I had the honor of being invited to the ADA conference this year in New Orleans to talk about our AI-based diabetic eye screening program at UCD. My initial 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. We repotted our crape myrtle bonsai, completed our last Harry Potter movie, and gathered with cousin Pamela’s family to celebrate her father’s life with banquet-style Chinese dinner before finishing our packing.