It was no more than a week after the devastating Boston Marathon bombings that misfortune unexpectedly descended upon me as well. I was programming my GPS on my way to pick up my co-fellows to attend a meeting last Saturday when I struck the rear of a Ford Expedition, just minutes away from my apartment. While the other vehicle was unscathed, the front bumper and hood of my poor Accord was completely smashed in. Although everyone was okay, I was taught a good lesson that driving does not mix well with multi-tasking. To avoid the potential half-hour walk while on call, I had to urgently trade away my call week. Cooking with the scant groceries I had in my fridge was challenging also, although our incoming co-fellow’s weekend visit gave me a chance to supplement with some enchiladas. Fortunately, living next door to Eric gave me the ability to bum rides to work while the car was in the shop. Meanwhile, the second monitor I splurged on (before the accident) was finally delivered this week. Learning how to use the extra screen space does take a little getting used to. I also had to adopt new dual screen wallpapers to accommodate the wider aspect ratio. However, I’m sure this dual screen luxury will soon be just another thing I can’t live without.

With the boards out of the way, I was able to visit my wife in Sacrmento for a second time. More importantly, this trip was to be my first meeting with the folks at UC Davis with whom I hope to work with next year. Despite having my flight paid for, the need to make a good first impression added a bit of stress to the otherwise relaxing visit. I arrived in Sac Town Thursday after work to enjoy nostalgic late-night Canto seafood at New Hong Kong Wok. The next morning, we walked to Melody’s office, located conveniently across the hall from the eye clinic where I met with the retina division chief for a tour and lunch. We enjoyed the scent of spring along the path home before heading out again for dinner at Taylor’s Kitchen, which we burned away afterwards with some indoor dancing. On Saturday, we solicited departmental gossip from my ex-co-resident over ramen, then headed to dinner with the chairman and retina faculty over home-cooked halibut and lasagna. The friendly company and pleasant conversations helped me relax and raised hope for a potential academic job opportunity for me at the same institution as my wife. With the formalities out of the way, we spent my last day with a food tour from Local Roots, using up our gift certificate from Melody’s co-workers from Boston. After chowing down banh cuon to warm up, we met the tour guide in the afternoon for the 3-mile hike around East Sacramento. Along the way, we munched on Thai noodle salad from the Paragary’s Cafe Bernardo, iced coffee and scones from Coffee Works, margherita pizza from La Trattoria Bohemie, ice-cream from La Bombe, and tacos de carnitas from Centro. The culinary experience kept me well-nourished for my red-eye flight back home, just in time for Monday clinic.

The final weeks before the written board exam has been brutal. I was getting so deprived of sleep that I had to switch from ‘timed’ to ‘untimed’ mode on OphthoQuestions to avoid getting penalized for dozing off while doing question sets. Meanwhile, a few final touches for my research manuscript necessitated some creative coordination for last-minute meetings with my mentors – including one that took place during commercial breaks for the Duke-Creighton game preceding our team’s entry into the Sweet Sixteen. Between my usual pre-exam insomnia and the NCAA finals tournament, I was left with only 3 hours of sleep which definitely compromised my math and reasoning skills, but luckily, spared my recall center for esoteric facts. The 5-hour test felt shorter than previous standardized exams I’ve taken. Afterwards, I returned to Pho Far East for a bowl of hot, steamy celebration, then shopped at nearby Belk for a new sports coat. Sadly, since none of my co-fellows were up for going out tonight, I’ve decided to kick back with another episode of Game of Thrones, as I addictively immersed myself in the tumultuous struggles between the Starks, Lanisters, and Targaryens.