Bác Vinh viết thơ cho đứa cháu gái cưng:

Cháu biết đó, bác rất thương Doanh nên luôn luôn mong hai cháu sống thật hòa hợp và hạnh phúc. Doanh đơn giản và thành thật hợp tính bác, điều quí báu nhất là sống hòa hợp vui vẻ với gia đình mình.

Cháu xúc động và rất cảm ơn tình thương của bác dành cho cháu. Cháu may mắn không chỉ cưới vợ một người vợ giỏi giang, cảm thông, và tin tưởng, mà còn được sự quý mến của toàn thể gia đình.

Tôi không ngại bạn trêu tôi viết lên những lời lẽ sến súa nịnh vợ. Nếu bạn chứng kiến được những gì vợ làm cho tôi hay những tình cảm vợ dành cho tôi, bạn sẽ thấu hiểu được tâm trạng của tôi.

Dĩ nhiên tình cảm vợ chồng không cần phải nói ra mới bộc lộ được — như vợ tôi chẳng bao giờ nói với tôi một lời tỏ tình dễ thương nào. Ngược lại, tôi chỉ thổ lộ tâm tình của mình qua lời viết.

Thời gian đã chứng minh được vợ đến với tôi không phải vì tiền, càng không phải về nhan sắc. Có người đã đi qua đời tôi cũng chẳng yêu thương tôi gì, mà chỉ yêu một loài Hoa ly Kỳ. Ngày xưa tôi không mơ thành triệu phú nhưng mơ được cứu vớt gái chơ vơ. Những lần vấp ngã lúc còn non trẻ và nông cạn đã đánh thức tôi dậy sau những cơn mơ mộng. Sau những lần vỡ mộng, tôi cũng chẳng còn tin trong nhân gian có kẻ chung tình.

Khi tôi quen nàng, tôi cũng không tin gì về hạnh phúc trăm năm. Lúc mới yêu nhau, tôi cũng thú thật với nàng. Khi yêu, tôi chỉ biết yêu hết con tim và nàng đã khuyên nhủ lại tôi một câu thực tế, “Hãy yêu bằng con tim lẫn đầu óc.” Suy ngẫm lại thấy câu nói của nàng cũng có lý. Được yêu đến đâu thì hạnh phúc đến đó.

Thấp thoáng 15 năm đã trôi qua. Hơn một nửa thập niên không phải là dài — sống với nhau 20 hay 30 năm cũng có thể đổ vỡ — nhưng đủ để nhận ra được tình cảm chân thật và niềm tin vững vàng. Dù tương lai có ra sao, tôi vẫn sẽ giữ mãi kỷ niệm của những chuỗi ngày êm đềm bên nhau.

Anh vẫn còn yêu em vì em vẫn còn nợ anh. Đủ sến chưa?

In early July 2023, I was tapped to help redesign all the graphs for the fourth edition of Economic Analysis for Lawyers, by Henry N. Butler, Joanna Shepherd, and James C. Cooper. The book had over 60 graphs and I illustrated half of them. Another graphic designer did the other half.

I am thrilled to learn that the book is releasing soon. I can’t wait to hold a physical copy in my hands to see how our graphs turned out, but I am going to have to wait patiently for the complementary copy because it costs $172.

This is not a manual book on how to write a poem in Vietnamese. Nam Lê’s poems are personal, political, and a bit diacritical. Though I haven’t fully grasped his language of poetry, I appreciate his lyrical proneness:

The house in my head
I name home.
Though where I’m really from
The dead bird stays dead.

I’ll definitely revisiting this electrifying collection, but I have a few words about the typography. The author’s name is set in a san-serif typeface filling up the entire cover. It is quite striking. The poems inside are set in Minion, designed by Robert Slimbach. They are simple, readable with excellent diacritical marks. Hats off to the designers.

After having a beer for dinner on Saturday, I went to bed with a gout flare from my left foot’s big toe. I woke up the next day, I could barely walk. I had to pop two 2 Aleves.

I am getting fed up with the attacks; therefore, I decided to get on the meds. I paid my internist a visit yesterday and she prescribed me with Prednisone and Allopurinol.

The annoying part about gout attacks is that I can’t rollerblade. As the winter is approaching, I need my feet to be in good shape for skiing and snowboarding. I can’t get gout attacks during the skiing-snowboarding season. I am eager to pick up carving techniques again from the last season.

I am now cutting back on my diet and drinks. Beef is off the menu. Beers and spirits are off at home and at the restaurants with my family. I only drink when hanging out with my drinking buddies. Last month, I dropped over a grant on hard liquor such as Yamazaki, Cordon Bleu, and Midleton. I definitely need to cut back on it as well.

Over the weekend, I accompanied my wife to Boston to meet up with her high school friends from all the way back in Vietnam. For the first time, the gathering was all adults, except for a young daughter who was about to start college at RISD.

Initially, I was planning on staying home with the kids, but her friends urged my wife to take me along so the husbands could hang out. After making some arrangements with my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and our kids, we were all set to go. I got excited because it was our first trip without the kids since Đạo was born. For the last 15 years, we had been so busy with our kids that we forgot to make time for ourselves.

The trip turned out wonderful. We toured the Boston area for a bit. It’s a vibrant city. Of course, we had tons of food including lobsters and delicious Vietnamese dishes from Dorchester. The best part was seeing my wife laughing with her friends as they reminisced on their childhood stories.

I admired their friendships. I was also glad that they reconnected after all these years. Seeing my wife stepping out of our family zone was a joy. Of course, I appreciated the last one and half decade she devoted to our family, but I also wanted to see her take some time out for herself.

Unlike us with young kids, most of her friends have children entering, attending, or finishing college. The ladies are the rock of their family. They are successful not only in their careers, but also in raising their kids. I have tremendous respect for them.

Thanks friends for the short but sweet time together. Until we cross paths again, take care!

I had to read this book for a web design project. I didn’t know anything about the American Robin, but I have learned so much from it. Len Eiserer, the author, is such a great writer and his passion and love for the American Robin are apparent in his writing. I laughed in one chapter and almost cried in the next. You don’t have to take my words for it. You can now read it yourself for free at theamericanrobin.com. It is such a wonderful gift from Dr. Eiserer.

Since I am in love with snowboarding, I’ve been thinking of trying out skateboarding. When I spotted Skateboarding for Dummies at the library, I wanted to give it a read. Daewon Song is a 32-year-old Korean-American pro skateboarder. He breaks down all the details from choosing the right board to kicking off beginner techniques. Now I just need to get myself a skateboard and get started. I can’t wait to get back to snowboarding though.

In this general election, I was not interested in getting back into politics. Biden is old. Trump is a fucking antediluvian.

Harris, however, is a breath of fresh air. She pulls me back in. She fires me up. I do what I can on my own platform here.

Harris needs to win. Democracy is on the line. Trump with no guardrails will be dangerous. If he wins again, America won’t be America anymore.

For the sake of America, let’s get rid of Trump for good. His hatred, bigotry, divisiness, and darkness have to go.

Let’s bring healing and joy to America. Let’s get Harris elected for president.

In her 2024 DNC speech, Kamala Harris spoke on freedom:

In this election, many other fundamental freedoms are at stake. The freedom to live safe from gun violence—in our schools, communities, and places of worship. The freedom to love who you love openly and with pride. The freedom to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live free from the pollution that fuels the climate crisis. And the freedom that unlocks all the others. The freedom to vote.

She urged us to fight for it:

America, let us show each other—and the world—who we are. And what we stand for. Freedom. Opportunity. Compassion. Dignity. Fairness. And endless possibilities. We are the heirs to the greatest democracy in the history of the world. And on behalf of our children and grandchildren, and all those who sacrificed so dearly for our freedom and liberty, we must be worthy of this moment. It is now our turn to do what generations before us have done. Guided by optimism and faith, to fight for this country we love. To fight for the ideals we cherish. And to uphold the awesome responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege on Earth. The privilege and pride of being an American. So, let’s get out there and let’s fight for it.

I am on board with Harris and Walz.