Work has been crazy for the past few days. Last night, I pulled an all-nightner to catch up on my freelance projects. The beautiful snowing scene outside and the hot jazz from Dextor Gordon inspired me to stay up to work. I thought I wouldn’t have to go to work the next day, but there was not even a delay.

Here at work, there are so many projects that I need to do so I don’t even need coffee to stay awake. It sounds scary, but I am working around the clock. The only time I get a break is when I am with Duke, which is about two to three hours before he goes to bed. After heading home from work, I played with him, fed him, bathed him and sent off to bed with mommy. I powered up my laptop and got to work again.

I am not complain though. In fact, I am glad to be able to stay busy in this economy. Many friends and family members are losing their jobs and are collecting unemployment. Finding a job these days is not easy anymore.

What makes The Bright Mississippi a brilliant record is Allen Toussaint’s refined, rich reinterpretation of New Orleans standards. With a cast of all-star players including clarinetist Don Byron, trumpeter Nicholas Payton and guitarist Marc Ribot, Mr. Toussaint—who may be one of the best jazz pianists alive you have never heard of—revives classics like Louis Armstrong’s “West End Blues,” Duke Ellington’s “Day Dream” and Thelonious Monk’s “Bright Mississippi” by returning to the root. As a result, The Bright Mississippi sounds sweet, joyful and familiar on the surface, yet soulful, gentle and whimsical underneath. His pianistic approach is full of angularity and subtlety. Every time I listen to the opening riff on Sidney Bechet’s “Egyptian Fantasy,” particularly in this rendition, I wonder where Mr. Nguyen Van Thuong got his melody for “Dem Dong.”

Both Dana and I took Cu Dao to the pediatrician this morning for his 9-month check up. As we have predicted, Duke’s weight (15 pounds 15 ounces) is falling off the curve because he has been refusing to take the bottle for a whole week. Dana tries to nurse him at night, but it is still not enough. We need to suspend his solid until he takes some milk. He is doing fine with everything else.

Duke are growing two more upper teeth so they are now six together. I feel bad for Dana every time she breastfeeds him. She screams in pain whenever he bites, but still let him latch on until he’s satisfied. After the doctor, we took him to La Petite Academy to drop off his application. The waiting list for Jewish Community Center, which is our first choice, is taking a long time so we decided to go with La Petite Academy, which seems nice and convenience for us.

We took him to the infant room to play with other kids. Duke was playing with a musical toy by himself until another 9-month boy crawled over and pumped into him. He immediate did the head-butt affections. Sometimes I am not sure if that’s how he shows his affections or testing his head. Last night he was standing with his hands holding on to the table. He slipped and banged his head against the round edge of the table. I pulled him away as he started to cry. He swung off me and crawled back to the table. He stood back up and banged his forehead against the table to hear the way it sounds. I was just wondering what the heck was he thinking.

Lisa Delpy Neirotti, GWSB associate professor of tourism and sport management, will be headed to Vancouver with 28 selected students from her “Behind the Scenes at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games” class.

I am responsible for setting up the Olympic web site as well as coordinating and posting her daily video blogs, photos and press coverages. I just filmed the first blog for her using the Flip as a demonstration to show how the camcorder works and how she could upload directly onto our YouTube account. It’s going to be a fun project and I am looking forward to it even though I don’t get to go to Vancouver.

Two of Thuy Nga’s biggest drama queens are back, obviously by popular demands. What makes Bang Kieu and Minh Tuyet a great match is their preference for infusing syrups into sugary puppy-love ballads. Diabetics are advised to stay away from their second-collaborated Mot Lan Nua Xin Co Nhau.

Right off the title track, the duet wastes no time baking up the Crème-Brûlée melodramas. “Ngay em rat can anh thi anh o dau? / Trien mien voi noi co don,” Minh Tuyet sings in her caramelized voice, and then Bang Kieu responses with, “Thoi gian da giup cho anh biet rang / Anh yeu em nhieu hon the.” They both soar on the chorus. Actually Bang Kieu is doing the soaring. Minh Tuyet is wise enough to not compete with his big-ass, feminine falsetto.

The title of Minh Tuyet’s solo “Loi Xin Loi Kho Co That Kho Noi” should tell you what the track is all about despite her low notes are barely audible. Bang Kieu closes out the album with “Mua Va Anh.” His effeminate emphasis on “mai” and “gio” will guarantee to get deep under your skin.

As you might have noticed, I added a very subtle background to this site to give it a bit of texture. The challenge is obviously not to let the background interfere with the texts. In this case, the content is much more than the background so let me know if you find the text hard to read.

In the section showcasing sites, I broke the projects into different categories. As much as I like to keep everything in a single page, the list is getting long and I am planning to add more as sites go live.

Update: I broke down the motion section as well.

We were invited to Dana’s friend for some banging chao long (Gut porridge). One of Dana’s friend’s friend happened to be one of my friends from high school. She has a daughter who is two weeks older than Cu Dao. Kathy and Duke met for the first time last night. When we sat them face to face, they stared at each other for about ten seconds before Duke made the first move. He pulled out his left arm and tried to grabbed her. Then he crawled over and kissed her. Then he head-butted her lightly, but enough to make the little girl cried. It was so cute. I wish I could have recorded it.

On a different note, Duke has been refusing milk for the past week. Today, I stop feeding him solid altogether to get him to drink milk again. Trying to put a bottle into his mouth and he would scream and spit it right back out. Both of us took turns trying to feed him, but with not so much success. I was finally abled to give two ounces before he took a nap. The battle continues when he wakes up.

No matter who covers Nguyen Anh 9’s “Mua Thu Canh Nau,” Hong Hanh always comes to mind. She owns that track like Tuan Ngoc owns Ngo Thuy Mien’s “Rieng Mot Goc Troi,” Phuong Thanh owns Quoc Hung’s “Trong Vang,” and Quang Dung owns Dieu Huong’s “Vi Do La Em.” So when she rerecords the song in her latest release, Ngo Dau Tinh Da…!, she’s competing with herself. The new version still remains jazzy, but with a bit of funk groove added. Her delivery is softer and the huskiness is lost in her phrasing. Although it sounds refreshing, I still root for the good old bluesy rendition. It still intoxicates me every time.

In addition to “Mua Thu Canh Nau,” the new album features a handful of jazz-arranged numbers that match up quite well with Hong Hanh’s slightly gruff vocals. Her version of Trinh Cong Son’s “Nhin Nhung Mua Thu Di” is soothing, relaxing and perfect for quiet nights. While Nguyen Nam’s “Tinh Ca Cho Em” gets a gorgeous, Brazilian-inspired rhythm, Le Huu Ha’s “Huyen Thoai Nguoi Con Gai” gets to swing with a hypnotic walking bass at the bottom.

On Nguyen Huu Thiet’s “Yeu Nhau Di,” Hong Hanh pours her heart and soul out over the crisp strumming guitar. It’s a perfect album closer that leaves you yearning for more, especially with the way she whispers the last few words. Even though Ngo Dau Tinh Da…! is not a true jazz record, the subtle, understated approach makes it an intimate pleasure to enjoy.

According to this post on trouble-sleeping baby: “In a gifted baby, this could mean he has a hard time dialing down on the stimulation so he can get some z’s.” I really hope so because Duke’s sleeping fussiness is a nightmare for us. He wears both of us out every night crying instead of sleeping. He could play forever if we allow him too. Last night, he put him to bed around 8:30, but he didn’t fall asleep until 9:45.

“Pretend play” is another sign of being gifted according to the article. If you look at this priceless moment, you can tell that he pretends to laugh at midpoint of the video. He’s either gifted or just being a good sport. Gifted or not, I am thankful and blessed to have him in our lives despite all the challenges he put us through.

Ladies, pour yourself a glass of Cosmo. Gentlemen, make yourself a glass of gin and tonic. Kick back with Ngoc Anh’s first U.S. release, Giet Nguoi Trong Mong, under Thuy Nga production, and I guarantee that you won’t kill each other. In fact, you will make luscious love to Ngoc Anh’s sultry voice paying homage to classic ballads.

Instead of reinventing familiar songs, she just lets her sexy timbre seduce you. Right off the opening title track, she makes you wish you were the one that she wanted to murder. If voice could kill, hers is a flying dagger straight to your heart. On Hoang Trong Thuy’s “Doan Khuc Cuoi Cho Em,” you could feel the quiet fire in her delivery and the warm intimacy in every breath she takes. She has no problem maneuvering her smoky, steamy vocals around Nguyen Anh 9’s bluesy “Mua Thu Canh Nau.”

It doesn’t hurt to have Tuan Ngoc and Bang Kieu show up next to her. Her duet with Bang Kieu on Do Le’s “Sang Ngang” is a better fit than with Tuan Ngoc on Hoang Thi Tho’s “Mot Lan Cuoi.” It would have been even better if Bang Kieu handled the female part and Ngoc Anh handled the male part, but that’s just me. Still, Giet Nguoi Trong Mong is a classic good taste that matches with a classy singer.