In Nutrition & Metabolism class yesterday, we had a brief discussion about the production of urea during the metabolic process. Our instructor then segued into a slightly different topic, starting with a slide showing his beautiful, lush, green lawn. Next slide: pictures of a cute black lab peeing on some grass. Third slide: the instructor's lawn with a bunch of ugly dead spots on it.
A surprising number of people are really concerned about the appearance of their grass, and dog urine, with its fairly high concentration of urea, is pretty good at killing grass. A lot of people blame this on the pH level of their dog's urine, so they try all sorts of home remedies to alkalinize or acidify the urine. Something they unfortunately don't know is that messing around with your dog's pH levels can do bad things like predisposing your dog to urinary tract infections or even bladder stones. What's more, pH levels aren't actually even responsible for urine killing grass -- it's the urea.
So next we talked about different ways to alter urea levels in the urine. One way is by feeding a diet specially formulated for animals in kidney failure. (One of the problems in kidney failure is that certain proteins aren't metabolized efficiently by the body, and urea is formed when the body tries to metabolize the proteins. Normally, the kidney can filter and excrete this urea. But when the kidneys get sick, they can't filter so much urea and it ends up remaining in the blood -- which is why you see an elevated BUN, or Blood Urea Nitrogen level. Anyway, to try to avoid this problem, certain pet food companies have formulated diets that contain types of protein that the animal's body can metabolize efficiently, thus minimizing the amount of urea that is formed to begin with.)
Another thing you can consider is giving your dog a saltier food, or just putting salt on her food. That will make her drink more water, which will result in a more dilute urine so the relative concentration of urea in the urine is decreased. However, the increase in water intake can also increase the volume of the blood, which can be dangerous for some pets, like those with heart disease.
It bothers me a little that people are so concerned about the appearance of their lawn that they would do all sorts of things to their pets just to try to alter the natural content of their pet's urine. It especially bothers me when people make these changes without consulting their vet to find out whether they might actually be harming their pet or predisposing them to disease.
Fortunately -- good instructor! -- we also discussed a couple non-invasive ways to save your lawn. One is by replanting your grass. Apparently certain species of grasses are less susceptible to damage or death by high levels of urea.
But the best strategy, which I think should actually be the first thing that owners try, is to simply train your dog to urinate in a particular place. If Molly pees in the same corner of the yard every time she goes out, that corner will be extra dead and the rest of your grass can thrive. Obviously, this will probably work better for female pets, since males like to wander around and claim every single object as their own. But that same tendency makes males less likely to damage the grass to begin with, since they are only depositing a small amount of urine, and thus a small amount of urea, in each spot.
Or, you could just stop caring so much about your darn lawn. :-)
Friday, January 30, 2009
Employed!
As of 11:15 this morning, I am officially employed again! I can now add to my resume the oh-so-coveted position of tour guide at the veterinary teaching hospital. Is the pay great? Nope. (More important question: Is it paid? Yes!)
During the last 3 semesters of my undergrad at ASU, I got plenty used to working 20-35 hours a week for what started as $7/hr and ended up at $12.50. Certainly not enough to totally support myself, but add in a full tuition waiver PLUS an annual living expense stipend from ASU, and I was pretty set. It was nice to have that feeling of working hard and getting a much-deserved paycheck every couple weeks.
Life at CSU is a bit of a different story. My vet clinic job ended in mid-June and I had a summer gig through early August that paid somewhat decently. Since starting vet school, though, I've been leeching off those around me - namely, CLH, my parents, and the government. All of a sudden, I have to pay this thing they call tuition (which costs about $45,000 a year for out-of-state students... gasp). CLH's income covers the majority of our day-to-day living expenses and bills. What's my contribution? Oh, about... $0. At times this has been intensely frustrating, especially as I first got used to the feeling of not helping at all on the financial end of things. (And, to make matters worse, accruing student loans at breakneck speed.)
So I have a job. Is it going to make a difference? Financially, almost definitely not. Psychologically? Absolutely. With an estimated 3-5 hours of work a month (and a rather laughable hourly wage), at least I'll have a teeny tiny something to contribute.
During the last 3 semesters of my undergrad at ASU, I got plenty used to working 20-35 hours a week for what started as $7/hr and ended up at $12.50. Certainly not enough to totally support myself, but add in a full tuition waiver PLUS an annual living expense stipend from ASU, and I was pretty set. It was nice to have that feeling of working hard and getting a much-deserved paycheck every couple weeks.
Life at CSU is a bit of a different story. My vet clinic job ended in mid-June and I had a summer gig through early August that paid somewhat decently. Since starting vet school, though, I've been leeching off those around me - namely, CLH, my parents, and the government. All of a sudden, I have to pay this thing they call tuition (which costs about $45,000 a year for out-of-state students... gasp). CLH's income covers the majority of our day-to-day living expenses and bills. What's my contribution? Oh, about... $0. At times this has been intensely frustrating, especially as I first got used to the feeling of not helping at all on the financial end of things. (And, to make matters worse, accruing student loans at breakneck speed.)
So I have a job. Is it going to make a difference? Financially, almost definitely not. Psychologically? Absolutely. With an estimated 3-5 hours of work a month (and a rather laughable hourly wage), at least I'll have a teeny tiny something to contribute.
Weather update
Well, the outside weather is improving - up to the high 40s/low 50s today. I could even walk from the anatomy building to my finance class without a jacket!
The weather inside the anatomy building, however, remains dismal. I came back to the cubes after finance to spend a few hours studying. After about an hour of huddling over my books while wearing my coat and gloves, I realized that I was contemplating putting on my hat, too, and it occurred to me that it was probably time to find a warmer place to study. So now I'm in the computer lab where space is more limited and an annoying girl is talking on her cell phone, but at least I can almost feel my fingers again...
The weather inside the anatomy building, however, remains dismal. I came back to the cubes after finance to spend a few hours studying. After about an hour of huddling over my books while wearing my coat and gloves, I realized that I was contemplating putting on my hat, too, and it occurred to me that it was probably time to find a warmer place to study. So now I'm in the computer lab where space is more limited and an annoying girl is talking on her cell phone, but at least I can almost feel my fingers again...
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The things we do to animals
We've started out our semester in "Biology of Disease" with a tedious review of some genetic engineering and recombinant DNA techniques. Yesterday we got into a discussion on transgenic animals - when you take genetic material from one animal and insert it into the genome of an animal of a completely different species. This is a pretty interesting - and controversial - topic. Here are some of the examples mentioned in class:
- Take out the luminescence gene that allows fireflies to glow, and insert it into a fish embryo. When the fish grows up, the luminescence gene will be incorporated into all of its cells, so it will glow in the dark. Result: make a lot of money selling glow-in-the-dark fish from pet stores.
- Take out a human gene for a hormone or enzyme, and insert it into some of the cells in a goat that are responsible for milk production. As the goat produces milk, the cells will express the gene and produce the hormone or enzyme in its milk. Result: collect the goat's milk and purify it to get a whole bunch of the hormone or enzyme that you need, which will be exactly the same as the human hormone or enzyme.
- Take out an oncogene (a gene that, when "turned on," will cause the cells it's in to become cancerous) from a human cell and insert it into mammary cells of a mouse. If you put it in the right place, it will automatically get "turned on." Result: a mouse that will predictably get mammary tumors so you have a substitute model for studying human breast cancer.
- Take out a gene for a growth hormone from one species, and insert it into salmon. Result: gigantic salmon.
- Insert a gene that causes huge muscle growth into certain muscle cells of a cow. Result: a cow that grows enormous muscles (which are not very healthy) and is so huge as a fetus that it can't be born normally because its muscles won't fit through the birth canal.
So, there are obviously a lot of applications for genetic engineering and transgenic animals. I think sometimes scientists get excited about what they can do and forget to even ask if they should do it. In some of these cases, the genetic alteration is clearly really detrimental to the animal's health and happiness (e.g. the cow with huge muscles). In other cases, the animal isn't really affected at all (e.g. the glow-in-the-dark fish). In what I think are the best cases, the animal can provide something that will help save and improve human lives, without causing any real harm to the transgenic animal (e.g. the goat producing a human enzyme in its milk). Less appealing are some of the animals designed to provide research models for human diseases, like the mouse with breast cancer. This obviously isn't great for the animal, but we really need this kind of research resource, so what else are you going to do? Get a whole bunch of mice and hope they happen to get breast cancer? I do find a bit of a problem with things like making fish glow in the dark just because we can, even if it doesn't harm the animal in any noticeable manner.
Anyway, that's my random thoughts from biology of disease...
Weather, weather
Colorado has strange weather. Last week, we had 3 or 4 days in the mid-60s. (Yes, it is January.) Then on Friday it dropped back down to normal temperatures (30s or so) and on Sunday/Monday we had a decent-sized snowstorm. Now it's back in the 50s.
But not only is the general Colorado weather pretty bipolar, but now so is the weather in the anatomy building where we have all of our classes. Reportedly, there is something wrong with the heating system. So in the cubes (where we keep our stuff, study, hang out, eat lunch, etc.), it's about 45 degrees, while the lecture hall is probably closer to 85 (and starting to smell quite unpleasantly like you crammed in 134 sweaty vet students together).
Here's hoping the nice mid-50s weather keeps up outside, and the anatomy building weather can get back to only a mild odor of B.O. in the anatomy hall and the normal, but bearable, amount of chill in the cubes.
But not only is the general Colorado weather pretty bipolar, but now so is the weather in the anatomy building where we have all of our classes. Reportedly, there is something wrong with the heating system. So in the cubes (where we keep our stuff, study, hang out, eat lunch, etc.), it's about 45 degrees, while the lecture hall is probably closer to 85 (and starting to smell quite unpleasantly like you crammed in 134 sweaty vet students together).
Here's hoping the nice mid-50s weather keeps up outside, and the anatomy building weather can get back to only a mild odor of B.O. in the anatomy hall and the normal, but bearable, amount of chill in the cubes.
Email problems...
I just found out today that there is something seriously wrong with my CSU email address... it occurred to me that the vet school listserve had been pretty quiet lately, then I got an email from CLH and noticed that it was sent to me at my CSU address but I never got it... so I looked back in my email folder where I save all of my vet school emails, and I haven't gotten anything through the listserve (i.e. through my school email address) for 10 days. Yikes! My attempt to email my CSU account from my AOL account resulted in it getting bounced back. This is not good... time to figure out how to fix it.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Joke of the Day, Vol. 3
This one's for my mom:
Q: What do you call an outfit for a one-legged ballerina?
A: A one-one!
Q: What do you call an outfit for a one-legged ballerina?
A: A one-one!
I feel itchy
The last 3 lectures in my parasitology class have covered ticks, mites, and lice, complete with up-close-and-personal pictures of these lovely critters. Fun!
Today we learned that, unlike ticks, most species of lice are pretty specific as to what kind of host they will parasitize. Example: lice species X might only parasitize rabbits, and if it lands on a cat, it won't do anything.
This piece of information segued into a slide displaying two enormous photos of human pubic lice, and a discussion of how some lice are even so specific that they'll only infest a particular region of the host's body (i.e. head lice only infect the human head, pubic lice only infect the human... well, you know).
And that led into a further explanation from our helpful professor of how, when somebody brings in their dog along with a jar containing a couple of lice that they claim they pulled off the dog, and you identify the dog as human pubic lice, you then immediately know something a little too personal about your client.
(By the way, although pubic lice only infest humans, it is actually possible to find pubic lice on your dog. As our professor pointed out, humans sleep on the bed. Dogs sleep on the bed. Sometimes lice crawl off of humans and go looking for another host. You can figure out the rest. "But no, ma'am, your dog did not give you these lice. I think you owe your dog an apology.")
Today we learned that, unlike ticks, most species of lice are pretty specific as to what kind of host they will parasitize. Example: lice species X might only parasitize rabbits, and if it lands on a cat, it won't do anything.
This piece of information segued into a slide displaying two enormous photos of human pubic lice, and a discussion of how some lice are even so specific that they'll only infest a particular region of the host's body (i.e. head lice only infect the human head, pubic lice only infect the human... well, you know).
And that led into a further explanation from our helpful professor of how, when somebody brings in their dog along with a jar containing a couple of lice that they claim they pulled off the dog, and you identify the dog as human pubic lice, you then immediately know something a little too personal about your client.
(By the way, although pubic lice only infest humans, it is actually possible to find pubic lice on your dog. As our professor pointed out, humans sleep on the bed. Dogs sleep on the bed. Sometimes lice crawl off of humans and go looking for another host. You can figure out the rest. "But no, ma'am, your dog did not give you these lice. I think you owe your dog an apology.")
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Maybe large animals aren't so bad after all...
This semester, at least a couple of my classes are being taught or coordinated by clinicians who are mainly focused on large animal medicine. They seem to have a bit of a different style but are pretty entertaining and fun to listen to.
My "Nutrition & Metabolism" course will cover all sorts of topics related to nutrition, for all sorts of animals. However, we're starting with large animal nutrition, which means last week was spent learning all about different kinds of large animal feeds, like forages, silages, haylages, grains, supplements, etc. It's pretty interesting for me. For the fairly significant number of kids in our class who were apparently born on a farm with their arm already up a cow's rectum, it must be pretty darn boring.
The "Food Animal Production & Food Safety" class is also interesting. The majority of our grade comes from a book report written about a book about food production. I'm reading "Fast Food Nation," which I've wanted to read since Eric Schlosser talked to our Bioethics class at ASU last year. In March & April, we'll have two days of field trips to go visit different livestock production facilities. That means I'll have to get rubber boots (!) and coveralls (!). But we need them for the 3rd & 4th years anyway.
Anyhow - I doubt I'll ever, ever be persuaded to do anything other than small animal or shelter practice, but it will be nice to get a bit of a perspective on the large animal side of things so I don't make a complete idiot out of myself after graduation.
My "Nutrition & Metabolism" course will cover all sorts of topics related to nutrition, for all sorts of animals. However, we're starting with large animal nutrition, which means last week was spent learning all about different kinds of large animal feeds, like forages, silages, haylages, grains, supplements, etc. It's pretty interesting for me. For the fairly significant number of kids in our class who were apparently born on a farm with their arm already up a cow's rectum, it must be pretty darn boring.
The "Food Animal Production & Food Safety" class is also interesting. The majority of our grade comes from a book report written about a book about food production. I'm reading "Fast Food Nation," which I've wanted to read since Eric Schlosser talked to our Bioethics class at ASU last year. In March & April, we'll have two days of field trips to go visit different livestock production facilities. That means I'll have to get rubber boots (!) and coveralls (!). But we need them for the 3rd & 4th years anyway.
Anyhow - I doubt I'll ever, ever be persuaded to do anything other than small animal or shelter practice, but it will be nice to get a bit of a perspective on the large animal side of things so I don't make a complete idiot out of myself after graduation.
Brains, I need brains!
So last semester, our big class was functional anatomy (= the whole body). This semester, we are focusing on neuroanatomy and neurobiology (= brain, spinal cord, nerves, etc.). We'll be dissecting a bunch of brains during our labs, including canine and ovine (sheep) brains.Above is an example of a canine brain. All of the squiggly fleshy looking parts are called gyri (singular = gyrus). The indentations dividing the gyri are called sulci (singular = sulcus). On the dog brain, we are supposed to learn all of the gyri and all of the sulci. They have awesome names like pseudo-sylvian sulcus (say that 5 times fast) and suprasylvian gyrus.
But at least we don't have to learn the gyri and sulci on the human brain! Makes me glad I'm in vet anatomy. See the human brain below:
Yikes!
Joke of the Day, Vol. 2
(Disclaimer: I find this funny because CLH is a musician.)
Q: What should you do when a musician comes to your door?
A: Pay him and take your pizza!
Q: What should you do when a musician comes to your door?
A: Pay him and take your pizza!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Musings on the first 2 days of spring semester
* Kudos to the awesome Purina reps for getting me a bunch of Fortiflora (probiotic supplement) for Johnny
* Hooray for never having class past 3 pm
* Fridays are going to be awesome. Except for 2 days this semester, we are done at 1 pm, and there are a bunch of days when we have nothing in the morning (like for the next 4 Fridays), so my only class will be Finance from 12-1 pm
* I think my Finance teacher is going to be good, she is a little bit of a nazi about being a grown-up and managing your time, etc. etc.
* Having friends is wonderful
* One of my classmates broke his femur last week; sounds like that is really unpleasant
* We only have 1 time during the week where we have 2 hours of the same class back to back. Hooray for variety!
* I have more thoughts but it's time for bed....
* Hooray for never having class past 3 pm
* Fridays are going to be awesome. Except for 2 days this semester, we are done at 1 pm, and there are a bunch of days when we have nothing in the morning (like for the next 4 Fridays), so my only class will be Finance from 12-1 pm
* I think my Finance teacher is going to be good, she is a little bit of a nazi about being a grown-up and managing your time, etc. etc.
* Having friends is wonderful
* One of my classmates broke his femur last week; sounds like that is really unpleasant
* We only have 1 time during the week where we have 2 hours of the same class back to back. Hooray for variety!
* I have more thoughts but it's time for bed....
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
A bad sign?
I wonder if it's a bad sign when the syllabus for your mandatory "Professional Writing for Veterinarians" course (which all the freshmen are just thrilled about) has multiple typos, including a list of 5 items numbered 1, 2, 3, 3, 4. Apparently proofreading will not be included in this class?
Sunday, January 18, 2009
You know vet school is starting up again when...
...when you get your first email in weeks offering to bribe you with a free meal if you'll come to a talk or meeting or something! Hooray for bribery!
I don't have a maid, but...
...I do have two cats who really like to help with chores. Here are some things they excel at:
* Making sure I sweep the floors really thoroughly by messing up the dirt pile over and over
* Cleaning up crumbs from the kitchen floor, the table, the chairs, the carpet, the couch....
* Folding laundry (some would call it lounging about on the freshly cleaned clothes)
* Washing dishes by hand (okay, by tongue)
* Bringing cloth items upstairs to put in the laundry hamper (dish towels, oven mitts, cloth napkins, etc.)
* Putting clean sheets on the bed
Helping me make up the bed with clean sheets is by far their favorite task, and they assist me on a nearly weekly basis. Here's how it goes: First, I take off the old sheets. Then Simon jumps onto the bed, on top of the mattress pad. He proceeds to lie there while I put on the fitted sheet over him. Second, Johnny jumps up on top of the fitted sheet. He pounces on Simon while I put the flat sheet over Johnny. Third, both cats scramble around and wrestle under different layers while I continue to add the blanket and comforter. This is one of those games that your mom always said ends in tears. By the time I've got the pillowcases on the pillows, somebody is usually meowling pathetically and both cats squiggle out from under the sheets and try to get their dignity back. Good luck with that!
* Making sure I sweep the floors really thoroughly by messing up the dirt pile over and over
* Cleaning up crumbs from the kitchen floor, the table, the chairs, the carpet, the couch....
* Folding laundry (some would call it lounging about on the freshly cleaned clothes)
* Washing dishes by hand (okay, by tongue)
* Bringing cloth items upstairs to put in the laundry hamper (dish towels, oven mitts, cloth napkins, etc.)
* Putting clean sheets on the bed
Helping me make up the bed with clean sheets is by far their favorite task, and they assist me on a nearly weekly basis. Here's how it goes: First, I take off the old sheets. Then Simon jumps onto the bed, on top of the mattress pad. He proceeds to lie there while I put on the fitted sheet over him. Second, Johnny jumps up on top of the fitted sheet. He pounces on Simon while I put the flat sheet over Johnny. Third, both cats scramble around and wrestle under different layers while I continue to add the blanket and comforter. This is one of those games that your mom always said ends in tears. By the time I've got the pillowcases on the pillows, somebody is usually meowling pathetically and both cats squiggle out from under the sheets and try to get their dignity back. Good luck with that!
36 hours to go!
T minus 36 hours until the start of spring semester. Whoo hoo! This has been an interminable break... we finished finals on Dec 18 and are starting classes again on Jan 20. Most of my friends who are in college or grad school have been in class for at least a week or two already. Did I get a lot done? Of course. It was great to spend time in MN and have CLH's family visit us here in Colorado. Then my mom came for another visit. We got a lot of house cleaning, fix-it-up stuff, painting, etc. done. Tomorrow, the last day of break, promises a variety of fun adventures such as writing some belated thank-you notes for Christmas gifts, organizing the boxes in the attic, getting the Buick's oil changed, hanging up some wedding pictures, and figuring out where I can find a fax machine. But I can't wait to get to Tuesday! (Disclaimer: my tone will change in about 4 days...)
Thursday, January 8, 2009
"Winter" in Colorado
Here in Colorado, they have this season they call "winter," but it's not anything like you'd expect if you were a born-and-raised Minnesotan like me. This year we've had a couple big snowfalls, one with probably 8-10 inches. But it hasn't stayed cold (meaning highs less than 32) for more than a couple days at a time. Every snowfall has melted within a couple days. It's a little unsettling for me -- what I'm used to from Minnesota is that once you have a real snowfall, it stays cold, frozen, and snowy until spring. This Colorado pattern of snowing-then-melting keeps making me feel like it's spring, again and again and again... Today the high temperature was in the low 60s (which turned out to be great for leaving the window open to air out the newly painted bedroom).
Really, I can't complain about this "winter weather"... it's just a little odd.
Really, I can't complain about this "winter weather"... it's just a little odd.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Algonquin, Popcorn Kernel, and Ostrich Egg, oh my!
Paint colors are really funny. They can't call it "tan" or "beige" or "light tan" or "off white" or anything simple like that. Here are some of the names of paint colors on the paint chips that I got for the bedroom project:
Algonquin [is that politically correct?]
Ostrich Egg
Tumbleweed
Acapulco Sand
Maple Sugar
Popcorn Kernel
Graham Cracker
Milo [what?]
Sinatra [double "what?"]
Pale Tan [okay, that one is pretty reasonable]
Pumpkin Spice
Teresa's Tan [why can't I have paint named after me?]
Caramel Sauce
Slate Brown [I think I'm getting dyslexic because I first read it as "Stale Brown"]
Informal Ivory
Cornerstone [that's ours! hooray!]
Sensible Hue [it was hard to turn that one down in favor of an insensible hue, but I managed]
Adobe White
Heavy Cream [too fattening]
Spiced Vinegar [ew]
Warm Buff [that sounds dirty]
Filoli Antique Lace [a.k.a. tan]
Churchill Hotel Ecru
Popcorn Ball
Cracked Wheat
Riviera Sand
Princess Ivory [in case you need something fancier than "Informal Ivory"]
Sand Dollar White
Bagel [with cream cheese, please]
Artesian White
Woodwind
Western Sunset [you'd think it would be orange, not tan]
Classic Oat
Sable Sand
Earth Tone
Ginger Spice [I wonder what color the other Spice Girls are...]
And yes, those are all shades of white/tan/light brown. Do you think people get paid to come up with this stuff?
Algonquin [is that politically correct?]
Ostrich Egg
Tumbleweed
Acapulco Sand
Maple Sugar
Popcorn Kernel
Graham Cracker
Milo [what?]
Sinatra [double "what?"]
Pale Tan [okay, that one is pretty reasonable]
Pumpkin Spice
Teresa's Tan [why can't I have paint named after me?]
Caramel Sauce
Slate Brown [I think I'm getting dyslexic because I first read it as "Stale Brown"]
Informal Ivory
Cornerstone [that's ours! hooray!]
Sensible Hue [it was hard to turn that one down in favor of an insensible hue, but I managed]
Adobe White
Heavy Cream [too fattening]
Spiced Vinegar [ew]
Warm Buff [that sounds dirty]
Filoli Antique Lace [a.k.a. tan]
Churchill Hotel Ecru
Popcorn Ball
Cracked Wheat
Riviera Sand
Princess Ivory [in case you need something fancier than "Informal Ivory"]
Sand Dollar White
Bagel [with cream cheese, please]
Artesian White
Woodwind
Western Sunset [you'd think it would be orange, not tan]
Classic Oat
Sable Sand
Earth Tone
Ginger Spice [I wonder what color the other Spice Girls are...]
And yes, those are all shades of white/tan/light brown. Do you think people get paid to come up with this stuff?
So I'll never be a painter, either....
If Monday and Tuesday were "housewife" days, today was pretend-to-be-a-painter day. Since we moved into our condo there have been a number of areas where the paint needs to be touched up - especially in our bedroom where the previous owners spackled some spots poorly and just left other nail holes in obvious spots. So I decided to tackle the task of repainting the bedroom.
Let me just say that I've never really painted anything before, so this was to be a learning experience. I spent some time on the Internet looking up info and tips about painting, and talked to Mom, the expert painter. Armed with spackle, a putty knife, sandpaper, a 10x20 foot plastic drop cloth, screwdrivers, hammer, rags and dish soap, blue painter's tape, roller, roller covers, roller pan, angled edging brush, and two gallons of "Cornerstone"-colored latex paint with satin finish, I set out to put two coats on the approximately 350 square feet of the bedroom.
Well, after about 18 hours of planning, moving furniture, cleaning, prepping, painting, and clean-up, it is finally done. I have to admit that I didn't have as much fun as I thought I would... I think painting is probably more fun when you have a second person around to help or at least keep you company, and when you are tall enough (or have a stepladder) to reach as high as you need to without standing on your tiptoes.
In the end, I'm glad the ugly spots on the walls are patched and painted over. I'm glad the paint looks smooth and fresh. I'm glad the color worked out okay. But this was mostly a learning experience - now I've got LOTS of ideas for what not to do next time.
P.S. Anybody have tips for getting paint off of wooden baseboards, door frames, carpet, clothing, and/or our bedspread?? Note to self: next time, all the furniture needs to leave the room...
Let me just say that I've never really painted anything before, so this was to be a learning experience. I spent some time on the Internet looking up info and tips about painting, and talked to Mom, the expert painter. Armed with spackle, a putty knife, sandpaper, a 10x20 foot plastic drop cloth, screwdrivers, hammer, rags and dish soap, blue painter's tape, roller, roller covers, roller pan, angled edging brush, and two gallons of "Cornerstone"-colored latex paint with satin finish, I set out to put two coats on the approximately 350 square feet of the bedroom.
Well, after about 18 hours of planning, moving furniture, cleaning, prepping, painting, and clean-up, it is finally done. I have to admit that I didn't have as much fun as I thought I would... I think painting is probably more fun when you have a second person around to help or at least keep you company, and when you are tall enough (or have a stepladder) to reach as high as you need to without standing on your tiptoes.
In the end, I'm glad the ugly spots on the walls are patched and painted over. I'm glad the paint looks smooth and fresh. I'm glad the color worked out okay. But this was mostly a learning experience - now I've got LOTS of ideas for what not to do next time.
P.S. Anybody have tips for getting paint off of wooden baseboards, door frames, carpet, clothing, and/or our bedspread?? Note to self: next time, all the furniture needs to leave the room...
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
I wouldn't make a good housewife...
I've been out of school for almost three full weeks now, and my brain is sick of hibernating. The first couple weeks went by pretty quickly - at first it was a relief to be done and be able to relax for a few days, then we spent a week in Minnesota visiting my family, then we had just a couple days to ourselves before CLH's family came to stay with for 5 days. They left on Saturday, and CLH and I had a "fun day" on Sunday, then he went back to work yesterday. And left me here at home, alone, with a bunch of chores and random stuff to do.
Let me just say, I have a huge respect for all the women (and men) who can stay at home all day and take care of the house and/or the kids. But I don't think it's for me. Yesterday I got up at 7:30, exercised, showered, and started a day of trying to be productive. My day included emptying the dishwasher and filling it again; washing the dishes that don't go in the dishwasher, drying them and putting them away; returning books at the library and checking out more; a run to the grocery store; setting up a pork roast in the crock pot; putting away the rest of the Christmas presents and miscellaneous detritus that has accumulated around the house; washing, drying, folding, and putting away about 5 loads of laundry; paying some bills; ordering more cat food; packing up the Christmas tree, ornaments, and decorations; trying to clean the smell of homemade onion rings out of the sofa; etc. etc. etc.
To be honest, it was okay to do all that for one day. But then I woke up today and, guess what, I'm home alone again with a bunch of chores to do! I remember the days when "playing house" was really fun. It was even really fun when I first moved into the dorms at ASU, and it was fun again when we first moved into our apartment. But the fun has faded... I cannot comprehend how anyone can stand to do this stuff all day long. This morning after running and showering, I got out my anatomy textbooks and notes from last semester and started studying again, just to make sure my brain still works. And you know what? The studying was really fun. And while I know I'll be able to get a lot of important stuff done during the next two weeks until spring semester starts, I really cannot wait to start learning again. Hang in there, brain, we'll make it through this!
Let me just say, I have a huge respect for all the women (and men) who can stay at home all day and take care of the house and/or the kids. But I don't think it's for me. Yesterday I got up at 7:30, exercised, showered, and started a day of trying to be productive. My day included emptying the dishwasher and filling it again; washing the dishes that don't go in the dishwasher, drying them and putting them away; returning books at the library and checking out more; a run to the grocery store; setting up a pork roast in the crock pot; putting away the rest of the Christmas presents and miscellaneous detritus that has accumulated around the house; washing, drying, folding, and putting away about 5 loads of laundry; paying some bills; ordering more cat food; packing up the Christmas tree, ornaments, and decorations; trying to clean the smell of homemade onion rings out of the sofa; etc. etc. etc.
To be honest, it was okay to do all that for one day. But then I woke up today and, guess what, I'm home alone again with a bunch of chores to do! I remember the days when "playing house" was really fun. It was even really fun when I first moved into the dorms at ASU, and it was fun again when we first moved into our apartment. But the fun has faded... I cannot comprehend how anyone can stand to do this stuff all day long. This morning after running and showering, I got out my anatomy textbooks and notes from last semester and started studying again, just to make sure my brain still works. And you know what? The studying was really fun. And while I know I'll be able to get a lot of important stuff done during the next two weeks until spring semester starts, I really cannot wait to start learning again. Hang in there, brain, we'll make it through this!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Joke of the Day
(Yeah, yeah, I've probably told you all this one already... but it still cracks me up.)
Q: Why did the belt get arrested?
A: For holding up the pants!
(Gotta love the jokes that come on string cheese wrappers... at least they are better than most of the jokes on Laffy Taffy wrappers.)
Q: Why did the belt get arrested?
A: For holding up the pants!
(Gotta love the jokes that come on string cheese wrappers... at least they are better than most of the jokes on Laffy Taffy wrappers.)
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Oh, what a beautiful morning!
This is one of those perfect mornings, when you just have to take a minute to sit back and think, Wow, life is good. I set the alarm for 8 a.m. but we spent an extra 25 minutes snuggling in bed, followed by an invigorating half-hour on the treadmill, then a quick shower. The house is quiet. Yesterday's snow and sleet has been replaced by a brisk day with blue skies and the sun shining. As CLH reads on the couch, I've got time to heat up some leftover hashbrown casserole for a leisurely breakfast while checking email. The church choir isn't singing today, so we have another 10 minutes to relax before heading to Greeley, where we'll get to be members of the congregation for a change. It's the last day of vacation for CLH before he heads back to work tomorrow morning. I've got two more weeks of break and I plan to fully enjoy them and make the most of the time off. Life is good!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
11 things I learned over the holidays
1. Bringing your two cats on a 15-hour drive to visit your family over Christmas is highly not recommended.
1 a. Tis best not to feed aforementioned cats the morning of departure.
1 b. The cat with chronic diarrhea will not necessarily be the cat who soils his carrier in the car.
1 c. The smell of cat poop in an enclosed vehicle is rather overwhelming.
2. Family is good, but best in moderate quantities.
3. When you're in your 20s, sledding is still fun, but your muscles and joints will pay for it a whole lot more the next day.
3 a. Two hours of sledding the day before you will be spending 15 hours in the car may not be the best idea.
4. No matter how much you keep thinking of her as 12 years old, your little sister will just keep growing up.
5. It is actually possible for your 84-year-old grandmother to be convinced to move out of her home. (Can she be convinced to give up her car? Magic 8-Ball says "The Future Is Unclear.")
6. When you haven't been home for Christmas in 3 years, reality may not exactly match your expectations.... and that's okay.
7. It is possible to get sick of playing board games.
8. At some point after moving away from your parents, the place where you are currently living will actually start to feel more like "home."
9. Santa still puts citrus fruit in everyone's stockings, but this year he has branched out to add sponges.
10. It takes a really, really long time to drive across Nebraska, and it is extra boring. (Okay, I already knew that, but I got reminded anyway.)
11. When you're out of school for a month and although you're enjoying the time off, you can't wait to go back, that probably means you're in the right place.
1 a. Tis best not to feed aforementioned cats the morning of departure.
1 b. The cat with chronic diarrhea will not necessarily be the cat who soils his carrier in the car.
1 c. The smell of cat poop in an enclosed vehicle is rather overwhelming.
2. Family is good, but best in moderate quantities.
3. When you're in your 20s, sledding is still fun, but your muscles and joints will pay for it a whole lot more the next day.
3 a. Two hours of sledding the day before you will be spending 15 hours in the car may not be the best idea.
4. No matter how much you keep thinking of her as 12 years old, your little sister will just keep growing up.
5. It is actually possible for your 84-year-old grandmother to be convinced to move out of her home. (Can she be convinced to give up her car? Magic 8-Ball says "The Future Is Unclear.")
6. When you haven't been home for Christmas in 3 years, reality may not exactly match your expectations.... and that's okay.
7. It is possible to get sick of playing board games.
8. At some point after moving away from your parents, the place where you are currently living will actually start to feel more like "home."
9. Santa still puts citrus fruit in everyone's stockings, but this year he has branched out to add sponges.
10. It takes a really, really long time to drive across Nebraska, and it is extra boring. (Okay, I already knew that, but I got reminded anyway.)
11. When you're out of school for a month and although you're enjoying the time off, you can't wait to go back, that probably means you're in the right place.
1 semester down, 7 to go
Final grades were put up last week, and, as expected, I passed all my classes. (Fortunately no surprises there.) I find it both disconcerting and a relief to not get a letter grade, except in Accounting. On the one hand, it's nice not to be worrying about the nitty-gritty details and whether I got an A or an A- and how that will affect my GPA, but on the other hand it would be nice to know whether I'm in the high B/low A range, the low B/high C range, etc. I think I mostly got A's with probably a B in physiology, but in any case, passing is all that matters at this point! (A little scary, isn't it?)
It has been totally great to not study at all for... two full weeks now! (And time has flown - thank goodness our break is a full month, because it's already half gone.) I told myself it would be a great idea to spend some of this extra time over the holidays reviewing last semester's material and maybe filling out some more of the study guides to make future studying less complicated... however, the motivation to actually drag out the textbooks and get back into it is rather lacking. But with the hubbie heading back to work on Monday, I'll have a lot more alone time and maybe some of that can be turned toward productive academic work. (We'll have to see how that goes... stay tuned.)
It has been totally great to not study at all for... two full weeks now! (And time has flown - thank goodness our break is a full month, because it's already half gone.) I told myself it would be a great idea to spend some of this extra time over the holidays reviewing last semester's material and maybe filling out some more of the study guides to make future studying less complicated... however, the motivation to actually drag out the textbooks and get back into it is rather lacking. But with the hubbie heading back to work on Monday, I'll have a lot more alone time and maybe some of that can be turned toward productive academic work. (We'll have to see how that goes... stay tuned.)
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