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Monday, August 6, 2012

A Vet's Other Life

Don't send out the bloodhounds, it isn't the "Case of the Missing Blogger".  I realized that I haven't posted anything new in almost a week, and no, I haven't dropped off the planet.  This is a great time to talk about what else veterinarians do.

I've mentioned this before, but many people seem to think that vets do nothing but play doctor.  It's sometimes hard to imagine professionals having a life outside of their office.  But in fact we have quite an active life that takes up quite a bit of our time.  Let me give you an example of things that I'm involved with.

* I'm co-director of a Christian fan group, Fans For Christ, and we're preparing for our biggest event of each year at Dragon*Con.  Besides this con, we attend other events and I help arrange these gatherings.

*  I was just elected as treasurer of our community theater group, The Pumphouse Players.

*  I act in the theater and was recently cast in a supporting role in the play Wit.

*  I manage the financial and marketing side of my wife's custom costuming business, A Touch Of Magic Costumes.

*  I have two kids and don't want to completely abandon them.  I want to be an active father, spending quality family time when I can.

*  We home-school our kids and I try to help teach and supervise on my days off.

*  I'm very much in love with my wife and actually want to spend time with her.  That gets a bit difficult when there are so many other things taking up my time!

And somewhere among all of that I have to sleep!  Needless to say, I have a somewhat busy life.  In fact, I could make a full-time job out of the things I do outside of my paying job!

Vets really are down-to-earth real people with dreams, goals, and interests outside of veterinary medicine.  We put 40-50 hours per week practicing medicine, but we also do things once we leave the clinic.  Our weeks can get pretty full, not always leaving a lot of extra time.

Yep, it's a life!