I really love last week’s episode of This American Life, in which they talked about libraries. My favorite segment is the library for unpublished manuscripts.

Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi writes in the New York Times:

The study, published in Current Psychology, found a substantial link between procrastination and clutter problems in all the age groups. Frustration with clutter tended to increase with age. Among older adults, clutter problems were also associated with life dissatisfaction.

I find clutter suffocating. Keeping the house tidy is quite challenging with for kids. The older I get the more irritate I become with cluttering. I need more time to reorganize and purge before it gets overwhelming.

On Friday, January 4, 2019, Vương laughed out loud for the first time. He was so cute. I am so glad and bless to see that is happy and healthy. He put on a smile every time we talked to him. All of his older brothers love him. Đán always wanted to hold his baby brother.

It is so nice to have four kids even though things could get chaotic at times. Too much energy. Too much screaming. Too much playing. Đán gives us headache the most. He has changed so much. He constantly does things that irritate everyone. I am hoping this stage will pass soon. Because when he is not misbehaved, he is such a lovely kid.

Đạo has his issues too, but he listens better. He is helping out whenever I ask him too. For the most part, he is doing great.

Xuân is going through his terrible-three phrase a bit early. The other day, I asked him to move from the edge of the bed to center of the bed, he replied to me, “Daddy, you don’t tell me what to do.” He uses his words eloquently for a a two-year-old. He already argues with his older brothers using words they said to him. He drives them nuts.

Xuân clings on too much a lot these days. He holds me and gives me kisses all the time. Every time he makes me mad, he would ask, “Are you happy?” Of course, I am very happy inside, but I just don’t want him to know. I love this charming kid.

In his gut-wrenching memoir, Laymon reveals the painful truth of his childhood. Through his raw-yet-refined prose, he reflects on the struggle with his weight, the complicated relationship with his mama, and the racism growing up black in Jackson, Mississippi. This is indeed a heavy read, but I love it.

Finally had a chance to catch up this hyped Asian big picture while vacationing. Unfortunately, it is just a forgettable romantic comedy. The storyline is predictable. The cast is decent. Other than the extravaganza lifestyle, I am not feeling it.

Our last-minute getaway to Myrtle Beach turns out great. Because of the winter, the beach is empty. Although the water is too cold for swimming, the kids love splashing and playing in the sand. Then they swim in the heated indoor pool for hours.

For me, I just love waking up, walking out to the balcony, and breathing in the beach air. The getaway is intended for us to unwind so we are not planning on going anywhere. We just stay at the resort, order in, or cook a little.

The first day we got here, I had a gout attack because of all the beef and booze I consumed over the holidays. Thanks to Aleve and apple cider vinegar, I recovered just a day later. I am now back on the no-beef-no-booze diet.

The boys volunteered to leave their iPads at home after their mom told them this is a bonding-time vacation. After finding out that they actually left them at home, I was shocked and worried. Will they go crazy without the iPads? I am happy to report that they haven’t missed it. They sleep, eat, go to the beach, swim in the pool, read, watch TV, and play Monopoly. They loved Monopoly so much that we played everyday now. Last night, my wife joined us (Đạo, Đán, and me) for a game that lasted until 11 pm.

I am loving the time here. Going to the beach in the winter is super fun. I am not into swimming anyway; therefore, I don’t miss it. On the flip side, I like the emptiness of it. It’s like having a private spot for cheap. Even the indoor pools are completely empty most of the time. That might change on the weekend, but we are enjoying our time until Sunday. I can’t believe a week is almost gone already. I haven’t even finished reading a short memoir yet. I am hoping to finish up before we go back.

In hindsight, I picked up this book because it was designed by Michael Bierut and Britt Cob. The layout and the typography are superb. From white space to large type treatment, the design has Bierut’s signature style all over it. The actual writing, however, is quite shallow. Timberlake only gives super short highlights of his life. Yes, he’s a superstar. Yes, he has super connection. Yes, he is super privileged. Even though I am not a fan of his, I already know the power of a white male celebrity. He has Sandra Bark ghostwrite his book and Pentagram design it. I am not knocking on his accomplishment. I just want to hear the real story that has not already displayed in public.

Hôm thứ Sáu anh Viết Tân rủ tôi đi dự cái private party của những người bạn ở vùng Hoa Thịnh Đốn. Anh Tân ở tận Canada mà còn quen được người ở đây. Còn tôi ở đây không quen biết ai cả.

Tám giờ tối chúng tôi đến Maryland, nhà của một cặp vợ chồng tuổi tuy lớn nhưng tâm hồn vẫn trẻ. Nhà rất to. Tôi đoán ít nhất cũng một triệu. Cái basement được trang trí thành một sân khấu, sàn nhảy, một cái bar, và chỗ ngồi có thể chứa đến 100 mạng.

Riêng 10 người anh Tân rủ đến, những người khác là bạn bè chơi chung với nhau rất thân và đa số là tuổi 50 trở lên. Họ bây giờ không còn bận bịu con cái nữa nên mặc sức mà hưởng thụ. Họ rất dễ thương và hài hòa.

Dĩ nhiên anh Tân thì ai lại không mến. Anh hát có hồn, đánh keyboard chuẩn, vui vẻ, lại chịu chơi. Các anh các chị tuy mới quen nhưng rất quý anh. Ai cũng muốn được anh đệm để hát giúp vui. Họ rất có tâm hồn văn nghệ. Chúng tôi ăn, nhậu, và khiêu vũ đến hai giờ sáng. Và thêm một tiếng nghe nhạc thính phòng. Đến ba giờ sáng tiệc mới tan và bốn giờ sáng tôi mới về đến nhà.

Mỗi lần anh Tân qua là tôi sướng lắm. Lần này tuy bị cảm nhưng không bỏ lỡ cơ hội. Chị cũng rất dễ thương. Mới đầu tôi cũng hơi ngại vì mỗi lần sang đây là ảnh hú tôi đi nhậu không biết chị có buồn không. Nhưng khi tiếp xúc thấy chị vui vẻ và còn cùng tôi khiêu vũ những điệu chachacha nên tôi cũng rất yên tâm.

Người chị họ của anh Tân hỏi tôi làm sao mà anh lại quen với tôi. Tôi trả lời, “qua internet.” Chị cũng ngạc nhiên, “Thằng này quen bạn chưa đủ sao còn lên đến mạng.” Tôi đùa với chị, “Em quen anh Tân và vợ đều qua mạng cả. So far chưa có lầm.” Tôi cũng không nghĩ chúng tôi sẽ trở thành bạn thân nên đó là cái duyên. Vợ tôi bảo, “Mỗi lần nghe anh Tân qua là anh hào hứng vô cùng còn ở đây bạn bè anh chả bao giờ liên lạc.” Thú thật thì bạn tôi ở đây thì không có. Chỉ có bạn của vợ, chị vợ, và anh vợ. Mà mấy anh đó thì chẳng đụng đến một giọt beer. Còn mấy anh thích uống beer thì toàn nói chuyện về USPTO. Tôi không làm trong đó nên không hợp rơ. Vả lại tôi là người xã giao rất tệ nên cũng chẳng biết nói gì. Tôi và anh Tân thì khác. Chúng tôi đều thích nhạc, nhậu, và nhảm nên ngồi đến sáng cũng chưa đủ.

Nghĩ lại tôi phải cảm ơn cái blog này. Nhờ nó mà tôi mới quen được người bạn đời và người bạn nhậu, nhạc, và nhảm. Thế là quá hạnh phúc rồi.

Last week, Đạo got the virus from his best friend from school. Then he passed it on to Đán. Then Đán passed it on to Xuân and grandma. Then Xuân passed it on to me. Today I feel like shit. I hope the buck stops here. I am praying that the little Vương won’t get it.

Đạo, Đán, and Xuân are still coughing. I am coughing too and with a migraine. What finally got me was the lacking of sleep. I spent all day yesterday in bed catching up and recovering. Being sick alone is bad. Being sick with kids is even worse. I hate the feeling of letting them down. Thanks to my mom and my sister for watching the kids. I was completely useless.

In the new year, I need to change my sleeping pattern. No more reading, blogging, Netflixing, and browsing at night. Turn off the phone at bedtime. This is what I have been doing since I got sick. I also need to get back to jogging or some form of exercising.

I am feeling better today.

Even though I still have a week left in 2018, I know for sure that I won’t be able to finish Jill Lepore’s These Truths: a History of the United States before the New Year. The book is almost 1000 pages and I only just got started.

Still, 2018 sets a new record for the number of books I have read. This year I read 92 books—two more than last year, according to my reading history.

This year, I continued to switch between English and Vietnamese. In English, I read mostly non-fiction. I only read a few books on design, typography, and technical. In Vietnamese, I read mostly collection of essays because those are the ones that are available in the new-release section at the libraries. I was getting weary of them.

I also had an issue with too many books and too little time. I was overwhelmed with the number of books and started to lose my concentration. At some points, I simply just returned all the books and only kept one or two I really want to read.

In 2019, my goal is to focus on what I read. I will choose books that are at least 400 pages. I will read slowly to soak in rather than to speed through the content. I will give myself as much time as I need to read them; therefore, I won’t pay attention to the number of books.

With the lightning speed in this new digital age we are living in, reading thicker books will train me to be more patience. I will spend less time reading online and checking social media. At least that is my hope for 2019.