With COVID cases on the rise, we decided to spend our family trip this week in a secluded AirBnb retreat in Jenner. On Saturday after a second round of virtual fellowship interviews, we booked it to Bodega Bay for dinner over grilled oysters, fried fish, and hearty clam chowder at The Boat House. A majestic view of the incoming fog and Pacific sunset off Highway 1 welcomed us to the Sonoma Coast as we arrived at our cabin. We awoke the next morning to the sounds of nature, and explored the nearby trails and redwood groves on the property. Knowing that there were few dining options nearby, we had brought along ingredients and supplies for hot pot, but forgot the hot pot itself, forcing us to jerry-rig the cabin’s Crockpot. The new mala broth mix was also too oily and spicy for our taste, which made for a subpar lunch. We spent the afternoon lounging in the cabin while Westley assembled a Lego submarine from grandma and grandpa. In the evening, we made a supply run to the nearby Fort Ross Store for overpriced chicken broth and skewers to make s’mores to go with our frozen dumpling dinner. We slept in Monday morning, and after a diluted spicy hot pot lunch, headed for Salt Point State Park. Here, we spent the afternoon seal spotting and hiking the Tafoni sandstone, whose honeycomb erosions provided exciting tidepool encounters, including the frenzied disassembly of a stripes shore crab carcass by a gang of hermit crabs. Back at the cabin, Westley quickly discovered the cabin’s own Lego stash, with a mix of pirate, space, and medieval-themed bricks that took his attention from my attempt to teach him Scrabble. We spent Election Day hiking Stillwater Cove’s switchback trails, dry creek, and pebbled beach. Our dinner of mac n’ cheese with peas put Melody to bed early, although my staying up put me no closer to election results. We spent our last morning at Goat Rock Beach, where masses of ducks, geese, seagulls, and the occasional harbor seal congregated at the confluence of the Russian River and Pacific Ocean. We wrapped up with crab rolls and chowder at Spud Point Crab Company, which were definitely worth the socially-distanced wait in line. Although we spent the rest of our vacation week catching up on work, our short getaway to the Sonoma Coast gave us a chance to get out of the house and connect with nature.

Between the upcoming election, RBG’s passing, and a mounting third wave of coronavirus, the past month weighed heavily on us. At work, anxiety surrounding centralized funds flow, lab space allocation, and lab personnel departures converged with my second R01 score, grant/paper rejections, and multiple deadlines, even as I was busy reviewing grants for NIH study section. Melody’s unusually busy call also hinted at her darkening white cloud, as she continued to combat insomnia with melatonin and blue light-blocking glasses. A couple of weeks ago, we fired up our grill for some lemongrass pork shoulder, only to face a sudden flare up and grease fire that necessitated a frantic discharge from our extinguisher and an exhausting afternoon of clean up. The ensuing fumes was a good test of our new air quality monitor, but not for our dishwasher, which suffered a recirculation pump failure that same day. Fortunately, Westley helped us maintain a routine on weekends, with Saturday bike trips to the nearby playground to hang out with local kids, and Sunday visits to SwimAmerica for family swim and play. We also continued our home improvement projects with a new coat of paint for the garage, slatwall panels, and a mango wood sideboard that we bee-waxed for our back patio. Last weekend, the cooler weather finally gave us a chance to enjoy our new digs in the backyard over a Billie Eilish livestream concert. With Melody on her Kindle, Westley on his tablet, and me on my laptop, it was a moment that felt right, even when everything else was going wrong. Today, we got Dollar Tree supplies to dress Westley up as Shy Guy, as we plan to spend Halloween and Election Day on the Sonoma Coast to escape these scary times.

With wildfire smoke persisting into this month, we’ve upgraded to MERV 13 filters and invested in an air purifier for Westley while staying indoors. The orange skyline provided a fittingly apocalyptic backdrop for embarking on the Last of Us Part 2, where we took on the gritty role of Ellie on her path for revenge as we infiltrated the overgrown streets of Seattle. Meanwhile, we also helped Westley pass the time with a  Snap Circuits STEM kit, although his burgeoning skills were not up to dealing with the variety of repairs we had to face including a defective graphics card in Melody’s PC, a failed capacitor in our HVAC system, and a coolant leak in my car. Hoping to tidy our garage, we added new storage cabinets, a new epoxy floor, and a fresh coat of paint, but color mismatches between cabinet doors, ceiling lights, and the wall paint gave us more headaches than relief. Our household stress levels rose further when Westley had to be quarantined while his classmate was being tested for COVID. Fortunately, the notice turned out to be a false alarm and the smoke also began to clear out, letting us breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy some fresh air. Last week, we made another run to Green Acres to replace some dead lavendar bushes and other casualties of Bermuda grass extermination, then power washed the ashes off our front porch, side fences, and new patio furniture. Melody’s BTS obsession inspired a few Korean food outings, while Westley enjoyed a shipment of origami paper and Mario Kart RC cars from my parents. With fingers crossed, we hope that next month will be less exhausting.

Desperate for some time away, we had planned for a weekend of hiking and biking in Santa Cruz when sweeping wildfires closed down I-80, necessitating a last minute change to an Airbnb further north in Fairfax to escape the smoke. We delayed our departure Saturday to clear out some rejuvenated bermuda grass, but arrived in time to enjoy Creole fare at the Hummingbird including beignets, gumbo, chicken n’ waffles, and shrimp n’ grits, followed by a scoop from Fairfax Scoop. Unfortunately, the smoke had penetrated into our area by afternoon, which kept us indoors and baking in our moutainside rental. We delighted in the eclectic interior which sported old family photos and equine decor to reflect the hosts’ farrier service, but Westley’s favorite were the toy chest, bunk bed, and loft bed in the master bedroom. Feeling too lazy to venture out, we shared leftovers and instant noodles for dinner before calling it a night. On Sunday, we awoke early to hike Cascade Falls by Canyon Road before enjoying curry, thali, and biryani at Cafe Lotus. We spent another afternoon lounging in the cabin to work on Westley’s new Lego race truck while watching a squirrel steal from the bird feeder. A brief reprieve in air quality gave us a chance to enjoy izakaya dinner take-out from Village Sake on the balcony, but was cut short when Melody got stung by a yellow jacket. We left Monday morning, stopping briefly in San Rafael to hike the Turtleback Point Loop, then hurried home through the smoke to get our 4-year-old home to use the bathroom.  I agreed with Westley that our trip was too short, but we were thankful for the chance to get away for a weekend.

August has been a grueling month. My colleague finally followed through on his long threat to retire, which landed me 3 weeks of retina call. My cell phone also died suddenly at the start of my call week, necessitating a frantic visit to the Verizon store to revive my old Galaxy S5 while I waited for a replacement.  I had suspected bad mojo when our house cleaner had to cancel twice this month due to car and childcare issues. To eradicate our front yard bermuda grass infestation, we’ve also had to wake up early each weekend to shovel lava rocks and tear up weed fabric to exterminate each metastatic tentacle. The manual labor left our arms and quads wobbly, with little energy to spend with Westley to promote his new biking skills or enjoy the newly renovated playground across the street. Our couch rest did give us a chance to finish watching the visually-stunning first season of His Dark Materials and a strangely-entertaining second season of the Umbrella Academy. Unfortunately, the bizarre dry lightening storms and ensuing wildfires this week led to suffocating smoke and ashen dust to befall upon us. We were glad that we had at least completed the weeding and even enjoyed some outdoor Korean BBQ before the air quality downturn.  Today, I scrambled to finish clinic early to pick up my new Google Pixel 4a from Best Buy ahead of our weekend trip. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get away for some fresh air (literally) amidst the heatwave, wildfires, and pandemic.

What better time to tinker with instant noodles than during quarantine? Since watching Parasite, I’ve longed for ramdon. Paired with a well-marbled ribeye from KP, the Neoguri-Chapagetti fusion definitely did not disappoint. I also drew inspiration from a Korean Youtuber for Shin Ramyun hacks with milk or as fried noodles, and from Serious Eats for cup noodle fried rice.  Nissin’s curry-flavored cup noodles was a particularly good option, but the unexpected peanut powder might have contributed to our toddler’s mild wheezing at bedtime. My post-doc Sook brought us authentic Shin ramyun from Korea, although my comparison taste test with the American version found the difference to be more subtle than previously reported. On weekends, we continue our quest to entertain Westley at home. He was very excited with the Labo VR blaster, but the gadget didn’t quite fit his proportions. He also liked swallowing shy guys and shooting piranha plants in Yoshi’s Crafted World, although he’s still working on his eye-hand coordination. Fortunately for us, he liked Todo Math enough for us to pay the subscription fee, so at least we could sneak in some education between his alphabet work books from Dollar Tree. The tablet also keeps him entertained during times when my wife and I were both occupied with Zoom meetings. Last weekend, I attended the virtual ASRS meeting, and the experience was less than satisfactory without the usual fanfare and networking of in-person meetings, as I alluded to in my op-ed piece. I hope to find better ways to adapt to this new normal.

The continuing pandemic necessitated a change in our summer vacation plans to some place closer. In lieu of zoos and theme parks, we searched for last minute Airbnb availabilities and landed a 3-night stay at a secluded waterfront property on Tomales Bay in Marshall. To prepare for our trip, I hit up my work colleague Ala for fishing advice and gear, purchased a 1-day sports fishing license, then scrutinized fishing tutorials and videos online in between adding finishing touches to my grant resubmission. We smartly avoided traffic by heading out late Monday morning, stopping briefly in Vacaville for Costco gas and RH outlet shopping, then masked up for AYCE BBQ at Hot Stone Korean Kitchen for lunch. We stopped by Petaluma for tackle advice, and left with sturgeon rigs, snap swivels, and frozen squid to prepare for shark fishing. After settling in, we opted for a 30-second drive over the 10-minute walk to Hog Island Oyster Co. for take-out Sweetwater and Kumamoto oysters, mussels, and a Dexter knife. Our cabin came with its own deck and dock, which provided the perfect waterfront setting for grilling seafood in our new portable grill before we drifted asleep to a view of the moonlit bay and the sound of gentle waves. We started Tuesday with a short hike through towering redwoods at the Samuel P Taylor State Park, clam linguine, fish & chips, and chowder for lunch at Station House Cafe, and H20-buffalo gelato from Palace Market. In the afternoon, I failed to catch any fish from our dock, but took advantage of low tide to collect crabs and snails with Westley from below deck. We lounged around Wednesday morning to views of jellyfish and bat rays swimming by the house, then returned to Point Reyes Station for wood-fired pizza and more gelato. We spent the afternoon at Shell Beach, where the cold water and lack of swim gear did not preclude sandcastle-building. On our last day, we collected Cowgirl Creamery cheese and baked goods from Brickmaiden and Bovine Bakery,  then headed to Tomales Point to hike the Tule Elk Reserve. Westley was able to spot a few elks with binoculars, but a missing cross piece shattered our kiting dreams for the strong winds.  We were more prepared for water play at the Heart’s Desire Beach, where water gun wielding and tube riding was enough to knock Westley out for the drive back home as we listened to our backlog of Wait Wait episodes. We spent our long weekend at home, watching the Disney fireworks via online streaming and listening to neighborhood firecrackers during another backyard camping adventure. By Monday, the rising COVID cases had forced dine-in venues in Marshall to re-close, and we were glad to have seized the short, yet refreshing summer retreat for our family.

With recent riots spreading across the country, we tried to distract our 4-year-old from the civil unrest and specter of racism looming over our nation. Westley was too disturbed by the boss fights to watch the conclusion of our Spiderman game, so we switched over to the Nintendo Labo robot kit, which gave him the chance to punch and smash through digital buildings on TV. For more physical exercise, we tried to remove his bike’s training wheels, but found it easier to have him learn on a balance bike by also removing the pedals. I had little time to spend with him, however, as my R01 resubmission consumed my evenings and caused significant sleep deprivation. Melody also lost some sleep to the BTS Bang Bang Con livestream concert that went virtual from the other side of the globe. The grant writing had cut off Kassandra’s quests through the Elysium Fields, Hades, and Atlantis in the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey expansion. Fortunately, news of the score on my other R01 proposal helped reinvigorate my confidence as I raced to the grant-writing finish line ahead of our family trip to Marshall.

We kept ourselves busy over Memorial Day weekend with yard work. Taking advantage of the cooler weather, we plucked Bermuda grass, pruned maple trees, trimmed back lavender, and dug out stubborn oak plants. I also tried to shape our weeping blue cedar and train my ficus bonsai. Several plants like our azalea and winter creeper needed replacements, which we found at Green Acres Nursery. They didn’t have the ukigomo “floating clouds” Japanese maple that we wanted, but I still set up a new Kichler spot light to mark the future location. Despite working mostly from home, I remain busy with several grant deadlines this month. Fortunately, the BrightFocus Foundation finally came through to fund my research, although COVID cut the actual amount, and several projects remain on hold amidst the pandemic. At home, I took up learning Spanish again with Duolingo. I appreciate the game-like format which pushes me to practice each day, but the educational value remains unclear. I also got Westley a new aquatic-themed Lego set to complement the Hot Wheels that we’re using to bribe his way to staying dry at night. I lost this past weekend to troubleshooting my home network, which was intermittently dropping connections. I finally found our TV soundbar to be the culprit, but not before tracking every MAC address and having to disconnect and reconnect each smart device. I did manage to put together a backyard camping trip last night, with a Coleman instant cabin and sleeping bags for all three of us. A sterno in a planting pot with river stones was perfect for roasting marshmallows for s’mores, while Turkish tea lights, USB string lights, and glow-sticks provided the mood lighting. Hearing the sounds from our water fountain gave us the illusion of camping near a mountain stream as we slept under the stars. Although the whole family awoke with mosquito bites having neglected bug protection, we all enjoyed the experience and hope to do it again.   

As the quarantine continued to drag on, I’ve been keeping myself busy with tech projects at home, such as installing an LED case fan for my PC and a Raspberry Pi-Hole for my home network. Our buggy Wink smarthome service suddenly decided to charge a subscription fee, which was the last straw that prompted me to jump ship for a more reliable Lutron Smart Bridge and Chamberlain MyQ garage opener. Bad luck kept me busy as well, with a nail that necessitated a car tow and a pricey tire replacement. Who knew that run-flats could not be patched? Meanwhile, the pandemic reminded us of the risks we take as healthcare workers, which helped get us off our butts to finally complete the estate planning we have been putting off with the help of Melody’s high school classmate as the lawyer and a traveling notary in our backyard to sign the papers. At work, our clinics have been ramping up and my lab members have begun resuming experiments. We are increasing our use of video visits, but my patient demographic are not so comfortable with technology so uptake has been poor. Back at Tupper Hall, we celebrated our two med students who spent the year in the lab over vegan chocolate cake in fully-masked socially-distanced fashion. The gathering reminded us of the weird times we live in, and gave us a chance to laugh about it.