After six years, I had to move on from my old MacBook Pro. The main issue was that some of the keys weren’t working anymore. Typing had become slow and annoying. I tried to wait it out because I dread starting fresh. Thanks to the cloud, I only spent about 4 hours getting everything back up and running without having to do the automatic migration, which my tech guys warned me not to do.

I got my mails and Adobe Clouds up and running pretty quickly. Transmit was a piece of cake to migrate thanks to its export tool. I got new license for Nova and spent a bit of time to get SASS running again. What I worried the most was setting up MAMP. Fortunately, that was also a breeze. I was also able to run MySQL server 8.0.40 in MAMP for WordPress, which I was not able to do on the old MacBook Pro.

I got a brand new black MacBook Pro this time and it is so damn slick. I am loving it. This laptop should last another 6 or 7 years, but I might cut it down to 3 or 4 years depending on the Law Library budget.

On Saturday, the Scout dads got together to cook crawfish, play volleyball, drink some liquor, and talk shit. Of course, parenting came up. Some dads share their militant style of discipline. I didn’t join in that conversation. After having four kids, I am less qualified in this department.

I have come to accept that my kids will do the opposite of what I expect. The more I hope, the more I get disappointed. The more I worry, the more I stress out. The more I do for them, the more they become dependents and the less they become appreciative.

My wife is a loving mother and she would do anything for her kids. Each morning, she wakes up to make their lunch while I pack our leftovers. Last week, one of them didn’t eat her lunch because the meat tasted like “cardboard.” Mother and son got into a huge fight. My solution was simple. I told him, “Son, get up early and make your own lunch or pack leftovers.”

When I first became a father, I wanted to be involved in their lives because my father was not there for me. Unfortunately, that had backfired. Every sport we played together they quit. Every activity we did together because I forced them to participate. They need to get good grades so that I can look good—not for their own good. They do everything because I am an authoritarian in the house and they have to comply. If I leave them to their own device, they would just spend all day on their own device.

I have become less and less involved. The less I do for them, the more they will do for themselves. I want to become a deprecated dad. After all, Jeff Bezos, Lebron James, and Jesus did well without a father in their lives. If Jesus had a dad, he would have become a carpenter and his name would have been Jesús instead. I stole that joke from Andrew Schulz.

As the heat rises to 90 degrees, I miss the snow, especially snowboarding.

Thưa Mẹ,

Mỗi ngày con vẫn nhớ mẹ. Hôm nay ngày của Mẹ, con nghĩ nhiều về mẹ. Nỗi nhớ của con không còn đau buồn nữa. Thời gian đã xoa dịu đi sự đau đớn trong con. Dù con có đau lòng bao nhiêu cũng không thể thay đổi được gì. Đời người là như vậy và con cũng chấp nhận số mạng của mình.

Nhớ đến mẹ để trở về tuổi thơ. Nhớ đến mẹ để biết mình đã từng được mẹ yêu thương vô bờ bến. Nhớ đến mẹ không còn rơi lệ nữa mà nở một nụ cười. Con cảm ơn đời đã có được mẹ. Dù mẹ không còn trên cõi tạm này nữa nhưng mẹ vẫn trong con.

Rồi mai đây còn rời xa thế giới này không biết có gặp lại mẹ không. Con hy vọng sẽ được. Đó là tương lai. Còn hiện tại thì vẫn thương nhớ đến mẹ trong ngày của Mẹ.

Con trai của mẹ,
Doanh

We are living under a Trump regime. We will not allow it to take root because the descent into authoritarianism is reversible. America’s courts are independent, but judges can’t save our democracy on their own. They are facing threats and harassment from the Trump regime.

Fortunately, everyday citizens are fighting back. People are speaking up at congressional town halls and protesting across the country. We seeing signs of resistant. Harvard is fighting back. Microsoft is fighting back. From billionaires to law firms to universities and colleges to churches to labor unions to private foundations and nonprofit organizations to the Democratic party, we need all hands on deck.

We can do this. We can resist the Trump regime and bring back our democracy before it’s too late.

Quá mệt mỏi với cuộc sống. Những công việc không muốn làm cứ chồng chất lên. Những nỗi lo âu cứ tiếp tục kéo đến. Những gánh nặng cứ đè lên.

Trái tim không ngủ yên. Đầu óc không thảnh thơi. Giấc ngủ không ngon giấc. Trong đầu lúc nào cũng cảm thấy tội lỗi. Không thể nào buông thả những tiêu cực trong đời sống. Không thể nào giải thoát cho chính mình.

Không cải tiến được những gì xung quanh. Không cải tiến được bản thân. Vẫn chưa tìm ra đường lối mới để sống thoải mái hơn.

Adrian Shaughnessy’s Herb Lubalin: American Graphic Design is a heavy book. Out of 448 pages, the first 80 pages dedicated to Lubalin’s biography. The rest of the book showcased his extraordinary works including Fact, Mother & Child, and Avant Garde. His typographic skills were outstanding. This book is an inspirational source for graphic designers.

I updated my gear listing page. I am not trying to show off. I just want to keep track of our equipment. I also use that page often for reference. Here are our recent acquisitions:

• 2025 Atomic Maverick 86 C Skis ​(161cm) + Marker M10 GripWalk Bindings ($415). For Ðạo
• 2025 Jones Youth Prodigy: 140cm ($220). For Xuân.
• 2025 Nidecker Youth Prime Bindings: ($100). For Xuân.
• 2025 Burton Smalls BOA: 6K ($150). For Xuân.
• 2025 Public Research: 154cm ($350). For Đán.

Ðạo loves his new pair of skis. Xuân crushes it with his completely new snowboard package. I ordered the new Public Research board for Đán yesterday. He is very peculiar about his board. The board has to be black and the graphic has to be cool. This board fits his style. From my research, it sounds like a great board for carving and freestyle. I might have to check it out myself.

Damn! We spent $1,235 on equipment alone this season and we bought everything on sell. Skiing and snowboarding are freaking expensive.

I enjoy creating YouTube Shorts because I love combining music with motion. For example, this short clip of my wife skiing is just so lovely. The music is intimate and emotional. She’s skiing alone on the slopes with the snow falling. I didn’t pay attention when I put the two together. When I rewatched it, my eyes were a bit watery. The tears of joy!

When asked if he should uphold the Constitution, Trump responded, “I don’t know.” He had sworn twice: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” He seems to forget already. Furthermore, when asked about the meaning of the Declaration of Independence, he replied, “Well, it means exactly what it says. It’s a declaration. It’s a declaration of unity and love and respect. And it means a lot. And it’s something very special to our country.” He doesn’t seem to comprehend that “unity” is the opposite of “independence.” Trump is definitely showing signs of dementia.