another (off-season) happy birthday!

Happy 24th Birthday to Lindsey, HPSS coordinator extraordinaire!!

blondie and twinkletoes cross the straits

Mackinac Island Summer Conference. One for the books: luxury and fanciness, nature and recapturing childhood, networking like mad, and a breather on the marathon race to the end of the summer with HPSS. In short, lots of fun, and lots of fudge!


[on the ferry]

Lindsey, being a horrible Michigander, had never been to Mackinac Island before, and was very thrilled to be going up with Dr. Rode (Paula), Ryan, and Rachel (a prodigy of Dr. Rode's, an anatomy partner to the valiant HPSS duo, and a roommate to Lindsey) to such a fabled idyllic place. After a short night of little sleep post-calving in the Thumb, the caravan left bright and early, and arrived on the Mackinac City shore just in time to catch the last ferry to get to the MVMA Executive Board meeting on time. Pulling a quick Superman-esque change in the rental condo, we as a trio headed to the Grand Hotel to present about the summer's successes and the future of the project to the MVMA Executive Board.

Lindsey and Ryan gave a enthusiastic and well-received presentation to representatives from regions across Michigan, the Dean of the MSU CVM, AVMA representatives, MVMA Preseidents past and future, and many other important movers and shakers in the world of organized veterinary medicine. After many questions and congratulations, the meeting continued through the afternoon. Desperately in need of a nap and/or some food, we pushed on and made it to the President's Reception later that evening, where we all were able to talk about the HPSS (among other things) at length with folks from the afternoon's meeting. All in all, a great day for helping to secure the HPSS as an MVMA exhibit in upcoming fair seasons!

Day two consisted of educational neurology lectures, a little shopping 'downtown' and a very formal reception on the porch of the Grand Hotel. Everyone was dressed to the nines as we took in the view from the historic hotel and were assisted in networking by the fabulous Dr. Lloyd, a favorite professor of ours from MSU. At dinner, we made some connections and hatched plans for a possible spay-neuter trip around the Virgin Islands post-graduation... now that would be a treat! Even as early in the stay as this, Dr. Rode's aunt Marcia had established (and frequently used) her own nicknames for the two of us- Blondie (Lindsey) and Twinkletoes (Ryan). If only we had a nickel for every time we heard these through the trip... we could pay off our vet school loans!

On the third day, we were able to recapture our childhood and break away from the conference. The three of us students rented bikes and took a leisurely ride around the Island, stopping along the way, of course, to take in the sights such as Arch Rock, the bridge, and banks of wildflowers growing along the shore. We also, Rachel in particular, spied and were fascinated by the towers of rocks built along the water's edge in so many places. At a stop near the end of our ride, the urge to contribute to the trend was just too great and we took time to build our own mineral masterpieces (some more complex and time-consuming than others...)

Another urge struck after we had purchased fudge and met back up with Paula that afternoon, where both she and Ryan broke down and bought kites to fly in the breeze in a local park.

It was straight out of a postcard as the new high flyers took off into the wind... except for the rain that rolled in and later ended our kite-flying spree, but only marked the perfect time for us to head back for our final dinner on the Island. And a delicious one at that! Best sweet potato french fries EVER! (not that we've had a lot in our lives...) Our last stop was the animal-themed party back at the Grand Hotel. LOTS of zebra stripes, feathers, and fur flying to the jungle beat of tunes mixed by the lovely Karlene!

After a long and relaxing weekend on the gem of a destinantion that is Mackinac, we headed back to get right back on the tour. Time to stay close to home at Ingham County Fair - look out, Mason!

all-star break

Sadly for all you lovely people of Michigan, Lindsey and Ryan, given their positions in the Student AVMA, are currently enjoying the mid-summer heat and humidity of the South with America’s pastime: business vacation. Your favorite HPSS Student Coordinators will be enjoying a taste of the bayou at the AVMA Conference in New Orleans from July 19-22.

Beforehand, each has an extra objective: Ryan in Florida visiting friends, Lindsey with a group of MSU veterinary medical and technology students volunteering to help rehabilitate animal shelters still in need of repair in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Then it’s time to reconnect for meetings with friends and fellow leaders from veterinary schools around the country, not to mention eating delicious creole food and enjoying all the Big Easy has to offer!

Once home, it’ll be intense laundry action, repacking, and straight back over to the Thumb for the Sanilac County Fair in Sandusky, MI. We hope to see some familiar faces from Croswell, among others, there on July 24-26! See you there!!

a new decade

Happy Birthday to HPSS Radiology superstar, Max, the YOUNGEST student on the team, who turns 20 today! Have a good one, youngin'!

cyclops is the new black

Kids Day at the Eaton County Fair - A huge opportunity for a busy day at the exhibit...And was it ever! We were able to talk to just under 400 people- adults and children alike- as the weather held out through the afternoon. Everyone wanted to see what we were all about, and get a hands-on experience with the tools and excitement of vet med. We were able to teach a lot of people about parasites, fractures, animal restraint, and everything in between. We also quickly found the plasticized pathology models from Dr. Patterson to be a great addition to the exhibit, and a huge hit with the crowds, particularly one group of young men who were fascinated with the equine cyclops: One wouldn’t even touch it, while others stared, covered their mouths, and were, essentially, floored. It was enthusing to see nearly grown fellas show such interest. It was more disconcerting to be offered $50 for it, which, of course, we had to decline. :]


We also were fortunate enough to be graced with the presence of special visitors Jeff and Kyle, who knew Lindsey from undergraduate time at MSU and also thoroughly enjoyed all the exhibit had to offer in additon to catching up a bit.

The day ended in fireflies and mosquitoes once again, and after a final show of radiology as the light faded, we packed up and tucked in after a memorable nonstop day at the Fair.

"when in doubt, swing it out"

Back out on the beat with the HPSS!

We have been gearing up to get back on the fair circuit since our first highly successful jaunt to Croswell. Fixing the broken tent, adding new displays, and securing all the proper pieces of the surgical mock-up for the rest of the summer have been on our agendas since our return in mid-June.

Next on the schedule, a short drive down to Charlotte, MI for the Eaton County Fair. Seeing as how it was after a long holiday weekend, we first had to pick up the trailer (as the supplies were an extremely tight fit in the SUV without the surgery equipment) for the rest of the tour, which was stored at the Lansing Airport. George, being the great trailer-lending guy that he is, met us there to set us up.

[Here is an excellent time to point out that none of us have even a bit of experience with driving, hauling, or maneuvering a trailer. One might imagine this could cause a bit of apprehension. More on that later.]

George informed us, upon arrival, that we would need a new ball hitch to fit the trailer. Lucky for us, there happens to be a specialty trailer store just down the street: "Hitches & More." Special thanks to the employees there for helping us do a quick change-out and get us back on track. After a little (ok, a lot) of adjusting and fanagling, we lined up and hooked up the trailer appropriately, got the electrical connections working (back down at Hitches & More), and started back to East Lansing to pack her up. Our final piece of advice from George: "Be good, and when in doubt, swing it out." Advice well taken.

Once everything (and we mean everything- quite a load we have amassed!) was packed, a severe line of storms complete with absolute downpour stopped us in our tracks and we waited out the deluge in East Lansing. Finally, in the late afternoon, we were able to pull out and head down the highway (shakily and with completely deliberate sluggishness) to the charming town of Charlotte.

Theo of the Fair Board met us there on the grounds as we entered, and we were lucky enough to find that he had big-rig experience: so lucky, in fact, that he was able to maneuver the vehicle into our exhibit space like a true pro. In intense post-rain humidity, we set about putting up the display, with care taken to support the wounded tent, the replacement frame for which we had not yet received. The IV pole inside the surgical tent got to serve double duty as a strut, and more creative taping and splinting went a long way to keep everything in working order and looking snazzy.

Fully set up, finally, we got to meet the fine people of Eaton County! All evening, under heavy mosquito attack, we were able to share the wonders of vet med with about 100 kids, families, and many an interested passerby. The nightfall helped in showing off the illumination our x-rays and we found ourselves busy with plenty of visitors! Even with the unexpectedly late start, we had a grand opening day at Eaton, and look forward to another with everyone tomorrow at Kids Day!

cast-a-rate

After battling with Friday the 13th, the HPSS team cautiously took a morning of relaxation, heading into nearby Lexington to see the sights, take in Lake Huron, and catch lunch before the last day in Croswell. We found plenty of fun- a beautiful shore, a beach wedding setup, families relaxing, and, of course, a photo opportunity of unforeseen proportions. A kind man visiting from Texas offered his photography services, and made sure we were believable as heads on bodies:

We had hoped to see him at the Fair later that day, but sadly, he never stopped by.

After a casual sightseeing morning and lunch at the local tavern, we approached the fairgrounds, playing “Final Countdown” at full volume (of course), from Lindsey’s iPod, transmitted on FM, with Max tailgating precariously close to the rear bumper to receive the signal and get pumped up, too. The friendly gate attendant greeted us as usual, but also had a bone to pick with us: last night, her grand-daughter came up to her and asked what ‘cast-a-rate’ meant, and the woman told us she could have just strangled us for opening that can of worms. Testes were NOT something she was planning on discussing that evening, ha.

Without the threat of rain, we had another fantastic day, talking with many more people about pets, parasites, veterinary medicine, and life. We even were fortunate enough to get our hands on some animals when the box of kittens we were promised to meet showed up for sexing- four girls and one boy- and we got some adorable fuzzy baby kitty time. We also were introduced to three ducklings that needed sexing, and Lindsey’s imdergraduate summer as a goose bander -slash- herder living at the Bird Sanctuary of MSU’s Kellogg Biological Station came in quite handy.

We also got to see some of our hard work pay off as we noticed repeat customers to the exhibit. One in particular, a boy of about 9 named Hunter, stopped by to learn about everything we had to show, and promptly ran off to bring his mother back to teach her (almost verbatim) everything all the displays, and then again with an aunt or anyone he could find, showing off over and over again just how much of an adorable smartypants he really was.

Finally, as the light started to fade, it was time to say goodbye. Jeff of the Fair Board came to wish us off as we started to pack up, and brought his family to check out the goods we had, as one of his daughters wanted to be a veterinarian and he knew she would love . everything we had to offer. However, her mother explained, she is highly allergic to pet hair, and they’re pretty sure she couldn’t be a veterinarian because of it, so she’s trying to figure out what else to be when she grows up. Well it just so happens they found the right people to talk to, as Lindsey explained that there are veterinarians whose job it is to look in microscopes or work in offices as teachers or researchers, or senators or public health officials, and they all went to vet school. Even though they don’t treat animals every day, they still help animals stay healthy in lots of different ways by learning about disease or how we should feed animals or almost anything! You should have seen her eyes light up upon learning she can still follow her dream of becoming a veterinarian... that's what makes this so worth it.

And if that wasn’t enough, as we were about to close up the completely (COMPLETELY.) full vehicle, an older woman came up to us to tell us that she just had to find us to thank us, because her grandkids were so excited about the things we showed them yesterday that they told her it was the best part of their day at the Fair. She said that she couldn’t get them to slow down about everything they saw, and the enthusiasm in their learning was unbelievable. It was a perfect ending to the first outing for our tour.

As we drove back to East Lansing in an inspiring lightning storm, we discussed just how much we look forward to meeting more people all around the state and spreading the fun and excitement of veterinary medicine- it’s been so fun for us so far. Til next time!

Friday the 13th

"What day of the week is it?"
"Friday."
"And the date?"

"The thirteenth."

"Exactly."

In true superstitious fashion, the day of grim misfortune struck the HPSS in full force. Lucky for us, it tangled with good humor and those able to laugh about the ensuing string of ridiculous near-catastrophic failures...

As we prepared to leave our hotel for lunch and setup at the second day of the fair, we received our first indication that today might not go exactly as planned: a phone call from the fair board informing us that our tent was found perilously flipped and crumpled a few hundred yards from where it had been all night. With dropped jaws and on empty stomachs, we rushed to investigate the damage:

...which was, to say, quite extensive. If we're honest, it hurt to look at it. We sheepishly gathered ourselves and set in on deconstructing the wounded beast, removing each panel and attempting to keep the frame in its proper orientation. We found that two support struts were broken, snapped off at their hinges, and one corner was badly bent. Thankfully, having just finished our stint in fourth semester Musculoskeletal, we were able to use some ingenuity (in the form of stakes and copious duct tape) to fixate the fractures above and below the affected joint (shout out to Dr. DeCamp), and got our girl back up on her feet pretty well in just under an hour.

Not too shabby. For our efforts, we found a local mexican restaurant and decided to take our lunch leisurely, applauding our damage control efforts and laughing at the irony of our day thusfar. Upon our return, we were ready for more hours of bringing veterinary medicine to fairgoers, and started to set up our displays. Almost immediately, one of our two glass-framed spay-neuter posters fell out of our hands and shattered. Pausing for effect, we rolled our eyes and finished putting out our supplies in the gale.

We soon found out that we would be wrangling with the wind for the rest of the afternoon. It decimated our stuffed animals, put our skeleton mascot in harm's way, made us tape down the radiographs, find makeshift paperweights for just about everything, and continue to keep an eye on the tent, which was billowing and shifting as it filled and flounced in the gusts. One particularly strong breeze took hold of our second poster and slammed it down against the back of a chair, spreading glass shards once again.

Well then. This was no ordinary day. We were 0 for 2 on posters, and 0 for smooth success on just about anything. With frustrated smiles, we went on wholehearted.

However, after all of our blood pressures had increased enough with worry for the day, we made the executive decision that the tent, for it's own sake, needed to be packed up for now, so as not to sustain any further wind damage. We removed our splints and carefully took down each piece to keep the frame stable. Packing away the collapsible construct, we began to fold the tent material for storage, which, let me tell you, was no easy task. This was like fighting with some kind of diabolical parachute. As the wind filled the fabric like a sail, one particular side went rogue and headed for our displays- Lindsey had to jump onto and roll herself into it to avoid certain disaster:

With that, we finally let go and had a good laugh at just how hilariously badly today was going, and as we packed away the last pieces of the tent, we felt raindrops, grinned knowingly, and ran around to bring the majority of our non-waterproof exhibit into the trailer for protection. As the rain continued, we decided we now had an excellent reason to explore the animal barns and rest of the fairgrounds, and met a very lazy and sleepy goat kid, plenty of sheep, brown swiss, and a fellow exhibitor who needed some advice about orphaned raccoon kits. It was great to be able to take in the ambiance of the fair, even under the rainy conditions. Croswell is a great place.

Shortly thereafter, once we were able to truly take a breather and contemplate (over elephant ears, the great inspirer) in the crowded trailer, we decided we would not just roll over. No way, Friday the 13th. We can take you. A little creativity and perserverence go a long way, as we made the effort to morph the HPSS exhibit into more than something that can be taken out by some wind and rain. We set up our displays and goodies inside the trailer, and invited our onlookers inside for a peek at what we had to offer. It felt a little more crowded, and a lot more effort, but we were proud to have soldiered on despite our drawbacks.

It was a much slower and harder-to-bear day, but as we wrapped up, we were reflecting in fondness the way we handled adversity and came out on top. And, of course, we still listened to "Final Countdown" on the way back to the hotel. It was a good day.

kicking off the tour

Finally, the day of our shining debut for the HPSS!

We had spent much of the night prior getting prepped and attempting (and eventually succeeding, through many feats of spatial reasoning and ingenuity) to fit all of the equipment and exciting demos into the vehicle. On little sleep, we left East Lansing bright and early this morning, headed eastward, and arrived in Croswell just after 9am to meet with the rest of Team HPSS: Drs. Rode and Steep, Max, and Dr. Rode's daughter, Anna, in tow.

With everyone's help, we got everything- the tent, the tables, the banners, the first pictures- all squared away and were ready for business by noon. Everyone around us was interested in just what exactly we were all about, and we were happy to start talking with those who stopped by.

Throughout the beautiful day until we shut down at around 10pm, we talked with about 200 fairgoers about everything we brought along to show off--- jars of all sorts of parasites, microscope slides, unusual radiographs, and the setup inside the tent (complete with our surgical patient for the weekend, Ryan's stuffed tiger, who was a real crowd-pleaser!).

We also were offered the chance to perform a goat castration on a local caprine (which, being veterinary students without liscences, we had to politely decline), and Ryan got to make use of his exotic medicine books in a discussion about husbandry and nutrition for pet iguanas. In all of the excitement, we forgot about the sunscreen for a few high-sun hours, and had to make an emergency run for SPF when some of the fairer-skinned members of the team started looking well-done. (We heard a lot of "oh my, did you get some sun" and "wow, are you really red"... oops.) During the evening, we were amazed by the genius of our budding veterinary audience in a presentation of radiology rounds with some of the most interesting x-rays in our collection.

After an excellent day at the fair representing the most excellent profession there is, we packed up in the trailer (special thanks to Jeff Butler of the Croswell Fair Board for providing such a great space!), we headed out to our hotel, halfway between Croswell and the lakeside town of Lexington. Max, having been there earlier in the day to check in and pick up the keys, had no trouble, but when Ryan and Lindsey found themselves staring at Lake Huron, decided they had maybe gone too far. A quick call to Max ("It's the only well-lit parking lot on the route"), and all was well. Well, except for not being able to find the actual hotel keys. Dang. After a return trip to the fairground proved unsuccessful, the keys were found in the duffel bag of a certain sunburned invidual (who shall remain nameless). Sleep was nearly instantaneous after an exciting first day on the tour. Can't wait for more.

a quarter century!

Happy 25th Birthday to our OLDEST Student Coordinator: RYAN!
Have a great day with your family, buddy!

ready to launch

Hello!

The Michigan fair season is about to begin, and as leaders of the traveling HPSS exhibit, who will be out there in the trenches, criss-crossing the state and spreading all the excitement of the veterinary profession to as many of Michigan's people as possible, we are both anxiously awaiting the first stop on our summer tour in just under a week: Croswell Agricultural Society Fair, from June 12-14th.

We have been working hard to prepare the exhibit for its debut, and know that you will all enjoy what we have prepared. Personally, we can't wait to show off what we've done! The MVMA has put many resources behind us to help us succeed, and we couldn't have made this what it is without their support (of all sorts)! Many thanks to everyone involved thusfar for believing in the project.

Additionally, thanks to our many friends at the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), we have assembled a great variety of touchable, interactive, and unbelievably fun educational materials that will bring the aspects of vet med that we love so much to all of you out there who don't get to experience it every day as we do!

Visit our home site, healthypetsurgicalsuite.googlepages.com, to see our tour schedule and find out when we'll be in a community near you! Please come out and see us at one of our summer venues, as we're excited to meet new faces and get to know each unique region of our state.

See you all in Croswell, and then on to the rest of the state!
Lindsey and Ryan