Matt Burris

Hey everybody! Can't tell you how much fun this has been. Kudos to my friend Mr. Amato....he gave me some credit for inspiring this by an email I directed at him about six years ago after I was laid up from a surfing injury and got so bored I started googling old friends names....the rest is revisionist history to be sure.

I am very impressed by the amount of doctors, priests, teachers, super moms, tech. pros and various criminal justice types we represent...and also how much we have spread ourselves across the country,. Jere I was thinking a move to Santa Cruz was a big deal.

What have I been doing? Well after finally giving up on the academic career after about 6 years at DVC and Cabrillo combined, and realizing I would never get my act together enough to go to SJ State or UCSC, I went to work in restaurants full tilt.

I started at the bottom....prepping, bussing...went up to line cook, waited tables, and then moved up to bar tending, lots of bar tending (if you or yours have ever passed through Santa Cruz there is a good chance I may have served you a Cosmo or a Clausthaler).

From there I talked my way into kitchen management, and with the help of a few more capatilistic friends that I made along the way, full fledged restaurant entrepreneurship . What fun. Little did we perceive that there weren't enough sports couch potatoes in Santa Cruz to make a runaway success of a 'sports bar and grille'...'Boba tea and crepe cafe' was another failed venture that we won't talk about. At least I wasn't talked into a "Cereality" franchise. Other than those penitent details, I've been living a rather Peter Pan type of Santa Cruz existence, which is easy to do here in Santa Cruz. Lots of surfing and other things that I might not want Michelle Bockstein to know about. :) :)

Workstyle and lifestyle haven't been so conducive to marriage or fatherhood, though there were a couple of close calls. A bit ironic afterall, considering that I spent my entire Jr. and Sr. years (the McLovin years) 'married' to Mariana Boctor, ...BTW, if anyone knows anything about her, Darren Whittaker, Greg Dockus, or Greg Shaw please email Jeff or me at maattyy68 AT yahoo.com.

All of you guys look GREAT in these photos... A few I have to mention though if you'll indulge....Deb Devoe, Tina C, and Sathvik K, great work, great bios! Rod C lookin' handsome! Lora D, you look like a Broadway star, of course you always did ! Lisa D, beautiful dress and you look the picture of health! Dave D and Charlotte J, very chic! Mr. Hazen, did you or did you not play the janitor on "Scrubs"? Coulda swore that was you,.....

Mr. Sela, "my name is Julius Thadder Springer, though all my friends call me JT"(inside joke), Larry McD, Go Barracudas! Lookin sharp! Yvonne P, last time I saw you was outside a Grateful Dead show in Oakland, remember?

Gary McV and Camp sharing a house? Oh boy. Gary, I think I might know a few of those Acalanes '88 girls...BEAN!!!! (Jon Hastings is rumored to live down here on the central coast...I've run into Lara Moran once or twice in Soquel....apparently J.Noonan was a bananaslug AND a Bronco, what a combo!!)

Scot Kobashigawa, Greg Bertoldo, and Dave Devoe working at Scwab? One of my BFF's is/was there....Tony Fiero? Actually, I think he telecommutes from Chico these days anyway...

and lastly.....Chris Bowhay...hey man...The Police and Elvis Costello? We were there before we had drivers licenses man! Good thing you flew your freak flag when you had your chance, and I aint just talking about your beautiful hair!

Bye folks, I'm out....be sure to tip your waitresses!!"