It was just 2 weeks before Melody’s visit this past weekend that the right side of my jaw began to ache. Mistaking it for a toothache, I went to a local dentist despite not having dental insurance, and found out that I was more likely suffering from TMJ. Apparently, sleeping with my face in the pillow and recent stressors at work may have contributed to the night time teeth grinding that resulted in this condition. Between hot compresses and jaw exercises, I picked up my wife from the airport on Thursday. With leftover Indian food and a fresh pot of homemade bun rieu, we alternated between sleep and wake throughout the night to adjust to the jet lag. On Friday, we had Q Shack for lunch, then after yet another cryptic Assassins Creed game ending, went to the American Tobacco district for dinner at L’uva. While looking for the next game to play, we chanced upon the Stanley Parable – a re-released version of a Half-Life mod that explored the concept of choice and free will from an office cubicle with witty British-accented narration. We finished the game that same night, just in time to drive down to Raleigh Saturday morning for the NC State Fair. After satisfying our Korean crave at Seoul Garden, we entered the fair grounds to continue our feast of soft-serve ice-cream, funnel cakes, and frozen bananas while watching pig shows and pig races. That night, we aptly dined on delicious NC-styled BBQ pork at The Pit to round out the experience. With an accumulation of leftovers in our fridge, we spent Sunday vegging out at home chowing down while watching the most recent Star Trek movie and episodes of Buffy and Arrested Development. Every one deserves to live like piggies once in a while.

After 3 consecutive weekends of traveling cross-country, I’m relieved to be finally back home despite being on call. Last week, I flew to Sacramento for my UC Davis interview, which unfortunately coincided with my wife’s conference in Seattle. We overlapped with just enough time for her to see my job talk and dine with the faculty at Plan B, ironically. After she left, I spent my second interview day touring the labs at Davis and hanging at her home with the rats. On Saturday, I made sure to get my ramen and banh cuon fix before my red-eye flight home. This past weekend, I headed West again for my interview at UC Irvine, which showed me a very different approach to academic medicine. The recruitment dinner at Anqi introduced me to the hip Asian culture of Orange County, while my return flight the next day let me revisit Popeye’s at ATL. All the traveling has given me plenty of mileage from my Surface, and for my Delta account. It’s also given me some down time to explore a few shows like Breaking Bad and Arrested Development, which I was able to try out on my new Roku. Sadly, it’s hard for me to enjoy my brief moments of procrastination without feeling bad or guilty. So I’m sure it won’t be long before I plunge myself back into work next week.

My trip to LA for the Retina Society meeting this year also gave me a chance to immerse briefly in the hyped up culture of old Hollywood and Beverly Hills. My fellowship research award provided the all-expense-paid trip, which included a 3 night stay at the Beverly Hilton, where the retro 1970s facade contrasted with the recently-remodeled, stylish interior. Our Thursday morning arrival gave us time to wander Rodeo Drive and lunch out at Psy-endorsed Bibigo for pajeon and steak bibimbap. We returned to attend afternoon case presentations before the poolside dinner reception. My award lecture on Friday was well-received, and it felt good to be recognized by experts in the field. I celebrated with friends at the swanky dinner reception at the Getty Museum, followed by drinks at Mastro’s, where the chatter of the hip crowd discussing films, records, and modeling made us feel out of place. The black-tie dinner banquet on Saturday was even more impressive, held in the lavish hotel ballroom where the Golden Globes are held. The great food, live music, and dancing, was only a warm up to the afterparty at Westwood’s Whiskey Blue at the W Hotel. By Sunday, the meeting was winding down and a crowd of beautiful people were checking in for the Guess district manager meeting. I spent the afternoon working at the hotel lobby while waiting for my red-eye flight home, but not before seizing the opportunity to sample rib-eye steak frites at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro for lunch, and risotto and gnocchi from Wolfgang Puck’s Spago for dinner. It’s reassuring that even as our government is shutting down, that the bold and beautiful of Beverly Hills will continue to thrive.