My first invitation to present at the SOE meeting took me back to Prague. Despite being nearly a decade since my last visit, my memories of the streets and people of this romantic city still seemed fresh on my mind. After blasting through morning clinic, a burger, lobster roll, and Frankfurter (my new term for running through Frankfurt airport), I settled into the hotel next to the conference center. I missed dinner plans with colleagues, and instead headed to Kantyna for delicious cafeteria-style meats, including a juicy slice of beef tongue. On Friday, I registered and uploaded my presentation, then headed to the Klementinum for a nerdy tour of the astronomical tower and Baroque library. I explored Old Town Square, passing the astronomical clock and a tower of books at the Prague Library, then made my way to Nase Maso for their dry-aged cheeseburger and beef tartare. Our afternoon discussion panel went smoothly, and we dined afterwards on excellent linguine and octopus at Brick’s with a sunset riverside view of the Charles Bridge. Saturday morning included an early visit to the Zizkov Farmer’s Market. The stands were still being set up, so I worked on a grant proposal while enjoying a fluffy croissant from La Caveau and foamy latte from MamaCoffee. From the market, I walked to Palace Lucerna to check out David Černý’s statue of St. Wenceslas riding an inverted horse, as well as his nearby kinetic sculpture of Franz Kafka’s Head. I tried out some chlebíčky from Lahůdky Zlatý kříž, then returned to the hotel to rest my feet before heading back out to Vysehrad. The historic fort included a beautiful cemetery that is home to Dvorak and Smetana’s graves, as well as the Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul where a wedding was just finishing. I dined on Ferdinanda’s goulash and fries which had enough calories to put me to sleep all night. I flew back next morning via Frankfurt and Dulles binging on Season 6 of Black Mirror, arriving home to spend the last minutes of Father’s Day with Westley. Lucky I have an extra day off on Juneteeth to recover at home.

After 4 years with BlueHost, I’ve migrated Xephalon.net to Hostinger. The website was in need of updates, so I also took the opportunity to simplify the layout for version 4.0. My BMW i4 also finally arrived at the dealer last week. This was my first time purchasing a new vehicle, and while I managed to turn down all the extended services and warranties, missed the theft deterrent device included on the bill which set me back an extra $1K. The blue color felt like it was manifested from the RC car that Jeff and Melody gifted me 20 years ago, and I was quickly enamored by the smooth yet powerful ride. Too bad it didn’t arrive in time for me to try it on my drive to SF for the Pacific Retina Club last weekend. The Mission Bay Conference Center was a nice venue to enjoy interesting clinical cases and interactive talks, but I ultimately ducked out early and headed home to teach Westley how to play Monopoly and celebrate the end of the school year. This past weekend, I flew to Utah for the Clinical Trials at the Summit conference. The industry-focused meeting was hardly worth the fancy hotel or drive from Salt Lake City, but I at least got to catch up with my friend Christina over dinner. I had the ambitious goal of waking at 4am to photograph the Bonneville Salt Flats at sunrise next morning, but ultimately made the saner choice of sleeping in and catching an earlier flight home. With my being away from home every weekend this month, I want to squeeze in what little time I have with family.