Woke up early, packed up, and drove home from Wildwood. An hour and a half later, my sister called informing us that her car broke down. The alternator was malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. She rode in the tow truck. We drove back to pick up mom and my sister’s kids. Bought them some lunch and dropped them off at the auto repair shop.

Drove back home again and listened to the new Jay Z album while the kids were sleeping. Got home late. The house is messy, but too exhausted to do anything. Ate instant noodle, gave the kids a bath, and kicked back a little bit. It’s time for bed.

Another vacation week had quickly flown by. I am now exhausted from playing with the boys on the beach and chasing after little Xuân all week. I am happy, however, that I could spend some time with my mom, sister, niece, and nephew. They have been really patience with our boys. I really appreciate that. I hope we can do it again next year.

We will be heading back to Virginia and back to work for four days. Next Friday, we will be heading to Marble Falls, Texas for my wife’s family’s annual reunion. I am excited although I am kind of burnt out. I am hoping I can be recharged in the next couple of days.

In her compelling memoir, Barbara Freinman Todd reveals the craft of ghostwriting: “Writing other people’s live is a bit silly, like playing dress-up, clomping around in your mother’s pumps that don’t quite fit, but it also lets you have a momentary sense of what it’s like to be someone else.” She began her career as a copy aide at the Washington Post, advanced to be a researcher for Bob Woodward in the investigative unit, and became ghostwriter for high profile politicians in Washington. Her work for the First Lady Hillary Clinton led to mistreatment from Clinton herself who refused credit her for ghostwriting It Takes a Village and the betrayal from her mentor Woodward. A fascinating read.

Jay Z’s crisp and concise latest release is filled with personal revelations: apologizing for cheating on his wife, accepting his mom as a lesbian, revealing his failures, reflecting on his past, and schooling young rappers. Even though his flow and swag remained cool under pressure, his heartfelt lyrics are poured all over No I.D.’s minimal-yet-soulful productions. As a concept album, 4:44 continues the monumental success of Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, and The Black Album.

As we were walking on the boardwalk in Wildwood, New Jersey, I told Đạo I wanted to ride the Spring Shot. Đạo replied, “No. The strings will break because you are too heavy. I don’t want you to die.” What a smart and careful boy who always think ahead.

Sedaris is a keen observer of the world around him. Through his dairy, spanning from 1977–2002, he recorded many incidents including racist remarks, domestic violence, and personal struggles. Through dark humors and compelling storytelling, Sedaris found his own voice as a writer. Reading over 500 pages of his entries inspired me to keep writing on my blog for personal recollection.

Goodbye Salvo, North Carolina. Wildwood, New Jersey, here we come. Had a fantastic time here with my in-laws. Ate lots of junk food. Gaining massive weight. Read a lot instead of excercise. Always felt bloated.

Let’s change it up a bit at Wildwood. Walk more on the boardwalk. Eat less junk food. The rental house doesn’t have internet. That will be good. No need for screen time anyway. Continue to read.

Had Jay Z’s records on shuffle and struck by this: “Orange juice style, beat niggaz to the pulp.” Without context, this bar is horrifying, especially with the current police brutality. Jay, however, is licensed to use it. Though it’s the wordplay intrigued me—not the context. Can’t wait to listen to his new album 4:44.

The neighbor texted me:

I gather u must be on vacation. But wanted to let you know that apparently you left your garbage on saturday night in a box And some animal destroyed it at night. It was spread on your sidewalk. The truck picked up some of it on monday. But there is still plenty on the ground.. smelling..

I asked him to help me clean up and offered to buy him some beer. He texted back:

I picked up what I could. But trash is still on the ground as Everything is loose, not even in plastic bags, papers, cans, napkins, food.. Just plain gross!

Oh, no need for beer or anything.

I made a dumb mistake. I should have used the trash can. Since we will be away for two weeks, I didn’t want to leave the trash can on the sidewalk for that long. In addition, we only had two trash bags. I didn’t think about the damn animals.

In his New Rules segment from episode 430, Bill Maher joked:

If you happpen to meet one of the seven percent of the American adults who believe chocolate milk comes from brown cow. You must tell them that nonfat milk comes from skinny cows, and condensed milk comes from constipated cows, and skin milk comes from cows from the Mafia.