With my folks back in town to help with childcare, we explored more of Sac’s foodie scene at Chef’s Counter at Origami. Tucked inside a fast-casual Asian restaurant, the 6-seat reservation-only 13-course tasting menu serves as a creative outlet for Paragary group alumni Scott Ostrander and Paul diPierro, and provided us a unique and personal dining experience complete with mozzarella balloons and torched figs. We followed next morning with a day trip to San Jose to watch airplanes take off near the Heritage Rose Garden, share soup dumplings with my aunt, and play at the Rotary PlayGarden. We also brought Westley back to the annual Sacramento Reptile Show, where he demonstrated less angst handling the little critters and was rewarded with Chocolates for Breakfast. After returning home, I worked on fixing our hot water dispenser and laundry room light fixture while taking cover from a brief but exciting hail storm that triggered our first ever tornado warning. At work, the looming prospect of having my lab relocated cast a shadow over our department’s block party luau to celebrate our 50th anniversary and new eye center groundbreaking. I also struggled to deal with the politics of journal submissions, all while scrambling to submit a BrightFocus grant and my first R01. By last week, things finally began to return to normal with fellowship interviews, grandpa’s barn, and Paul Hom. We took a breather over yuppy fried chicken from Bawk! and izakaya fare at Yakitori Yuchan as we began to prepare for our upcoming family travel.