ISF = intentional study failure.

So the ISF mock happened on Friday of this past week. After going through the 15 minutes of being grilled about what I know about a particular structure or organ, I now know what happens when you get tunnel vision in revision.

Ok, grilled is a bit harsh. The lecturers I had my ISF with were actually quite nice, and tried to help as much as possible while I was answering. It was reassuring to realize that yes, they actually DO want you to pass and do well. One question I completely blanked on (aced anatomy, failed on the histology part of it) and did fairly well on the second (I somehow managed to remember the information I learned last term).

As for the tunnel vision...

I focused SO hard on trying to remember the muscles and bones and innervation of things that I got stuck on the first page of the Level 1 ISF questions. I'm so behind now on studying that I don't know if I'll be able to catch up by the end of the term. Silly of me, really. Now that the ISF panic is over, I can get back to being productive and studying what I'm supposed to be studying for the end of term exam.

But now, I'm going to go see Ben Folds in concert! It's been a concert filled weekend, with Maroon 5 and Sara Bareilles on Friday night and Ben Folds tonight. My last weekend of bliss before I bury myself with school work until end of term (3 weeks! Time flies...).

Cute overload.

How? Lambs. Are. Too. Cute.

Seriously. We had our Lambing practical at Hawkshead campus yesterday and it was amazing. I mean, I enjoyed the piggies (as a person who had never touched a pig before that day, it was pretty cool), but lambs? I mean, seriously. What little kid didn't dream of playing with lambs at some point in their life?

Ok, maybe I'm one of a few dozen. Anyway.

So first part of the practical involved us learning how the normal birthing process happened in a ewe (sans hormones and positive feedback loops and such) and how the lamb is placed, what can happen, what things to remember, etc etc. After that talk, we got our hands dirty in some artificial ewes (big boxes with warm water, a plastic bag and a ewe pelvis to simulate the birth canal) and...well, some lambs that hadn't quite made it (mostly stillborn). It was weird at first, but so unbelievably helpful to get a feel for what will happen on a farm.

After that process was over, we went out and observed some ewes, moved the new moms and their lambs to separate pens, and learned how to ear-tag, tail-dock, and castrate the lambs. Not my best moment. Or theirs, for that matter. Towards the end, we watched a few ewes in the progress of giving birth, but alas. Unable to actually see it happen. Guess I'll just have to wait til April for that.

Windy City = London?

For the past week, the wind has been out of control here. Not a day goes by without my hair whipping in my face (painfully, sometimes) at some point. Also, I can count the number of days we've had sun (for maybe 10 minutes) since coming back on one hand. My body really misses the sun.

On a school note: we've got our mock oral ISF (integrated structure and function) exam coming up soon. Thankfully RVC has sent us a list of the Level One questions the examiners will be pulling from, so at least we can prepare for those, but we're on our own for the Level Two and Three questions. At least when you reach a Level Three question in an exam, you know you have at least a 70% (which is AMAZING considering a passing grade is a 50%).

Also, I just realized this: I'm halfway through my second term here. In 4 weeks I start my AHEMs placements. Eek.

Oh, and tomorrow? I play with pigs. This should be interesting.

Husbandry (hint: not the practice of getting husbands)

For the next couple of weeks, focus for lectures has shifted to husbandry and behavior and the like. Why? We've all got placements coming up during the spring holiday and we need to know our stuff. At placements, we have to take notes on how the farms run things, what they could improve, etc, etc, ad nauseum. Today was Animal Housing, Ruminant Care, and Animal Behavior. Now, I've taken Animal Nutrition, Equine Care and Handling, and 2 semesters worth of Animal Behavior. So needless to say, some of this is a review.

Cue me playing Angry Birds for 3 lectures in a row. Whoops.

Good news, though: I've gotten my 3 placements for the spring holiday approved! 6 weeks down, 6 weeks to go.

Reason I love London: #2934

Ok...I made up that number, but I've lost count of the reasons I love London.

Friday, I had finally had the chance to go see The King's Speech with a few friends (I'd been waiting to see it forEVER). Went to the Odeon Camden (smallest theatre ever, but it was nice). Don't think I'll ever get used to assigned seats at the movie theatre, though...but I digress. Go see the movie. It's fabulous and a must-see. As if I needed another reason to fall in love with Colin Firth...

The point of the above paragraph is this:

It's hard to see, but the gist of the plaque is that the RVC building, Hobday, (which is the place I practically LIVE I'm in there so often) was opened by King George the VI, and his wife Queen Elizabeth was there. I walk by this thing EVERY DAY and (of course) never noticed it. I just get such a kick out of seeing it there.

Concentration station.

I have to say, after one term of vet school, I'm much more in the groove of studying.

Well, not yesterday. Yesterday was a day spent watching movies and recovering from a hangover. Whoops.

But overall, I've gotten a lot of work done during the week. Last term, I was having trouble concentrating on anything. Now, I think I'm starting to get the hang of things again.

And now, back to my regularly scheduled studying session.

Back to the grind.

Flying back to London today. Pretty sure I'm not quite ready to leave. Classes start up again on Monday, and again...pretty sure I'm not ready for those yet. I wish there was just one more week of break, so I could have at least had more than 3 weeks here instead of 2 and a half weeks. It's just not long enough. And because of AHEMS placements, I'm not going to be back until July at the earliest.

Did you hear that? That was my gigantic sigh. I miss home already.