Hugged my grandma.

Met with a guy I hadn't seen in eight years. It was fun. We share a similar "and then I decided to try research, and then I loved it, and then I got my PhD, and six months later I started a postdoc, and I love it, but I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up" story, as well as a love of the Magnetic Fields. Many people share that story (probably more than people who even know of the Magnetic Fields).

Hugged my mom.

Flew to Rome.

Walked arm in arm with my mom. Ate cassatta ice cream. Watched a left-wing protest, with friendly people who smiled a lot and tried to explain to me what this was all about, and a right-wing demonstration for some obscure reason, with very organized, closed-off people. Laughed gently at a museum guard who tried to flirt with me. Got very, very excited at unexpected modern art[1] and at Etruscan antiques[2]. Got my mind blown by La Traviata, played in a church[3], by musicians of the Rome Opera. Bought incredibly pink shoes. Drank cappuccino in the sun.

Flew to Paris.

Notes

[1] Chagall! Matisse! Dali! Braque! Munch! on the way to the Sistine Chapel! Mom, mom, come here, there's a Klimt!

[2] Lookhereanowl! Lookatthelion! Thehorse!

[3] yep, that Traviata, the story of a courtesan -- they used the altar as a table for the parties, it was amazing