This month has not been kind to our wallets. State Farm’s adjuster had just concluded that most of the water damage to our window areas were not covered by our home insurance, when the contractors discovered dry rot along the entire South-facing elevation, with soaked insulation and drywall mold requiring even more work than our initial $6k estimate. Melody’s car was also in the shop having gotten rear-ended in a Roseville parking lot, when my car was struck by some debris on I-80 on the way to work. By the time I got home, the 8″ crack had extended across the windshield, requiring a second auto claim this month. Add on top of that a $3k bat exclusion project and a $20k tax bill this year, we felt like we were bleeding money. Even with my parents in town to help out with the baby, we were keen to stay indoors as we fought off cold symptoms and the bad karma. Interestingly, the last time I used this blog title was exactly 10 years ago around our wedding. We did manage to squeeze in dinner dates at Boiling Ave and Grange to use our OpenTable GC, and also take my folks out to new restaurants we discovered for dim sum, Cantonese food, Taiwanese hot pot, and XLB. Last week, I attended my first NIH study section in Bethesda. The 20-30 hours I spent on grant review beforehand was barely worth the $200 honorarium, but I was excited to see the review process first-hand. I even got to dine with a collaborator the night before, and chat with one of the scientific officers who generously gave me a ride to IAD early enough to enjoy a Priority Pass lounge before my flight home. With Melody at another conference, Westley mysteriously breaking out in hives again last week (no need for Epi-pen, fortunately), and my parents leaving this evening, I will have to pay extra attention on daddy duty to fend off evil spirits until mom returns.

We went to Berkeley on Presidents’ Day weekend to meet up with my college friend for lunch. Her daughter is just a few weeks younger than Westley, so we got to share our experiences as new parents. We also returned to CB2 to buy the Sidera chair that we’ve been eyeing, and more of the Marta glasses that I’ve become obsessed with. Back home, it’s been off-season for our usual TV shows, so we’ve started looking for new things to watch. Thanks to Netflix’s “Suggested for You,” we’ve kept ourselves entertained with stand-up specials from comedians like Ali Wong, Aziz Ansari, Anjelah Johnson, Dana Carvey, Iliza Shlesinger, John Mulaney, Russell Peters, and Trevor Noah. Last weekend, we also binge-watched the critically-acclaimed first season of Stranger Things. With a minimal budget and a nearly-unknown cast, the supernatural tale set in a small town in the 80’s paid homage to a slew of horror and sci-fi flicks from that period like E.T.. In fact, we had to solve our own mystery this weekend with the appearance of animal droppings beside our house and a strange squeak from our kitchen hood vent. A call to a bird specialist led to the discovery of a new bat infestation in our attic, and an intense bat-catching operation from the vent this afternoon. Faced with the need to get rid of the bats, a massive tax bill, and water damage repairs that insurance refuses to pay for, we’ll need to keep our wallets zipped up tightly for now. Fortunately, I’ll be drowned in NIH grant reviews for study section next week, and I’ve got my parents back in town to help out with the baby.