I embarked on NIH grant reviews earlier this month, only to find out in the meantime that my first R01 submission was not discussed, which led me to finally break out my new copy of Modern Warfare to start shooting at stuff. As expected, the new Call of Duty entry brought bigger explosions and better graphics, which helped show off my new computer hardware. This was also an opportune time to get back into gaming as continued expansion of the COVID-19 outbreak has led to cancellations of events and meetings, requiring frantic flight and hotel cancellations while the stock market plunged into bear market territory. With stores and restaurants likely to shutter their doors soon, we did manage to squeeze in a visit to Kevin Johnson’s Fixins Soul Kitchen for fried chicken, oxtail, and fried green tomatoes, as well as a massive meal at Tasty Kitchen with enough leftovers to feed us for the weekend. To avoid cabin fever amidst all the social distancing, I installed The Outer Worlds as part of a free Xbox Game Pass trial. The first-person RPG instantly reminded us of Fallout: New Vegas which was created by the same studio. Complete with a retro-futuristic aesthetic, sarcastic dark humor, and a Tactical Time Dilation (TTD) system reminiscent of VATS, the game promises to keep us entertained as we plan to hunker down at home to avoid the growing pandemic. 

We celebrated Westley’s birthday weekend by taking advantage of our new Sac Zoo membership, where Westley backed out of the giraffe encounter, but Melody finally got to see the anteater in action. Per his request, we celebrated Westley’s 4th birthday with Korean BBQ and a homemade chocolate cake, although he was more excited by the new Lego kits from grandma and grandpa including a space shuttle, dinosaur, and police van sets. The following week, we took advantage of our parents’ day out for some Uniboil action, then shared more spicy hot pot at home with my friend Ala’s family. We spent the remainder of February conferencing, with me attending Macula Society in San Diego and Melody attending APGO in Orlando afterwards. Still catching up on work I had put off for my recent R01 submission, I spent my entire meeting at the conference hotel, with only a quick ramen stop at Menya Ultra and seolleongtang at Woomiok on the way to and from the hotel. I would’ve liked to scout out the city ahead of our family trip this summer, but I was glad to also relax a little by the pool between working and networking. With Melody away this week, I tried to carry out daddy duty by taking Westley to his new swim lessons, neighborhood bike rides, Spiderman gaming, and Lego building, while also building a shiny white PC for my wife to accompany her new white desk. The patio at Taqueria Guadelajara was perfect for the spring weather, although fears of coronavirus meant sparse crowds at 99 Ranch. Melody returned on Leap Day to partake in Westley’s first official experience with Vietnamese pho, followed by a play date with a friend over Italian ice.  It’ll be interesting watching Westley’s social life develop, as we keep losing our own.