More than one way to skin a cat

I got my A&P midterm results back today. I got a solid B on both, which makes me happy......but I want to do better. I think, now that we're done with cell functions, I can get a higher grade on the next midterm. I hope so anyway, because I want an A. I know that this is a weeder course, I know that I'm going to have to work my butt off to get that A, but I want it anyway. I'd convinced myself going into these midterms that I didn't really care, that the fact I was feeling so nervous didn't matter because I just needed to pass and that was all, but the moment I saw my scores, I had to admit that I did care. I know I'm capable of getting an A, so that's what I want to get. If I end up with a B, well....I passed. But I want better.

Anyway, the cat skinning. I have no entertaining Animal Science Tuesday Lab stories this week because lab was canceled (the goat farm field trip fell through). A&P lab today more than made up for it though because we got to skin cats.

My lab team got into the spirit of it a little too much perhaps, and we were having a lot of fun. I was using a scalpel to gently scrape away some connective tissue when one of my lab partners mentioned that the instructor had suggested using scissors. I told her that there was more than one way to skin a cat, which earned me a groan from my other lab partner. Of course, she got her own back when I said I needed to go blow my nose. She offered me a chunk of skin and said "Tissue? Get it?". Bad pun.

It kept going too. We accidentally cut a hole into the skin and one partner yelled "Take her to church, she's holy!". We cut a cross-section out of the stratum corneum on the right metatarsal pad (aka, the paw) and I told them that "the kitten lost her mitten". Our cat was also a polydactyl (poly-many, dactyl-toe/finger) who had 7 toes on each foot. We named her (yes, we named our dead, preserved lab cat...so?) E.T. the extra-toe-restrial. We crack ourselves up.

Tomorrow is yet another quiz (shoot me now). This one is on camelids, which I'm feeling fairly confident on. At least I have some experience with them.