With Macula Society taking place in Berlin this year, I had hoped to bring Melody and Westley to visit my relatives in Germany. But with rising Omicron infections and geopolitical tensions with Russia, I ended up traveling solo. My first flight from SMF on Saturday was delayed, requiring a scramble that landed me in Munich. Fortunately, the speedy ICE trains got me to Luneburg in just under 7 hours, which felt like a cinch with pastries and Wi-Fi on board. I arrived at Aunt Phuong’s house in the evening, filled on her bun nem, then overcame jet lag to sleep through the night in my nephew’s room. I awoke Sunday to homemade banh mi and a tour of my aunt’s garden. They introduced to me a promotional 9-euro ticket that provided unlimited access to public transportation in June, which provided a whirlwind tour of Hamburg including the Rathaus, a harbor ferry ride, and the Elbphilharmonie observation deck. Anh Hung met us there, shared hazelnuss ice-cream, then strolled through the glitzy HafenCity waterfront, past a Ukraine photo exhibit at St. Michael’s Church, to seafood at Casa Madeira in the Portuguese quarter. We walked off our dinner at the red light district in St. Pauli, including the infamous Herbertstraße where women were not allowed. On Monday, more relatives drove from Münster to join us for Chinese buffet, followed by desserts at my aunt’s home, where Andreas gave me an in-depth lesson in bee keeping. I awoke early next morning for a train to the Ritz-Carlon Berlin at Potsdamer Platz, which the Macula Society had managed to completely book for members only. After wowing at the 5-star room amenities, I went for Sichuan zajiang nudeln at Liu, checked out an Assisi Panorama, Checkpoint Charlie, and Topography of Terror, then returned to the meeting and welcome reception. I gave my talk on Thursday, then after lunch at the hotel, explored the murals at East Side Gallery before joining UW colleagues for a 3-course tasting menu of upscale German fare at Kurpfalz Weinstuben. Early Friday, I tested myself for COVID via telehealth using an antigen test kit from my friend Lejla, just one day before the U.S. lifted testing requirements, but cleared me to play hookie by visiting the Holocaust Memorial, Bandenburg Gate, Reichstag building, Pergamon Museum, and Berliner Dom. I was most impressed by the Reichstag glass dome, where the audioguide was triggered automatically by location, as well as the Ishtar Gate of Babylon and Islamic art collection at the Pergamon. For lunch, I went to Lebensmittel Mitte for hearty käsespätzle, but could not get a seat at Zur Letzten Instanz for their pork knuckle. I spent the afternoon shopping for a messenger bag, but instead got an iris photograph as personal art. Swimming at the Ritz and banquet at Frank Gehry’s Axica reminded me of the high life of retina and the costs of this trip, which fortunately was offset by a travel grant. On Saturday, I headed to the airport after getting currywurst and fries at Curry 36 at Berlin HBF, and suffered another tight connection in Munich before my usual dinner stop at SFO on the way home. I was glad to catch up with relatives, but sad that I didn’t have my family with me. Unfortunately, I developed a bad cough after getting back, so it’ll be another few days before I feel really home again.

The return of warmer spring weather meant hay fever and more in-person conferences. Our department symposium returned to Napa Valley this year, where I deferred my arrival from Friday to Saturday after developing a cough that fortunately was not COVID. With symptoms subsided, I lunched with my friend Naama at Gott’s Roadside after my first talk, then rendezvoused with Melody and Westley at the hotel for pool time before dinner at North Block, a visit to the RH Gallery, and chocolates from Anette’s. We checked out after my second talk on Sunday, shared French fare at Angele and Double Rainbow ice-cream at the Vintage Sweet Shoppe, then drove home separately. While Melody and Westley headed to Ellie’s recital, I shopped for a messenger bag in Vacaville, then went directly to the hospital to bring my mom home. Between helping my parents settle in, arranging for home health, physical therapy, and a local PCP, I also tried to work on an R01 resubmission, record a CME discussion from my office studio, and still socialize with work colleagues at Ella and private practice friends at Zocalo on Cinco de Mayo. Last weekend, I drove late after clinic to Incline Village for a content-packed CTS conference. Beside a quick dip in the hotel pool, I had little time to enjoy Tahoe before driving back Sunday to join Westley at Analyn, Rylan, and Claire’s birthday bounce-house-and-water-play party. Despite a busy Memorial Day weekend call covering Kaiser patients, I relaxed with family playing Ticket to Ride, TinyTan Beat Saber, Spiderman Miles Morales, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, while Melody succeeded in solving her first (two) Rubik’s cube. We also used Westley’s Swim America coupon for Dos Coyotes, shared spicy hot pot on the back patio, and snacked on Melody’s homemade char siu and condensed milk buns. With both of us experiencing burnout from work, it was a nice reminder of normalcy for us.

Planning for ARVO was extra stressful this year. It was my last year as program committee chair, but we had to revert back from virtual to in-person format. I also agreed to co-organize an NCATS-sponsored gene therapy workshop for COHA, having deferred our obligation for two years due to the pandemic. Add on top the FFB Innovation Summit, and I was wiped out before ARVO even began. I flew to Denver on a Thursday after Westley’s allergist appointment to dine with my co-fellow Kathryn at Apple Blossom, which was not as good as the birria from Otra Vez Cantina following our two days of pre-ARVO meetings. Saturday consisted of meetings with industry partners, brunch with Yao for the I-TRUST study, and dinner with RegenXBio. I moderated and presented next morning, browsed my students’ posters, then joined an old mentor and Primed for an abbreviated dinner which I had to finish at the airport to catch my flight home. I had little time to catch my breath before flying out again next weekend to San Diego to discharge mom from her SNF and dad from his AirBnb. Our flight back together was uneventful and expectedly slow, but we made it in time to share Chinese take-out for Mother’s Day. Thanks to our UCD connections, we had her evaluated by an orthopedist next day and surgery redone two days later. With mom recovering in the hospital, Melody and I finally took a moment for ourselves to celebrate our 15th anniversary at Benu. It was exactly 5 years ago when we celebrated our 10th anniversary there, and the menu reminded us of what made this place so special for us. We began with small dishes, where our favorites played on textures like abalone-stuffed chicken wings, jellyfish/radish-stuffed dried oysters, and an intricately hand-cut tofu in dashi that moved like a jellyfish. Melody was pleased with Corey Lee’s take on jajeongmyeon with caviar and squid, while I opted for iced mulhwe and rabbit liver soondae with a tricky fried rabbit head. We again shared the Best Bread Ever with ginseng-spiked honey butter, and finished with a beautifully-piped poppyseed-citrus cake. Although it wasn’t presented in a music box this time, the cake was big enough to take home to Westley. We drove home happy and satisfied, reflecting our decade and a half together.

I was in the middle of submitting our tax returns when I received a late-night call from Alvarado Hospital informing me that my mom had fallen and fractured her femur. It had been less than a week since my parents joined us for family swim time, and only a couple of days since they left for vacation in San Diego. It turned out that she had fallen at Balboa Park following a day at the zoo. After frantically rescheduling my clinic, I flew down to SD last week to coordinate her care and surgery. I spent the day reading about bisphosphonates and intramedullary nailing, sharing DZ Akin’s tongue sandwich and mish mash soup with dad for lunch, and teaching him how to use Duo and Lyft over bun bo hue at Pho Ca Dao, before flying back for work. The nail-biting ordeal continued over the weekend as we weighed blood transfusion against anti-coagulation to fight post-op bleeding, all while dealing with her uncoordinated and poorly responsive surgeon and care team. By Easter Sunday, she was finally ready for discharge, which necessitated another flight to San Diego – this time to coordinate the SNF transfer for mom and a hotel transfer for dad. I chose Jacob Healthcare Center based on its CMS scorecard and proximity to an Asian grocery store and hotel. Unfortunately, our first night at the seedy Navajo Lodge had me fearing for our lives. I stayed an extra day to move my dad to a nicer AirBnb, gather supplies from Walmart, and explore nearby dining options. Neither the ramen at Narumi Sushi nor Tajima were worth writing home about, but the banh cuon and bun rieu at Phuong Nga across the street were a good find. The rest of the month was business as usual. We celebrated Melody’s birthday at Allora’s patio, while Westley finally reached level 4 in swim class. He helped celebrate his friends’ birthdays at Peregrine playground, Funderland, and Walnut Park, where we successfully flew our kite for the first time. At home, the window glass repairs were finally completed, but our backyard shade order did not come through, as the white screen material we wanted could not be used. Instead, I put up a cheap projector screen using alumahooks, and also assembled Westley’s Ikea desk to go with his new bed. Despite trying to keep busy and preparing for ARVO, I remain anxious for my mom’s health as I plan for her transfer back to our house for recovery. 

We changed up our hiking terrain by spending spring break at Joshua Tree. With an SUV from LAX, we drove to Diamond Bar’s Chan Kee for congee and noodles, stocked up on groceries and mini taiyakis from H-Mart, then headed to the high desert. The town of Joshua Tree greeted us with dry winds and sandy gusts that challenged Melody’s contacts. Having missed the farmer’s market, we stopped for photos with Murtle the Turtle, a bracelet from the Rock Shop, a visit to the Art Queen’s Crochet Museum, and time-travel at the Beauty Bubble salon museum before checking into our Airbnb. Staying inside an Airstream camper was a highlight, as we experienced close-quarters living for the next 3 days. After cracking into our kalbi, banchan, japchae, and naengmyeon for dinner, we introduced Westley to Go Fish while listening to U2’s eponymous album before bedtime. On Sunday, we picked up a Junior Ranger booklet from the JTNP Visitor Center on the way to our ranger-led tour of Keys Ranch, where we learned about the resourcefulness and colorful tales of Bill Keys and early settlers. We munched on kimbap in Hidden Valley, stopped briefly by Skull Rock, headed to Pioneertown to dine at Pappy & Harriett’s, and returned to our camper to toast S’mores under the stars. We spent next morning exploring Noah Purifoy’s desert sculptures and piecing together a tragic tale at the Oasis Visitor Center, then retreated to the camper for more Korean food and a nap. We returned to the park in the afternoon to hike to Barker Dam and Arch Rock before a sunset kimbap dinner at the Cholla Cactus Garden. On Tuesday we made our leisurely way to San Gabriel Valley for lamb noodles, lamb soup, and lamb dumplings at Shaanxi Garden. We relaxed at our hotel’s pool and lounge prior to check in, then feasted on Peking duck from Ji Rong and mochis and pudding from Phoenix Dessert. Our HK-style breakfast at Delicious Food Corner kept us energized for next morning’s timed entry to the Huntington, where strolling through art exhibits, research library, and Chinese and Japanese gardens delayed lunch to late afternoon. We fell into food coma after Mr. Champion’s rice sticks and Ho Kee’s roast duck and wonton noodles, and awoke early on our last day for sweet and salty soy milk and fan tuan from Huge Tree Pastry for breakfast. After fancy dim sum at Sea Harbour, we stopped by Marina del Rey for rental bikes to catch the beachside breeze along the Marvin Braude Bike Trail before our flight home. We relaxed over the long weekend with my parents and hung out with in-laws for my niece’s birthday as we prepare to return to the grind next week. 

It has been a godsend to have my parents back in town, as Melody was gone for a conference last week and I was taking off for Vail Vitrectomy this week. I am no skier, but was grateful to be invited to one of the most pretigious and exclusive meetings in my field. With little time to plan the trip, I was relieved to find two friends to share a rental car for the 2-hour drive from Denver. We stopped at Idaho Springs for lunch, but opted for muffins and coffee over the hour-long wait at Beau Jo’s, before arriving at the Hythe in Vail. The meeting was small, which combined with the lifting of mask mandates, made for livelier discussions. On Sunday, I strolled past Lionshead Village for Indian food before returning for Susvimo training and my talk. I stayed in my hotel room the next day to get work done and binge on a Crime Scene series on the Cecil Hotel. I made instant noodles using the hotel room kettle for lunch, which saved me some cash to hit up Matsuhisa solo for their so-so omakase menu. Tuesday’s schedule was light, giving me time to go fat tire biking at the Vail Nordic Center. Biking in the snow was much more of a workout than I had anticipated. So I turned back before completing the 8-mile trail to fill on wood-fired bone marrow and short ribs at Mountain Standard back in town. We left the hotel at 4am for the return drive to the airport, which allowed me to catch an earlier flight back to join Westley’s school potluck and share night. After tonight, I’ll have just a couple of days to assemble Westley’s bookcase bed before we depart for spring break.

We showed some Westley love for his 6th birthday by waking him up to a copy of Spiderman: Miles Morales and leading him downstairs to our new PS5 system. After months of following forum threads and restock trackers, I finally scored a golden ticket invite from Sony for their popular console. The ray tracing and 4K graphics were a step up from the prior Spiderman installation, but Westley was more drawn to Astro’s Playroom – the included free 3D platformer that made creative use of the DualSense controller and lots of Sony branding. At his behest, we had his birthday brunch at My Burma with grandparents, although our homemade birthday cake did not achieve Chinese-bakery-level fluffiness. The following weekend, we watched his cousin Ellie’s orchestra performance at DHS, then broke out our binoculars and telezoom lens for birdwatching with the veterinary graduate group at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area. Back home, we solicited quotes for a backyard shade for sun-blocking and outdoor movies, and also learned the difference between window replacements and repairs from glass vendors. Our pet spider Aphider 2 reached his end of life and was replaced by a much younger Aphider 3. On TV, we watched drama unfold on the ice over doping scandals and teenage outbursts during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. The Russian ice skating controversy was quickly overshadowed, however, by the country’s invasion of Ukraine, as the geopolitical and humanitarian crises sent shockwaves through the world economy. On President’s Day weekend, we learned about water conservation, solar systems, and snowflake crafting at the SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity. We continued the theme at home by assembling a hydraulic robotic arm and erupting a volcano kit with coke and Mentos from among his birthday gifts. At work, I completed BMCDB & GGIP interviews and NEI grant reviews, but my stress levels surged when I was drawn into planning the NEI Director’s campus visit after my colleague suffered a last-minute medical issue. Fortunately, the event went smoothly, and I was able to restore my emotional state ahead of my upcoming travels. 

In preparation for Chinese New Year, we had our house deep cleaned, knives sharpened, and piano tuned as Westley began taking piano lessons at Music Stream Center. This meant also investing in a Koncept desk lamp and All Modern table lamp to improve the illumination in our music room. At work, I kept busy reviewing abstracts and sessioning for ARVO’s annual meeting, while also planning a COHA workshop and prepping research manuscripts. With Melody also busy with the upcoming LCME visit, we kept my birthday low key with breakfast in bed, Uniboil for lunch, and Blue House BBQ for dinner, where Westley’s wheel spin scored us a future free lunch. For our lunar NYE dinner, we shared a fresh steamed Nile perch and our usual spread of Cantonese seafood, which was delicious despite the slow weeknight service. Peregrine School organized lion dances to celebrate the Year of the Tiger, which Melody and I were able to join in for fun. We had little time to celebrate our lunar birthdays, however, as I had to fly to Dallas the following weekend to learn a new suprachoroidal delivery system. The overnight trip turned into a 2-night stay as weather-related flight cancellations wreaked havoc on my itinerary. I took the extra time to check out the giant eyeball art installation downtown, and dine on surprisingly excellent gumbo and crawfish etouffee at DFW’s Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen. I got back in time for Westley’s weekly swim class and COVID testing, as we prepare to indulge in our new Wolf oven and celebrate his actual birthday next week.

With the surging Omicron variant, and aside from a few trips out to experience the Bayside Christmas Lights Drive-Thru and explore new restaurants like Saigon Oi! and Taiwan Best Mart, we stayed mostly indoors burning calories with a new BTS pack for Beat Saber and helping Westley build dominos, assemble his Lego Jeep, and excavate dinosaur fossils. For New Year’s Eve, we snuggled together on the couch for his first time watching the Times Square ball drop on TV. Feeling as if we barely relaxed over the holidays and eager for some time alone, Melody and I took a couple of days off after MLK weekend for a spa house stay in Bodega Bay. We passed Westley off to my father-in-law after lunch on Monday, then headed to the coast, stopping by Bodega Bay Oyster Co. for some Kumamoto and medium Miyagi oysters to grill on our ocean-view balcony. We were impressed by the modern mid-century decor of the cabin and enjoyed a dip in the hot tub before calling it a night. We slept in next morning, briefly tried out the garage sauna, then lunched at Spud Point Crab Co with crab rolls and chowder. In the afternoon, we bought mussels from Tides Wharf and bigger oysters to put on the grill, then played a few rounds of Pandemic before heading to Fishetarian for dinner. Melody shared her recent obsession of React to the K, which kept us up late into the night analyzing K-pop music from Blackpink, TWICE, and AKMU. On Wednesday, we stopped at Yeti Restaurant for momos and curries on the way home through Napa, where we caught up on work and meetings at a study room in the library. After a cheese run and coffee break at Oxbow Market, we went to La Toque for Chef Ken Frank’s 40th annual all black truffle tasting menu, where highlights included a puff pastry-crusted truffle soup and a Frangelico black truffle ice cream bombe. Our early dinner helped us make it home in time to give Westley his good night kiss. Despite the time off, our food outings weighed heavily on our wallets, reminding us of recent inflation.

Enticed by Korean gastronomy through K-dramas and food documentaries, we strategically planned the LA portion of our trip by renting an Airbnb in the heart of Koreatown. Despite the Saturday night crowds, our well-timed arrival and patience landed us a table at Sun Nong Dan for their famous blowtorched galbi jjim for dinner, which yielded leftovers for breakfast for the rest of the trip. On Sunday, we invited our friend Melissa to the Aquarium of the Pacific, where bat ray petting and lorikeet feeding left Westley’s hair soaked and Melody’s hand nibbled. We recovered with BCD’s soon tofu while watching their sponsored spicy tofu eating contest on TV, then burned off the calories with a rigorous climb to Griffith Observatory, where we experienced our first planetarium show as a family. The steaming kalguksu and mandu at MDK Noodles helped warm us up for dinner, which balanced well with the coconut dessert from MeloMelo. On Monday, we visited La Brea Tar Pits to explore uncovered fossils and asphalt puddles under safety cones, then stopped by LACMA’s Urban Light art installation on the way to Yuchun for their chic mul naengmyun and kalbi lunch combo. We picked up Daiso sponges, Paris Baguette pastries, and H-Mart microwaveable rice, then lazed in our apartment before crossing the street for some hearty housemade tofu at Surawon. We spent Tuesday morning at Kidspace in Pasadena, where we played with pulleys, levers, and bottle rockets, crafted holiday floats, and finger-painted a snowflake ornament. The noodles at Noodles St. were fine, but our epiphany was at Hanbat Shul Lung Tang, where their rich oxtail broth was worth the wait in line. We stopped for a Mang macaron from Dragon Boba and very sweet soft-serve at Bumsam Milk Bar before calling it a night. We checked out on Wednesday, then checked into Wi Spa for their scrubs and saunas while Westley watched his tablet on the heated floors. Our final splurge at Parks BBQ sampled ggot sal, parks gal-bi, bulgogi, brisket, and short ribs, wrapping up an unforgettable culinary journey through LA’s K-town. We had not planned for the lack of child seat options from Lyft upon our return. But holding onto Westley’s belly on our ride home reminded us fondly of this very tasty holiday trip.