I had the honor of being invited to the ADA conference this year in New Orleans to talk about our implementation of an AI-based diabetic eye screening program at UCD. My immediate impression was that endocrinologists are a lot more laid back, with fewer talks, fewer posters, and fewer industry booths, despite some feisty drama ahead of my arrival. Having sleep-deprived myself last week preparing a K12 grant and planning our upcoming trips to Paris, Montreal, and Quito, I slept well aboard my 5 a.m. flight. A first-class upgrade, however, earned me a splash of breakfast frittata tomato sauce onto my only shirt. Unfazed, I headed straight to Mother’s on arrival for my shrimp-oyster poboy and crawfish etouffee, then checked into the hotel to scrub my shirt, toss it into a self-serve dryer, and practice my bicep curls at the gym while waiting. For dinner, I nabbed a bar seat at Emeril’s to savor their seafood gumbo and BBQ shrimp. Despite missing the 2-Michelin star tasting menu from the 22-year-old son of the culinary magnate who now runs the kitchen, I found both dishes to be well prepared, although not matching the divine level of Mr. B’s. Despite my fear of not knowing anyone at the ADA or NOLA, I was pleasantly surprised by my CUTI colleagues who came to talk, and a text from my mentee Tanvi who is now a resident at LSU. We shared stories over fried chicken from Brother’s Food Mart, followed by beignets and an iced cafe au lait at the pleasantly less-crowded Café du Monde location in City Park before my flight back. Back home, I celebrated my grad students completing their qualifying exams, and was off again to Cleveland for my invited talk at the Cole Eye Institute. I was delighted to join my ex-trainees Sophie and Mini for Mediterranean mezze at Zhug, and even more touched by Mini’s introduction of my research seminar on monkey research. My day-long schedule kept me busy meeting old friends and new researchers before dinner at L’Albatros. The French cuisine got me excited for our upcoming family trip to Paris, as I returned home to enjoy some quality family time before our trip.