A clarification...

A clarification...

when I told the story of my almost-attack by the neighborhood dog, I attached a picture I found on the internet of a rabid dog. The picture I posted wasn't THE dog that ran after me, but I felt like that is what it looked like!

Here is a picture of the actual dog! From behind the safety of a fence...and far enough away that you actually can't see him in the picture, but he is there, to the right of the tree!

Halfway through

Joel informed me that I'm very overdue for a post, and I have to agree.

I guess the only excitement would start two Fridays ago...Joel and I had planned to meet in Birmingham at Andrew and Amy's to hang out for the weekend. At about 3:00 Friday afternoon, Dianna (vet at the next cubicle) mentioned in an "oh, by the way, I'm sure you know" manner, that Monday was a federal holiday...Of course- President's Day! Shouldn't everyone have it off!?

So, instead of a nice weekend in Birmingham, we had a nice 3 day weekend in Birmingham, topped off with a Sunday night of camping at Oak Mountain State Park. I've attached a few pictures of the camping trip:

Our tent.
Our tent in the morning after we woke up and put the rainfly on for warmth at about 3:00 a.m.
Joel, acquiring more firewood.
Enjoying the view from the top of Oak Mountain.

Oh yeah, I neglected to mention the 2 hours I spent in traffic on Friday, just trying to get out of the city. Apparently that is pretty normal for Atlanta, but I refuse to acknowledge that there is no way around the traffic.

After the restful hiatus in Birmingham, I returned to Atlanta for a four-day work week (government work doesn't seem so bad!). The rest of the week was pretty uneventful (seminars, project, etc.), and Joel came to visit for the weekend! We ate Thai food, went to the park, saw CDC, found the local REI, went to the Aquarium (pictures below) and acted like locals (ate "brunch" on Sunday after church...while reading the paper!), and had an all around nice weekend.



So, now I guess that gets me caught up to the present...today, I had the opportunity to hear Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H., the acting Surgeon General of the U.S. and the Acting Assistant Secretary for Health...the speech was decently boring, but I figured that its not everyday that you get to see the Surgeon General!

Tomorrow, I have an even more wonderful opportunity! A USDA veterinarian is meeting me at the aquarium to show me around behind the scenes and tell me about USDA's regulation of the facilities...I'm pretty excited and will update with details!

Practice what you preach

I had my first scary Atlanta experience tonight, and surprisingly it had absolutely nothing to do with crime or Atlanta. I went for a quick run around the neighborhood when I got home this afternoon and the scary-looking big dog on the corner acted like he/she was going to eat me up from the front porch both times I went by. Well, I was walking up the street cooling down, and I see aforementioned dog sprinting up the hill towards me barking. Three and a half years of veterinary school and all I could think of was what we're told to teach kids, "Stand like a tree, lie like a log....stand like a tree, lie like a log." Easier said than done- so I stood there like a very unstable tree with my hand on the trigger of my mace yelling down the street, "Does he bite!? Does he bite!?" as the owner came running after the dog. He assured me that "Vivian" didn't bite, and he was right...this time, but I don't know if want to have to take his word for that again!

Week 2, Day 2

The rest of the weekend went well...on Sunday, I visited St. Paul's Presbyterian Church which was a bit closer to the house, and afterwards I helped Anna plant some flowers in the yard and then went for a run in the neighborhood. The weather has been incredible!
Here are some pictures of the plants that I ran outside and took just now in the dark (I forgot to take pictures during the day!)


I've definately settled into my Atlanta routine...wake up, Today show and oatmeal, traffic, CDC, traffic, home...

This week has been pretty slow at work so far because my supervisor has been in meetings the past two days- I've just been putting some finishing touches on my first project to show her tomorrow, and then we're supposed to meet with one of the pathologists tomorrow to discuss my next project. I did get to attend a couple of neat seminars today- the neat thing about CDC is that you have such a variety of departments and branches, so you can always find something new to learn about. For example, today I went to a seminar that presented a study about weight gain in pregnancy, and then another one about drug-resistant infections!

Oh, and here are some pictures from our visitor this weekend, Rora:

A close-up of Rora's fur as she darted in front of the camera while I tried to take a picture of Tallulah.

My first Saturday in ATL

Today, I slept in and awoke to a beautiful, sunny Saturday morning, and Tallulah watched me have my coffee and oatmeal on the back steps.

I ventured out for a bit of exploring this afternoon to find the Dekalb Farmer's Market. I think the term "farmer's market" is a bit of a misnomer...I'd say it is a mix of Whole Foods grocery store and Sam's Club, and it was AMAZING! It is a huge warehouse-sized building with loads and loads of food from all over the world! There are fruits and vegetables that I've never heard of, and I'd have no idea how to use half of them. They also have tanks of live fish swimming around...talk about fresh!

So, I spent a good hour (or more) browsing around this store- I even stopped at their "Fruit and Pastry Shop" for a cup of coffee and a homemade fig bar for later. I will definatly return to the Dekalb Farmer's Market, though it will likely be during the week since it was packed this Saturday afternoon.

After I unloaded my few groceries, I went for a run around Grant Park...the park is larger that I realized, and it was full of people and dogs today in the beautiful weather. Tonight has been pretty low-key, and I'm planning to head to a different church in the morning that is a little closer than the one I visited last week.

Make sure you check out the website for Dekalb Farmer's Market: http://www.dekalbfarmersmarket.com/

Internet is running a bit slow tonight, so I'll have a couple of pictures to post tomorrow.

Another day

Today was the last day of our official orientation, although I feel like I only know a fraction of what the CDC does! Monday through today, we've spent the mornings touring different labs in our "division," and it is amazing the brilliance that this place has...and even more amazing to think I've only seen part of one floor in one building!

Not too much else to report....unlike Athens, I've been a bit slow to start exploring my surroundings besides going for runs in the neighborhood, but I'm trying to take a little bit different route every time I'm out so I can see a bit more everyday.

The weather turned very chilly yesterday, and the wind gusts last night were so strong that they actually woke me up! I heard on the local news this morning that at least one tree was blocking a 4-lane road, and it was 16 degrees when I left for work, which didn't help!

Jezebel the pup doesn't go too far from my site when Anna isn't home...right now she's curled up in one of the chairs in my room! Tallulah is just as cute, but they certainly have very different personalities. It has been fun to have dogs around so far!

I've attached a few pictures...
Tallulah waiting for a pat.
Jezebel curled up on my hoodie.

If I tell you, I'll have to...

Well, I'm not really doing anything that top secret. Today was Day 1 of my externship and it involved a lot of online safety training, tours, introductions, and paperwork once I finally found my way to the campus! Atlanta roads aren't very easy to follow, as they change names every block or so.

Not much else to report...I just wanted to add some pictures that I've taken around the house so you can sort of see what it is like where I am.

The weather here today is drizzly and cold, so I'm hoping later in the week it will warm back up to the beautiful days we had over the weekend!

The bed nook in my room.

The other wall of windows.

A view to the backyard from my bed.

I'm back!!!

So, I changed the name of the blog to cover both of my Georgia externship experiences....I thought about using an Atlanta nickname in place of the Athens nickname, but there aren't many that are very nice.

I made it into Atlanta Saturday afternoon after stopping through Birmingham to visit with Andrew and Amy's clan (plus Biz and Tim and friend). The house was very easy to find and is in a great neighborhood! The houses are older with lots of character but they've all been updated, and this house is great! Anna (the homeowner) is very nice and has made me feel very comfortable- she has 2 really cute dogs (Tallulah and Jezebel), and it is nice to have two happy tails wagging to greet you when you come through the gate!

Last night, I mainly unpacked and settled into my room- a great room on the back corner of the house with lots of windows and a bathroom. Anna was helping with a charity event, so when she got home we finally met.

This morning, I met Wilson and Brooks for church. Wilson lives and works here in Atlanta, and Brooks was visiting for the weekend from Chattanooga, so it was great to visit with them! We went to church (ChristChurch Presbyterian), where a kind woman waited and chatted with me until I found the guys, and then we went to eat lunch at Treehouse- a great Sunday brunch spot.

I made my way back to the house...I don't think I went the quickest way, but I got here with no problems, and the weather was so nice that I sat on the back steps watching the dogs play in the grass and reading a magazine. When Anna got home, I followed her to the grocery store so I could see the way to the shopping center and CDC. The store was PACKED, and I bruised my shin with a defunct shopping cart, but I got enough food to last me for the week I hope.

The neighborhood seems very friendly- everyone knows each other, has dogs, and watches out for one another. Today, I met the man next door, and then went with Anna to watch part of the Super Bowl with a couple across the street. They were very nice (and had a really cute Golden Doodle puppy) and said to let them know if I need anything while I'm here- he made sure what type of car I have so he can keep an eye out.

That is about it for today....tomorrow is the big Day 1 for my CDC externship and I don't know what to expect! I will try to post pictures and details tomorrow! Thanks for reading.