I woke up this morning and it was snowing a lot. I've realized with some surprise that I actually like the snow this year. At least if it is going to be cold and grey, it might as well snow. It makes everything so much more beautiful and it is really peaceful. The peacefulness is something I have had trouble accurately portraying in either my prose or poetry, which is frustrating. I posted Wallace Steven's "13 Ways Of Looking At A Blackbird" on my blog last winter, but it's worth posting excerpts again because I think of it almost daily. It really describes life here (except we have many more crows than blackbirds).
I.
Among twenty snowy mountains
The only moving thing
Was the eye of the blackbird
XIII.
It was evening all afternoon
It was snowing
And it was going to snow.
The blackbird sat
In the cedar-limbs.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
PK
I thought before I started posting photos of freezing Ithaca, I'd post one of my favorite photos from my recent trip to California: PK (Precious Kid aka Precocious Kid). Here she's posing with one of the tamer chickens from her family's backyard flock. Note also the butterfly tattoo on her hand-- I like to bring her neat fake tattoos and we have fun picking out which ones to put on.
It was unbelievably warm and sunny in the Bay area, much more like Southern California weather, which of course, I enjoyed immensely. It also meant I got to spend some time outside with S and PK. I was even able to do one of my favorite hobbies-- sanding, staining and finishing wooden wine boxes (which are much easier to get in the Bay area than Ithaca-- most of the stores will just give them away). I don't think I will be doing any woodworking outside for many months in Ithaca.
And just for kicks, here's a photo PK took of me back in July on my last evening before I headed back to Ithaca for the start of school. I think it's funny we're both wearing similar outfits and holding the same chicken.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Best Date Ever
Valentine's day and my birthday are rapidly approaching. Both of which I will mostly spend alone. Sometimes I feel left out listening to my classmates talk about things they are planning to do with their significant other on Valentine's day and celebrating each other's birthdays. Albeit, I have a very interesting weekend coming up (I'll be heading to the Syracuse zoo on Saturday for an introduction to elephant reproduction via artificial insemination followed by dinner with SyracuseSurrogateParents). Still, it wasn't quite enough.
I decided there was no reason I couldn't go on a date by myself, with myself. My classmates go out to fancy dinners to celebrate events with their significant others. Why should being single stop me from having a nice romantic dinner? So I made reservations at a restaurant I've been wanting to try for a year and a half but can never find anyone to go with me (perhaps because it is quite a drive, being in the neighboring town of Trumansburg), Hazelnut Kitchen.
Even though I had made a reservation for one, when I got there the host asked, "Just you?" and I replied tacitly, "Yes." I arrived right when they opened and so had my pick of seats. I chose to sit in the window at a table for two, facing the street, illuminated by an old fashioned street lamp.
They offered me the wine menu, but I declined, saying I would have to drive back to Ithaca in the bad weather and so wouldn't be able to drink. I asked for a list of their non-alcoholic drinks and they kindly brought me a fizzy orange Italian soda that they elegantly poured into my wine glass. I sat by the window sipping my soda out of a wine glass feeling quite content and uncharacteristically posh. Later they brought me delicious bread with their homemade chive butter.
I ordered the roast quail, although I am normally vegetarian. It was absolutely mouth-wateringly delicious. With a side Caesar salad topped with warm, olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette soaked roasted artichoke. I ate slowly, enjoying the silence, the relaxed state of not having to make conversation or struggle to find something to say to someone after an awkward silence. It was very peaceful and I can honestly say I savored every bite of the meal much more than I do when I'm with someone.
About halfway through my dinner it started to snow quite furiously. By the time it came to order dessert, I declined, saying I'd love to but I wanted to get back before the roads froze.
I was extremely lucky that I made it home in one piece. In the short time I'd been at dinner, three inches of snow had accumulated on my car! The National Weather Service had issued a severe weather warning for the evening that I foolishly ignored (granted, their three previous warnings for the week had amounted to minimal snow and no ice). But this time they were right. The freezing rain turned to blinding snow that coated the thin crust of ice on the roads. I pulled over on a side street to think about how best to approach the drive home when, quite serendipitously, a plow truck came by and I pulled in behind it and followed it all the way back to Ithaca. I couldn't see the road at many points but I could see the flashing lights of the plow truck just ahead of me and followed them and thereby stayed on the road. On my drive I saw a total of three police cars and two fire engines accompanying several accidents and spin outs. It only took me six tries of getting up the driveway and shoveling madly in between each try to finally park my car and get to unwind from the drive. I'll try to post photos soon. And I am already thinking of when I can next make a date with myself at a nice restaurant. Perhaps my birthday?
I decided there was no reason I couldn't go on a date by myself, with myself. My classmates go out to fancy dinners to celebrate events with their significant others. Why should being single stop me from having a nice romantic dinner? So I made reservations at a restaurant I've been wanting to try for a year and a half but can never find anyone to go with me (perhaps because it is quite a drive, being in the neighboring town of Trumansburg), Hazelnut Kitchen.
Even though I had made a reservation for one, when I got there the host asked, "Just you?" and I replied tacitly, "Yes." I arrived right when they opened and so had my pick of seats. I chose to sit in the window at a table for two, facing the street, illuminated by an old fashioned street lamp.
They offered me the wine menu, but I declined, saying I would have to drive back to Ithaca in the bad weather and so wouldn't be able to drink. I asked for a list of their non-alcoholic drinks and they kindly brought me a fizzy orange Italian soda that they elegantly poured into my wine glass. I sat by the window sipping my soda out of a wine glass feeling quite content and uncharacteristically posh. Later they brought me delicious bread with their homemade chive butter.
I ordered the roast quail, although I am normally vegetarian. It was absolutely mouth-wateringly delicious. With a side Caesar salad topped with warm, olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette soaked roasted artichoke. I ate slowly, enjoying the silence, the relaxed state of not having to make conversation or struggle to find something to say to someone after an awkward silence. It was very peaceful and I can honestly say I savored every bite of the meal much more than I do when I'm with someone.
About halfway through my dinner it started to snow quite furiously. By the time it came to order dessert, I declined, saying I'd love to but I wanted to get back before the roads froze.
I was extremely lucky that I made it home in one piece. In the short time I'd been at dinner, three inches of snow had accumulated on my car! The National Weather Service had issued a severe weather warning for the evening that I foolishly ignored (granted, their three previous warnings for the week had amounted to minimal snow and no ice). But this time they were right. The freezing rain turned to blinding snow that coated the thin crust of ice on the roads. I pulled over on a side street to think about how best to approach the drive home when, quite serendipitously, a plow truck came by and I pulled in behind it and followed it all the way back to Ithaca. I couldn't see the road at many points but I could see the flashing lights of the plow truck just ahead of me and followed them and thereby stayed on the road. On my drive I saw a total of three police cars and two fire engines accompanying several accidents and spin outs. It only took me six tries of getting up the driveway and shoveling madly in between each try to finally park my car and get to unwind from the drive. I'll try to post photos soon. And I am already thinking of when I can next make a date with myself at a nice restaurant. Perhaps my birthday?
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Freezing Rain
The rain is gritty. Splattering on her windshield the tiny quartz pellets of ice within each raindrop fan out in a circle from the point of impact. Half-frozen raindrops. She can almost taste them in her mouth. Ice chips, like they gave her grandfather when he was dying.
The pavement is gritty. Salt and ice mixing to form a thick layer of slush. Her old sneakers have slick soles, she slips and slides on the sidewalk downtown, on the steps of her house. Shave ice. She remembers S correcting her this summer. "Shave ice, not shaved ice." The sweetness with which PK would grind up the ice, add juice, and offer it to her. The pavement is shave ice with salt for flavoring.
The pavement is gritty. Salt and ice mixing to form a thick layer of slush. Her old sneakers have slick soles, she slips and slides on the sidewalk downtown, on the steps of her house. Shave ice. She remembers S correcting her this summer. "Shave ice, not shaved ice." The sweetness with which PK would grind up the ice, add juice, and offer it to her. The pavement is shave ice with salt for flavoring.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Word Of The Day: Myelophthisis
Myelophthisis is the term used to describe the metastasis of peripheral neoplasia to the bone marrow. In humans, carcinomas of the breast, the prostate, and the stomach are the most common neoplasms to infiltrate the bone marrow. --From 'Causes of Canine Pancytopenia' by Sonjia M. Shelly
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Long Overdue Update
So, I've been quite delinquent in writing. I just haven't made time for it. Here's a brief update on what I've been up to:
- I went back to California over break and worked most of the time. I really enjoyed working. The vets let me suture up the simple lacerations and I got to scrub in on a simple enterotomy. I also did my first mouth to nose resuscitation on a newborn chihuahua born by C-section that just wouldn't breath. It was very rewarding to see this white as a ghost little puppy go from being limp and lifeless to pink and crying. I've never gotten to resuscitate a puppy before because I've always been the anesthetist for C-sections on my shift.
- I returned to Ithaca and spent a dreary week working in radiology.
- I went to Florida with my mom for a lovely, warm, sunny vacation where I had the most amazing day of birding at Black Point Drive that I have had in years. Will try to post photos soon.
- I went to North Carolina and got a chance to catch up with EB, D and Ianite.
- I came back and spent a long time agonizing over distribution classes. In the end I chose to take:
- Clinical pathology (I love it. Perhaps I am destined to become a clinical pathologist?)
- Management of Fluid and Electrolyte Disorders
- Antimicrobials
- Avian Anatomy
- Emerging Infectious Diseases
- Literature of Natural History (with Dr. Evans who co-wrote Little Miller's Anatomy book)
- Managment of Captive Native Wildlife
- Student Rounds in Radiology
- Pet Loss Support Hotline
- Since I've been back in Ithaca we have been hammered by a series of fierce winter storms. We are just outside the snow belt, so even though we are an hour from Syracuse, we have gotten much less snow than them and much less than Connecticut and Massachusetts. It still seems like a lot to me, enough that I'm shoveling the driveway several times a day and walking to school sometimes because conditions are so bad. At least it's good exercise, which improves my mood tremendously.
Round 4: I Advance
So I passed block 4. Yay. It was, however, my lowest grade, which is a bit disappointing, but nowhere near probation so still good enough.
More importantly, I was much happier than last year and had a decent social life.
I'm currently in distributions, which are elective courses, then in the spring I start block 5, which is the last block of classes before clinics. Next year I will be done with all the core classes in December. Yahoo.
More importantly, I was much happier than last year and had a decent social life.
I'm currently in distributions, which are elective courses, then in the spring I start block 5, which is the last block of classes before clinics. Next year I will be done with all the core classes in December. Yahoo.
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