As Đạo and Đán were becoming teenagers, they were talking about getting part time jobs at fast-food places or shopping centers to make money. I encouraged them to become ski and snowboard instructors, but they refused. They seemed to be lacking confidence in themselves.

Last summer, they spent most of their time glued to their screens. I decided to give them a job. I experimented with selling used skis as a side business. I acquired used skis that were still in good condition. They were just neglected or abused. I cleaned them, tuned them up, and gave them a good wax. I also tested the bindings, tightened the screws, and checked all the DIN settings to make sure they still worked properly. A pair of skis could take me an hour or two to complete. I enlisted Đạo and Đán for help. Đạo did one pair and didn’t do it again. Đán didn’t even want to touch anything.

Why did I do all the tunings instead of just selling them as they were? When people bought used skis off Facebook Marketplace, the products were abandoned and weren’t being cared for properly. When I bought my first pair of skis for $40, they weren’t tuned up either. I had to spend $65 to get them tuned. I ended up paying a whole lot more for a bargain. Then again they took me from the bunny to the double black diamond slopes. If people could afford a set of brand new skis, they should. If they couldn’t or just wanted to try out, used skis are a good alternative.

Even though I used Facebook Marketplace to sell used skis, I wanted to differentiate my business. Any pair of skis I sold were ready to go on the terrains. Buyers will get a good experience on the slopes without realizing that I had put work into those skis. All of the boots that I sold were cleaned and sanitized from inside to outside.

My prices ranged from $80 to $150 for a pair of skis depending on the quality. As of today, I sold out everything I listed last summer. I had about 30 pairs of skis, 2 snowboards, and about 6 pairs of boots. If Ðạo and Đán were doing it, they could have pocketed at least $1,500 each. More importantly, they could have learned the entire business process. They had to go out to buy the equipment. They had to learn the technical skills of servicing them. They had to learn the essence of marketing, which included filming videos, taking photos, and writing about each product.

Ðạo helped me with filming videos and taking photos. I wished he and his brother were more involved, but their digital devices took up their time. I used the money I earned to buy a used upright piano so they can practice. As of today, it has been sitting in our living room collecting dust. How do they improve if they don’t practice? I was expecting it, but I bought it anyway just so I didn’t have to hear them make excuses.

“It took your momma nine months to make it / But it only took an ICE agent thirty seconds to take it.”

I changed the second bar a bit, but if you recognize the lyrics, you know the reference. I can’t remember the exact date, but the first time I heard “Wheelz of Steel” I was hooked on the steel-scratching production. It was one of the wildest, coolest hip-hop beats I heard at the time.

In the late 90s, I was introduced to ATliens by Anh Thanh, my buddy’s older brother. Even though I was friends with Tùng, Anh Thanh and I bonded over music. Anh Thanh was working at the time; therefore, he could afford to buy Vietnamese and hip-hop CDs. He was very generous. He always loaned me his latest acquisitions. When he handed me ATliens, I didn’t even know about OutKast. From the album cover alone, ATliens was out of this world.

Right from the intro of “Two Dope Boyz (In a Cadillac)” is a greeting from an alien. The beat was pumping and the flows were just eccentric. I must admit. I did not understand what Big Boi and André 3000 were saying. Nevertheless, I loved the hook on “Elevators (Me & U)”: “Me and you / Your momma and your cousin, too / Rolling down the strip on Vogues / Coming up, slamming Cadillac doors.”

Many years later when my English improved I realized that both Big Boi and André 3000 were lyricists. For example, I am just going to quote the entire second verse off “Babylon,” in which André 3000 waxes his storytelling:

I’m fascinated by the way your nipples peek at me through your blouse
Freaky me, freaky you, can’t help but be aroused
’Scuse me, Lord, lustful thinkin’, but that was the way we was brought up
Sneakin’ to watch ‘Playboy’ at night
We all must be caught up in worldly ways
Chemistry between boys and girls
Is a lot, like when we went to the woods and laid with the squirrels
During P.E., we’d be–explorin’ each others privates
Hunchin’ with all our clothes on until we felt excited, then… (Ah)
Oh, now it’s on from here on out
Put yo’ hands in the atmosphere, if you know what I’m talkin’ about
Now if too harsh then walk on out and I’ll see you on the next song
They call it horny because it’s devilish, now, see, we dead wrong.

I was blasting “ATliens” on my way to work. It brought back so many memories. I just couldn’t believe the album was released 30 years ago. Time is just fucking flying by. I hope Anh Thanh is doing well!

Last week, I took Xuân and Vương to Liberty after work and school for an evening of skiing and snowboarding. We went straight to the back side. Vương only skied the blues. Xuân and I would take turns accompanying Vương on the blues or riding the double blacks solo. It worked out well. We always regrouped at the back lift (Strata Quad).

Around 6 pm, I skied down the double-black Upper Ultra and regrouped with Xuân and Vương at the top of the blue Lower Ultra. A teenager skied by and fell. One of his skis popped off. I told Xuân to go help him out. He snowboarded down and grabbed the pop-off ski. As Xuân was standing on his snowboard, another teenager jumped in from the side of the terrain and hit Xuân on his back near his hip. I was horrified. I told the kid, “Dude, you gotta watch where you’re going.” He came over and apologized, “I am sorry, I did not see him.” He asked Xuân, “Are you OK?” Xuân nodded his head. I checked with Xuân again to make sure he was OK. I told the kid, “Take it easy, especially at the blind spots.”

I could not read Xuân. I didn’t know if he didn’t get hurt or if he tried to cover up his pain. I took my boys back to the lodge so I could see if he had a bruise. It was just a bit red. I put ice on the impact area. I didn’t want to go back out to the slopes. We went to a crab house for dinner instead.

I felt horrible about the incident. I wanted to teach Xuân about helping out others and I put him in a dangerous spot. Nowadays, whether I was skiing or snowboarding, I had to look back to the mountain to make sure I was not in anyone’s way. This season, I got hit from the back several times by both skiers and snowboarders. Luckily, I had not been in any serious injuries. Nevertheless, the more I am on the slopes the more chances of me getting hit.

This morning, I taught two sisters: an eleven- and twelve-year-old. Their mother informed me that they learned snowboarding two weeks ago and would like to take their skills further. Even though they had a lesson before, I went over the safety of falling (folding their arms against their chest). I reviewed skating on one foot, which they did well. I took them on the chairlift. We unloaded safely without falling.

I reviewed sliding on their toe and heel edges. They did well. Half way down the bunny slope, I explained the torsional twist and demonstrated the J turns. The twelve-year-old did OK. The eleven-year-old struggled a bit. She fell a couple of times. When the board was moving fast, she leaned back. The board took off. She fell and hit her palm on ice. We were 40 minutes into the lesson and she was hurt. I took her into the clinic. Her sister accompanied her instead of continuing the lesson. We notified their mother.

When their mother arrived, the twelve-year-old wanted to continue her lesson. Her mom tagged along. We took the chairlift up together. I once again reminded her the importance of folding her arms to her chest when she had to fall. Once again, we worked on her J turns. I demonstrated the importance of putting the pressure on the front foot and initiating the turns. She made her toe turn, but she let go of the pressure. The board caught an edge on the flat ground. She fell backward and her body was on her arm. I asked her if she was OK. She said no and started to cry to her mom. Her mom tried to comfort her and tried to take off her glove, but she was in pain. She might have broken her wrist. I called the ski patrol to help take her down to the clinic.

Since we were in the dedicated learning area, which was pretty flat, I did not put them at risk. Nevertheless, they were still my responsibility. I apologized to their mom, but she insisted it was not my fault. I followed them into the clinic to file the reports. My supervisor told me, “Things happened. Don’t beat yourself up.” I told the girls I was sorry and they both said, “No, it was not your fault.” Another family member said to me, “These do not reflect you in any way.”

I had taught countless snowboarding lessons and these were the first double injuries. I felt really bad. I have to rethink safety issues when teaching snowboarding. I will re-emphasize and repeat the importance of folding arms to the chest. When I learned to snowboard, I injured my thumb. When I stepped on the moving belt, I lost my balance and landed my hand into the belt assembly. At that moment, I thought I might have lost some fingers. Luckily, I only jammed my thumb. It took six months for the pain to go away. When I skated on one foot, the board went too fast. I didn’t know how to stop; therefore, I made myself fall to stop. The board slid on and I almost twisted my ankle. Fortunately, my foot was just in a weird position.

Is the risk of injury for learning to snowboard worth it? I thought so prior to these incidents. Now, I am not so sure!

The kids are off school this week because of the snow storm and student holidays. Then we had a few changes in plans. At the last minute, I decided to take my boys to Seven Springs. My wife had work to do.

I booked a hotel room at Seven Springs right by the main lift for a good deal through my work discount—one of the perks as a Vail employee. After I wrapped my work on Wednesday at 4:00 pm, we headed to Seven Springs. As we were about an hour away from our destination, the road was pitch black. The temperature dropped to zero Fahrenheit. Even though the roads were plowed, it was still a pretty scary drive. I need to remind myself not to drive to Seven Springs at night again.

Thursday morning, the temperature was still freezing, but the conditions were great. We divided up. Đạo went solo. Đán went with Xuân. I went with Vương. The big kids went to the north side for the black terrains. Vương and I ventured on the greens and blues. I tested Vương, “Do you want to go to the blacks?” He responded, “No, mommy’s going to yell at you.” He went on and asked, “Do you want to hear a woman yelling at you?” I smiled and replied, “No, I do not.” I liked his honesty.

At 11:00 am, Vương said he was cold and wanted to go in. Đạo was also cold so I let him keep an eye on Vương at the lodge. I went solo on the back side getting my snowboard carving on. At noon, I joined my boys for lunch. They had orange chicken and General Tso’s chicken. I had three boiled eggs my wife prepared and some Alizé.

I took Xuân and Vương to the south side. Xuân went on the black and double-black terrains and I went with Vương on the long green. Then Xuân and I switched. At around 3 pm, the temperature dropped. Vương and Xuân wanted to go back into the hotel room. I gave them some hot coco while I had a few shots of whiskey. Đán went back to the hotel. I told him to look after his younger brothers. I went back to the north side. With the whiskey kicked in, I let my feet do the work. Separating your head from your feet can make you somewhat fearless. At 5:00 pm, I was exhausted. It was time to call it a day.

I took a shower and took the kids to get some pizza. At around 7:00 pm, Đạo decided to go back out. Xuân also wanted to tag along, but Đạo didn’t want to take him. Well, if Đạo was not going to take Xuân then I would. Xuân switched to snowboarding and I switched to skiing. It was freezing and amazing at the same time skiing and riding at night. Like father like son, Xuân is now versatile on both skiing and snowboarding. We went back in around 8:40 pm.

I am so glad that I made this trip to bond with my boys. Getting Đán away from home and his PC was worthwhile. We’ll check out of the hotel tomorrow, but we’ll ski and snowboard until noon. I need to get some rest before heading back to Whitetail for my weekend job.

Việt Thanh Nguyễn has been condemned as ill-educated for his anti-ICE protest sign: “Đụ Má. Đụ Đá.” I am not going to defend his use of Vietnamese, but his writing in English is insightful and powerful. Being stuck in the snowstorm, I hunkered down to finish reading To Save and to Destroy. In six essays for the Norton Lectures, Việt Thanh Nguyễn delves into his own self-exploitation and self-exploration, in which he claims, “Both are crucial to the act of writing, which I think always involves a confrontation with one’s self, even if one writes about others.”

In his essays, he explores the nuances of the term “Asian American” in a profound way that I hadn’t thought of before. I thought about the following passage quite a bit as he rightly points out:

Here as elsewhere, we foreground our success stories, which are inextricable from our sob stories. We are valedictorians, salutatorians, celebrities, influencers, actors, chefs, politicians, writers. We are your doctors, radiologists, internists, optometrists, dentists, pharmacists, nurses. We take your blood pressure, give you injections, empty your bedpans. We look into each and every part of you. We tutor you in math and play your classical music. We kneel at your feet to do your pedicures. We dry-clean your clothes. We introduced you to acupuncture and yoga and martial arts, but we have been so successful in these endeavors that we probably no longer teach you yoga or martial arts, since you like to teach them yourselves. We gave you an incredible array of spices, flavors, and dishes without which your lives, diets, and palates would be much blander. We design your microchips and program your code. We become the objects of your fantasies and desires. We smile and reassure you. We serve as your excuses to end affirmative action. We are your friendly competition. Until we are too much competition.

Now that is quite an assessment of Asian Americans and I am glad that he’s writing as the voices of others: “Among my kind is the Vietnamese, the Asian, the minoritized, the racialized, the colonized, the hybrid, the hyphenated, the refugee, the displaced, the artist, the writer, the smart ass, the bastard, the sympathizer, and the committed.”

In addition to being a writer, Việt Thanh Nguyễn is a prolific reader. He reveals:

…I set out to educate myself in my adolescence by reading Austen, Dickens, Thackeray, Dumas, Twain, Hardy, the Brontës, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Steinbeck, among many others who needed no first names. Reading everything from the minor to the major entertained and enlightened me, not just illuminating my mind but rendering me weightless, making me easy to transport, as if fired by a rocket, into distant worlds.

Those who called Việt Thanh Nguyễn “mất dạy” should read this book. I am glad that he speaks his mind for himself or others since he has the platform as a writer in the world of literature.

I just gave my professional site a typographic update for 2026.

For a while, I had been wanting to use the NaN Holo family, designed by Luke Prowse, Jean-Baptiste Morizot, and Fátima Lázaro, but I couldn’t find the right fit. I particularly love NaN Holo Mono, but it is a challenge to set as body text. As I was making some minor updates on my own site, donnytruong.com, I decided to just go for it.

Monospaced typefaces were designed for coding, but I wanted to try them for body copy and my site was the perfect place to experiment. After messing around with NaN Holo Mono, I started to like the way it reads as paragraph text.

For large headings, however, the black mono weight took up way too much space; therefore, I went with the compressed black weight and it swells.

The NaN Holo family doesn’t come with italics. I use small caps for emphasis instead. In addition, I had always wanted to style my links with underlined small caps so I went ahead and implemented it.

On the homepage, I removed my photo. It is definitely personable to have a photo on a professional site, but I don’t have any good ones of myself.

I hope you enjoy the new change. Check out donnytruong.com.

I am a skiaholic. Damn right, I just coined a new word and I am not ashamed to admit that I am a skiaholic. This season, I already spent 27 days skiing, snowboarding, and teaching. I think about that white powder all the time. I don’t want to hit it. I just want to shred it.

As a skiaholic, I always try to get my fix. Waiting for the weekends to come is getting way too long. I need to get on the slopes more often. Liberty resort is closest to my house and its hours of operation are the longest. On Monday to Wednesday, Liberty opens until 8:00 pm. On Thursday, it opens until 9:00 pm. I have been tempted to hit the slopes after work even just for a few hours, but I also have responsibilities and obligations at home.

I didn’t mind skiing or snowboarding alone, but I would feel guilty without my family. Unfortunately, my wife isn’t into skiing. Fortunately, three out of my four boys still enjoy skiing and snowboarding. Spending time with them on the slopes had been my most-treasured moments.

Being a skiaholic is a good thing. It is definitely better than being an alcoholic. In fact, I have been giving up drinking to prevent getting gout. If I got a flare up, I would be out of commission for two to three weeks. I couldn’t take that risk.

Being a skiaholic is good for my physical health. I am out in the cold moving for hours. My body is getting used to the cold. I don’t get sick. I feel stronger. Being a skiaholic is also great for my mental health. Because I am so focused on skiing and snowboarding, I don’t pay attention to all the negativities around me.

Before ski season began, I was miserable. I was carrying loads of personal issues. I couldn’t control my own emotions. My wife sat me down and told me that I needed therapy. I agreed. I was a mess and I would seek out a therapist. On second thought, why would I pay a stranger to hear me vent about my personal issues? I could do that on my blog for free. I also knew that once ski season started, I would be just fine.

Taking on the seasonal job as a Ski & Ride instructor allows me to be more social. I talk to many guests. I interact with a group of passionate ski and snowboard instructors. Even when I was not working, I was skiing, snowboarding, and talking to strangers on the chairlift. All I had to ask was, “How is your day?” Then we would kick off a 5-minute conversation or not. Some people don’t like to talk and I respect that.

Being a skiaholic definitely improves my quality of life. And the best part of being a skiaholic is almost free. There’s nothing to whine or complain about being a skiaholic. I am going to say it proud and loud: “I am a fucking skiaholic.”

Nguyễn Ngọc Tư is a littérateur of short stories who has a distinctive style of capturing the language of Southern Vietnamese, particularly in the Mekong Delta. Her stories are often heavy on social issues and injustices. After reading her collection of short stories in Đong tấm lòng, I decided to pull a few of my personal favorites to create a Vietnamese typographic sample. The main text is set in Hahmlet, designed by Minjoo Ham and Mark Frömberg. For the title cover, I chose Smooch, designed by Robert Leuschke. Special thanks to Nhựt Trường for requesting me to create a sample page for Nguyễn Ngọc Tư and for recommending me to read Đong tấm lòng. Check out “Giữa người với người”.

After stepping aside for 5 weeks, I was back in my warm and cozy office at Scalia Law School as Director of Design & Web Services. I needed some catching up to do, but my colleagues had done an exceptional job of holding down the fort while I was away on snowy mountains skiing, snowboarding, or teaching. While my office job works my brain, my outdoor job works my body.

I spent my evenings driving my kids to their activities or tuning up skis and snowboards for customers. Then I spent some late nights working on freelance web design and development. If I had no client work, I would work on my self-initiated projects. I worked with my wife on HaH! Chili. She made our product. I made all of our marketing materials from our website to the bottle label to social media promotions.

I advised type designers on Vietnamese diacritics. When I didn’t have any gigs, I churned out Vietnamese typographic samples. I keep myself busy. I consider myself a hustler, but my wife thinks I have ADHD. I brushed her off at first, but I had been thinking about what she said. She might be right. I couldn’t shut down my brain to sleep until I exhausted my body and mind.

I haven’t been able to stay still. My state of mind has always been in constant elevation. In retrospect, it all started with my professional career working in the web industry. Being a web designer and developer, I have to constantly come up with new designs and keep up with the latest technologies. Then it spread over to my personal developments. I read to improve my knowledge. I blog to improve my writing. I ski, snowboard, and skate to improve my physical and mental health. I always feel the need to improve myself with whatever I am involved in. I don’t need to make tremendous improvements overnight. I practice my techniques and hone my skills one day at a time. As long as I am better today than yesterday, I am improving. I play the long-term game.

Maybe I am overdoing it, but I don’t think that’s ADHD. I think of it as a self investment.