Monumental, unprecedented times

Today is Rosh Hashana, Michael's birthday and my first attempt at cutting Muffin's toenails. I'm going to be working at my vet's office and today I learned how to cut her nails. I didn't do too well. She bled a little. Poor Moo.
I started my job yesterday. The hardest part of the day, by far, was waking up to be there by 7:15. Still drowsy, not enough caffeine and a little nauseous from overconsumption at SSMG's brother's house the day before, I found myself in the operating room observing a large german shepherd being neutered. "I can handle this," I kept telling myself as the nausea progressed and I thought I might puke into the SARS mask that I was required to wear. What I saw is unspeakable, and I shall have to refrain from blogging about the details, but suffice it to say, it was a large dog, with large balls. "Just like cutting up a raw chicken," I kept lying to myself. Anyway, when the dog was closed up and the tech was showing me how to clean up after an operation, I had to excuse myself and promptly spent the next ten minutes of my first morning at work huddled over the toilet in the makeshift bathroom across the hall from the cat boarder room. Fluffy and the others were probably having a better morning than I. It wasn't even 9:00 yet.
I skipped observation of the anal tumor on the Lhasa Apso that followed and found myself in the office manager's office discussing the possibility of starting out as a receptionist instead.
It looks like that's going to happen, and instead of witnessing things that might make me cry or vomit, I can hang out in the lobby and greet the animals and their parents. A much more uplifting scenario.
But then came the man with the old german shepherd for euthanization in the back of his truck. I watched on while he said goodbye to his dog until I couldn't stand it any longer and found myself back in the bathroom crying.
It ain't easy loving pets. But I'm excited about the job nonetheless, and it'll keep me doing something until SSMG and I can make our way back to the paradise that is Boulder, Colorado.