I’m proud of my work,
if you can call it work:

I am, also, fond
of far-off lightning, and completed connections,

and and and and and and and and.
I want to be everyone’s long-distance friend,

a second-chance source for anyone’s tenuous spark.
Like sex, I may be overemphasized,

overlooked and misused, kept out of the most polite quarter.
No mark I make should ever

be final. I love the idea of public performance,
like a girl on a wheel in a spotlight on a wire.

I see myself as neither straight nor curved.
And yet I am all too familiar with

the experience of creativity as temptation,
the feeling that you are always required

to volley, that you are never allowed to serve.
Every tragedian I know is a liar:

the announced end of a story is never
the end. That postcredits scene is my salvation,

my first line of self-defense,
the board I break, the myth I use against myth.

I am insatiable, forever
and always still swimming, and on my way. I take

and wonder whether I give. I know what it’s like
to believe you have an appeal you never deserved.

Stephanie Burt

Vào ngày của cha, người ta chúc cho những người cha một ngày vui vẻ. Giờ đây vào ngày cha, con chỉ nghĩ đến ba. Xin cầu nguyện cho linh hồn của ba được yên nghỉ.

We, too, feel uneasy alone; we believe we exist
to keep you safe and self-contained, at the cost

of making you seem, or feel, like you might not matter,
or not from the outside,

or not much.
We try to protect you. We have nothing to hide.

We can adjust
ourselves to look straighter, or flatter,

or more like sharpened claws, but we largely prefer
the state in which we resemble finger-

nails, or a French manicure,
reaching out with both our hands, your cure

for shapelessness, for your persist-
ent feeling that you will forever

remain immaterial, that you are better
off that way, that there is nothing or

nobody you are ready to let yourself touch.

Stephanie Burt

Editing the hosts file on your Mac allows you to test your site before it goes live. Launch Terminal, copy and paste the following command:

sudo nano /etc/hosts

Add the IP address (example: 123.45.67.89) of the site’s server follow by the domain name:

123.45.67.89 visualgui.com

Save the file by pressing Ctrl+O then exit with Ctrl+X.

I reactivated my Facebook account. I needed to access Marketplace to sell and buy used things. I listed a bunch of ice skates, hockey skates, aggressive skates, roller skates, and rollerblades. I haven’t sold anything and yet I bought a pair of USD Kids Transformer aggressive skates for Đán. It was sold for $50 and the condition was pretty new. It seems like the previous owner only skated for a few times. Đán seems to like it. I hope the skates will motivate him to learn more tricks at the skatepark.

When I made the transition from rollerblade to aggressive skates, I didn’t want to switch back. Aggressive skates provide more stability at the skateparks than rollerblades. I wouldn’t drop in using rollerblades, but Đạo and Đán didn’t seem to have any problem. They dropped in just fine. They just can’t stall or grind on rollerblades.

I am looking for another pair for Đạo. Hopefully, I’ll come across a great deal. Although I reactivated Facebook, I hadn’t posted anything. Facebook is becoming a ghost time. I get more junk posts from Facebook than from my family and friends.

Laila Biali has an angelic voice and fine piano chops. Her rendition of “Autumn Leaves” is a quiet beauty. Her low-key singing leaves room for Kelly Jefferson to soar on his soprano saxophone. On “But Not For Me,” she maneuvers her way around the Brazilian rhythm with effortlessness. Her duet with Kurt Elling on “My Funny Valentine” is beautifully romantic. Your Requests is a lovely reinterpretation of jazz standards.

We have a soft spot for drama,
    and for memorization;

we like to share whatever we have been told.
    We liken ourselves to tadpoles, to works-in-progress,

to fishhooks, to earbuds, to loquacious
    teens, and to their vintage Princess phones.

We used to believe that, being so good
    at belatedness, we might never have to get old,

which was our mission, or our curse;
    though our true age is unclear, we have had equivalents

in nearly every civilization,
    both in our efforts at sarcasm and our attempts
at protests. Leave our single sisters alone.

We come in several shapes but are never
    heartless, or pointless, and never entirely straight

If you ever see just one of us,
    wait.

Stephanie Burt

Here’s a memorable line from Amy Schumer’s latest Netflix special: “Marriage is finding someone who can fucking stand you.” She talks about her pregnancy, appearance, and husband. The jokes were OK. She hits Hilaria the hardest. Anyway, she looks great in the pink dress.

In addition to contributing to the end-of-the-year gifts, I wanted to get into a habit of writing short notes to to my kids’ teachers. They are loving, caring educators and I wanted to show my appreciations for what they have done for my kids.

To Xuân’s English teacher:

Dear Mrs. H,

We would like to thank you for all you have done for the kids throughout their first grade. For Xuân in particular, I reached out to you because I was concerned about his reading. Six months ago, he couldn’t sound out simple three-letter words. With your help and support, his reading has improved tremendously. We were reading together yesterday and my heart filled with joy. I deeply appreciate your efforts to help him reach his milestone. He will use the reading skills you have taught him for the rest of his life. We wish you a wonderful summer and we will send Vương, our youngest boy, to you in two years. Hopefully, you won’t be retired yet. LOL!

Regards,
Donny Trương

To Xuân’s Spanish teacher:

Dear Sra. D,

As this school year comes to an end, you will begin a new journey. We would like to thank you for everything you have done not just for Xuân, but also for Đán and Đạo. We were hoping to send Vương, our youngest boy, to you in the near future, but we are happy for your retirement. In a couple of our conversations in regard to Xuân’s poor decision-making in class, you said to me, “Never a dull moment in first grade.” We hope that there will never be a dull moment (in a positive way) in your retirement journey. We appreciate all of your love and support for our kids. We will miss seeing you around. Have a wonderful summer and happy retirement.

Regards,
Donny Trương

To Đán’s English and Spanish teachers:

Dear Ms. B & Sra. B,

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your love and support for the fifth graders this year. Đán, in particular, had such a great year. He told us that he had the best academic year so far and we could tell by his actions. He enjoyed school and thrived in a smaller group under your supportive guidance. We appreciate the discussions we had with you to get Đán the help he needs to succeed in his education.

We wish you a wonderful summer. We have two more boys sending your way in the next few years. LOL!

Regards,
Donny Trương

Monaleo’s debut kicks off with “Sober Mind” showing her motivational lyrics: “Life is like a book, you gotta read through it / And if at first you don’t succeed then you can re-do it.” Then she went hard on “Beating Down Yo Block,” “Ass Kickin,” and “Return of the P.” She has nice flows and she can ride big beats. Then she softened up with ballad singing, including “Miss Understood,” “Cologne Song,” and “Cosmic Love.” The album lost its cohesiveness in between the two opposite directions.