If you have to pick one book for Black History Month, check out Isabel Wilkerson’s The Warmth of Other Suns. I am just starting and already loving her writing. Here is how she described one of the main characters who had been through the Great Migration:

She has an endearing gap in her teeth, which go just about any which way they please, and her hair is now as soft and white as the cotton she used to pick not particularly well back in Mississippi. She is the color of sand beach, which she had never heard of growing up but had never seen for herself until she arrived in Chicago half a lifetime ago. She has big searching eyes that see the good in people despite the evil she has seen, and she has a comforting kind of eternal beauty, her skin is like the folds of a velvet shawl.

So beautiful.

John Eligon reports in the New York Times:

Some white students said that nothing seemed out of the ordinary when their white classmates wore blackface. It was typical at costume parties or at talent shows, said Dr. William Elwood, a retired family physician who is white and who graduated in 1984, the same year as Mr. Northam.

Dr. Elwood worked on the yearbook that year, laying out pages, he said. For their personal pages, students would submit their own photos to the staff, he said. The designers would lay them out on the page, he said, and mark where each photo was to be placed. The photos were then put into an envelope, which was attached to the page where they belonged and sent to the press to be printed.

I am not condoning racist, but time has changed and 30 years ago was much different than today. Eligon concludes:

The gap between black and white, Dr. Randolph said, was why he felt that white classmates probably would not have blinked at the offensive image on Mr. Northam’s yearbook page.

“That was the norm,” he said. “That’s what people did.”

Democrats need to chill the hell out. No one is perfect. We already lost Al Franken in the Senate. Let’s not allow a Republican to take over the Virginia governor.

Sarah Lyall writes in The New York Times:

His new book, “Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style,” is the climax (so far) of his nearly three decades in the copy-editing business, and it shows his playful sense of humor as well as his deep appreciation for clear writing and good language. The book is full of no-nonsense pronouncements on matters like the Oxford comma (use it) and the word “literally” (use it at your peril). It is also idiosyncratic, because writing style is highly personal, subject to an individual’s taste and whim.

Purchased!

An illustrated travelogue by Christoph Niemann is beautifully executed as an online interactive storytelling. Must experience.

Hôm qua mùng một Tết, người lớn nghỉ làm, người nhỏ nghỉ học, cả gia đình dành một ngày đón Xuân. Sáng cả nhà ăn bánh tét chiên với củ kiệu dưa món và nghe nhạc Xuân. Bé Xuân thích nhất bài, “Xuân đã về” vì bài hát có tên của nó. Ba năm trước Xuân sinh ra cũng vào mùng một Tết nên tôi đặt tên cho nó là “Việt Xuân.” Dĩ nhiên chữ Xuân không dễ để người nước ngoài phát âm nhưng giờ đây ở nhà trẻ ai cũng biết đến Xuân cả. Khi nghe cha mẹ, thầy cô, và bạn bè gọi Xuân, tôi vui thầm.

Đến trưa nắng xuân ấm cúng, cả nhà đi viếng mộ ông ngoại rồi ghé qua chùa Pháp Vương lễ Phật. Vì ngày thường nên chùa vắng vẻ nên không khí nhẹ nhàng. Sau đó cả nhà đi ăn trưa với nhau. Rồi thì ra về ghé tiệm bánh Hàn Quốc mua một cái bánh kem nhỏ để chúc mừng ngày sinh nhật của Xuân.

Đón Xuân của chúng tôi chỉ thế thôi. Không sôi nổi cũng không náo nhiệt. Chỉ cần có một ngày cả gia đình được ở bên nhau là quý rồi. Hy vọng sau này mỗi năm Xuân về các con dù có bận rôn cũng dành một ngày đón xuân với gia đình.

Michelle Obama is a meticulous planner. From her wonderful upbringing in South Side of Chicago to her beautiful relationship with Barack to her challenging role as a parent in the White House, Michelle has not skipped a beat in structuring the events in her memoir. Although she did not set out to be a public figure, she has adapted herself to it. She used her role as a First Lady to champion education, promote healthy lifestyle for children, and give voice to young girls and minorities. Her writing is honest, personal, and approachable, but the details could benefit from a bit of trimming.

Pamela Paul opines in The New York Times:

Of course, it’s not really the boredom itself that’s important; it’s what we do with it. When you reach your breaking point, boredom teaches you to respond constructively, to make something happen for yourself. But unless we are faced with a steady diet of stultifying boredom, we never learn how.

When Đạo and Đán weren’t allowed to watch TV or play on iPads, they complained that they were bored. My response has been, “Bored is good. Find something you like to do.” They would go and build their imaginative world in Lego, do some sketching, and read a book. It’s good to be bored.

Ms. Paul goes on:

But surely teaching children to endure boredom rather than ratcheting up the entertainment will prepare them for a more realistic future, one that doesn’t raise false expectations of what work or life itself actually entails. One day, even in a job they otherwise love, our kids may have to spend an entire day answering Friday’s leftover email. They may have to check spreadsheets. Or assist robots at a vast internet-ready warehouse.

I was bored when I was a kid, but I didn’t appreciate it. Now I wish I have all the time in the world to be bored again.

Maniscalco’s latest Netflix’s special revolves around family materials, which include his Italian parents, his Jewish wife, and the birth of his newborn baby. Unfortunately, the content is quite shallow and he was acting too much. For a grown-ass man, his clowning is a bit silly. Not my cup of tea.

I did some tweaking on my professional website. It still has the bold text, but I turned the background to black on the homepage for a stronger effect. I also switched up the body text to Exchange by Tobias Frere-Jones. To promote freelance work, I included this paragraph:

Together we will create an experience that is focused on your audience and tailored to your brand. Even with a limited budget, your online presence does not deserve to be templated. So skip pre-made site builders like Squarespace or Wix and get a custom design. Take a look around. If you like what you see, let’s talk.

With a full-job in place, I wanted to take on small projects that would give me some creative freedom. It’s a shamed that so many smaller websites are powered by site builders like Squarespace and Wix. They all look pretty much the same. Let’s change that and bring back the good, unique designs.

Đán still drives everyone nuts. He snatches toys from Xuân. Despite the little fellow screaming, he wouldn’t give it back until I intervened. He plays rough with Đạo and chases him with a toy fishing rod. Even though he wouldn’t hit him with it, he scares the crap out of the older brother. He ignores his mom’s and grandma’s words, which outraged them. What irritates me the most is the classless things come out of his mouth, like “you eat diarrhea.”

A couple of days ago, Đán and Đạo were arguing. Đạo got mad and told him that his friend’s mom does not want Đán to come over for playdates anymore because Đán is “inappropriate.” I could see the sadness on Đán’s face because he loves hanging with Đạo and his friend. Last week when I came to pick them up at the friend’s house, his mom invited me for coffee. We talked and I asked her how they were behaving and she told me they were great. She even told me that because her son is the only child he loves to play with Đán and Đạo like brothers. Then again kids do not know how to lie. Even though I know how Đán could be really annoying, I felt bad for him. I took him to Popeyes for his favorite popcorn shrimp. He was happy again.

I don’t know what to do with his behavior other than constantly reminding him. Sometimes I feel so frustrated and irritated, I just give him the silent treatment until I could calm myself down. Maybe he’s the second child and just wanted attention. He has changed so much in the past two years. He was so caring and charming. I just hope this stage will pass soon.