2Advanced Studios was rebooted about seven months ago. The site is the same, but the platform has changed. They replaced Flash with Rive and React JS. The interaction is slick, but accessibility is still an issue. The all-cap typesetting is still horrendous. I am not excited about the return of the bygone era.

I joined George Mason University in October 2011. I designed, developed, and maintained the law school website from 2011 to present. Take a look at the evolution of the law school homepage from Mason Law to Scalia Law from 2012 to 2024.

The temperature is dropping. It’s time to store away our rollerblades and scooters and bring out our skis and snowboards.

This Friday will be my last day at the law school for 2024, but then my other job will start on December 20 if Whitetail can manage to open. I can’t wait that long to hit the terrains; therefore, I will be driving 10 hours to Stowe this Saturday. Since the kids still have school, I will spend time alone to relax and de-stress.

My wife and I hadn’t planned our “me time” trip, but it just fell into place. I always encouraged her to take some time for herself to recharge. I am sure the kids and I drive her to the wall everyday. I was glad that she traveled to Paris a few months ago with her aunt, cousins, and sister. It would be nice to go on a ski trip with the fellows, but none of my friends would be interested in the winter sports.

Then again, I am completely comfortable traveling alone. I would spend all day on the mountains anyway. After a long day of skiing and snowboarding, I would find a nice place to eat and check out the area or see a movie in a theater. Of course, I can just kick back reading a book or writing a blog post.

As for spending time on the mountains, I am looking forward to applying the carving techniques I have been learning all summer. Using my rollerblades, I emulated ski carving with proper stance and driving with my outside foot. I practiced my snowboard stance on my actual snowboard. I hope these off-the-snow techniques will transfer on the snow.

Carving is my only goal for personal development this season. I am looking forward to helping others learn snowboarding. I can’t wait to spend time with my family on the mountains this winter.

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font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures contextual;
font-feature-settings: "kern", "liga", "clig", "calt","lnum";
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h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 {
overflow-wrap: break-word;
text-wrap: balance;
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p {
overflow-wrap: break-word;
text-wrap: pretty;
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pre {overflow-y: hidden; }

audio, canvas, embed, iframe, img, object, svg, video {
display: block; width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;
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img {height: auto; }

ul, ol, dd, summary { margin: 0; padding: 0; }

nav ul, nav ol, aside ul { list-style: none; list-style-image: none; }

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In the past few months, I volunteered to design a brand new site for Liên Đoàn Hùng Vương 612. Check out the new site or read about the case study on my portfolio site.

Not sure when was the last time I replaced the windshield wipers for both minivans, but I bought them from Costco. They were Michelin brand, which weren’t so good. I don’t recommend them. I replaced them with Toyota genuine parts this time.

• Toyota Sienna 2018 SE at 80,000 miles. The full assembly cost $34 (with 25% discount) for both.
• Toyota Sienna 2011 XLE at 195,000 miles. The full assembly cost $34 (with 25% discount) for both.

While replacing the wipers, I put a towel on the windshield to prevent the medal J-hook from cracking the glass. I learned this tip from watching George Fotinakes’s video.

Went back to the anh Hùng this morning to replace pads and rotors. Once again, he only replaced the two rears:

2 Rear Rotors: $112 (25% discount)
4 Rear Brake Discs: $40 (25% discount)
Labor: $70
Total: $222

Note: Toyota Sienna 2011 XLE at 195,000 miles

Dear Ðán,

You turn 13 today. Happy birthday. You are growing older and wiser. I hope you will make good choices. Out of my four boys, I worry about you the most. I must admit. I screwed up.

I screwed up my responsibility as a father. I am failing to prevent you from sinking into the digital ocean. Every single day, my heart drops seeing you glued to your chair playing video games.

For someone with so much potential, you dropped everything except spending time on your PC. I don’t want to see you this way and it is all my fault. I was too soft and too weak. I caved in.

I am hurt that you don’t want to spend time with me and told me to leave you alone. I am heartbroken that you said you don’t need me anymore, except when you need help with your English homework.

Of course I jumped at the opportunity to help you with anything. I am glad that you reached out to me when you needed me. I am so relieved that you are staying on top of your school work. I am proud of your grades. Your hard work paid off.

Education is important, but so are family, friends, and self-care. Sitting in front of your PC every chance you get is not healthy, mentally and physically. Not knowing when to walk away is an addiction. Not knowing your limitations is an addiction. Getting angry when being asked repeatedly to get off is an addiction.

It is so hard for me to write this letter. I want you to be happy. I want to stay out of your way, as you have wished, but I can’t turn the other way when I see you become less active and less interactive.

I am lost for words and for directions. I don’t know what to say and what to do. I hope that you will turn out OK. I hope that I am just worrying too much about you. Deep down, I love you from the bottom of my heart whether you know it or not. I am here when you need me.

No matter what goes on. No matter what happens. You will always be my son and I always want what is best for you.

Love,
Dad

1. Connection: Introduction & check equipments (5 minutes)
2. Flat Ground Exercises: Demo “Homebase” position (athletic stance) (5 minutes)
3. Strap in Both Feet to Board: Revisit “Homebase” position with both feet strapped into board. (5 minutes)
4. Skate: Demonstrate skating both directions (10-15 minutes).
5. Magic Carpet: Explain loading/unloading carpet safety. Instructor’s last (30 minutes into lesson).
6. Sideslip: Demo toe edge and heel edge sideslip (10-15 minutes).
7. Falling Leaf: Demo toe edge and heel edge (15-20 minutes).
8. Chair Lift: Explain safety, safety bar, and how to load and unload (1 hour into lesson).
9. J-Turn: Demo J-Turn to left or right (25-30 minutes).
10. S-Turn: Demo Linking Turns (25-30 minutes).
11. Wrap Up: Thank guests for coming (5 minutes).

Administrator’s Name: Donny Truong
Position and Department: Web Designer, College Relations
Supervisor: Carolyn Guyer
Period covered by this review: April 2005 – April 2006

Areas for Discussion

to be completed by the supervisor

Job Knowledge

Like his colleagues in the web group, Donny necessarily keeps up with changes in web technology, learning and refining skills almost constantly. He not only seeks out research and study of both technical and graphic design technique, but also joins and adds to what others in the group share and discuss. As the most senior of our web designers, Donny exhibits a grasp of Vassar practices and expectations that comes from his almost four years of experience here.

Quality Of Work During This Time Period

As ever, Donny can always be relied on to work quickly. And, while his design skills have continually improved over time, this year, I observed a distinctly strong upturn in his ability to hit the mark right away. He himself attributes this to the change in his office location, which puts him in central proximity to the others. His receptiveness to more interaction with colleagues has definitely improved his overall abilities.

Communication

In my opinion, Donny is a born communicator. Moving to the U.S. from Vietnam when he was eleven radically altered his ability to communicate in his new environment. He spent his playground time in those early years trying to learn English. He learned quickly, and even prior to the time I’ve known him, he has been publishing an online blog, or journal, where he reviews music, books, film, and software, and keeps up conversations about life in general with others who read his writing. This past year, he became a rather high-profile figure among the population of the international Vietnamese diaspora, and others interested in Vietnamese culture, for his Flash pieces combining music with images of Vietnam. As a result of his public voice on his own website, he has corresponded with people from all parts of society in different countries. Donny is clearly not a person who needs perfect English to be a communicator, yet he sets as a goal for himself working to perfect it. He has my respect and admiration for that.

Innovation

As a web and graphic designer in College Relations, Donny is expected to respond to assignments with creative solutions. He not only does this, but when numerous versions become necessary, he does not lose patience and always remains flexible. Sometimes, when a refining process has slowed too much, he jettisons it and comes up with a completely new and fresh design that almost always hits the mark precisely, based on all the earlier iterations. This is a wonderful and valuable creative ability.

Working Relationships/Teamwork

Teamwork underlies everything we do in web development and Donny has always participated with great respect and generosity with his colleagues. He quietly listens and is often one of the last to speak in a group discussion, but he does not hesitate giving an opinion if he feels it will help. His willingness to aid others was particularly evident this year as he worked across somewhat undefined boundaries with the new web designer in Development. Donny, who redesigned the Development site last year, helped the new designer to transition into taking over responsibility for it. Ego issues must be put aside in this kind of situation and that never seemed to be a problem for Donny.

Summary of Overall Performance

After almost four years of working at Vassar, Donny clearly shows evidence of his accumulation of institutional knowledge. He remains a steady and reliable web expert, devoted to his work, and always trying to improve. His willingness to carry the extra load we’ve all felt this past year while we were shorthanded was exemplary for how he did not let it noticeably impact his legendary speed.