Tank, the guinea pig

Today was a special day for Tank. A friend of mine asked me to bring him in as a practice patient for a bunch of high school students learning veterinary medicine. The students were part of a summer program, Duke TIP, where high achieving middle and high school students go to various universities for about 3 weeks of intensive learning in a particular topic. I was a bit skeptical at first because Tank hates the vet and I wasn't sure if we would be in a real vet examine room. It turns out we were in a large lecture hall and there were only 3 other dogs so things worked out great. Tank had a team of 4 high school students and one real vet. Each student took a turn taking a history from me while the vet guided them through each question. I tried to keep it interesting so for each student I made up some complaint or illness that Tank has had in the past (he broke his toe once, he had an allergic reaction and a swollen paw once, he has chronic ear infections, and sometimes he regurgitates his food if he eats too quickly). Then, they took turns checking his pulse (apparently hard to find because he was so calm) and listening to his breathing. One girl started her exam with his face and shined a bright light in his eyes. Luckily Tank was on his very best behavior and just laid there while they all poked and prodded. It was great to get him out of the house and I couldn't have been more proud of how he behaved!

Tank, just laying around in a viking hat. Such a sweet baby :)

Last class ever!

Yeah, right. I'll most likely be taking classes as a post-doc and somehow probably for the rest of my life. Yesterday I started my last class of graduate school at least- Seminar in Multilevel Methods. It's just a fancy statistics class. I'll be sure to update everyone if I learn something practical that we can all apply to our lives (probably not going to happen :). Last Friday also started the last class I will teach in graduate school. I teach Social and Personality Development to Junior and Senior undergraduate students. Most people choose not to teach in the summer because they usually teach in the Fall/Spring. Because of my fellowship I don't have to teach Fall/Spring and am happy to do it in Summer. The class is a lot of fun and I generally enjoy all of my students. We talk about topics such as attachment, development of emotions, gender identity, aggression, altruism, and the family. Wish I had a picture to attach...coming soon I guess.

Running in the rain and soapbox cars

For the past week or so Brendan's sister-in-law, Shirin, has been my running partner. We've been running a trail that is near campus. It's behind a dog park so its pretty heavily trafficked, well maintained, and shaded which is great. We started running one lap then walk/running the next but we just about ran all the way through today. I expect in no time we'll be running straight through multiple laps. I took my bike out there and calculate the distance (I want every step to count!) - it's about 1.33 miles for one loop. Today was a fun run, 2.8 miles total (in about 1/2 hour, didn't bring my watch) but the best part was the rain. When we got there we both said "gee, I wish it'd rain" and sure enough, our first step of the run it came pouring down. It felt amazing, wish it would rain for more runs. With my new shoes the trail runs have been fantastic, feeling not only tolerable but actually good. I've never had runs feel good, hope it keeps up!

Also, yesterday Tamar and I went to the Red Bull Soap Box car race in Atlanta. It was perfect weather but VERY crowded. We found an okay spot to watch the race but I spent more time watching the crowds (you know, waiting for someone in the sea of people to vomit, pass out, or break out in fight) than the race. The racers looked like they had so much fun, I really wish I had a car to race. Dad could help me build one, right dad?

The crowd at the box car race.

The track. Don't know how long it was, but some cars barely made it to the end.

One of the cars. Definitely not my favorite, but a cool one none the less.

This one was my favorite - it was themed as Goonies (my favorite movie of all time)!

     

Oh and we enjoyed some delicious food truck food. I had chicken and waffles - a little spicy at first but I was starving so I didn't care.

House rented!

Finally! I've been very stressed about not getting the house rented but I just found out yesterday that the prospective tenets turned in their lease agreement and deposit check. They are set to move in August 1st so that means I have to be out by August 1st. I'm set to be in Athens until August 5th so I guess that means me, Tank, Charlie and all of our worldly possessions will be living with Brendan for a few days. He too is moving on August 1st so that day will be a whirlwind for us. My house should be mostly empty by then with only a box or two left and my Australia bags packed. Sometime in the upcoming weeks my parents, brother, and the kids are coming up to replace a sliding glass door in the living room and take a good amount of my furniture down to my brother's house in Jax. Let's revisit that to-do list I created a few months back:


1. Finish my dissertation and PhD
....almost. defense is set for July 6th, graduation on August 4th

2. Sell my house and complete all related daunting tasks
....rented, check!

3. Finish/submit several papers and a post-doctoral fellowship application
...post-doc app submitted, several papers - still working

4. Find a place to live in Australia (that's right, I'm moving to Australia!)
....I have looked extensively, does that count?

5. Find a temporary home for my dog while I'm away
...had some interested candidates but none were perfect. I'm now trying to convince Tamar that she is the perfect foster mom.

6. Begin a blog to keep connected with friends and family after I move
...check!

7. Find a place to live in Baltimore (my post-Australia home)
...can't even think this far in advance

8. Spend time researching non-academic careers
...again, can't think about it yet.

now lets add:
1. replace sliding glass door
2. pack everything I own
3. teach a class this summer
4. take a class this summer
5. buy all the necessary goods to graduate (e.g., cap & gown; think I'm going to rent these things, its VERY expensive)
6. convince my friends to come to town for a graduation party