This past Wednesday was my last day at work for 2022. I won’t be back to work until January 9, 2023. Yesterday was my mother’s second death anniversary. I spent the day quietly praying and remembering her. Last night I had trouble sleeping; therefore; I cancelled my snowboarding plan at Bryce Resort. After taking Đạo, my oldest son, to school, I drove back home trying to catch some sleep. I woke up around 10 am and watched the World Cup on Telemundo.

We will be taking a skiing trip in Vermont next Saturday at Okemo Ski Resort, but I wanted to hit the slopes early to test out the techniques I have been learning in my basement. I recently discovered Malcolm Moore’s YouTube Channel. His lever technique seems promising. I also wanted to apply his ski-pole drill. I am hopeful that I will be able to learn snowboarding on my own this season. My goal is to brake on my toes and heels and to link turns. I might take a trip to Bryce on Monday to give snowboarding a shot.

It would be fun to be able to switch from skiing to snowboarding and vice versa. We’ll see how the snowboarding challenge goes.

Merriam-Webster defines bánh mì as:

a usually spicy sandwich in Vietnamese cuisine consisting of a split baguette filled typically with meat (such as pork or chicken) and pickled vegetables (such as carrot and daikon) and garnished with cilantro and often cucumbers

Bánh mì simply means baguette. What Merriam-Webster describing is bánh mì thịt, which translates as baguette with meat.

I wrote to Xuân’s English teacher:

Dear Mrs. H,

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving break. I love the song, “Give Thanks,” you had written and performed. What a beautiful way to teach kids about gratitude.

I am writing to you because I am quite concerned about Xuan’s reading. He seems to be regressing in his reading level. He used to be able to sound out words with three letters, but these days he seems to have trouble reading words with three and four letters. He could barely get through a simple sentence. I am trying to help him at home, but I am not seeing any progress.

Is it normal for his age and level? Or does he seem to be behind? What do you think? Do you have any suggestions? Should he get extra help?

Thanks in advance and looking forward to hearing from you.

Regards,
Donny Trương

Maybe I am getting impatient with Xuân’s reading, but I am seeing the same patterns with Xuân and his older brother. Đán ran into similar issue where he couldn’t recognize the same word we just read a second ago. Đán can read fine now, but he only reads when he has to. I would like to help Xuân to become a better reader so he could enjoy reading since I love reading.

My wife bought The Big Book of Reading Comprehension Activities, Grade 1, by Hannah Braun M.Ed., for Xuân to learn at home. We have been going through two readings a day and Xuân seems to enjoy doing the exercises.

Xuân bought a diary book with a lock at his school book fair. I asked him to write down the Scout oath, law, motto, and outdoor code. He was struggling to remember the Scout laws, but writing them down has helped him memorized them. I am planning on helping him writing a daily journey in his journal similar to what I am doing with my blog. I am hoping to improve his writing skills as well.

I was thirteen, and there was a boy’s
mouth where my legs met. My heart beat

like a bird caught in a bag, let’s say
for her plumage. I could smell his want,

thirteen and there was a boy, and I became
something salt and sweet

where my legs met. My heart like a bird
swelled and split

the clear air with its song. I was the must,
the first press wine,

thirteen, and only this boy and the needles
under the pines,

that cedar bed, fragrant and ancient as dust
and where my legs met-thirst-

a boy, my heart like a bright, caught bird.

Rebecca Foust

Hôm nay ngày giỗ mẹ, con mua vài món chay mời mẹ dùng. Cuối tuần chúng con về thăm mộ mẹ. Mới đó mà hai năm đã trôi qua. Trong tim chúng con vẫn luôn có mẹ.

A few months ago, I received an inquiry from a Vietnamese fellow to design a menu. He wrote:

Hi Donny –

Recently I’ve been more interested in my Vietnamese roots learning more about the language, food, and culture and I came across your Vietnamese Typography book. I’m a huge fan of typography and love what you’ve done here.

I’m a chef and am planning out my first pop-up and am wondering if you would be interested in designing a simple menu and/or business card for me.

I really love some of the fonts in your type recommendations here and would like to incorporate one of the fonts.

I want something relatively simple. Can talk more about it if this is something you’re interested in doing.

Please let me know!

Best,
A

It sounded like a fun little project. I replied:

Hello A,

Thanks for reading my book and reaching out to me. Sure, I can design a menu and a business card for you. Since I have collected a handful of typefaces Vietnamese support, I might as well put them to good use.

Do you have a logo already? Once you gather all the content for the menu and/or business card, let me know.

Regards,
Donny

A responded:

Perfect.

I don’t have a logo yet so this is something I would like as well. I’m more interested in the menu for now and I can gather all the content for you in a week or so.

In regards to pricing—I want to get a good idea of what to expect. For something of around the same complexity as the menu I showed you in my prior email + creating a logo for me—what should I expect for this to cost (rough estimate is fine)?

Best,
A

I gave a few options. The prices were fair, but he said they were too expensive. I asked him for the budget:

Hi A,

How much do you want to spend? If you don’t mind letting me know, we can work within your budget. We can focus on the menu and not spend too much on the logo, but I will come up with a word mark for you to use. If you would like it you can keep it or if you would like to revisit the branding later, we can do so.

Regards,
Donny Truong

A responded:

Donny,

Because I am doing this as a first pop-up event and donating some of the profits—I am not looking to spend over $100 for menu creation. I envision this is something I would be more willing to spend in the future though.

I think your work is really great and you should be compensated for the value of your work, so I don’t want to undermine your work by offering such a low price.

But if you are still interested, that would be great for me. Otherwise, I can circle back to you in the future.

Best,
A

$100? Of course, I took the job:

Hi A,

Thanks for letting me know and the budget is understandable. Yes, do circle back when you are ready in the future.

I wish you all the best with your first pop-up event.

Regards,
Donny Truong

Just kidding! Of course, I didn’t take it.

Sắp đến ngày giỗ mẹ rồi
Con trai nhớ mẹ bồi hồi mẹ ơi
Nhớ hình dáng mẹ một đời
Lưng khom bóng xế chơi vơi bãi bờ

Nhớ thời lúc thuở bé thơ
Ầu ơ mẹ hát giấc mơ canh dài
Nhớ khi trái gió trở trời
Đêm năm canh mẹ thức thời năm canh

Khi con đã lớn trưởng thành
Tình thương của mẹ càng thêm rộng dài
Lo về cuộc sống tương lai
Lo luôn hạnh phúc trọn đời cho con

Nay giờ mẹ mãi chẳng còn
Con thương nhớ mẹ héo mòn mẹ ơi
Công lao của mẹ biển trời
Sông sâu núi thẳm chẳng vơi nổi còn

Ước gì giờ mẹ bên con
Để con đáp trả đền ơn hỡi người
Nhưng nào ước được mẹ ơi
Mẹ đi… đi mãi… xa rồi mãi xa…

Phú Quang

Rebecca Foust’s collection in Only is achingly touching, especially when she writes about her children. She shares the birth of her son:

my son was born. The cord was torn
too soon, so they cut off

his head to save his heart. He lived
for a long time.

I am not quite sure what she meant by “so they cut off his head to save his heart.” My other favorite poems in this collection include “Thirteen,” “Self-Improvement,” “Collaborator,” and “Abeyance.”

Elisa Gabbert’s Normal Distance is accessible and relatable, especially when writes about suffering, death, and boredom. I am still a novice poetry reader, which means I don’t understand everything I read, but I enjoyed the entire collection, in particular: “About Suffering,” “New Theories on Boredom,” “That to Philosophize Is to Learn to Die,” and “Madness.” Her writing is clear, lyrical, and delightful.

It’s not my hands that are shaking—it’s my mind.
Cut off my head!
That’s where the pain lies.

Mishima believed sincerity was found in the entrails.
This must be a mistranslation.
I think he meant reality.

Hope is the dark part of morning,
The trees and not the sky behind.
A glimmer without a color.

Most people want justice
But in absence of justice
They will take vengeance.

As if dying was peak existence.
We called it sweet
In the cherry season of history.

Elisa Gabbert