Ultimo Proximo

Last year, 2024, I:

• Completed my first book manuscript.¹
• Finished illustrations for my ninth children's book in the series Louie's Little Lessons.
• With a co-author, submitted a new book proposal to a literary agent.
• Was a guest on five different podcasts,² with conversations ranging from AI in medicine to how to construct gag cartoons.
• Speaking of cartoons, submitted my 100th cartoon to The New Yorker,³ and renewed my monthly contract with Veterinary Practice News.
• Doubled my earnings from purely creative work, which now makes up about 1/6 of my annual income.
• Gave my first talk to a corporate audience on the state of veterinary medicine.
• Watched Jerry Seinfield's pop-tart movie.

This year, 2025, I will:

• Travel to Washington DC to present at the AVMA National Convention, speaking about clinical communication and running a workshop on the use of humor as a clinical tool.
• Illustrate my first coloring book, a custom-built project for a local emergency veterinary clinic.
• Be a part of a new project, Flarevet, which aims to disrupt the abysmal state of veterinary medicine for a large percentage of people working within it.
• Have a monthly web column featured for Veterinary Practice News, covering the art and science of clinical communication.
• In June, come to the "end" of my two year project. It started after I took the advice of a YouTuber, who said, "produce content every week for two years and your life will be radically different". I've tried to do that. I've documented, illustrated, created, opined, critiqued, and satirized the world and my unique perspective in it. There's been no attempt at direct commercialization, no pandering, and no corruption of my desire to bring something honest into the world, using this website to practice storytelling and honestly, be my own personal playground. I'm not sure if I'll keep going at the end of two years, but I've only made it this far because you've supported me. I sincerely thank you. And since there aren't that many of you, it wouldn't take me very long to do it individually, buuuuut if you want me to get working on something else you understand that tradeoff decisions have to be made. Thank you, thank you, and thank you.

1. The publishing process is a bit slower than I realized at first, and the book should be in print sometime in 2026.
2. Comedicine with Sarah Boston, AI in VetMed with Pinhas Kevin Cohen, The VetBlast Podcast with Adam Christman, Vetmed Wellness + Leadership with Crystal Stokes, and Why Do Pets Matter? with Debra Hamilton (episode pending).
3. 90/100 so far have been rejected, with the remaining batch of ten currently "pending review.