me go slightly crazy.

Next week is last week of term, with big cocktail party on Thursday night. Will be very good, but slightly concerned about militaristic drinking regulations to be imposed immediately on entering the venue. Oh its a hard life.

OK bye

So glad tis saturday. WE have had hardly any lectures all week, so have been doing some work on outreach, project and DSE.

Spent the last two days at the chicken farm collecting data for my project. last week it was absolutely freezing. I couldn't see the chickens because of the snow flakes in my eyes. This week at least the weather was warmer, but nothing can compensate for the utter boredom of having to record the positions of each individual on the range 8 times a day. I am going mad. Have started to twitch and wink at strangers for no apparent reason.

Not to worry. Went to a great talk at the clinical club on Wednesday night - all about elephants in Uganda and reindeer in Mongolia.

Last night I went to cardif for a quite night out with ma wee sister. lots of wine and chocolate fudge cake. Very yum.

Tonight doing a kind of party safari - two parties in two villages (check me out). Only problem is the contradictory (does that make sense?) dress code. Seventies vs conventional jeans and nice top. There must be a middle ground and if there isn't I will have to create one. We will see.

I wrote this Blog on Wednesday and have just found it on my memory stick – forgot to publish it. So I’ll publish it now and write a much more interesting one to follow it up.

Work work work. Life is a lot about work at the moment. But never mind, because where there’s work there’s chocolate and there’s tea and biscuits too so I think I can cope.

At the moment I’m putting the data I’ve been collecting at the exciting chicken farm into an excel spread sheet. Then I’ll have to start thinking about how I’m going to analyse it and then I’ll start mustering the strength to think about writing 10,000 words for the write up, which I’m told counts for everything.

We’re also preparing an outreach project. I’m going to try to get 1st year vet students to be more involved in welfare. A few people have published papers about how vets lose their compassion and concern for animal welfare and become quite toughened as they progress through their careers. This really need not be the case so I’m trying to design a talk or a leaflet for 1st years about how to avoid this and get more involved in welfare.

Then we’ve got out flippin DSE projects –all about designing a statistical project for evaluating behaviour. Mine is on rainbow fish (can you believe it). Statistics is a large, rather hairy green muddy slug that’s crawled out of a rotting rectum somewhere. I’m not keen.

Lots of pancake parties this week. Have steered away from the old traditional fillings and opted for the more unusual hip-building varieties such as bounties and Mars bars.
K -bye