who knew ecuadorians are hip hop?

I could easily take a moment to focus on all the negative things going on right now, but I will abstain. Actually, I think I'll talk about my brother-in-law Tod.

One of the things that attracted me to Drake was his genuine love for animals. Though his webcomic might lead you otherwise, you should see the way he talks to our cats and his jubilant smile when showing me an adorable animal photo that's made it to Yahoo's most emailed photos. As if it's the first photo he's ever seen with so much ridiculous cuteness.

Drake's dedication to animals pales in comparison to Tod's. See, Drake and I talk TO our cats, but Tod actually translates for us. In a recent visit he said, "Domingo likes to be pet while he eats" and "Amira wants you to follow her." Tod is a kitty whisperer.

Last year he took a huge step and left his cushy, NYC tech-job (he worked for J Crew and did freelance writing reviewing video games - how cool is that?!!) and joined the Sea Shepherds in the Pacific Ocean to protect whales from illegal Japanese hunters. As much as we knew the dangers involved Drake and I still encouraged him to 'go for it!.

It wasn't long after returning from his Sea Shepherd adventure that he set off on a new journey in the Galapagos to save and socialize animals that are both threatening and being threatened in this fragile ecosystem. His first blog post to SuperVegan was put up this week and talks about the groups he's volunteering for. There are also vivid photos of the works he's doing with the animals.

I became especially intrigued with his new adventure after his first email noted, "I´m probably doing a lot of medical stuff that you´re probably not allowed to do if you´re not in a third world country, and I´m currently covered in feces at this hip hop obsessed Ecuadorian internet cafe."

What a great, yet gross, statement!

At a time when my desk job is getting the best of me, these little glimpses into Tod's (somewhat) selfless adventure remind me that following one's passions can lead to the most success and content.

Of course this altruistic journey of his doesn't come with a paycheck so my support for him also comes in the form of a plug for his personal donations page. Kitty food is hard to come by.