We scheduled a new paint job for my lab this month, which gave us an excuse to have our holiday outing at Dumpling House followed by bowling and billiards at Memorial Union. We also had our department’s first in-person holiday party since 2019, which got my lab members cutting up the dance floor. At home, we spent most of our weekends hibernating from the cold with big pots of beef stew, bun rieu, and spam soup. We did a little shopping in Natomas for craft supplies from Michaels and sweets from Cost Plus, filling on pork adobo and lumpia from Roline’s along with massive halo-halos. Last Friday, we joined Liam’s family at the Theatre of Lights show downtown. I arrived late from clinic to inhale a few dumplings before taking in the exciting showdown between Santa and Jack Frost, followed by hot chocolate and a rowdy mini train ride for the kids. Since Melody and I were both on call, we spent our Christmas holiday weekend mostly at home also, except brief outings for hot pot, dim sum, and pastries. Westley was content diving into his new Lego Boost robot and Speed Champions racer sets, while I immersed myself in HBO’s House of the Dragon and FromSoftware’s acclaimed Elden Ring game. Between collecting runes, discovering sites of grace, and painfully dying again and again, I was both humbled by the combat challenges yet addicted to the wonder and discovery in the beautiful open-world setting. We left my poor wife wrapping dumplings and baking sticky buns all by herself. But between Westley’s Lego-building, Melody’s cooking, and my gaming, we felt like we each got a chance to enjoy our Christmas break in our own favorite ways.

With colder weather setting in, we spent most of Thanksgiving at home over spicy hot pot with in-laws and World Cup games from Qatar. We set up our Christmas tree and lights as usual, but instead of Black Friday shopping, immersed ourselves at the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit downtown followed by lunch at Saigon Alley and treats from Ginger Elizabeth. I did take advantage of online deals for a mirrorless Sony camera, Tamron lens, and Hoya filters for upcoming travels. I also ordered a humidifier for our bedroom, microwave for our kitchen, and new appliances for our rental unit in Boston. We solicited several quotes for a new HVAC system, but decided instead to expand our solar panels to prepare for the new EV I ordered. Melody and I snuggled under our fur throws to watch the Umbrella Academy battle the Sparrow Academy and Korean artists mic drop in one take on Take 1, while I indulged in the finale of the Walking Dead and premiere of The Peripheral – a mind bending new sci-fi series from Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy that managed to be even more confusing than the last season of Westworld. Westley developed a fever last weekend while Melody was at a conference in Baltimore. So we hung out at home playing Azul and RC cars, cooking curry beef stew, and watching MasterChef Junior, which inspired me to let Westley handle a real kitchen knife for the first time. We ventured out only briefly for fresh pineapple buns, piano lesson, and a dentist visit. Melody’s car battery died over the course of her absence, which was ill-timed as my car was also in the shop, so I had to chair my first NEI review panel from home. Sadly, my own grant proposals to the NEI, RPB, FFB, and Thome foundation did not receive much love, but I was glad to score a $2M Multicampus Research Programs & Initiatives award from UCOP, based on my proposal to develop a teleretinal imaging program across UC health campuses to expand eye care access in California. While I work with my institution to broadcast the good news, it seems that my other research has been gaining publicity also, including a radio show on goji berries and TV spot on ABC10. As 2022 draws to a close, we reflect on how fortunate we are as a family as we prepare our gifts and donations.