So not in shape.

So I wrote a while ago about my not-resolution to run a 10K this year.

Unfortunately, the 10K I planned on running closed, so I'm making it up by running a 5K next month. Not quite as awesome or scary, but hopefully still doable. But on top of all of this, a few friends and I have started to go to the gym more often in order to get more into shape.

Well. Last night we went to Core Stability at the gym, which basically equates to a Biggest Loser type work-out. So needless to say, walking is really difficult today (and so is going up stairs and lifting my arms).

It just really highlights how out of shape I really am. I mean, I was a pretty active person in high school; I ran and did swim for a few years, and I rode my horse pretty much every day of the week. Once college hit, I rode less and eventually sold my horse. After that, I became sedentary. Yeah, maybe a few times I surfaced out of it, but overall...I was a lazy couch potato.

So now, I'm determined to not let that happen again. Maybe I won't look quite so slender as I did in my teens...but I didn't really have much shape back then either. I'd like to keep the good parts of my figure.

As for school: we've started our cardiology module this week, and I've realized how much I really like diagnostic imaging. We had a echocardiography lecture today, as well as a lecture on cardiac radiography, both of which I found extremely interesting. I did find an equine diagnostic imaging internship a while ago that I was debating on trying out for; now, I will definitely be applying (read:begging) to that.

Learning to tie a knot.

This week was our first week learning how to do sutures and tie knots. RVC has this wonderful place called the Clinical Skills Centre (or Center for us Americans) that gives students the opportunity to learn and practice their Day One skills (clinical skills that we'll need to know on our first day on the job). This week, we learned more about surgical tools, suturing, and how to do a one-handed surgeon's knot.

Well, last night I was bored out of my mind, and remembered that the ladies at the CSC gave us a two-colored string for us to practice the knot with. So I watched the new episode of Criminal Minds and practiced doing my surgeon's knot.

Seriously. I have the best life ever.

I am proud to say that I have (sort of) mastered the one handed surgeons knot with a very thick string. The real trick now will be to do it with slippery suture material while I'm trying to perform surgery on a living, breathing animal. Only a couple of months left until I have my first clinical placement!

TGI...weekend.

Week one is over, and it was a whirlwind week (sort of). It's our second to last week of the reproduction strand, and I got to do sutures for the first time as a clinical vet student (and actually know what I was doing...sort of).

That piglet over the summer was almost like a teaser to see if I could actually stick a needle into a living animal. Tada! I can. And I can do it to inanimate flesh as well, since we learned what suture technique to use after performing a caesarean section. Using an actual uterus from a cow (they get them at the abattoir when the cows get slaughtered).

So yeah. Feeling very much a vet student after this week.

On a side note; the running thing is going ok. I only managed one run on Monday so far, and then spin took me out of the race (haha, pun) for a few days. I'm back on the wagon today, though: I've got my running shoes on and as soon as I get the motivation, I'm gonna go out and do my run. I swear. Really. Even though there's still frost on the grass.

White noise.

I have a new pattern to studying now. Instead of listening to music, I've been listening to the Harry Potter audiobooks, being read by Stephen Fry. Seriously, best background noise ever. I've always been one of those studiers that needed white noise in order to focus well. And for some reason, this seems to work.

On another note, a friend of mine posted this wonderful video on facebook earlier today. It's from Burning Man 2011; a bunch of participants were filmed reciting the words of Dr. Seuss's "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" It made me a bit weepy; I can't tell if it's because it's so well done or if I'm just a bit of a sap. Probably both. Anyway, here it is. Hope it gives a bit of inspiration for those of you who are doing vet school interviews soon.

Here's to 2012.

Here's to it being another fabulous year for all of us. 

I don't really do resolutions any more, since they never really work out for me in the end. So every year, I resolve to not make resolutions. 

But this year, I'm going to run a 10k after 10 years of not running (I ran cross country until my sophomore year of high school...which was scarily 10 years ago). I even bought new running shoes! And my other not resolution? Keep passing vet school. Because, you know, that's kind of important too.

So here's to 2012. Hopefully the world doesn't end.