In addition to journaling, David Sedaris has been creating artworks for his dairies. This book, which compiled and edited by graphic designer Jeffrey Jenkins, showcases collages of items Sedaris had found as well as his original compositions. His natural ability to incorporate images and letterforms added an intriguing visual element to his writing.

For his interview with Judge Douglas Ginsburg at Scalia Law School, Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein did not say much about the investigation. He talked about his career and a bit about his personal life. He did confirm his reason for appointing Robert Mueller as a special counsel. No one can do the job better than Mueller. He also sees his responsibility in broader obligations, and not about his reputation or party affiliation. He is doing the right thing and I thank him for that.

Adam Davidson:

There is no longer one major investigation into Donald Trump, focussed solely on collusion with Russia. There are now at least two, including a thorough review of Cohen’s correspondence. The information in his office and hotel room will likely make clear precisely how much the Trump family knew. What we already know is disturbing, and it is hard to imagine that the information prosecutors will soon learn will do anything but worsen the picture.

I am optimistic.

After many months contemplating, I pulled the plug on Google Analytics last night. Although GA is not as intrusive as other trackers, I no longer want to keep track of my visitors. I don’t know how many of you are reading this site, but I respect your privacy. I have done nothing with the data GA collected and I have not checked my traffic for a long time.

I would love to know my readers (you can contact me any time), but I am also fine not knowing. It’s a personal blog after all. I write what I want to write and you read what you want to read. We can keep our relationship that way. It’s all good.

With all the in-your-face ads and snooping scripts all over the internet, I would like to provide you a place to escape. When you come to my site, you can read and leave. If you enjoy what I write, you can come back. That’s it. I want to help make the web a friendly place to visit again. I also want to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

In addition to this blog, I gutted GA on my portfolio site, Vietnamese Typography, and Professional Web Typography. Now you can read and browse these sites without being tracked.

After we were married, one of my wife’s friends asked us how many kids we will have. Not knowing how much work going into raising kids, I said four. My wife looked at me like I was out of my mind, but it was too late for her to back out. Her friend who has two kids reassured my wife not to worry. The number will drop once the first kid arrives.

Her friend was almost correct. After Đạo was born, I thought we were done. I didn’t think a little baby could turn our world upside down. The day we had to take him home from the hospital, I was terrified. He looked so tiny inside the infant car seat. I was too afraid to hold him. He seemed so fragile that I could drop him or crack his bones. Fortunately, he turned out to be more resilient than I thought.

We were going to stop, but my mother-in-law encouraged us to have a second one so they could have siblings to play together. Sure, one more won’t be so bad. When Đán arrived, he came out quick. We barely made it into the delivery room. We were less frightened because we knew the drill. My mother-in-law is right. Đạo and Đán play together as much as they fight against each other. At the end of the day, they are still close.

As if our family was not chaotic enough with the two boys, my wife’s sister gave birth to a baby boy and their brother’s wife also give birth to a boy. With too many testosterone in the family, we yearned for a girl. I convinced my wife that third time’s a charm and she went for it. Xuân turned out to be a boy. Then her sister has another boy and their brother has yet another boy. When all seven boys get together, the place is beyond chaos.

With seven boys, the chance of landing a girl is extremely slim. My hope and dream for daddy’s little girl were gone and we were done at this point, but life never turns out the way we expected. We just have to take whatever life gives us. Of course, life is giving us another boy and he will meet us later this year.

In Vietnamese tradition, four boys (tứ quý) are considered to be precious, but five boys (ngũ quỷ) are considered to be demons. We definitely want four of a kind, not five demons. So this baby has to be our last. In addition, Đán will no longer be the middle child alone. When he was little, my wife’s dad was battling with terminal lung cancer; therefore, our mind and attention were divided. We were there for him, but not as much as we were with Đạo. I didn’t even realized how big and strong he had become until the day we took some family photos. He was dressed in a pullover without a shirt and he looked so chubby and cute. Despite lacking of attention, he turns out to be more independent. In several months, he will have Xuân as an in-between sibling.

With a new kid coming up, we will face more challenges ahead, but we have enough experience to plow through. We will be fine. The more the merrier. I am still excited even though this will be our four and our last.

Paul Krugman:

Look, the single animating principle of everything Ryan did and proposed was to comfort the comfortable while afflicting the afflicted. Can anyone name a single instance in which his supposed concern about the deficit made him willing to impose any burden on the wealthy, in which his supposed compassion made him willing to improve the lives of the poor?

Can’t name one. Ryan was simply a failure and a coward. He won’t be missed.

Wendy Mogel asks, “Should We Speak to Little Boys as We Do Little Dogs?”:

My question to the parents in my office is this: What percentage of your communication with your son consists of nagging, reminding, chastising or yelling? “Uh … 90 percent, 100?” Which I know isn’t true, just as confidently as I know these boys aren’t mentally ill and these families aren’t rife with hidden dysfunction.

I do it 110 percent with my boys and they still don’t listen. I even feel annoyed at myself for keep repeating it. For instance, I told Đán not to lean over his chair every time we have dinner. The other day, I was so fed up that I didn’t remind him. He fell off and hurt himself. He cried and blamed on me for not reminding him even though I told him so so many times. Our dining table and chairs are higher than the usual set because I did not think about kids when we bought them.

For Đạo, no matter how many times we asked him not to bring toys on the dinning table, he does it every time. We have to ask him to put them away every time. I told my wife, I am getting tired of getting to get out of bed, to brush their teeth, and to put on their clothes. If we don’t remind them they wouldn’t do it on their own. I guess they’ll be ready whenever they are ready.

Mogel advises:

Shower your son with the easy affection, appreciation and tolerance you show your dog.

I never have dog; therefore, I wouldn’t know how to appreciate and tolerate dog.

Steven Heller publishes books like we write blog posts. He churns out one after another. In collaborating with Greg D’Onofrio, Heller published a thick, heavy book on modern graphic designers whose work changed visual communications in the mid-twentieth century. The book showcases over 900 illustrations ranging from vibrant colors to bold typographic treatments. Sixty three designers featured, yet only nine were women. Despite the lack of diversity, it is worth flipping through and learn about the people behind the iconic designs.

Paul Ryan won’t run for re-election because he sucks at his job and he knows it. His tax bill is a disaster and his cowardice—not standing up to Trump—puts this country in danger. Republican needs strong leaders like Rod Rosenstein and Robert Mueller who put country over career and party. Unfortunately, Ryan is not one of them. He will be remember as an NRA puppet and a boneless chicken. Mitch McConnell, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio should join him as well. These useless swamps need to be drained.

Dựa theo lời kể của ông Trịnh Văn Sỹ, nhà thơ Nguyễn Quang Thiều viết lại những ký ức về gia đình, nhất là người mẹ và người chị của ông Sỹ. Mẹ ông mồ côi cha mẹ từ nhỏ. Đến khi lấy chồng, bà trở thành vợ lẽ thứ ba. Sau khi bỏ chồng ra đi (vì không sinh cho ông được đứa con nào) và sau khi biết chồng mất, bà lấy chồng thứ hai nhưng lại làm vợ thứ ba. Sau khi chồng chết, bà ở vậy nuôi hai đứa con và mẹ chồng. Cuộc đời bà khổ sở từ lúc mười lăm tuổi. Đến khi bà mất, hai chị em vẫn còn nhỏ. Người chị thay thế mẹ vất vả nuôi em đi học. Những câu chuyện trong ngôi nhà của mẹ giản dị và chân thật. Tuy những ngày tháng sống khó khăn vì thiếu thốn nhưng rất tình nghĩa. Cách viết của ông Thiều cảm động nhưng không não nề. Tuy nhiên quyển sách hơi dài.