After having a beer for dinner on Saturday, I went to bed with a gout flare from my left foot’s big toe. I woke up the next day, I could barely walk. I had to pop two 2 Aleves.

I am getting fed up with the attacks; therefore, I decided to get on the meds. I paid my internist a visit yesterday and she prescribed me with Prednisone and Allopurinol.

The annoying part about gout attacks is that I can’t rollerblade. As the winter is approaching, I need my feet to be in good shape for skiing and snowboarding. I can’t get gout attacks during the skiing-snowboarding season. I am eager to pick up carving techniques again from the last season.

I am now cutting back on my diet and drinks. Beef is off the menu. Beers and spirits are off at home and at the restaurants with my family. I only drink when hanging out with my drinking buddies. Last month, I dropped over a grant on hard liquor such as Yamazaki, Cordon Bleu, and Midleton. I definitely need to cut back on it as well.

Over the weekend, I accompanied my wife to Boston to meet up with her high school friends from all the way back in Vietnam. For the first time, the gathering was all adults, except for a young daughter who was about to start college at RISD.

Initially, I was planning on staying home with the kids, but her friends urged my wife to take me along so the husbands could hang out. After making some arrangements with my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and our kids, we were all set to go. I got excited because it was our first trip without the kids since Đạo was born. For the last 15 years, we had been so busy with our kids that we forgot to make time for ourselves.

The trip turned out wonderful. We toured the Boston area for a bit. It’s a vibrant city. Of course, we had tons of food including lobsters and delicious Vietnamese dishes from Dorchester. The best part was seeing my wife laughing with her friends as they reminisced on their childhood stories.

I admired their friendships. I was also glad that they reconnected after all these years. Seeing my wife stepping out of our family zone was a joy. Of course, I appreciated the last one and half decade she devoted to our family, but I also wanted to see her take some time out for herself.

Unlike us with young kids, most of her friends have children entering, attending, or finishing college. The ladies are the rock of their family. They are successful not only in their careers, but also in raising their kids. I have tremendous respect for them.

Thanks friends for the short but sweet time together. Until we cross paths again, take care!

I had to read this book for a web design project. I didn’t know anything about the American Robin, but I have learned so much from it. Len Eiserer, the author, is such a great writer and his passion and love for the American Robin are apparent in his writing. I laughed in one chapter and almost cried in the next. You don’t have to take my words for it. You can now read it yourself for free at theamericanrobin.com. It is such a wonderful gift from Dr. Eiserer.

Since I am in love with snowboarding, I’ve been thinking of trying out skateboarding. When I spotted Skateboarding for Dummies at the library, I wanted to give it a read. Daewon Song is a 32-year-old Korean-American pro skateboarder. He breaks down all the details from choosing the right board to kicking off beginner techniques. Now I just need to get myself a skateboard and get started. I can’t wait to get back to snowboarding though.

In this general election, I was not interested in getting back into politics. Biden is old. Trump is a fucking antediluvian.

Harris, however, is a breath of fresh air. She pulls me back in. She fires me up. I do what I can on my own platform here.

Harris needs to win. Democracy is on the line. Trump with no guardrails will be dangerous. If he wins again, America won’t be America anymore.

For the sake of America, let’s get rid of Trump for good. His hatred, bigotry, divisiness, and darkness have to go.

Let’s bring healing and joy to America. Let’s get Harris elected for president.

In her 2024 DNC speech, Kamala Harris spoke on freedom:

In this election, many other fundamental freedoms are at stake. The freedom to live safe from gun violence—in our schools, communities, and places of worship. The freedom to love who you love openly and with pride. The freedom to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live free from the pollution that fuels the climate crisis. And the freedom that unlocks all the others. The freedom to vote.

She urged us to fight for it:

America, let us show each other—and the world—who we are. And what we stand for. Freedom. Opportunity. Compassion. Dignity. Fairness. And endless possibilities. We are the heirs to the greatest democracy in the history of the world. And on behalf of our children and grandchildren, and all those who sacrificed so dearly for our freedom and liberty, we must be worthy of this moment. It is now our turn to do what generations before us have done. Guided by optimism and faith, to fight for this country we love. To fight for the ideals we cherish. And to uphold the awesome responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege on Earth. The privilege and pride of being an American. So, let’s get out there and let’s fight for it.

I am on board with Harris and Walz.

In his 2024 DNC speech, Tim Walz told the American people exactly what President Harris will do:

If you’re a middle-class family, or trying to get into the middle class, Kamala Harris is going to cut your taxes. If you’re getting squeezed by prescription drug prices, Kamala Harris is going to take on Big Pharma. If you’re hoping to buy a home, Kamala Harris is going to help make it more affordable. And no matter who you are, Kamala Harris is going to stand up and fight for your freedom to live the life that you want to lead, because that’s what we want for ourselves, and it’s what we want for our neighbors.

I am so glad Kamala picked Tim.

Pete Buttigieg sends a positive message at thee 2024 DNC:

Darkness is what they are selling. The thing is, I just don’t believe that America today is in the market for darkness. I believe America is ready for a better kind of politics…

Right now, the other side is appealing to what is smallest within you. They’re telling you that greatness comes from going back to the past. They’re telling you that anyone different from you is a threat. They’re telling you that your neighbor or nephew or daughter who disagrees with you politically isn’t just wrong but is now the enemy.

I believe in a better politics, one that finds us at our most decent and open and brave. The kind of politics that Kamala Harris and Tim Walls are offering, and as you have felt these many days, that kind of politics also just feels better to be part of. There is joy in it as well as power…

This November we get to choose. We get to choose our president. We get to choose our policies, but most of all, we will choose a better politics. A politics that calls us to our better selves and offers us a better every day. That is what Kamala Harris and Tim Walsh represents. That is what Democrats represent. That is what awaits us when America decides to end Trump’s politics of darkness once and for all.

Oprah Winfrey delivered a touch speech at the 2024 DNC:

Voting is the best of America. And I have always, since I was eligible to vote, I’ve always voted my values. And that is what is needed in this election, now more than ever. So I’m calling on all you independents and all you undecideds. You know this is true. You know I’m telling you the truth that values and character matter most of all, in leadership and in life. And more than anything that decency and respect are on the ballot in 2024. And just plain common sense…

So, we are Americans. Let us choose loyalty to the Constitution over loyalty to any individual, because that’s the best of America. And let us choose optimism over cynicism, because that’s the best of America. And let us choose inclusion over retribution. Let us choose common sense over nonsense, because that’s the best of America.

And let us choose the sweet promise of tomorrow over the bitter return to yesterday. We won’t go back. Let us choose truth, let us choose honor, and let us choose joy! Because that’s the best of America. But more than anything else, let us choose freedom. Why? Because that’s the best of America. We’re all Americans, and together, let’s all choose Kamala Harris!

Dr. Joy, my lifelong mentor, reached out to me for help with creating a web book for her friend, Dr. Len Eiserer who is author of The American Robin: A Backyard Institution, published in 1976—two years before I was born. Dr. Eiserer is in his late 70s and would like to leave something behind for others to remember him by.

I loved the idea of leaving a legacy in the form of a web book; therefore, I offered to create the web site. Dr. Joy agreed and gave me a copy of Dr. Eiserer’s book. The print version of The American Robin was beautifully typeset complemented with witty line drawings by Martha R. Hall.

As I was flipping through the pages and marveling at the serif text face, Warbler Text, designed by David Jonathan Ross, came to mind. Although Robins and Warblers are different, they are songbirds. When I set Warbler for the book site, it was gorgeous and readable. I decided to go with it.

With Ms. Hall’s line drawings, I took pictures of them right out of the book and converted them to vector graphics using Adobe Illustrator. I was surprised how well Illustrator turned bitmap images into vector sketched arts.

For the design of the book site, I focused on readability, legibility, and accessibility. Of course, the layout is responsive so the book can be read on any device. I read from cover to cover and loved it. I invite you to read it. Thank you Dr. Eiserer for this wonderful gift.