today was a nice change of pace. i volunteered to give a lecture to boy scouts to help them get the "veterinary medicine" merit badge. today was the big merit badge jamboree or whatnot, so we met at school at 7 am (myself, deb (a 1st year with me) and kara and jaime (2 second year students) - wait i just lost track of my parentheses. anyway - we drove up to **insert local college here** and did a 5 hour presentation/demo/hands on learning experience for about 18 scouts and troop leaders. it was great. i had ceased to believe that any respectful and attentive and mannered children existed. i was starting to buy into the whole 'kids are getting worse and worse' mindset. but these kids were quiet, they were respectful, they were interested and attentive, and they wrote on our evaluations as "counselors" that they were interested in what we had to say and that they appreciated the time we took to come and teach them. these were kids from about 10 years old to 16 years old. it was very satisfying and a valuable reminder of the things that exist in vet med outside going to class and lab. my presentation was an hour of the allotted time and centered around anatomy of companion and farm animals. i did an "incredible" job. not my words. the words of my 2 fellow students and the troop leader. i'm trying to be modest here, but i am a great public speaker and i love to teach. i guess i know what i'll wind up doing once vet school is finished. it was really fun. we took my 3 legged cat as an animal for the kids to practice physical exams on as well as jaime's dog, dax. both were immaculately behaved and the kids loved using the stethoscopes, otoscopes, and opthalmoscopes. i think we were a hit.

at any rate, i got home at about 5, so it's been a bit of a long day, since i got up at 6:15 - after going to bed at 2am. i also got to talk to my brother on IM today for about an hour, which was great. i haven't been able to talk to him in a while. i hear wedding bells in the near future - that's all i'm saying.

friends are coming over within the hour to watch a movie, and i need a shower. shalom.