I tried to keep my schedule light ahead of the holidays, but the usual barrage of meetings, paper reviews, and other obligations kept me busy this month. Westley at least got more rest with a new mattress-in-a-box, although the bookcase bed frame we wanted is backordered until next year. He also finally completed his COVID vaccine course this month, which made us feel better about bringing him to the Ob-Gyn holiday gathering at Sac Zoo where we missed the new baby giraffe but witnessed an intense lion roar that upstaged the animatronic dinosaurs on display. Back home, we checked out the live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop, which despite mixed reviews, was entertaining and channeled well the vibe of the original anime. Unfortunately, the final weeks of 2021 turned out to be rough on our wallets. First, we missed our property tax deadline that set us back a hefty late fee. Melody’s car then got rear-ended by a cannabis-scented couple on Stockton Ave.. And when I took Westley for family swim time last Sunday, I accidentally left my non-water-resistant cell phone in my swim trunks. Unable to revive the drowned device with rice or dessicant packs, I frantically ordered a replacement Pixel 5A from Google, which luckily arrived at our doorsteps minutes before we had to leave for our flight to LA. With so many things having gone wrong, we kept our fingers crossed for our week-long holiday in SoCal.