Sáng nay lại dậy sớm đi đá banh. Tiếc rằng sân vận động đã có những nhóm khác chơi. Đành phải trở về nhà. Ngồi vào máy vi tính làm đơn hồi phục lại bằng lái xe. Mất hết gần một giờ để chuẩn bị giấy tờ cần thiết.

Đến trưa hai thằng lớn đi lo công việc cho hướng đạo. Còn hai đứa nhỏ đi skatepark với ba. Ba cha con trượt cũng gần một tiếng rồi đi ăn trưa. Lúc về đến nhà, tôi thấy một cành cây khô héo bị rơi. Cành này đã bị gãy mấy năm trước mà tôi không đủ sức để kéo nó xuống. Sẵn dịp, tôi bắc cây thang lên tỉa và cưa thêm những cành đâm vào nhà. Thấy tưởng ít mà lại khá nhiều.

Chiều qua nhà chị vợ ăn tối. Thế là hết ngày Chủ nhật. Ngày mai tụi nhỏ được nghỉ lễ. Vợ cũng được nghỉ. Chỉ có tôi phải làm.

Sáu giờ sáng nhìn ra cửa sổ thấy mưa lâm râm không muốn xuống giường. Nhắn tin mấy ông bạn hỏi trời mưa có đi đá banh không. Mấy ổng trả lời vẫn đi nên cũng ráng bò ra khỏi nhà. Đá banh để nhớ lại ký ức của tuổi thơ.

Đến sân vận động trời vẫn mưa và chỉ thấy ba ông bạn người Việt. Còn đám người Trung Đông thì không thấy bóng dáng ai hết. Bốn ông Việt vừa truyền banh cho nhau vừa tán dóc chuyện đời. Gần tám giờ trời mưa trở to nên bốn người bạn chia tay nhau về.

Về đến nhà tôi ngồi vào bàn làm việc để hoàn tất một freelance project kiếm thêm chút cháo. Đến mười giờ xong việc, tôi xuống basement tập snowboarding để chuẩn bị cho mùa đông sắp đến.

Đến trưa tôi đưa Vương, Xuân, và một đứa cháu đi ice skating vì trời mưa ướt không đi skatepark được. Tôi muốn tập cho Vương biết trượt một mình không cần bàn tay nâng đỡ của tôi. Vả lại tôi cũng muốn tập lại những động tác căn bản của ice skating mà tôi đã học qua.

Gần hai giờ trưa mấy đứa nhỏ mệt và chán nên đòi về. Tôi gọi uber vợ đến rước tụi nó về để tôi được thong thả một tiếng đồng hồ luyện tập. Đến ba giờ ice arena đóng cửa. Tôi thu dọn mọi thứ ra về. Vô đến xe nhận được tin nhắn của một đứa bạn rủ ra skatepark trượt rollerblade. Tôi nhắn tin lại OK. Hẹn gặp một tiếng sau.

Cũng hơi đói nên ghé vào chợ Hàn Quốc mua sushi và một lon bia. Ra tính tiền, bà nhân viên hỏi bằng lái xe. Bà xem xong nói, “Xin lỗi, tôi không thể bán bia cho cậu”. Tôi hỏi bà, “Ủa tôi không đủ tuổi hả”? Bà đáp, “Không, bằng lái xe của cậu hết hạn rồi”. Đang khát nước và thèm một chút bia mà bị từ chối cũng hơi bị quê.

Đến skatepark gặp bạn và cùng nhau trượt đến khoảng năm giờ chiều. Ra xe lại nhận tin nhắn của vợ ghé qua chợ Tàu mua cá chiên về ăn tối. Thế là hết ngày thứ bảy.

Được một ngày cuối tuần như thế là quá tuyệt vời. Lúc còn bé, tôi không được những cơ hội như mấy đứa con tôi bây giờ. Đáng tiếc rằng bọn nó không biết quý trọng và tận dụng những gì tôi và mẹ nó tạo cho nó. Tôi không cần bọn chúng phải thật xuất sắc môn nào cả. Tôi chỉ cần tụi nó không bỏ cuộc là tôi mừng rồi.

Từ ice skating, rollerblading, skiing, đến snowboarding, tôi cố gắng tập để chung vui với tụi nó. Ít ra bọn nó có người để tranh đấu và để nỗ lực. Giờ đây chúng nó không còn hứng thú nữa nên có ép buộc cũng chỉ phí thời gian và tiền bạc. Dù bọn nó bỏ dỡ hết, tôi vẫn tiếp tục theo đuổi những môn thể thao này để giải trí. Không biết tương lai sẽ ra sao từ sức khỏe đến tài chính. Thôi thì trước mắt còn sức còn chơi.

I have been going back to the ice rink whenever I have a chance. I want to teach Vương how to skate. He can now stand and walk on his own without me holding his hand. He seems to enjoy ice skating. I also want to relearn figure skating.

I have been thinking of retaking group lessons to relearn the basics, but I am not sure if group lessons are necessary since I already know the moves. I just need to get them right. Private lessons would be much better for me to get one-on-one feedback. The rates for private lessons aren’t cheap and I also don’t have any goal. I am learning to skate as a hobby to keep me active.

I am taking the self-learning route instead. I am resetting my path. Instead of trying to learn the jumps, I am focusing on nailing down the basics. I am relearning the 8 variations of the mohawks as well as the 8 variations of the 3-turns. Once I nail these 16 skills, I will move on to the 8 variations of the edges.

I mapped out my lesson plan to relearn figure skating. I just need to follow up with it. Writing it down helps me to stick to my plan.

I can’t hardly wait to hit the mountain this coming winter. I have been watching tons of snowboarding tutorials. My goal for the season is to focus on my posture, turns, and carving. There are quite a bit of YouTube videos on snowboarding. My favorite snowboard instructor including Malcolm Moore, Nev Lapwood, Tommie Bennett, Johnathan Buckhouse, Doug Fagel, and Kevin Pearce

To practice my turns I will tune into Tommie Bennett’s “Proper Snowboard Heelside and Toeside Turn Technique 101.” I like his analogy for squashing the bug on toeside turns and opening the door on heelside turns. In “Five Reasons Your Carving Sucks,” Jonathan Buckhouse shares the mistakes that beginners make and how to correct them. Nev Lapwood has some great tips on “How to Carve on a Snowboard” and “How to Keep Your Weight Over the Top of Your Board.” Finally, I really love Doug Fagel’s “Snowboard Tips: Steeps Riding.” I can’t wait to try it on the double-black diamond terrains.

I also want to learn carving on skis, but I haven’t found any tutorial that clicks. Skiing videos are harder to find than snowboarding. I need to dig some more. Can’t wait for the snow storms to hit. Please Mother Nature, make snow this year. You haven’t given us much in the past two years.

Despite the constant rain, we stayed active over the weekend. On Saturday, we couldn’t go to the skate park. I took Xuân and Vương to the ice skating arena instead. I was so happy that Vương started to skate on his own without me holding his hand. Unlike many parents who just watched their kids skating, I skated with them and filmed their moves. Vương and Xuân did some pretty cool dance on the ice.

In the evening, I took Đạo and Đán to Vertical Rock Climbing. I also decided to give it a shot. Rock climbing is an expensive sport. One of Đạo’s friends loved rock climbing; therefore, she had a monthly member and spotted him a guest pass. If I had to pay for all three of us, it would be $90 for the day. The monthly membership for 3 people would be $150 and you have to sign up for a year. If I have to pay $150 a month, I will drag Đạo and Đán out everyday or at least 3 times a week. I am pretty sure they won’t be too happy about that.

Sunday morning, I drove Đạo to iFly for his Troop Scout activities. This was an expensive sport. Each of the troop flew for 1 minute and 25 seconds with an instructor and it cost $50. Đạo enjoyed the experience, but we are not flying unless I won a lottery. I didn’t even give it a shot.

Sunday afternoon, I took Xuân and Vương back to ice skating. I wanted Vương to be more comfortable on ice. He was able to skate around the rink without my help. I would love to get back to figure skating and to relearn the skills I have already lost.

I took off Monday because the kids didn’t have school today. After having dim sum at Han Palace, I took Đạo, Đán, and Xuân back to the skatepark to burn all the food. The sun hadn’t been out yet, but the park was dried so we were able to skate.

Two Saturdays ago, a couple of the Cubs’ parents invited me to play soccer. I hesitated, but I gave it a shot. I used to play soccer quite a bit. I joined the old men club and I enjoyed it even though I could not control the ball with my running shoes. I ordered a pair of Adidas cleats and shin guards so I can play properly. I can’t wait for the weekly soccer with the parents.

I am pretty active for an old man, but I haven’t been able to keep my weight down. I still can’t control my appetite for food and drinks. I really need to work on eating healthier and drinking less alcohol and sugar.

Yesterday I sold both of my old skis on Facebook’s Marketplace.

When I first became interested in skiing, I just wanted to buy a used pair to learn. I didn’t know anything about skis. The Head XENON was the first pair I bought from the Marketplace. Luckily the skis were still in good condition. They taught me the art of skiing and unlocked a whole new world for me on the snow. They accompanied from the bunny slopes all the way to the double-black diamond terrains. Since I no longer needed them, I sold them to someone else. Before listing them, I tuned them up to make sure they were still in great condition. It was bittersweet to bid farewell, but I was also glad they found a new owner.

The K2 Apache Sabre skis were a bit of an upgrade from the Head XENON, but they were also pre-owned. I thought they were newer than the Head skis, but both were the same age. The length was longer. The skis stood as tall as I was. They accompanied me everywhere on the mountains from green to double black to mogul terrains. They traveled with me from Pennsylvinia to Vermont to New Hampshire. It is bittersweet to bid farewell, but I was also glad they found a new owner.

Selling second-hand items on Facebook’s Marketplace has been an intriguing experience. I am not doing it for the money. I am doing it to improve my horrendous business skills. I sold about 20 items through the Marketplace. When I listed my first item, I worried about rejections. I had quite a few of them. They wasted my time and affected my emotions. Now I have learned to deal with rejections and understood that rejections and negotiations are part of doing business.

The most recent example was selling the Head XENON skis. As skiing season is about to start, I predicted the skis would be in demand. After listing them for several days, I received a text from a Vietnamese-American woman who expressed her interest in buying them. She asked me a whole bunch of questions such as the age of the skis. To be honest, I didn’t know exactly how old those skis were when I bought them, but I did some research afterward. They were made in 2008. Yes, they were old, but they still worked perfectly.

Of course I couldn’t guarantee for another skier, but I found the bindings completely safe. I skied on them through moguls and double-black diamonds. I even had a video of me skiing down Gunbarrel at Roundtop to prove it. She asked for a lower price and I agreed because I didn’t care about the money. In addition, I didn’t mind giving my Vietnamese-American compatriot a discount. The evening before our meet-up schedule, she backed out because her friend advised her to get a new package instead of a second-hand product. She apologized for the trouble. I told her not to worry and I meant it. The next day, I sold the skis to someone else for the price I listed.

I am now a married Asian male addicted to retail, and well… I bought a pair of new skis after buying a new snowboard yesterday. I copped a pair of 2023 Fischer RC Fire SLR Pro Skis (155cm) with RS 9 SLR Bindings for $202.50 (55% off original price). I love skiing as much as snowboarding; therefore, I might as well enjoy a new toy. As much as I love my two used pairs released in 2008, I need to retire them. They served me well. They accompanied me from the bunny slopes to the double black diamonds. It’s time for me to move on. It looks like I am going to keep skiing and snowboarding for many years to come; therefore, I should invest in my equipments. I hope this is going to a snowy winter. The last two years, particular last year, was pathetic. We didn’t even have a snowday. I am so done with this hotter-than-hell summer.

After months of searching and spending almost the entire day yesterday, I finally found the right snowboard at the right price. I hope I made the right decision.

Even though I already have 2 used boards, I wanted to treat myself to a new snowboard. I had my eyes on the 2022/2023 Arbor Coda Rocker for $300 (50% off original price). Before making the purchase, I did some research on rocker vs. camber. The rocker is designed for beginners so that they don’t catch the edge. Both of the used boards are cambers; therefore, my learning experience last season was miserable. I caught the edges constantly. I should have started with a rocker board, but then I already got over that learning curve.

My goal for the coming season is to learn carving; therefore, I want to continue with the camber profile. The lowest price for the 2022/2023 Arbor Coda Camber is $360, which is still pricey. Then I came across the 2023 Nidecker Thruster for $250. After reading some reviews, I purchased the board. An hour later, I canceled my purchase after reading the chart from Nidecker site, which recommends the 150-cm Thruster for riders between 121-143 pounds. I am pushing 166 pounds; therefore, I need at least 153cm. I have been having a hard time keeping my weight down.

As I digged around some more, I came across the 2022/2023 Head e-Pulse LYT for $322 (the original price was $660). This board is packed with advanced technology, including EMC (Energy Management Circuit). I could not find any review for this board, except for a Japanese rider. I couldn’t understand Japanese. The board is a hybrid camber; therefore, I was not sure.

After wasting so much time, I got frustrated and almost gave up. I just scroll endlessly on Google shopping and landed on the 2023 Salomon Super 8 for $265 (half off $530). The board is 154-cm long, which fits my weight, with decent reviews. The backseat camber sounds great for carving. After I made the purchase, Crossroads Skateshop pulled it off its website. I am looking forward to receiving the Super 8 and I can’t hardly wait to ride it in the winter.

I love taking the shuttle to work, but the major drawback is not having access to the skatepark. In fact, I have been sitting in my office for almost the entire day. I don’t even feel motivated to walk around the campus during my lunch break. I need to figure out something to keep me active.

I still go to the skatepark with my kids after work. My four-year-old Vương finally started to like his balanced bike. He can bike down smaller ramps. The smiles on his face looked so darn cute every time he made down the ramps.

As for me, I made a small improvement. I can jump into a quarter pipe without using the coping. Đán had done it for quite a while. Đạo did it a few months ago. It took me a while because the last time I jumped in, I fell backward and hit my head. I also lost a pair of glasses. I couldn’t remember where I placed it after I felt the impact on my head. Luckily I had a helmet on. I will always wear a helmet for these types of sports.

My backward skating is also getting better. Skating backward off the ramp feels great. I tried to reach higher a bit each time until my right foot hit the coping. I want to get over the middle spine of the two quarter ramps, but I haven’t been able to pull off. Đán did it when the park was first renovated. He’s brave and he also has the skills. He just lacks the motivation and the discipline. His mind is all about video games. It kills me.

I want to treat myself to a brand new snowboard for the next season. My budget is between $200 to $300. I have been doing a bit of research on rocker vs. camber. Apparently both of my used boards are cambers. No wonder I caught the edge so many times last season as a beginner snowboarder. From what I learned, rocker is a bit easier to learn for beginner. I didn’t know that. Since I had passed the edge-catching phrase, I want to continue with a camber.

After many months of looking, I finally came across a great deal: The 2023 Nidecker All-Mountain Thruster. It is on sale for $250. I bought the 150cm-long board instantly. Then I checked the Nidecker website and the chart recommends the 150cm board for riders between 121-143bls. Unfortunately, I am way over that range. I need a 156cm board.

I am not sure if 6 cm would make a different, but I better follow the recommendation. I tried to learn on a 143cm board, but it was not stable when I was riding down the blue terrain. My 156cm board was much more stable for me to ride.

I cancelled my order. Now I am back looking for a good deal on a snowboard. I might end up with a rocker or I’ll just use my 17-year-old board.