Kristin Bair’s fourth novel, Clementine Crane Prefers Not To, will be published on October 14, 2025. I gave her website a new coat of paints to reflect the new book. I have the pleasure of working with Kristin since 2009. I read all of her previous novels and couldn’t wait to read her latest. Congratulations, Kristin.

I arrived to work two hours early. No one was there. I relaxed a bit then put on my ski boots. I went out with the ski instructors for the clinic. It was very interesting even though I was not interested in the techniques. I just wanted to learn how to carve.

At the line up, my supervisor told me to keep my ski boots so I could shadow another ski instructor. Then I got reassigned to help out with a group of four kids. We tested their skills. Two of them skied well and two were first-time. She took the first-timer and assigned me with the intermediate skiers. I took them on the magic carpet, lift, and then we went on the long green. We had a lot of fun together.

At lunchtime, I ordered a veggie burger with bacon. The man behind the grill told me, “That’s an interesting request, but sure.” I really miss burgers. I just can’t risk getting a gout attack during the season. The impossible burger was actually pretty close to a real burger.

In the afternoon, I switched out to my snowboard boots. I planned on riding because I didn’t think I would have a class. I told my supervisor I already taught skiing this morning, someone else could take the lesson. For some reasons, other instructors turned down the lesson. They might want to dip out for the Super Bowl. She assigned me to the lesson. I taught two adults who were learning snowboarding for the first time. The lesson went well.

After the lesson, I went for a few runs, but I was exhausted so I left. I was having a hard time staying awake driving home. I pulled into a McDonald’s to take a nap. That helped a lot. For my own safety and others, I rather stopped and took a nap then kept driving.

I went home, took a quick shower, and arrived late at my friend’s house for the Super Bowl. He opened a bottle of the twelve-year-old Hakushu. It was so damn smooth. We killed between the three of us. We didn’t really pay much attention to the Super Bowl, but I was glad the Eagles won. Philadelphia was my college town.

I took the Lyft home afterward because I didn’t want to risk getting caught for DUI. Cops were probably out waiting for the post Super Bowl.

The whole fam headed to Whitetail today. It was Xuân last meeting for the Whitetrailers snowboarding camp. He enjoyed snowboarding. He wanted to do it again next year, which should be fine if I would continue to teach next season.

I taught one class in the afternoon and didn’t have to teach in the evening. I skied with Vương and my wife for a bit. Since it was Xuân’s birthday and he wanted sushi for dinner, we headed to a sushi buffet afterward.

As we were driving home, my wife and I had a bit of discussion about the teaching gig I am doing. We also shared the numbers with the kids to help them understand how making a living isn’t easy.

I taught 2 hours and made $40. The gas price for commuting back and forth cost $32. I used to take the express lanes, which cost up to $35. My wife banned me from taking the express lanes. The sushi buffet dinner cost $220. We tried not to eat out, except for special occasions.

I am taking on this job for the perks and my passion, not the pays. My wife questioned whether it was worth it to save $3,000 season passes for the entire family. My answer was, “Hell yeah.” Besides the perks, I enjoyed teaching. Teaching required technical, communication, and leadership skills. Whether I taught 1 person or a group of 18 people, I applied all of those skills plus patience.

In addition, being an instructor gave me and my family access to lessons and camps. So far, only Xuân took advantage of the snowboarding camp. I joined the ski clinic every Sunday morning. I had been loving the lessons.

The only downside was that I didn’t have too much of my own development time. After I was done with teaching, I was so exhausted that I wanted to just go home to my family.

Giving how short the winter season had been and where I am at with my skiing and snowboarding skills, I am fine with making the compromise. If everything goes well, I will return teaching next season.

My Dear Xuânshine,

You turn nine today. I am glad you are picking up snowboarding this season. After two years of trying and not making any progress, I thought you were giving up. Then you pulled through. You had proven that you could do anything when you put your mind to it. With your natural ability and your willingness to learn, you will surpass me soon. I don’t expect you to be a pro. I just want you to enjoy the winter sports.

Keep skiing. Keep scooting. Keep swimming. You have the talent, but you need the passion, discipline, and hard work to get to the higher level. Playing piano requires practice, practice, and practice. You can do it. You just need to put in the time. Learn to be patient.

Thank you for being such a wonderful big brother to Vương. You take good care of him and, in return, he loves spending time with you. I wish your older brothers could treat you like you treat Vương, but that’s on them. Keep being a good role model to your younger brother.

School wise, I know you are struggling, but your reading has improved tremendously. Please continue to read. Your math skills are also improving. I am so happy that you are willing to learn the times table. Once you memorized multiplications, math would be much easier.

I hope you will pick up blogging again. It’s a great way to learn to write. I enjoyed reading your posts when you were still blogging. At first you struggled to come up with words. Then you could easily put in 100 to 200 words. The more you write the better you will get.

Whether going to the skateparks or going to terrains, thank you for accompanying me. I enjoyed spending time with you. Today is also your last day at snowboard camp. I am glad to hear that you enjoyed it and would like to do it again next season. I am sure the instructors will appreciate hearing that. I will work again next season to get you the perks. Hopefully Vương will join the camp too.

Today is your day. Have a wonderful birthday.

I love you my Xuânshine
Dad

I went to Liberty for a few runs. I snowboarded on the back side. I hit the double black and blue trails. The conditions were great. I only stayed for about an hour. It was fun. I enjoyed it.

I took our minivan to the dealer for an oil change. The cost was $125. Damn, the oil change alone was super expensive. I think I will do the oil change myself next time. I had been driven this car to work every weekend. From my house to Whitetail is an hour and a half.

I heard the clicking sound every time I made a turn. I asked the dealer to check it out for me. They claimed the A/T intermediate shaft was the cause and it would cost $1,500 to replace. I denied the service.

I am not sure how long I can keep this car before I have to pay so much to get it fixed. I am not looking forward to buying a new car. Cars are too expensive these days. I don’t even want to think about it.

We still have the 2018 Toyota Sienna SE for the long trips. I am going to just drive this car until it breaks down.

Ottavio, designed by David Jonathan Ross, is a sans-serif family honoring Ottavio Bottecchia who won the Tour de France in July 1924. It has wide, open letterforms with sweeping gestures and humanist qualities. With its unbalanced features (open terminals and triangular counterforms), Ottavio achieves balance through the rhythm of constant motion. For Vietnamese, its acute, grave, and hook above stack to the right of its circumflex.

No one tagged me for the Blog Questions Challenge. I took on the challenge anyway. So here we go.

Blog Questions Challenge 2025

Why did you start blogging?

I wanted to learn English, but I didn’t like the restrictions in academics setting. Blogging gave me the space to write whatever I liked. I could get as personal as I wanted. I set no expectations. Even though this is a public space, I write for myself.

What platform are you using to manage your blog and why?

WordPress because it was the easiest platform to set up at the time when blogging taking off. I liked the simplicity of the platform in the beginning. WordPress is now too damn complicated.

Have you blogged on other platforms before?

I used Greymatter briefly, but it didn’t feel right. I switched to B2 before Matt and Mike forked it and made WordPress.

How do you write your posts?

When I sit in front of my MacBook, I type straight into the WordPress Classic Editor. No, I have not switched to Gutenberg. It is too slow and too cumbersome for what I want to do: just blog. I also write in Google Docs on my iPhone like I am doing now while lying in bed then copying and pasting into WordPress later.

When do you feel most inspired to write?

When I need to kill time. I always show up to my appointments 30 to 45 minutes early so I won’t be late and I will have a bit of time to blog. I write whatever comes to mind. Whether something I had observed or how I felt at the time, I liked to put them down in words and keep them for my own records.

Do you publish immediately after writing, or do you let it simmer a bit as a draft?

I hit the publish button as soon as I get my point across. I am not writing for anyone; therefore, I don’t need to sweat the details.

What’s your favorite post on your blog?

Nothing stands out to me. I don’t go back to read what I had written. It’s just a living document for me.

Any future plans for your blog?

I redesign or re-typesetting my blog when I license a new typeface. I have no plan to migrate off WordPress anytime soon unless Matt bans the Classic Editor. Other than that, I’ll just keep banging out more posts.

Dave Brubeck’s Jazz Impressions of Japan is succinct yet impressive. With Eugene Wright on bass, Joe Morello on drum, Paul Desmond on saxophone, and Brubeck on piano, the quartet captures the vibe of Japan. In the opener “Tokyo Traffic,” the band swings vibrantly with a sweet Japanese melody. “Toki’s Theme” brings out the twist. Brubeck must had noticed that Asian people liked to do the twist. The rest of the album is enjoyable.

Trong tập thơ mới của anh Cao Nguyên có một bài chỉ trọn vẹn một câu:

vòng tay ôm nặng mảnh đời nhẹ tênh

Đúng với chủ đề Vắn, tuy bài thơ chỉ tám chữ nhưng nói lên được sự nặng nhẹ trong cuộc sống của chúng ta. Có những vần thơ tuy nhẹ nhàng nhưng chất chứa tận đáy lòng:

đêm đêm
đếm lá
trên cây
đếm nhịp
tim gõ
chuỗi lời
vô tâm

Anh Cao Nguyên có vẻ như thích đếm. Hết đếm lá rồi đếm những gì không vui:

chẳng có gì vui
hết rồi vui

tôi quỳ
tôi đếm những không vui

vui đi đâu mất
không về nữa

tôi nhặt lại tôi
lúc chưa vui

Rồi anh lại đếm những hoàng hôn với tâm trạng buồn mang máng

có những
hoàng hôn
có thế thôi

không thương
không nhớ
chẳng bâng khuâng

hững hờ
hờ hững
theo hờ hững

chẳng nhớ
chẳng thương
không bâng khuâng

Dĩ nhiên tập thơ của anh không thể thiếu hình bóng nàng thơ. Tôi còn nhớ đọc tập Thơ mưa lãng mạn của anh. Nhưng giờ đây thơ về nàng sắc bén hơn xưa:

đôi môi nàng
ngọt nụ cười
lưỡi câu bén nhọn
nụ cười con giun

Và đây là một lời nhắc nhở thấm thía:

mai sau
nhỡ có
vô thường
em ơi
nhớ nhé
mình từng
với nhau

Cách anh dùng từ “vô thường” và “từng với nhau” gây sự bất ngờ cho cá nhân tôi.

Đầu năm đón nhận món quà từ anh Cao Nguyên thật đáng quý. Cảm ơn anh và chúc anh luôn khỏe mạnh để tiếp tục sáng tác những bài thơ đẹp cho đời.