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Episode CXCVII: 2025

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2025 was not a good year to be a scientist in the United States. Although the Norris Labs fared better than most, I lost a good chunk of research funding and my lab is currently half the size it was in 2024. I won't complain too loudly, though, as I realize 2025 was far worse for, say, immigrants , or malnourished children , or indeed for fans of democracy , kindness, etc . Despite all this, my lab managed to have another successful year. We published (by some metrics) our most impactful paper to date. And more excitingly, my postdoc who has been with me for 6 years received a professorship of his own, where he will carry on his research independently. Goodbye, Bikash! Hello Professor Choudhary! (In a suit!) The family also had some good times in 2025. We took our first-ever tent-camping trip, up to Idyllwild. It was a hit. We also went to cabins #13 (Death Valley) and #14 (Monterey / Hearst Castle / Pinnacles National Park). Plenty of excitement happened closer to home as well. ...
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Episode CXCVI: Seasons

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The Norrises have lived in California for 10 months now, which means we've experienced all four seasons. After living in a geographically boring place for many years (Dallas), we've made the most of our new geographical settings, as seasonally appropriate. First: in winter, we went up the mountains and enjoyed the snow. In spring, we stayed around Riverside, hiking the hills and mountains while the weather was cool and the hills were green. In summer we went to the beach. We also returned to the mountains. Cabin Number 11 In the fall we headed to the desert. Cabin Number 12 Photo of "Comet A3" (center) from the cabin's backyard hammocks And now we're getting excited for Round 2 in 2025.
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Episode CXCV: New Home

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On April 6, 2024, we moved into our new home in Riverside, CA. So far we're all very happy with the home. It is close to work/school, has huge yards, avocado trees, lots of space to play, and backs up onto a running/hiking trail along a canal. I guess the architectural style is Tudor Revival -ish, with nice high ceilings and an island vibe out back. One of the family's favorite spots Our backyard "river" (The Gage Canal) Both kids have their own bedrooms, but spend most of the time in each other's I was too lazy to take a bunch of new pictures of our house, so instead here are some professional photos from the agent who sold it to us.  "What is your favorite part of our new home?" Daddy: "The diving board" Mommy: "So much storage, including a 2nd fridge" Elliot: "A lot of fruits to eat off our trees" Lydia: "The hill for racing balls on"
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Episode CXCIV: Total Eclipse

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Meg and I made last-minute plans to travel back to Dallas for the total solar eclipse. My parents were kind enough to watch the kiddos for a day while we flew there and back (in just 18 hours!) Photos throughout the eclipse taken with identical exposure settings First we took a red-eye flight (11:59 pm - 5:00 am) to DFW. We stopped by my lab to pick up some items from my lab members who have remained at SMU. We then had brunch at our favorite Tex-Mex location (Torchy's Tacos). Then on to the main event: total solar eclipse! We found a nice grassy area near DFW airport and camped out. The moon slowly made its way across the sun. Clouds floated in, threatening to block the view. We cheered them to move along. And they did! Selfies - before and during totality The totality lasted for ~4 minutes, and was worth the trip! Darkness fell. Street lights activated. Birds flew away. Motorists got out of their cars.   One minute the sun was a tiny fingernail-sliver of light, the next minu...
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