Nghe nói “Phía sau thành công của một người đàn ông luôn có bóng dáng của người phụ nữ”. Phía sau tôi luôn có cô cọp sẵn sàng nuốt sống. Nói đùa thôi chứ vợ tôi luôn là nguồn động lực của tôi.

Khi tôi bị phiền phức trong công việc và muốn nhảy qua việc mới nhưng thiếu tự tin. Công việc mới đòi hỏi tôi phải đảm nhiệm phần sau. Lúc đó, tôi chỉ chuyên về thiết kế phần trước. Phần sau tôi thua. Chẳng hạn như khi cất một căn nhà, tôi chỉ biết thiết kế sao cho đẹp, đơn giản, và tiện lợi cho người ở. Còn đổ bê tông, chạy điện, hay đặt ống nước thì tôi chẳng biết gì cả.

Vậy mà vợ thúc đẩy tôi nhận công việc mới. Để tôi giải tỏa căng thẳng trước khi bắt tay vào công việc mới, vợ lên kế hoạch đi nghỉ mát một tuần ở Cancun. Mấy tháng đầu nhận việc, tôi vừa làm phần trước, vừa học phần sau bù đầu. Sau sáu tháng, tôi học được khá nhiều nên công việc cũng ổn định.

Khi đầu óc thoải mái một chút, tôi lại có ý định bước vào Cao học. Tôi bàn với vợ đây là cơ hội hiếm hoi vì chẳng phải tốn chi phí gì cả, chỉ tốn thời gian học. Vợ đồng ý và hỗ trợ cho việc tôi trở lại trường. Trong quá trình viết bài luận án, tôi lại bị áp lực. Vợ lại lên kế hoạch đi nghỉ mát một tuần ở Dominican Republic. Ban ngày ăn nhậu thoải mái, tắm biển phơi nắng, và đùa chơi với Đạo và Đán. Ban đêm tôi ngồi ở ban công nghe tiếng sóng biển và viết bài luận án cho đến gần sáng. Cuối cùng tôi đã hoàn tất dự án Vietnamese Typography và đạt được Bằng Thạc sĩ.

Những người giáo viên biết tôi trong nghề thiết kế trang mạng nên ngỏ ý muốn tôi dạy học. Trước đó mẫu giáo còn chưa dạy huống chi dạy đại học nên tôi cũng lưỡng lự. Tôi hỏi ý kiến vợ. Dĩ nhiên vợ tán thành nên đi dạy thử. Những ngày đầu đứng trước hai mươi mấy đứa học sinh đại học cũng run lắm nhưng rồi cũng quen. Thấy học trò đạt được kết quả tốt những gì tôi dạy, tôi cũng vui lòng. Dạy được ba học kỳ thì Xuân chào đời. Tôi không thể đi dạy về trễ để một mình vợ trông ba đứa con nên tôi nghỉ. Hứa hẹn khi tụi nhỏ lớn tôi sẽ trở lại dạy.

Rồi lần đầu đi trượt tuyết, vợ đăng ký lớp học cho Đạo, Đán, và Xuân. Vợ hỏi tôi học không, tôi lắc đầu vì ngán tiền. Tôi chỉ ngồi ở nhà trọ đọc sách. Lần sau đi trượt trở lại, vợ không thèm hỏi. Đăng ký lớp bắt tôi đi học. Tôi không muốn nhưng tiếc tiền nên đành phải học. Nào ngờ, lần đó đã mở một bước ngoặt mới cho tôi. Sau lần đó, cuối tuần nào tôi cũng đưa Đạo và Đán đi trượt tuyết tuy phải lái xe một tiếng rưỡi và trả gần $500 mỗi ngày cho ba cha con, chưa kể đi ăn sushi buổi tối sau khi trượt rã người.

Năm covid, chúng tôi cũng ngừng trượt tuyết. Sau covid, vợ chịu chơi mua cho cả gia đình thẻ trượt tuyết nguyên mùa đông. Nhờ đó mà tôi luyện tập nhiều hơn. Chẳng những trượt ski, tôi tập luôn snowboard. Quả thật là môn thể thao mùa đông quá tốn kém nên tôi phải tìm cách để trượt mà không cần phải chi. Đường lối duy nhất là làm cho họ. Ý định thử xin vào làm huấn luyện viên nhưng cũng e ngại vì tôi chỉ chơi môn này có vài năm. Tôi lại hỏi ý kiến vợ. Bà xã cũng đồng ý rằng tôi đủ khả năng để trượt trên mỗi địa hình và đủ kiến thức để dạy.

Thế là tôi nộp đơn xin việc và được nhận. Tôi phải làm ít nhất là 2 ngày một tuần. Với công việc chính, tôi chỉ còn lại ngày thứ Bảy và Chủ Nhật. Cuối tuần tôi phải đi làm thì phải nhờ vợ trông con. Được cái là cả gia đình có thể đi trượt trong lúc tôi dạy và mùa đông chỉ có 3 tháng. Mọi chuyện cũng suôn sẻ không trở ngại.

Nhờ có sự hỗ trợ, động viên, và thúc đẩy của vợ, tôi mới có được những trải nghiệm thú vị trong cuộc sống. Mỗi khi nghĩ đến thấy thương vợ vô cùng. Bạn bè vợ chọc rằng, “Lâu lâu ông xã của Dung thả ra một bài nịnh vợ”. Vợ mình, mình nịnh. Không nịnh vợ người khác thì đâu sao. Hơn nữa, tôi không e ngại vì những gì tôi viết là cảm xúc thật từ đáy lòng.

A few months ago, I listed my Ski & Snowboard Services on Facebook’s Marketplace. A week later, Facebook removed my list for violating its policy. I was not allowed to post services. I didn’t know. Now I know.

In the last few days of 2025, I decided to put together a webpage for Donny Trương’s Ski & Snowboarding Services. It only took me a few hours, but I enjoyed designing it. I took all the photos to show my process. The site is typeset in NaN Tresor, designed by Christoph Koeberlin.

Now I just link this page to the DMV ski groups. Take a look at Donny Trương’s Ski & Snowboarding Services.

Today was our last day in Vermont. Our family, along with my wife’s sister’s and her brother’s family, gathered for a week skiing and snowboarding at Mount Snow. With 8 boys between the age of 7 and 16, there was never a quiet moment. We couldn’t get out of the rental house earlier than noon to head to the terrains. With the holiday crowds, we could only get a few runs in a day.

We arrived in Vermont on Friday around noon and headed straight to Mount Snow resort. We went to the slopes again on Saturday around noon. On Sunday, I taught my friend’s kid how to ski. On Monday, we stayed at the rental house all day due to freezing rain. On Tuesday, the winds were too strong. I was the only one who went to the resort. I spent 6 days on the terrains.

I was planning to teach Đạo and his cousin snowboarding, but they seemed to be wanting to stick with skiing. Nothing wrong with that. They are very good skiers. I was happy to see Vương getting back on his skis. I worried that his fracture would get worse; therefore, I gave him four rules. First, he couldn’t use poles, which kids seemed to prefer anyway. Second, he could only stay on green terrains. Third, he couldn’t do any jumps. Fourth, he couldn’t go into the trees. He complied with the first two rules. The third and fourth, not so much. He was doing fine and had a great time with his brothers and cousins.

The rental house was about 20 minutes away from the resort. Yet, we couldn’t get our minivan out of the driveway because of the freezing rain. Luckily, my wife’s sister had a Revian with winter tires. Or else we would have been stuck in the rental house for a week.

This trip gives me a few things to think about. If we are going to take winter trips to go skiing, we will need to get a car with all-wheel drive and winter tires. Last November, my wife and I started to look for a new car. We decided on a 2026 Toyota Sienna Woodland, but the final price made me back out. Now, we need to reconsider. Our 2011 Sienna is almost 220,000 miles. Our 2018 Sienna is almost 100,000 miles. If we want to continue to travel Vermont every winter, we need to get a new car.

Happy New Year! Let’s kick off 2026 with some strength.

In 2011, I had the opportunity to work with Activist and Author Jennifer Karin on her websites and print materials. In late December of 2011, Ms. Karin sent me her “Strength” card to redesign. I loved her prose; therefore, I asked her if I could put together a digital version that could be hosted on my site. She generously granted me permission.

In the last few days of 2025, I decided to revive the “Strength” page. In addition, I would like to translate Ms. Karin’s words into Vietnamese. I redesigned the page and typeset in Lang and Lang Gothic, designed by Stephen Nixon. Take a look at “Strength: Nghị lực”

I read 42 books this year, which is 20 less than last year.

A couple of months ago, I had some distractions in my personal life, which prevented me from reading. I took 40 days to read a 300-page novel, Kristin Bair’s Clementine Crane Prefers Not To. I read less poetry books this year, but I did read the 960-page A Century of Poetry in The New Yorker 1925 – 2025. I read less Vietnamese book, but I read an 800-page fiction, Hân Như’s Điều Bí Mật.

In this digital age, it is hard to compete for your attention against your smartphones and tablets. My oldest son used to read lots of books. Now he’s constantly glued to his phone. My three other children are not fond of reading either. I understand the distraction of digital devices; therefore, I still prefer to read paper books, unless the books I want to read are only available in digital formats.

Back in September of this year, I subscribed to The New Yorker. Reading articles takes away my book reading time, but I am OK with that. I need to keep up with the latest cultural news and events, but I have completely refused to read anything related to politics. I even turned to Spotify for new music instead of listening to the latest podcasts I subscribed to, which were mostly about politics.

In 2026, I will be picking up more books again after the skiing and snowboarding season. I enjoyed reading thick books; therefore, I will try to continue in that direction. In contrast, I might pick up books of poetry again.

James Edmondson’s excellent The Ohno Book is a perfect book to wrap up my 2025 reading. He’s not only a talented type designer, but also an engaging writer. In this book, he shares what he has learned from making outstanding typefaces and running a successful type business. I enjoyed reading the process that went into his typefaces. If you’re an aspiring type designer, definitely read this book. If you work with types, you will also find useful information from this book.

Ngày 28, tháng 12 lại về. Mới đó mà đã 5 năm từ ngày mẹ tôi ra đi. Có người cho rằng một khi mẹ mình nằm xuống kể như xong một đời người. Không khóc lóc. Không thương tiếc. Không than thở. Riêng tôi, mẹ luôn ở trong tôi cho đến khi hai mẹ con đoàn tụ. Tôi không biết lúc tôi rời xa cõi tạm này sẽ gặp lại mẹ hay không, nhưng tôi vẫn hy vọng.

Cha mẹ sinh con, trời sinh tính. Mỗi người có mỗi cách bày tỏ riêng về cha mẹ của mình. Người ta kể như mẹ đã làm xong trách nhiệm của mọi người mẹ là đủ. Không muốn nhắc đến cũng không muốn nhớ đến tình mẫu tử. Tôi viết xuống đây để tưởng nhớ ngày mẹ rời xa chứ không phải để chứng minh sự hiếu thảo của mình. Có hiếu hay không chỉ một mình mẹ biết. Tôi viết xuống để bộc lộ tình cảm của mình với người mẹ đã thương yêu tôi hết cả cuộc đời của mình. Từng nỗi âu lo mỗi lần tôi bệnh, từng nỗi lo sợ tôi lầm đường lỡ bước, từng miếng ăn, từng chỗ ngủ, tôi đã cảm nhận được sự thương yêu và che chở của mẹ.

Mỗi lần viết về mẹ, không chỉ những ký ức ùa về mà còn được đến thăm mẹ trong đầu óc. Tôi nhớ mẹ lắm. Nhớ lúc về thăm mẹ vào những ngày lễ mùa đông. Nhớ mẹ đùa vui với mấy thằng cháu quậy. Nhớ những tiếng cười của mẹ. Nhớ những lời nói và ánh mắt đăm chiêu của mẹ. Nhớ những món ăn quen của mẹ. Nhớ mãi nhớ mãi không bao giờ quên.

Sending another letter to Toyota:

Last evening, December 26, 2025, the cable in the driver-side power sliding door on our 2018 Toyota Sienna SE broke off. We were able to close the door manually, but now it can’t be opened. We are on our ski trip to Vermont, which is about 500 miles away from home. We are deeply concerned with our family safety. We are a family of 6: my wife and I with 4 small children.

We also own a 2011 Toyota Sienna XLE. One cable broke off last year and another cable broke off about six months ago. Both of our sliding doors broke, but they can still be used manually.

The cost for replacing the cable is around $2,500. For 3 doors, that will cost us $7,500. Once the passenger door on our 2018 Toyota Sienna SE snaps off as well, that will cost us $10,000. But the more pressing issue is that we cannot open the driver-side sliding door on our 2018 Toyota Sienna SE.

We are in the process of looking for a new minivan. We almost went with the 2026 Toyota Sienna Woodland, but the sliding door issues have made us change our mind. We loved Toyota and had been loyal customers. Is there anything you can do for us?

Thanks,
Donny Truong

On Tuesday, I took the jacket test to be able to teach skiing for Vail Resorts. I went through the entire level-one lesson according to the course progression I had learned. I passed the test.

I am now among a few instructors who can teach both skiing and snowboarding. Teaching skiing is easier than teaching snowboarding. Learning skiing is also more pleasurable than learning snowboarding.

If you are going to spend three days or less on the slopes, learn skiing. If you can spend over seven days, learn snowboarding. If you return to the slopes season after season, learn both. I am definitely glad that I did both. The Epic Pass had allowed me the time and the affordability to learn.

On Monday, I taught three teenagers snowboarding. While we were on the chair lift together, they informed me that they wished they had learned snowboarding when they were younger. I assured them it was never too late to learn. I only learned to snowboard three years ago at the age of 44. I learned to ski, figure skate, and rollerblade when I turned 40. In recent months, I dabbled in skateboarding too.

Even though these sports have some similarities—they required balance—each one needs tremendous amount of time to advance. As a result, I only carved out what I wanted to learn. Yes, my goal is to carve and to enjoy my time during the winter season.

I didn’t know anything about Harry Bliss except that drew covers for The New Yorker. I picked up his graphic memoir, You Can Never Die, and learned so much about his life. The pieces came from his journal. He wrote about his dogs, his family, his work, and his personal issues.

My kids have always wanted to get a dog, but I have been strongly opposing it. Of course, I understand all the benefits of having a dog around, but also know that I can’t handle my emotions. Once I attach my emotions into a dog, I won’t be able to carry on if the dog passes away. Reading his entries about his dog Penny and how he and his wife dealt with Penny’s passing, I am confident that I had made the right decision.

Memories of his parents weren’t so good. He describes it as, “ living with family dysfunction marinated in narcissism.” He reveals:

Two years ago my mom told me that for most of my life, up until I was in my thirties, my father thought I wasn’t his son. I know, crazy! My mom became pregnant with me shortly after a trip to California to visit her parents. So, naturally, Dad always suspected she cheated on him while she was out west… traveling with her three kids!

If what Mom told me is true, it explains a lot, mainly why my father treated me like I was the child of another man who fucked his wife.

He writes honestly about his drinking:

I am an alcoholic. There, I admit it. Now leave me alone. My wife worries about my drinking, and sometimes I do too, but I don’t know what to do. I’ve cut back. The truth is, drinking makes my life better. Don’t we all want a good quality of life? Of course we do. Some find coffee improves the quality of their mornings, and others find that it’s certain foods, working out, nature, meditation, money, drugs, or sex-so many choices! But for me, it’s booze.

On bullying, which I am going to quote a long passage, Bliss writes:

A few weeks later, during one of our neighborhood soccer games on the front lawns, Marky was playing with us. At one point he tripped and fell on the ground. I piled on top of him, gave him a few punches in his ribs, and when we both got up, I kicked him back to the ground. I was surprised to find his father watching the whole thing. Marky’s father came over and helped his son off the ground, and as he did this, he leaned over to me and said softly, “Harry, don’t you ever lay a hand on my son again.” When he said this, I was silent; I didn’t respond. I believe I was in shock. He put his arm around his son, and together they walked back to their home. I simply turned around and walked back to my house.

The whole thing felt so strange. I didn’t know what to make of any of it. I went into my bedroom, shut the door, and sat on the edge of my bed. I have a vivid memory of crying, bawling my eyes out. It wasn’t the kind of crying I was used to—angry crying. This was another kind, maybe it was shame crying. I bawled in that room for about ten minutes. I remember this because I put on “Riders on the Storm” by the Doors to drown out my sobs so that no one in the house could hear me. I know that song is about eight minutes long.

Something had happened to me. I realized that Marky, this poor kid who I bullied, had people who loved him and cared for him. He had a father and a mother and a little brother, a family. If they found out what a bastard I had been to him, it would’ve broken their hearts. I suppose sitting there on the edge of my bed I understood this, and I couldn’t stop crying. I hated myself. I still hate myself for what I put that kid through. Marky’s family moved away that year, and I never had the chance to tell him how sorry I was for hurting him. I wish I could go back in time and be Marky’s friend, but I can’t.

You Can Never Die is poignant, honest, and sometimes hilarious. Reading his memoir makes me want to go back to my blog entries, which are 10,161 posts at this time, to put together my own memoir. One day I will.