You know you're* stressed when......

....you have abnormally violent reactions at Subway when they are out of Italian Herbs & Cheese bread. And meatballs. And they won't toast your friend's sub because it has a mayonnaise product on it. It was Tuna Salad. Seriously.

....nothing seems to calm your turbulent thoughts except knitting (how many scarves does a girl need in boiling St. Kitts?) or staring at the night sky looking for constellations...or meaning.

....you did something you've never had to do before in your life because Daddy and/or [insert boyfriend's name here] has always been there to do it for you: you killed a [big freaking monster] roach. With military-like precision. And liked it.

....you start to use Facebook/blog to vocalize your feelings in not-so-subtle ways. Because you just don't know what else to do.

....people greet you with "what's wrong?" instead of "good morning".

....you check your email accounts/Facebook/MySpace/Ravelry 20 times a day to avoid....well, everything else.

....you can actually hear your head cracking under the pressure.

*And by "you're", I am of course referring to "me". Welcome to my [current, hopefully temporary] world.

Halloween Party at The Pink Elephant!

For once on this blasted Rock something good came EARLY! The kids at The Pink Elephant hosted a Halloween Party this past Friday and it was, as always, out of control. Some of the best costumes at the party were by far the cheapest/most creative: some cardboard, a little spray paint, and old clothes = Halloween St. Kitts Style.

I've put together a slide show of pics from that night, I warn you there are quite a few (again, thanks to my fellow students for posting!). My personal faves both made their costumes from the cardboard boxes that the dorm water is delivered in: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Gang and the Transformer "Bumble Bee".

Some say we Caribbean Vet Students are a gang of misfits who couldn't make it to a state school....but I think we've got that extra bit of something that makes us MORE than just mere vet students. We live in a sort of third world country with people who don't always embrace us, drive cars that require us to become mechanics just to start them, live in apartments with no AC or guarantee of safety, learn to budget quickly due to extreme expense of groceries, and show immense levels of creativity when trying to enjoy one of those good ol' American pasttimes: Halloween. Wouldn't you want a doctor who can successfully fold herself into a little cardboard car?!

Huh, the German girl chose to be a Beer Wench. How original.

Enjoy the pics, and I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Halloween this weekend. I will be studying Anatomy and Physio and crossing my fingers this semester comes around for me.

Halloween Party at The Pink Elephant!

Really? Do these locals not understand that we've got ENOUGH going on?!

I've got to say I'm finding it very hard to focus this semester. And considering this is the hardest of the 7, that's not good news. I'm not sure what is different, why my motivation levels have changed, but c'mon!!

Wednesday we have our second parasitology exam, which I really need to rock. There will be around 60 parasites covered, both dog/cat and equine. I can actually feel my blood pressure rise at the mention. And to make matter more fun, next week we have our second anatomy lab exam that covers the lower half of the thoracic limb and all of the pelvic limb, thorax, and abdomen! ACK!

I hope everyone at home are doing well, and I'm sorry I've not been much of a good relative/friend/etc. lately. I hope you all understand my taciturn attitude and I look forward to catching up with you over break.

OH - and to add to that blood pressure thing....more break-ins reported tonight in my neighborhood. So I've got that going for me. Which is nice.

Where in the Caribbean is Sprat Net?

It seems not everyone made it out of the hurricane with spectacular flair (such as we dorm rats).....my favorite restaurant on The Rock has been broken in two. Quite literally.

Beacon of yummy goodness.

Sprat Net is located on a cliff face overlooking the gorgeous Caribbean Ocean, about ten minutes from Ross U. The restaurant is an open deck design, partially covered, with a basic kitchen that you order from, and the most fantastic cakes to partake of after your fabulous fish/ribs/lobster/shrimp/chicken dinner. The road that leads to Sprats was partially destroyed by erosion and a rather large boulder that tumbled down from the cliff face. And Sprats itself lost half of their deck/restaurant, the part that hung over the edge above the sea.

From what I understand, most of this is gone... :(

Lobster dinner, photo courtesy of Kristin 1

View of sunset from the deck formally known as Sprat Net.

This whole table area may not be there anymore. Weird.

This happens just one week after they re-opened for the season. Our wait for Delicious Sprat Net will just have to continue into next semester.

For those who are interested, I'm going to put together a slide show of the "aftermath" from Hurricane Omar. Please note that the pictures are all 'borrowed' from my classmates, as my camera is still DOA until further notice. I'll try and have it up by tonight or tomorrow, but as always...no promises :)

On a different note, though not at all happier, my classmate Laura seems to have contracted The Dengue. Of course, we can't be sure because no doctor will admit to the possibility that she's infected with the virus. Seems some people here live in La-La land where infectious diseases don't affect their little island. Laura has been home for the last week and a half, bored out of her skull, with a mild to scary fever, rash, and sore muscles. I do hope she gets better soon, before they whisk her away to the states.....

Ain't that just like a man....

...spend the night with a girl, get her all excited, and then gone in the morning leaving a mess behind. I am, of course, referring to my friend Omar (you sickos).

The first annual (c'mon, we're sitting ducks right in hurricane alley - of course it's annual!) Ross Hurricane Party progressed until about 3:30am (at least for me...). Still have the day off school/dog walking, even though today has been pretty mild with regards to weather. Not even very windy, only sprinkling. Perfect for recovering from a full day of drinking.

Quite a number of retarded students (and I say that with all the love in my heart) took it upon themselves to run amok outside during the height of the storm. It was sort of like watching a drunken version of The Weather Channel footage of hurricanes in the past. Please note that I remained inside the lounge, nice and dry, within the safety of the hurricane windows and sitting next to the wine and liquor bottles. It was an....interesting....night. All of the Floridians present agreed whole-heartedly that it was the best hurricane party we've ever attended.

Now that the excitement is over and my man has moved on, it's time to get back to the grind. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!