Graduation Day!

For those of you who could not be there to share in my graduation ceremony from UC Davis, here is a link for you to view the entire ceremony:

UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine - 2016 Graduation Ceremony

If you zip ahead to the 1 hour 38 minute mark you'll be able to see my graduation speech. I was honored to be selected by my class as the Student Speaker at our Commencement Ceremony. I am so happy that my speech was so well received...it was worth the sleepless nights and anxiety for such an honor.
A huge thank you to the class of 2016 for the honor of representing you at commencement. I love you all. To all my family and friends, thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a part of this journey and being there at the finish line. I hope to continue to make you all proud!

Here We Go

In just a few days Carolyn and I embark on a crazy journey to the strange and foreign lands of pirates and dinosaurs. While there may not actually be pirates in the Caribbean or dinosaurs in the lost world of Venezuela, adventure is a certainty. For me this marks the first time I will be leaving home soil. Neither Carolyn or I claim to speak Spanish beyond a spattering of improperly conjugated verbs and a few key phrases. Memorizing new vocabulary is practically an occupation for me so I still hold hope that I can be nearly fluent in Spanish when we touch down in Venezuela. This trip was over two years in the making and required careful planning and a great deal of work to make a reality. Carolyn first told me about her plans years ago. She had ordered a Venezuelan travel book with impressive and persuasive full color photos. For years she has been on and off working on a fiction novel in which the main character's journey takes her to Venezuela. The mythology of the indigenous people of Venezuela is woven into her novel and it's natural wonders are almost characters themselves. I remember being at our old house in Santa Barbara after having just camped out in the back yard over night. She turned to the best picture see could find of Angel Falls, "Babe, can we go there?". The thing you have to know about Carolyn is a green light is tantamount to purchasing your ticket when it comes to travel. You can't expect life's relentless gravitational pull toward keeping your feet planted on the ground to win. Pretty early on I realized that not only was this trip going to eventually happen, it had to happen. Regret and restless were destined to haunt Carolyn for the rest of her days if she let gravity win. Given this revelation, I became accomplice to this crazy scheme. I understood that she needed to see this place and finish her novel like I needed to be a vet. For years we racked up airline miles, as the flights to and from were the most expensive part of the journey. If we could save up enough miles we could book the rest relatively cheaply. For two years we dreamed and tried to leave cheaply. Carolyn read books about how to travel and what to do there. We had loose timeline of sometime soon and I had to talk her out of trying to do the trip in between our wedding and moving and starting vet school. In an odd twist of fate our friends sent out an invitation to their wedding for June 22nd this summer on the island of Aruba. Carolyn and I, being experts in geography, didn't even have to google Aruba to know that it was just off the northern coast of Venezuela. To our pleasant surprise not only was Aruba close to Venezuela, it was cheaper to fly from the U.S. to Aruba to Venezuela than it was to fly direct to Venezuela. Significantly. All of a sudden we we're actually doing this. No longer next year or some other vague future time, it was time to make this happen now. That's the short version of how this trip came to be. I can't tell you how many phone calls were made, websites searched, emails exchanged and nights Carolyn had fallen asleep scanning travel sites for perfect deals occurred along the way. Not to mention the vaccines, malaria medications, currency exchange, and passport hurdles.

Here we are. We dreamed big enough, wanted it bad enough,had a push from fate, and we leave on June 19th for the biggest adventure of our lives. One week in Aruba, 2 weeks in Venezuela, and several days journey back via the island of Curacao. In Aruba we will snorkel, relax (hopefully), and attend the wedding of Christo and Sandi. In Venezuela we will take a dugout canoe up the Amazon river to see the world's tallest water fall. How tall is it? 19 times taller that Niagara falls or roughly two Empire State buildings. Along the way we will interact with the Pemon indigenous peoples and hopefully fail to interact with disease carrying mosquitoes. The Amazon is home to alligators, piranhas, anacondas, and numerous other crazy creatures. Our next trek is to the the top of the nations highest peak: Mount Roraima. We will cross rivers, sleep in caves, and explore one the oldest rock formations in the world. Certain plants and animals that only exist in this place in the world will be all ours. We will explore the Valley of Crystals on top of the mountain where quartz crystals come up from the ground. We will feel like we're flying when we look out on top of the 9,000+ foot peak where we get to sleep for one night. The jungle we trek through is home to various species of monkeys, bats, leopards, and giant ant-eaters. Finally we will leave Venezuela for the tiny island of Curacao to enjoy some beach time relaxing and some more world-class snorkeling. We will not be bringing our phones as they most likely won't work and could be stolen or damaged along the way. We might have a few opportunities to check email along the way but it's hard to know when. We have all the bug spray, sun screen, and back packing gear we need (and then some) to ensure we do this trip the right way, which is the prepared way. I think the heaviest thing I am packing is our first-aid kit with every cream, pill, or bandage we could possibly need. We have basic travel insurance to cover well... lets just say we have it. We will arrive back home on July 10th if all goes according to plan. While we are away please don't worry about us. Be excited for us and be anxious to hear about our adventure. This kind of trip is the kind of trip that people dream about their entire lives and never take. This kind of trip will bring with it stories and pictures we can share with people for the rest of our lives. Think of it as just another crazy chapter in the Matt and Carolyn adventure storybook. If all that falls through think of it has something we had to do. Just like in the Pixar movie "Up", which is conceptually based on the Venezuelan lost world, adventure is out there. Only in our story we don't wait. We go.

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Zomney for President if you don't like your brains!

I could go into a prolonged diatribe or express my disbelief that the race is even this close or I could just say watch this video and laugh.

Vet School One Month In: Finding Your Groove

Well it's been over a month now since vet school started. "So what's it been like?" you ask. So far it's been really really good. It hasn't been easy nor has it been too difficult. So far it has been less stressful than undergrad in many ways, yet it would be untruthful to say it's been stress free. It's a different kind of stress. Many of my friends and family have noted my sudden disappearance from planet earth and I can fully attribute that to the kind of experience vet school has been so far. That is it's totally consuming. Where life was put on hold for school before now it seems life revolves around school. I now shower and eat more often at school than at home. I am seriously considering installing a towel rack with some nice decorative towels to "class up" the bathroom at school since I use it more than my own at home. My routine is just now beginning to take shape as the second exam approaches. I passed my first exam but by too narrow of a margin to feel comfortable. I have worked into a solid workout routine but haven't lost any weight as of yet. I have made friends and have been (for me) very social. Yet I am still working on being comfortable with my new peers and myself in this new world. I have moments of confidence in animal handling labs equal in magnitude to those of insecurity in study groups. I absolutely feel good about coming to Davis and love my environment.
The new curriculum that we are learning is still a work in progress. We are constantly confused and chronically uninformed on where to be and when. The night before a lab I realize that I have several instructional videos to watch. I have shown up to class in scrubs with no lab or last minute borrowed rubber muck boots to work in the livestock wing. No one was sure what would be on the exam until roughly 48 hours before it happened. It's not that the program is disorganized, rather, it just works on a need to know basis. You don't need to know until you really need to know. And if you don't know you'd better ask somebody. Me, personally, I think this is all by design. I think they purposefully and skillfully withhold information from us. They know us vet students are planners. We need to know all the info and scheme to be our best selves for a given activity. Here we are forced to be slightly unprepared, slightly uncomfortable, vulnerable, and flexible. We simply must ask our peers questions and consult facebook for consensus on burning questions. We must learn to function in the face of fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. Speaking of fear and anxiety...we had a full hour lecture on the alarming prevalence of depression in vet students. Ironically this lecture preceded the hour long discussion that focused on the obscene debt we were taking on and the modest salaries we could expect. What's that? you're not depressed? Well have you calculated how much you'll be paying in interest on your loans? No wonder an easy 60% of us report being depressed or suicidal. Bummed as we all were following those lectures, there was no time to dwell. There's a vet student basketball game at 4, a bbq on campus at 5, a house party at 7. Besides we're here now, no point in dwelling on the imperfections of the profession. I guess if I had to explain what this first few weeks as been like I would use an analogy. Picture yourself working tirelessly in your bathroom mirror to perfectly primp your hair for the biggest dance of your middle school career. You are only so-so on your outfit, you're nervous your going to sweat through your shirt, and you sprayed too much perfume. You get to the dance and you don't see you friends. People are there its just people you only sort of know. Maybe you make awkward small talk with the girl who sits in front of you in English, maybe you fidget in the corner silently. Your crew eventually gets there and the lights go out and the music begins to play. Much to your horror the DJ has dealt a fatal blow to your night. It's a medium paced song. I can slow dance to a slow jam and rock in a somewhat rhythmic motion to a fast song. But what the hell do I do to this song? Panicked you look around and see that others are trying desperately to find the groove. Some are doing well, others look like babies taking their first step. Options include quickly walking out of the dance or risk looking like your inventing a dance that looks like speed tai chi. You've already sweat through your shirt so screw it. You bounce around like an idiot and surprisingly your awkward dance circle digs it. For 3 minutes and 43 seconds you forget how the song began and you forget to worry about if your shirt is cool. Ah, yes this is being in the moment.This is the secret and the key to this dance living up to your wildest day dreams. You are at the dance you might as well try to enjoy yourself. Just when you start to iron out the dance move the song changes. "Pour some sugar on me", Def Leppard. F-it just start running in quasi-slow motion while pumping your fist and hope that they play your song later.

Now that's a proposal!

It's kinda hard to do but this guy puts me to shame in the elaborate marriage proposal department.

I'M IN !

I have been accepted to the UC Davis school of veterinary medicine. The number two school in the nation has chosen me from 1142 people that applied this year (they totally bought the "Batman" thing). This summit, 12 years in the making, has not even begun to sink in. Part of me feels like it won't for a very long time. Nearly every decision made for the last decade centered on how best to inch myself closer toward reaching this point. The heart-ache of disappointing grades, rejection letters, and watching peers pass me by while I continued to slowly make my way, is now part of a whole set of emotions I can completely let go. I made it, and like everyone else always said it was worth it.

I still don't know how I got here other than to say I wouldn't have been possible without the love and support of all my family and friends. The journey towards one's goal is often most difficult at the point at which you are closest to achieving it. Without Carolyn as my constant cheer-leader providing me with an shakeable foundation of support and love I could not have gone this far. Without all the teachings and values instilled in me by my parents I may not have even had the courage to begin this journey much less make it this far. Dad, all of those cheesy kung-fu movies we watched, believe it or not, gave me the idea that no matter the size of the challenge; no retreat, no surrender. You didn't believe in letting me win in chess or basketball, teaching me to not fear challenge or failure in the face of my best effort. You wouldn't allow me to be satisfied with any form of half-assery,and an indefatigable work ethic followed.
Mom, you were always such a kind ear and someone whom I could always lean on. From you I have gathered the importance in fighting for what you want out of life even if the wind blows against you. Your emotional strength knows no bounds and it was this strength you gave to me that carried me through many difficult times. Somehow you are always able to strike the right tone of encouragement, empathy, and reality.
Without all of the fabulous individuals I have worked with over the years I may have lost my way perhaps forgot why it was I set out on this path. From each of the doctors I have worked with I have learned so much. Watching them work was constant motivation. Thank you for all your support Drs. Thank you all my tech homies that made the journey bearable. I have learned a lot from all of you as well and have been deeply heartened by comments like: "when you become a vet, I will be your tech". For those who still want to become vets, you now know it is possible for you to do it as well.
[I would like to thank the academy....the director,..] If this were an award show I would have played off stage by the orchestra ten minutes ago. The list could go on forever but the point is this: WE did it! Please share in this victory with me as part of your own success. Use this moment to reflect on your own goals and realize, as Paulo Coelho writes: "when someone wants something bad enough and follows their own true personal legend (purpose), the entire universe conspires to assist them".
For now I will enjoy the moment and weigh the decision between UC Davis and the Colorado State vet prep program carefully.I cant believe I have a choice to make. Crazy. (Lets see, agenda for this month: decide between top vet schools in nation, finalize wedding plans with girl of dreams, party butt off remaining days of Santa Barbara residency. Seems like becoming starting point guard for the Kings should be next on this list of incredulous to-do's). Colorado is much cheaper than Davis and offers a masters degree in addition to my DVM. However, I don't get to actually start vet school for another year making it a 5 year program in Colorado. Davis is close to almost all of our family and friends and would graduate me in 4 years. The schools swap spots between #2 and #3 in the nation so education quality and program prestige don't really provide a differentiating factor. As master Yoda would have undoubtedly said in this instance, "Have much to consider we do, hard decision it will be. Visit Colorado we must". And Visit Colorado we shall...

By the Numbers

In 4 days I turn 29.
In 2 months Carolyn and I get married.
In 10 days I'll find out whether I've been accepted to Davis, making me one of 138 members of the class of 2016 out of 1143 that applied
In 9 days I'll take my finals, worth 30% and 40% of my grades hoping to hold on just enough to pass my classes and move on.
Over those 9 days I must read roughly 263 pages of material covering 6 chapters and 500 lecture slides.
4 of the next 9 days will be 12 hour work days (i got Sunday off luckily)
.....and when I'm done next Thursday the 22ND I'll have at least 10 celebratory beers and use 1 out of 5 of my fingers to salute my biochemistry text book.
Wish Me Luck

In case you missed it!!

Last night Jeremy Lin brought the Knicks back from way down in the fourth.In an awesome display of what I can only describe as "fearlessness" he hit the game winner to make it 6-straight wins. Rumble young man rumble.

LET'S GO!!!

Ive got an hour before biochem starts and I feel compelled to bring to your attention a man by the name of Jeremy Lin. If your like me; busy and only casually following basket ball this season you may have missed the best thing to happen in sports in a long time. Meet Jeremy Lin, #17, starting point guard for the New York Knicks. He wasn't always the starter, in fact before last Saturday he was fourth string and calculating his next move when he would most likely be cut from the roster. Due to injuries Lin got the chance he needed last Saturday and what has transpired over the last week can be described as LINSANITY! Ok so a back-up having a couple of good games may not be all that exciting, that is until you find out this guy's story.
To start Jeremy Lin is one of only a handful of Asian-Americans to ever suit up for an NBA team. Lin was born and raised in Palo Alto to Taiwanese parents and was a basketball standout early on. His dad discovered basketball as a adult for the very first time and instantly fell in love with the game. He taught Jeremy by recording the greats on tv and teaching him fundamentals. In high school Lin started for the varsity team as a freshman and put up impressive numbers. He lead the team in several categories, received several awards, and local recognition for his superior play. However, Lin was completely passed over by college scouts and was never offered any scholarship opportunities despite being one of the best point guards in the state. Despite his success he faced an unfair stigma of Asian-Americans and was often treated to racial taunting at games. Unfazed by the lack of respect for his game Jeremy decided to go to college at Harvard. The first in his family to go to college Jeremy decided to make it count by going to Harvard and playing for their historically lackluster team. Though they are a division I school, Harvard traditionally has not garnered much attention with their basketball program only turning out one (ONE!) NBA player in the 1950's.
As you might have guessed Jeremy continued to play at a high level all the while earning a degree in economics. Though basketball was forever his dream the question remained: would he ever get his chance? Again the talent scouts inexplicably passed over Jeremy Lin with no one drafting him. Lin would, however, not be denied his chance earning a fourth string spot on the Warriors last year as a undrafted Harvard grad.He was cut before his true talent could see the light of day.
This year Lin worked his way on to the Knicks roster has the 15th guy on the team. On Saturday several injuries had cleared the way for Lin to make his first start in the NBA for one of the biggest, most storied, franchises in all of professional sports. A week later ESPN is the Lin network. In 5 straight games the Knicks have not lost. In 5 straight games Lin has scored over 20 pts and dished 8 assists. In fact no other player except LeBron James has even come close to his numbers for his first 5 games. Reports are that Jeremy lives on his brothers couch in NY with no money and no contract to secure his own place. He was prepared to be cut in the next three weeks and now he is leading the Knicks! On Friday he out-dueled Kobe Bryant to score a team high (for the year) 38 pts! From zero to hero in one week. The injured all-stars (86 million in contracts) are on the bench watching this guy lead the team to 5 straight victories. Read more of his story here:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=oneil_dana&id=4730385

I think we can all learn a little something from number 17. This last week I had a similar though less publicized breakthrough. After 12 years of hard work and patience I took a big step by getting an interview at UC Davis. I am so grateful to have made it to this point. My grades and test scores don't compare well to many of the candidate in the applicant pool and I may not eventually make it into Davis. No matter, because at least this interview gives me an opportunity to show those admissions folks that I deserve a spot on their roster. All of my cousins, siblings, family, friends: It doesn't matter where you come from, it doesn't matter what you look like, it doesn't matter what other people think of you. Jeremy Lin believed in himself as a basketball player, he laced up his sneakers and went to work. What matters is belief in yourself and dedication to the work that will get you to where you want to be. Jeremy may not end up the MVP of the league but he has already accomplished way more by inspiring millions. I may not make it in this year but as Lin has showed me, IT DON'T MATTER. Gimme my chance to shine! I believe! LET'S GO!!!!

watch him fearlessly attack the champion lakers

Humble hero from Harvard

Lets GO!!

Fed up political rant (read at your own risk of being offended)

Ok so I generally think its a bad idea to discuss politics in an open area where you run the risk of offending someone. I get especially heated when discussing politics which no doubt negatively effects the conversation. Despite that general guideline I feel I must rant. If you are a conservative look away.
The news just reported a new plan put forth by Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. The basic idea as I understand it is this: Fire all school janitors working in inner-city schools save one "master-janitor". Revise child labor laws so that you can then hire the children to do the janitorial work. The benefits to this plan that "combats poverty" is that the young welfare sucking, lazy, ghetto children can learn the value of hard work all the while the state can save money by not having to pay unionized adults. I kid you not. Go, go right now and read it somewhere online. If you're not outraged on any number of these points, stop and consider what the consequences and implications of what he is saying. And by the way may I remind you that this man is LEADING IN THE POLLS for the republican nomination for president. My head wants to explode.

Last week the front-runner was Hermain Cain. This guy was a successful business man. Bottom-line is the guy sold pizza. Personally I can't think of something that would be an easier sell in this society than pizza, given you're not completely inept. The guy has no experience in governing, no foreign policy knowledge, and a 9-9-9 plan that is absolute non-sense. Forget the fact that he may or may not have sexually harassed several women, the guy has a plan that would deal the final blow to the middle class. Did you see him flat mock foreign policy or flub a softball pitch on Libya. Ow ow how bout the one where he blames the unemployed for being unemployed. Classic.



Don't even get me started on Bachman or Perry, each of whom, despite a 4th grade understanding of both the world and our country, were at certain points leading the polls. What kind of a nation promotes these people to power positions and encourages ignorance. Oh its folks-y or straight-shootin, or hey he's kind of an idiot like me I'll vote for him. Personally I want the president to be smarter than anyone I know. I want a leader to have defensible opinions and nuanced approaches to issues. HEll at least be able to pick out Libya on a map.

And then you've got the wonderful congress. The super committee failed (this is my shocked face). Whose fault is it? Obamas obviously, if you ask republicans. They say we tried to compromise by offering billions in new revenues (taxes). The reality is they offered billions in tax increases in exchange for making the Bush tax cuts permanent which would add TRILLIONS to the deficit in the next ten years. The same deficit that they all campaigned on in 2010 that reducing was "critical to America regaining its spot atop the world". What a crock. The taxes were fine so long as it didn't touch the millionaires and billionaires that buy their congressional seats. And they certainly don't care about the decifict because not only did they compound it with two wars that were unpaid for (all the while lowering taxes, something never, NEVER done in war time) they continue to push to expand it with tax cuts that only benefit the wealthy and corporations.
I hope at some point people will wake-up and reject these sleazy degenerate scumbags and their sinister policies. How long can this obstructionist strategy go on before the people call them on their crap? Rush Limbaugh sounded the call on day one of Obamas administration when he unapologetically said "I hope he fails". He knew the full consequence and implications of his words and has stood by them and so have every single republican law maker from that day forward. Democrats are part of the problem too. They are spineless and unprincipled. Willing to compromise everything in return for nothing, essentially selling out their constituents. They fail to adequately expose the shenanigans their counterparts pull time and time again. They are weak and wishy-washy more concerned with re-election than accomplishing anything of consequence. Democrats don't make stands because they're too afraid it will be held against them. Republicans take unyielding and sometimes reprehensible (NEWT) stances then quickly set to work bludgeoning the dems like defenseless baby seals. And it works.
While the government distracts and abuses power my tuition goes up. Financial aide shrinks. Services, classes, and benefits are cut. Gas goes up as well as the cost of living. And when I want to express my dissatisfaction with all this I can go to any major population center or university and get pepper-sprayed while peaceably protesting. I hope everyone has watched the UC Davis incident. I am not saying that I strongly identify with the Occupy movement or that there aren't yahoos that are acting out-of-line. In large part I support peaceful demonstration as a right that I am given as a US citizen, regardless of what it concerns. If the crazy church groups can protest gays at military funerals untouched explain to me why students who are getting brutalized by the current system cant sit in a park without fear of police dong this. Surely if child-labor and implying that all poor people need is work ethic doesn't upset you this must.

I Heart Halloween

For as long as I can remember I have loved loved loved Halloween. When I was 8 I won a costume contest at my boyscout troops Halloween meeting making a killer Darth Vader costume using stuff around the house(with the help of mom and dad). I remember trick-or-treating from sunset to 9 at night on streets packed with other sugar crazed kids looking to fill pillow cases full of candy rations that would last well into the next year. Sadly (at least in my opinion) it seems like the tradition of trick-or-treating has died out. I don't know if parents think its just too unsafe or if church and community sponsored events are preferred but these days trick-or-treaters are sparse. I have decided that when I settle into a house somewhere I'd like to see the hood on Halloween night and use the level of Halloween spirit to gauge the sense of community, safety, and personality of the area. Call me crazy but living between the guy with a chain-saw dummy on the porch and the house with the hanging witch might be ideal. If people bring their kids to your neighborhood its because its safe, fun, and you don't give out candy corn. I haven't been able to trick-or-treat for a while now with my last trick-or-treat eligible year being tragically robbed from me by strep throat. But the great thing about Halloween is the post-trick-or-treat-era adult fun to be had is almost unlimited. This year Halloween was a ton of fun and despite having to work over the weekend I still managed to enjoy my favorite holiday.
Thursday night was our pumpkin carving party. Ever since the "Gould Method" of pumpkin carving was introduced to me in 2009 my pumpkins have been freakin awesome and this year I attempted my most elaborate pumpkin yet. Check out a few from years past.






This year Carolyns wicked witch and Quentins PinHead we're impressive. The zombie girl from The Walking Dead one was mine.


On Friday night a group of us went downtown to see Evil Dead: The Musical! The live stage show is an off-Broadway touring musical that features elements of all three Evil Dead movies with colorful and campy musical numbers intermingled. We had tickets in the "splatter-zone" where we were continually sprayed with stage blood as the demon killing action unfolded. Good times.
Saturday night a group of us drove up to Solvang to visit the Theatrefests' Haunted House. The line was long but it ended up being worth it. As we walked through the maze of grave-yard scenes and all-too-dark hallways I was sure to gently nudge Carolyn uncomfortably close to any scary character actors that we encountered. After that, we headed over to Sort-this-out cellars to check out some live music and have some wine. Carolyn and I had our palms read at the party and (spoiler alert) the fortune teller predicted 2 maybe 3 kids for us. She seemed kind of iffy on vet school telling Carolyn we wont be leaving Santa Barbara for a while yet. According to the fortune teller Carolyn will achieve great success as a writer and go on to do book signings and reading all over.
Seth dressed up as an old man and I was quite proud of the make-up job I did. I was Johnny Cash and Carolyn was stunning as a swing girl.


Sunday was Zombie night with a new episode of "The Walking Dead" on AMC if you haven't seen the show you are missing out, its awesome. Sundays at 8:30 on AMC.
Monday night Carolyn and I are heading down to LA to see her favorite author read some of his scary stories while being accompanied by his wife, a musician. We are going in costume and it promises to be a great end to an epic Halloween. Here's a few costumes from years past in case you missed them. Happy Halloween!!! Mu ha ha ha ha.

[SUBMIT]

All that's left for my veterinary application is to hit submit. I am in a state of shock still that I have finally officially applied. I am no longer perpetually "planning on applying" I am now "waiting to hear back". My anxiety has never been greater. Now that I have reached this point it is no longer up to me and starting in December any day could be the day I find out my future. I can't thank everyone I know enough for their support because without your encouragement I surely would've lost hope well before reaching this point. Here is the personal statement I will be sending the veterinary gods. It started as a joke between Carolyn and I several weeks ago and grew into something my candidacy will depend on. After writing the first draft I thought "I just wrote the essay that will get me in", the second through fifth drafts I thought "I am totally screwed and have no shot at salvaging this worthless drivel". I kept working it, Carolyn kept editing it, and many people kept critiquing it. My boss thought it was (her words) "genius" and my professor thought it was "very risky" and in so many words advised abandoning it altogether. My mom certainly didn't like the idea of it (in fairness hadn't read it yet). I like it. I hope it strikes a chord with someone on the admission board at Wisconsin, Colorado State, Washington State, Oregon State, or Davis. For now I will try not to let my nerves, fears, and hopes get the better of me. Here it is:


At first glance I may appear to be a fairly typical applicant, however it is with some urgency that I feel I must divulge my true identity. I am Batman. I may not spend nights on roof tops waiting for theatrical villains to strike, nor do I own an anatomically enhanced rubber suit; still the similarities between me and the mythological hero are uncanny. Surely I would not waste your time with shallow, albeit humorous comparisons between our shared struggles against crazy cat women. In truth my experience in veterinary medicine, as well as in life, reveals many similarities between my core mission and that of the famed dark knight.
The role of a veterinarian is to be an advocate, a protector if you will, of the innocent. With an abundance of misinformation available, increasingly skeptical clients place the onerous task on the veterinary professional to keep their loved ones safe. Like Batman, I made this mission my life’s work, and over the past twelve years I have thrived on the variety of tasks that this responsibility entails. One day I helped deliver 21 puppies, and the next I creatively fashioned an anesthesia mask for a tiger out of a milk jug! Not every day is filled with such valiant victories, yet the satisfaction I feel when a client specifically requests me, entrusting their loved one in my care, is as gratifying an experience as I could ask for. Well done Batman.
Being Batman is unquestionably more of a lifestyle than it is a job, and by taking the veterinary oath I will accept an alternate identity, one that comes with a responsibility that must be carried out with passion and an undying dedication to every aspect of the calling. As a veterinarian I will be committed to lifelong learning, knowing that this job goes well beyond your typical “9 to 5”. My dedication thus far has led me to spend many nights in damp, dark libraries that are not unlike the cave Batman calls home. While putting myself through school I also spent significant time working at every level from kennel boy to practice manager, constantly seeking new challenges to add depth to my experience. My work in mobile, emergency, specialty, zoo and general practices allowed me the opportunity to work with more species than I can accurately count; certainly this caped crusader has seen a lot. I currently help operate a two-person mixed animal mobile practice in its first year of business and have received an invaluable education through an intimate involvement in building the practice. During this past year I have done everything from updating the website and fine-tuning inventory control, to devising marketing tools and developing a keen business sense that will no doubt put me ahead of the class when it comes to real-world practice. After all, it is the business savvy of Bruce Wayne that enables Batman to accomplish his mission.
Similar to Batman, my story is also one of overcoming personal hardship. At four years old I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, a disease that threatened to end my life and an ordeal that armed me with perspective. After being declared in remission at age nine I was instilled with a deep resolve to achieve whatever goals I set my heart to realize. Overcoming cancer, two painful family divorces, as well as significant financial hardships in order to arrive on the cusp of achieving my dreams might suggest super powers. However, my true power lies in my tenacity and stubborn refusal to be beaten by whatever villain comes my way. I can’t promise to finish top of my class in the veterinary program but I can promise that no one will work harder.
While some applicants have the enthusiasm of Robin, few have spent enough time behind the wheel of the bat-mobile. I am continually motivated by clients, peers, and superiors who take note of my abilities and choose to say “you’d make a great veterinarian”. I have unlimited capacity for empathy and established methods for conveying my compassion to clients. I use humor to successfully endear clients as well as motivate my peers, because with all the seriousness inherent in this profession I believe that balance is necessary, and humor can often be a valuable counter weight. But in order to employ humor, effective communication is paramount, a skill in which I excel. I envision speaking at conferences, writing books and articles, and owning a practice that utilizes my creativity to become a beloved institution within the community it serves. I can place a catheter in a seizing animal, earn the trust of a fearful dog, tackle a wild goat, and radiograph a nervous horse. I know this because I have done it my entire adult life. I know I can’t save the entire city of Gotham, but I am nonetheless compelled to use my powers to benefit a cause I believe in. It is with these insights that I submit myself into consideration to be a protector, a responsibility that I take seriously and enter into with a level of comprehension beyond the scope of your typical applicant.

Way out of left field

Ok so this video is completely random and was brought to my attention by Carolyn's little brother Ryan. I found it to be so good I had to share it. Enjoy:

Maui III

The road to Hana is billed as one the most beautifully scenic highways in the world. Its a fifty mile stretch of highway that winds and twists its way around the south part on the island. At nearly every mile marker there is something to see. In a two car caravan we braved the dangerous road with an agenda of stops to make hoping to hit them all before sundown. The road is at its widest barely two car widths wide. At its most narrow our rented charger had roughly a foot of space on either side. To make things more interesting the road had 180 degree blind one lane turns and steep cliff drop offs. Every mile and a half we would arrive at a one lane bridge that crossed over water before the road disappeared around a blind curve. Signs advised honking so that any cars traveling toward you and your untimely death might hear you and stop. Our driver, Scott, professional adventurist and now life-threatening-vacation-stunt-car-driver, charged up blind curves and over narrow bridges with shocking speed and uncanny confidence. He was a man on a mission to see the entire highway by days end. Our first stop: Twin falls, then black sand beach, red sand beach, and sacred pools.







We stopped half way through to eat at a roadside shack. We laughed so hard we cried at the ridiculousness of the road and how dangerous it was. Scott and I rattled off rap lyrics in between startled screams and colorful exclamations. We laughed at Scott as he yelled at birds on the road to get out of he way as if they were the reckless ones making a perfectly average road dangerous. Occasionally we would get nearly runoff the road by locals tumbling down-hill exceedingly fast, some riding in the back of truck beds. Ironically we must have passed a dozen small grave yards just off the highway. For all its danger there were amazing views, awesome beaches, and impressive waterfalls. We had so much fun. Nobody died, nobody vomited and Scott miraculously delivered us home safely. Thanks for driving dude.

Maui Part II

We were all a little nervous we would sleep through our alarms that would sound at 2am. The two buses that would transport the entire wedding party to the top of Halelakula left the hotel lobby at 3am. Two hours later we arrived to the top of the volcano bundled up and half-asleep. The frigid cold air of an elevation of almost 10,000 feet jolted us awake. With eyes now wide open we could take in the every hue of pink, purple, blue and orange that seemed to be changing in shade and intensity by the minute. We were above the clouds, in scattered areas they parted we and could see the coastline of Maui. It was a mad dash to take pictures, go pee, and take in the view before we were to all head to the summit for the ceremony. The ceremony itself was incredible, presided over by a descendent of the last Hawaiian king. This guy was the real-deal kicking the ceremony off by blowing on a conch shell and ending with an array of colorful Hawaiian sayings. As soon as it was over the 50 person wedding party hurriedly trotted back to the busses. Technically groups visiting the summit could be no larger than 30 people and required a permit. The bride and groom had a permit for 30 but with so many in attendence we had to get in and out without the detection of park authorities. As you can imagine a fifty person wedding party on a volcano is difficult to conceal and in the end the operation was busted. Luckily they only faced a warning and placement on the national parks list of offenders. Of course the rangers were given her maiden name and word is that neither of them plan to get married on a volcano again.






In addition to a visit to a volcano, Kate and Blake hosted a brunch and later a sunset cruise. At each of the several weeding related festivities the girls wore a different dress. I had fun doing mini photo shoots at each event. Taking great pictures of this gorgeous group was easy. Here are a few good ones:






The reception, held on a boat that floated up and down the coast, featured a live ukelele player.



By the end of the voyage the group was full of good food, exhausted, slightly drunk, slightly sea sick and ready for bed. The next day we planned to tackle the road to Hana.