Mega update.

Gah! Sorry, my approximately two dozen readers. I've been insanely busy. But I did get a ton of awesome pictures to share from Seattle.

First off, my externship was great. I got to do a lot of cool things, including watch an endoscopic enterotomy procedure. I placed the ET tube, catheter (okay, I blew two veins first - pigs have really tough skin), and monitored anesthesia for surgery. Then afterward I got to perform my first terminal (meaning fatal) heart stick while the pig was still anesthetized. I was planning on spaying her once she was dead, as well, but by that time it was noon and we'd been in surgery for four hours and I could tell that the techs wanted to take their lunch break. They couldn't leave me alone with a dead pig, unfortunately.

I have to say, the University of Washington's Comparative Medicine department has the best enrichment program for their lab animals I've ever seen. The dogs and pigs have extremely nuanced enrichments that are switched up on different days of the week to keep them interesting. The pigs even get rooting opportunities in ice, straw, wood shavings, etc! The rabbits get fresh fruit and vegetables. It's really impressive. I spoke with two of the members of the Environmental Enrichment Committee (yes, they have a freaking committee dedicated to just providing enrichment for their animals) and took notes, and got permission to take photos so I can put together a presentation when I get back to Ross.

Don arrived in Seattle on Friday and we spent the weekend sight-seeing and doing tourist-y type stuff. My favorite was definitely the Pike Place Market. The foodie in me was practically high the entire time.

The Space Needle.

Inside of the EMP museum.

Don playing the guitar in an exhibit at the EMP.

Scuba Santa at the Seattle Aquarium.

Moon jellies.

A mandarin dragonet. So pretty!

I thought the play of light here was really cool.

Fish market.

*droooooool*

I may have eaten a pomegranate seed or five from the free sample.

Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. Mmmm!

 We put together a Christmas dinner of some of the freshest, most gorgeous-looking ingredients I've seen in years that we purchased in the market. We bought rainbow trout filets, shallots, brussels sprouts and three different kinds of mushrooms. I made trout almondine, roasted veg with shallots and garlic, and cream of mushroom soup yesterday. It was incredible.

In other news, Don and I adopted a kitty the other day! He was our Christmas present to ourselves (and to him, really). His name is Roosevelt, and he's an absolutely enormous, dark grey, long-haired bear of a cat with bright yellow eyes. I can tell that his last owner must have been a man, because he's already very snuggly with Don but not so much with me.

Snuggling with dad.