My return to post-Katrina New Orleans

A great deal has changed about the city in which I grew up since I was last there, in July. For starters, Bronson (cousin) turned two on October 10! I was lucky enough to have been invited to his construction-themed birthday bash, held this past Saturday at his parents' house in River Ridge, LA. While my memories of being two are inaccessible at present time, I imagine that Bronson's party was a blast for that age-set. Featuring an honest-to-goodness backhoe and a spacewalk, and topped off by a tractor-shaped cake, the party was a hit (for all the little kids, that is - had you been talking with the rest of the adults inside, you might not have seen me ogling the backhoe and waiting my turn for the spacewalk:)). That celebration, along with the wonderful hours I spent with mom, dad, and friends and relatives, was one of the happier times of the visit. The obvious, overwhelming part was the trip I made with mom and dad into the city to view what was left after Katrina had passed through. Suffice it to say that vast areas of the city, dozens and dozens of blocks at a time, are destroyed and deserted. I've included a couple pictures, but they depict just two of the countless instances of havoc we encountered. God-speed with the recovery....

Celebrations Continue...

Even in the week following my official birthday week, friends in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area have arranged for the celebrations to continue! After a fairly frustrating week in which cell physiology filled most of my hours and all my brain cells, I caught a cold, and the skies above Baltimore offered nothing but gray and rain, the two celebrations of this past week were much of what kept me smiling. The first was a culinary adventure perhaps not to be duplicated:). Nate Maust, Beth Froelke, and Jason Norris treated me to Korean food at Nam Kung in central Baltimore. Some of the food was a bit less palatable than we'd hoped (though my dish was best), but the chocolate cheesecake with which we topped off the meal - thanks to my parents - obscured any strange tastes still hanging around. The second celebration became an experience of high style when Jonathan Lieberman took the helm. His - how shall I call them - "discerning" tastes took us to the Harbor Court Hotel on Baltimore's Inner Harbor, where Jonathan treated Jeannie Limpert and me to good wine, haute cuisine, and birthday dessert array for the table! Thanks again to Nate, Beth, Jason, Jonathan, and Jeannie for keeping me from celebrating my birthday in my apartment with a new binder of Metabolism notes!

A Wonderful, if Unconventional, Birthday

What an illustrious month this is! October has witnessed the births of some incredible people over the years (Patty Dunn, Bronson Goebel, Nathan Maust, Rolf Graning, Jeremy Goebel, Arsalan Suleman, Rhett Leger) and some not-as-incredible people (Charlton Heston, Jeff Golblum, P.G. Wodehouse, me) who are happy just to be part of such a month. This certainly was not the kind of birthday celebration I've had in the past, given that the majority of the ones I love and care about most were all far, far way. Nonetheless, I must say that, in absentia, my family and friends went to some amazing lengths to celebrate me.... There were the 18 gorgeous (and thriving!) roses sent by Lisa:), the spiffy new cycling jersey/jacket that she'd hidden in the apartment, the delicious chocolate cheesecake that my parents sent via mail, plus numerous cards, phone calls, emails, and enthusiastic renditions of "Happy (Birth)Day" from my nearest and dearest, as well as from some I hadn't heard from in a while. For a birthday spent mostly alone with stacks of notes and books, it was one for the history books. In fact, I've never felt more loved:). That said, I'm still counting on repeat celebrations as I'm able to see you all again! I've included some pics of the "festivities" - Neal with Lisa's:):) lovely roses, Neal in the spiffy new jersey/jacket, and Neal indulging in some solo birthday cake. Thanks again to all of you who helped make this birthday a special one.