The return of warmer spring weather meant hay fever and more in-person conferences. Our department symposium returned to Napa Valley this year, where I deferred my arrival from Friday to Saturday after developing a cough that fortunately was not COVID. With symptoms subsided, I lunched with my friend Naama at Gott’s Roadside after my first talk, then rendezvoused with Melody and Westley at the hotel for pool time before dinner at North Block, a visit to the RH Gallery, and chocolates from Anette’s. We checked out after my second talk on Sunday, shared French fare at Angele and Double Rainbow ice-cream at the Vintage Sweet Shoppe, then drove home separately. While Melody and Westley headed to Ellie’s recital, I shopped for a messenger bag in Vacaville, then went directly to the hospital to bring my mom home. Between helping my parents settle in, arranging for home health, physical therapy, and a local PCP, I also tried to work on an R01 resubmission, record a CME discussion from my office studio, and still socialize with work colleagues at Ella and private practice friends at Zocalo on Cinco de Mayo. Last weekend, I drove late after clinic to Incline Village for a content-packed CTS conference. Beside a quick dip in the hotel pool, I had little time to enjoy Tahoe before driving back Sunday to join Westley at Analyn, Rylan, and Claire’s birthday bounce-house-and-water-play party. Despite a busy Memorial Day weekend call covering Kaiser patients, I relaxed with family playing Ticket to Ride, TinyTan Beat Saber, Spiderman Miles Morales, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, while Melody succeeded in solving her first (two) Rubik’s cube. We also used Westley’s Swim America coupon for Dos Coyotes, shared spicy hot pot on the back patio, and snacked on Melody’s homemade char siu and condensed milk buns. With both of us experiencing burnout from work, it was a nice reminder of normalcy for us.

Planning for ARVO was extra stressful this year. It was my last year as program committee chair, but we had to revert back from virtual to in-person format. I also agreed to co-organize an NCATS-sponsored gene therapy workshop for COHA, having deferred our obligation for two years due to the pandemic. Add on top the FFB Innovation Summit, and I was wiped out before ARVO even began. I flew to Denver on a Thursday after Westley’s allergist appointment to dine with my co-fellow Kathryn at Apple Blossom, which was not as good as the birria from Otra Vez Cantina following our two days of pre-ARVO meetings. Saturday consisted of meetings with industry partners, brunch with Yao for the I-TRUST study, and dinner with RegenXBio. I moderated and presented next morning, browsed my students’ posters, then joined an old mentor and Primed for an abbreviated dinner which I had to finish at the airport to catch my flight home. I had little time to catch my breath before flying out again next weekend to San Diego to discharge mom from her SNF and dad from his AirBnb. Our flight back together was uneventful and expectedly slow, but we made it in time to share Chinese take-out for Mother’s Day. Thanks to our UCD connections, we had her evaluated by an orthopedist next day and surgery redone two days later. With mom recovering in the hospital, Melody and I finally took a moment for ourselves to celebrate our 15th anniversary at Benu. It was exactly 5 years ago when we celebrated our 10th anniversary there, and the menu reminded us of what made this place so special for us. We began with small dishes, where our favorites played on textures like abalone-stuffed chicken wings, jellyfish/radish-stuffed dried oysters, and an intricately hand-cut tofu in dashi that moved like a jellyfish. Melody was pleased with Corey Lee’s take on jajeongmyeon with caviar and squid, while I opted for iced mulhwe and rabbit liver soondae with a tricky fried rabbit head. We again shared the Best Bread Ever with ginseng-spiked honey butter, and finished with a beautifully-piped poppyseed-citrus cake. Although it wasn’t presented in a music box this time, the cake was big enough to take home to Westley. We drove home happy and satisfied, reflecting our decade and a half together.