After visiting 3 continents in 2 weeks, I was not surprised to come down with a fever and cough. What did surprise me was my chest X-ray showing I actually had pneumonia, which necessitated an Augmentin course from my PCP and unused azithromycin from our Peru trip. I felt helpless and unproductive as I quietly suffered through primate exams, Paul Hom clinic, and fellowship interviews before finally seeing the doctor in person while virtually reporting for jury duty. I also made the unsmart decision to get both flu and COVID vaccines before fully recovering, which further extended my down time. My bad luck did not impact my family, fortunately, as Melody got promoted to senior associate dean and also completed her McDonald’s BTS happy meal figurine sets. I was feeling much better at my AAO annual meeting in Orlando. Having barely slept aboard my red-eye flight Friday, I retreated early from retina sub-day for a nap before dinner at Kabooki Sushi. After correcting a mix-up with the two restaurant branches on Tock, I savored the excellent omakase that my wife recommended, including blowtorched toro, Hokkaido uni nigiri, and a sake sashimi with beluga caviar in “Tiger’s milk.” On Saturday, I was placed on a discussion panel rather than an oral presentation, which combined with the course I’ve taught for a decade, required little preparation and provided a more relaxed conference experience. I caught up with friends at the UCD and Harvard receptions, then returned home to trade off with Melody traveling the following week. We spent my father-son weekend working on his Percy Jackson / Greek demigod costume, which included a Spartan helmet, cardboard sword, and metal shield crafted from a charger we found at Goodwill while laundering our comforter. After Sunday Chinese school, we completed our Tron marathon by watching Tron: Ares on IMAX 3D in between Ginger Elizabeth treats and Ryujin ramen. Sadly, my poor fortune returned again this week when my car was scraped by another vehicle while parked at work. Fortunately, I found a note after filing the police report, and met with the perp at a body shop to fix the damage. I returned home after clinic this evening in time to serve as Westley’s candy porter on Halloween. I certainly hope next month brings better luck.