Reflections on blogging in 2009 (Part 1)

(And a few weeks in 2008.)

If you find yourself with oodles of extra time to fill, please join me in reflecting on my first year of blogging (which, conveniently, almost coincides with the calendar year 2009).

We begin with my first post, on December 12, 2008. Little did I know then how much I would enjoy blogging. But I soon found out, based on the fact that I published three other posts that same day.

I discovered Jeweled Nut Bars, a recipe so good I just had to share. Thankfully, the day after starting this blog, I realized my recipes needed a blog of their own.

I am really glad Johnny got over his diarrhea.

I remember having mixed feelings about finishing my first semester of vet school. It seems like I have become somewhat less enthusiastic about school since then, though I am still glad I'm here and I love what I'm doing and learning.

12/13/08: We have the first of many posts about final exams. Fortunately, I now only have 3 semesters of finals left!

12/15/08: This particular LolCat still holds a special place in my part, and accurately conveys my personal sentiments more often than I'd like to admit.

12/15/08: I had almost forgotten about Hashi! I did lose interest in that particular website fairly quickly, although I developed an addiction to ConceptisPuzzles.com. (That is, until they started making you pay to do the puzzles.)

12/15/08: Another post about finals! I remember the feeling of being so glad I had managed to muddle my way through my first attempt at vet school courses. Looking back now, the material covered during that first semester seems so basic. It's neat to think how far I've come.

12/16/08: Silly dress-up days! We stopped doing these this year (actually, enthusiasm for them ebbed even last spring), and it's a shame. I am currently wearing the awesome booties mentioned in this post. They are still awesome.

12/17/08: Stress about the anatomy final exam... the most difficult class of that first semester. So glad it's over, and now I understand how the upper-class students could chuckle at us and say, "Wait till you see how much of it you will have forgotten a year from now." Sadly, true.

12/19/08: Happy to be done with one semester! Pleased and proud of myself and my accomplishments. Still am. (Ah yes, and preparing for the loooong drive to MN with two cats in the car. Not my brightest idea.)

And... on to 2009!

1/1/09: Getting a jump-start on blogging in the New Year. I vaguely remember the point in time where it still seemed weird to only have pass/fail grades... now I'm glad that's the case, and I'm entirely used to it.

1/1/09: Ah, things I learned over the holidays... #1-1c: So glad the cats have not joined us on any road trips in the last 12 months. #4: Still true. #5: I now have my 85-year-old grandma's car! Guess Magic 8-Ball was more ambiguous than necessary. #9: I didn't get a stocking this year! No sponges, no citrus fruit, and no Ring Pop! Sad face :(. #11: Ditto again this year.

1/4/09: Enjoying life, and break.

1/5/09: The first in a series of (questionably funny) jokes.

1/6/09: This year, I find I am still not a good housewife. But at least I haven't caved in and started studying during break! (Yet.)

1/7/09: Ah, painting the bedroom. What an.... interesting idea that was. At least the bedroom still looks great. And now I know to make sure Mom is around next time I try painting. :-)

1/7/09: It's a year later, but paint colors are still funny!

1/8/09: During our current winter, I've discovered that last year's Colorado winter was actually unusually mild. Bummer.

1/18/09: Whoa, a whole 10-day gap in blogging! Check that out. But as with last winter's break, I am excited to get back to class again this year.

1/18/09: Hmmm, the cats are still annoying... whoops, I mean "helpful." They sure do still love to help make up the bed with clean sheets, and bring us all manner of "surprising" outside the bedroom door in the morning.

1/18/09: Free lunches are less frequent this year! So sad.

1/20/09: Oh, little did I fathom the doom and gloom portended by this ever-so-insightful post about Professional Writing class...

1/21/09: My class schedule last spring did end up being pretty awesome... but I'm not sure it was more awesome than my no-class-before-9am schedule this past fall. Admittedly, it was nice to have Friday afternoons free last spring.

1/25/09: Heh heh.

1/25/09: Neurobiology was such a great class. This post reminds me that I do actually know how to liven up my blog by doing fun things like including photos of brains.

1/25/09: A poor attempt to convince myself to be interested in large animal medicine. Although I do love this line: "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...."

1/26/09: Yes, the early days of semi-enjoying and being almost interested in parasitology, before the instructor destroyed my happiness.

1/26/09: Again, questionably funny.

1/29/09: Oh, yuck. I had forgotten about this email problem. Boy, was that ever a huge mess. Thankfully it finally got fixed.

1/29/09: Ew, I had also forgotten about the sweaty vet students in the anatomy lecture hall. I much prefer this year's sophomore lecture hall, with spacious tables instead of desks, a high ceiling, and lots of leg room.

1/29/09: Here's a relatively more philosophical post (well, for me) discussing genetic engineering.

1/30/09: More complaints about the frozen cubes. Although, after my first sophomore semester, I'd have to say I'd rather have icy cubes than no cubes. No cubes = sad face.

1/30/09: A job as a tour guide! Was I correct about the (terrible) pay? You bet. Was I correct about the psychological benefit? Sort of, though not as much as I'd hoped. I still feel like all I'm doing is getting CLH and myself deeper and deeper into debt, with my meager tour guide salary being not even a drop in the bucket. But I like giving tours!

1/30/09: Still don't get why some people care more about their lawns than their pets...

And now, fine readers, it's time for Still-On-Break-But-Lots-To-Do me to get busy with some chores. Stay tuned for further reflections!