I attended the indoor training for new instructors this morning. It was quite a large group. There were more ski than snowboard instructors; therefore, I went with snowboard.

We introduced ourselves. Most skiers had 15 to 30 years of experience. I had four. Most snowboarders had 8 to 12 years of experience. I had two. I will probably be one of the oldest snowboard instructors.

After the brief introductions, we split up into two camps. I went with the snowboard camp. We did some activities together, including teaching a subject drawn from a helmet. I got “Red light, green light.” I zipped through it. In retrospect, I should have asked for participants to play the game.

Then we went to the outside learning center and two instructors walked us through the very beginner lesson. It didn’t look too bad.

Everyone on the snow school team were friendly and cool. I am looking forward to the season.

This morning I took our Toyota Sienna 2018 SE over to anh Hùng to replace the brake pads and rotors. I text him two days ago and he recommended that I buy the parts from Toyota. I preferred Toyota’s genuine parts over aftermarket anyway. I called our closest dealer get a quote on brake pads and rotors for four wheels. He gave me a price that was over $900. My wife ordered everything online and I came to the dealer to pick up and everything cost $400. That was crazy.

In any rate, the technician took a look at our car and told me that I only needed to change the rear pads and rotors. He took 40 minutes to replace and charged me $70. I was surprised. He did an excellent job. I am definitely coming back to him to do more services. He lives only 15 minutes away from me. He is honest and he doesn’t charge an arm and leg. He only takes on jobs that he could do. It’s hard to find people like him nowadays.

Here’s the breakdown:

• 2 Rear Rotors: $150
• 4 Rear Brake Discs: $50
• Labor: $70

Total: $270

Note: Toyota Sienna 2018 SE at 80,000 miles

A couple of days ago, I scrolled through screenshots of websites I had designed more than a decade ago. Many of these sites are now defunct. Nevertheless, I want to keep an archive of my past work on my portfolio.

I wish I had kept my early projects back in 2000. I graduated from La Salle University in 2001. That means I have been creating websites for at least 23 years.

There were times I wanted to do something else, but I have no other talent. The only thing I am decent at is web design. It pays the bill and helps me raise my family. I am grateful for that.

I don’t know what the future will hold. I hope I can continue to survive until my retirement.

It’s official. I am joining Vail Resorts as a ski and snowboard instructor at Whitetail. My first day will start as soon as we get some snow. My job depends on you, Mother Nature.

When I first started to ski, I learned my first lesson at Whitetail. Now I am part of the team. I would like to teach skiing and snowboarding because I love both sports. Skiing is easier to get started. I taught a few kids to ski and they could get on the lift themselves and ski down the green slopes at the learning center.

Snowboarding is more challenging to get started. I struggled quite a bit and I had to figure out how to get over the learning curve. I only snowboarded for two seasons. All the learning techniques are still fresh in my mind. If I have to pick one sport to teach, I would go with snowboarding.

It’s going to be an exciting winter!

I picked up this book at a public library book sale. I didn’t care about a listicle book, but the author is Pamela Paul. I used to listen to her podcast, read a few of her books, and enjoyed her writing. This book, in particular, didn’t do it for me. I liked some of the things she wrote including “Boredom,” “The Period,” and “Looking Out The Window.” For many, I just needed to read titles such as “The Phone in the Kitchen,” “The Rolodex,” and obviously “Old Tech.” With 100 things, they either hit or miss. I love the typesetting though. Scala, designed by Martin Majoor, is such a readable typeface.

As of today, I have created 500+ connections on LinkedIn. I am not sure if anything will change. I hadn’t had any job offer on LinkedIn. I hadn’t found any meaningful connection. I use LinkedIn primarily to promote my work. Even that doesn’t bring much visibility. Nevertheless, it doesn’t hurt to use the platform for that. At least it is an additional space for me to share my new projects. I still use this blog to share my latest works.

I had to read William Golding’s Lord of the Flies for an English class in eighth grade. I didn’t understand a darn thing.

At the time, I got pulled out of the regular English class to join a diverse group made of a Caucasian boy, a Spanish girl, and me, a Vietnamese kid. Our teacher was from Ireland. We took turns reading the book and I loved our teacher’s accent.

In the past few weeks, Đạo had to read it for his English class and he recommended it to me. I read it again more than 30 years later. This time I understood the book much better. When there were no rules and orders even kids became savages. It is such a dark fiction for young adults.

I enjoyed Golding’s writing. While I was reading it to escape the current events, I couldn’t help wondering about the future of our country. The majority of America had made the decision to take us back. It is just a matter of how far back we will go.

Đạo had been asking my wife and I for a new laptop. His first laptop, which was purchased two years ago, was getting too slow to render his 3D models. He has been creating digital arts for a while and he has been posting his work on Instagram. I have no problem supporting his artistic passion, but I am concerned about his digital usage.

I hesitated to buy him a new laptop because I just didn’t want him to glue to his screen. At the same time, I wanted him to have a creative outlet. Any form of art is good. I studied digital art in college, but I was not good at drawing. I was better at designing. Even though I am no longer nagging him about his grades, I would like him to care about his education. Furthermore, I wanted him to be a role model for his younger siblings.

I asked him to write to tell me why he needed a new laptop and he gave me legitimate reasons. I also asked him to write to tell me why he deserves a new laptop. Once again, he delivered.

Yesterday, I took him to Micro Center to buy the laptop he had been researching. He did his homework and picked out a good deal. He was excited about the new laptop. It’s his early Christmas present. I do hope that he keeps his words on grades, priorities, and brothers.

I met with Xuân’s teachers last Thursday. His English teacher informed me that he has been struggling with language arts. Part of his struggle has been my fault. I hadn’t read Let’s Read with him for a few months. He hadn’t practiced writing much. Somehow our routine had messed up. I took him to the skatepark more than spent time reading and writing.

After Vương busted his chin, Xuân had been reluctant to scooter. He still scootered, but not as much anymore. My foot had been hurt as well due to gout; therefore, I hadn’t rollerbladed much neither. It was time to refocus on the kids’ education.

After my meeting with Xuân’s teachers and his first report was not looking so good, I asked him to study with me. Xuân still does what I ask him to do. I encouraged him to pick up blogging again and he has been doing it. He could write whatever he liked. I am glad to see that he is getting back to it. His recent posts are so cute. I hope he will continued.

In June, I helped brought badòngthơ (tercets) by Physician-Poet Cao Nguyên online. At the time, the site only featured 15 selected poems. Today, the entire book, which features 119 poems, is available on the website.

When Cao Nguyên decided to publish all 119 poems, I made some changes. I added the alphabet listing as a way to navigate between the poems. I also added the poem numbers for permanent links. Readers can now share a particular poem they like.

If you can read Vietnamese or want to learn Vietnamese, you will enjoy the delightful poems in badòngthơ. Many thanks to the author for making this book available on the web. If you want to support his work, you can still purchase a print copy.