My quick vacation home just made me that much more home sick.

I went back to Colorado for Spring break.  It was wonderful, with the exception on getting stuck in a blizzard for 3 hours on the drive there.  It was a little bit too wonderful, because I really did not want to come back to California.

When we first moved to Pomona, before olfactory fatigue kicked in, every time I went outside I noticed how California smelled like smog. When I went home, I had the opposite effect - I wasn't used to how it smelled there, so outside always smelled like pine.  Now that I'm back here, I'm smelling smog again.

It was great seeing old friends, and picking up exactly where we left off.  It was great seeing wildlife that wasn't just reptiles, or feral animals (although the flock of feral parrots here in Cali is kind of awesome).  While we were having a BBQ at a friend's house in Manitou Springs, we were visited by a bear.  My mom's yard was full of deer most days.  Aargh, I miss living in the foothills.

I stopped by the clinic I used to work for, and got asked point-blank to come work there when I graduate, and to buy the practice over a 5-6 year period.  It's something my old boss and I always hinted at, and I always wanted to do, but things are a lot more official now.  Nothing in writing yet, but that will come closer to when I graduate.  I also found out that the property that the clinic is sitting on is probably safe from being taken via eminent domain and destroyed to expand the main street it's next to, so that is amazing news.  I love that property - it's over an acre, perfect for wildlife work, has a couple goldfish ponds in back, an area for the clinic goats to live, and it still has the fort and windmill from the mini-golf course that was there before the hospital.  I'm so excited that if all goes well that it will be mine one day.

I also swung by the zoo while I was at home.  The post office lost some paperwork from them confirming my 4th year rotation there, so I figured I'd cut the post office out of the picture, get stuff re-signed and drop it off at school in person.  I had the pleasure of being asked to come with one of the vets while I was there to treat a Tapir.  If they let me come with them when I was just dropping off paperwork, I cannot wait until I get to officially spend a month there next year.

This week for class, I've been on my surgery rotation at the Upland shelter.  Wednesday, I neutered a boxer.  He is so incredibly sweet, and if I weren't at capacity with 2 dogs, I would take him in a heartbeat.  He's so happy to have attention, kept trying to sit in my lap when I was trying to do a physical exam on him, and kept stopping to turn around and give me a goofy boxer face when I was walking him in the park.  He didn't have a name when I neutered him, so I named him Doofle, but I see that somebody else has switched his name to Barney.  Pfft.  Barney.  Anyway, he needs a home.  He's an absolute love bug.  You know you want him. He wants to sit on your couch and snuggle, watch movies and share snacks.  He wants to go for romps in the park.  He's a hell of a sweet dog that will make somebody very happy.

You cannot resist that sad puppy face.  Adopt him.