I began this month frantically rushing to submit an R21 grant for an RFA while also reviewing grants for study section. By the time I left for Bethesda, I was too tired to do any more work, and instead binge-watched the first season of the Haunting of Hill House aboard my flight while munching an egg pocket from SMF and a panini from ORD. The show’s immersive storytelling refreshingly focused more on love and family rather than cheap thrills, leaving a haunting impression even after the show was over. After heavy bistro fare for dinner, I awoke to a long day of lively grant discussions with a working lunch which fortunately concluded early to allow an earlier flight home. Meanwhile, Melody and I took advantage of free childcare from my parents to do our taxes, plan our summer trip to Croatia, and catch up on Oscar contenders like A Star is Born, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Roma. We also finally used our Christmas gift card for Studio Movie Grill to check out Captain Marvel, where the strong female protagonist and 90’s throwback references made for an entertaining dinner show over fried coconut shrimp and buffalo wings. The following week, I returned to Irvine for a second visit to the Ryan’s Initiative, which gave me plenty of networking opportunities, and even included delicious fried chicken and milkshake courtesy of a colleague from Google. Before their departure, my parents joined us for Westley’s last dance class, followed by pizza, Six Flags and KFC. They did not get a chance to see the finishing touches for our landscape renovation. We had to scramble to correct a few last-minute glitches including blazing path lights that we swapped for dimmer ones, but were pleased with the final product as we wait for our new foliage to fill in.