Last week Đạo, Đán, and I got rid of two coaches. Yesterday, we brought up an office table in the basement and got rid of a shelf.

We need to get rid of more things to make space in the basement for a ping pong table. It is unbelievable how much crap we accumulated over the years.

If it is up to me, I can get rid of a lot of stuff or let them find a new home to take up space. I have seen how suffocating it is to live in a place filled up with things. It isn’t healthy at all.

I read this cookbook cover to cover and bookmarked many recipes so I could refer back to them later on when I cook up new websites. With his clear writing and knowledgeable technical skills, Matuzović provides the solid foundation (HTML & CSS) to ensure that accessibility is baked in. If you want to learn web accessibility, this book obviously for you. What not so obvious is how well it teaches HTML and CSS. I definitely recommend it for designers and front-end developers.

After reading my letters to my sons, Dr. Joy wrote:

I felt encouraged and inspired reading it then. Your transformation into a loving dad from a rebellious teen when I met you years ago lol is simply amazing. Your family is blessed because of the good choices you make while acknowledging you’re only human who works hard in doing your best to be a loving and present dad AND a husband. Yes, your guidance and presence in your children’s lives matter the most. Way to invest your time and energy with your family. Best regards to your loving wife as well. You never cease to amaze me. I hope to see you sometime.

Thank you, Dr. Joy!

Devigners commented on my collection of web-based books:

Fascinating journey through the art of web-based books! It’s inspiring to see blended traditional storytelling with modern design, making literature accessible and preserving it digitally. This work beautifully showcases the power of responsive design and web fonts in creating immersive reading experiences across devices. Keep up the amazing work in bringing stories to life online!

Thank you! Thank you!

Last night, we gathered together for our second family reunion. It was just one short and sweet evening with over 40 members across three generations and two dogs.

From Texas to Louisiana to Virginia, we came together to share food, laughter, and love. Last year, we told stories about our elder generation. This year, we focused on our future generation. My cousin who organized the reunion interviewed our kids from two to 46 years old. Yes, I have a niece who is my age.

I enjoyed the interview. My cousin asked good questions; therefore, I learned more about the future generation. They are diverse and open minded. As our generation is getting older, we are glad to see the next generation is thriving and bonding. Vương busted an incredible move.

Big shout out to my cousins who organized the event and made all of the delicious dishes. Thanks to my sister for booking the venue. In addition, congratulations to my nephew Sam for finishing high school and joining the Air Force. It was a memorable evening. Can’t wait for the theme for next year.

When President Biden dropped out and endorsed Kamala Harris, I was deeply concerned. I had no doubt about Harris’s credibility and electability. I had doubts about America. Is America ready for a president who is a woman and a minority? I still don’t know the answer.

At this point, there’s no turning back. I need to turn my pessimism to optimism. Even without knowing who she will pick for her running mate, I am all in for Harris. Her opponent is too dangerous for America. He will kill democracy. Four more years under his authoritarian power, we won’t be able to recognize this country.

If you love America, I urge you to join me to vote for Harris. If you are Republican or independent and you are still on the fence, please consider saving our democracy and vote for Harris.

We just came back from my wife’s week-long family reunion in Friendsville, Maryland. I am still feeling exhausted. I got wasted last night from taking tequila shots with our cousins. I was having way too much fun. I need to stay off the liquor for a while.

In the beginning of the week, I didn’t have anyone to drink with, which was good for my gout control. I spent time with the young kids between the pool and the hot tub. I also spent a chunk of time playing ping pong with Đán. His sudden interest in ping pong brought us closer together. In retrospect, I started to get into ping pong when I was around his age now living in the refugee camp in the Philippines.

This year, we got to meet baby Long, our youngest member of the family, for the first time. He’s a cute seven-month-old baby. Other than that, we did our usual reunion activities. We ate, talked, laughed, played games, and took loads of photos. Even though I only got to see many of the family members once a year, we bonded over the years.

The most important thing was that we bonded. No matter what goes on and no matter what happens, we always support each other. That’s what I love about my wife’s family and I am very fortunate to be part of it. I hope we will continue to get together for many years to come.

As someone whose English is a second language, I read many books on grammar rules. Most often, the expert advice was to avoid using ain’t, double negative, hopefully, and so on. Only Anne Curzan flips the script and gives us the license to use these words when appropriate. A fascinating read for someone who is fascinated with the English language.

After almost two months, my gout had finally gone. I haven’t touched beef. I also cut down alcohol tremendously. I went back on Aleve last Monday and my big toe was no longer feeling the pain by Wednesday. Aleve worked for me, but I didn’t want to abuse it. I only took it when I absolutely needed to.

I went back to the skatepark yesterday with Xuân for the first time in two months. He had been busy swimming and I had to deal with my gout. Our skills were a bit rusty, but we were getting them back. He was a bit hesitant, but we both dropped from an 8-foot ramp.

With my gout and extremely hot weather in the last couple of weeks, I have been doing my own snowboard training in my basement. I have been working on my posi-posi stance and turns. Lexi Bullis’s carving tip is what I am trying to accomplish in the next season.

The Darkest White, by Eric Blenheim, is a biography of Craig Kelly who was a legend in the snowboarding world. In part one of the book, Blenheim takes us back to the birth of snowboarding and how Kelly got into the sport. It’s a fascinating read. Blenheim writes about the punk rock of snowboarding:

Unlike football, baseball, basketball, or, more to the point, skiing, snowboarding had no coaches, no schools, and no rules. There was zero attachment to establishment or the past, and it was something teens could do without some older authoritarian telling them how to do it better. Even the elders in the sport were thirty—tops—and they were figuring it out right alongside the youngsters. The only thing they knew for certain was that it was radical.

Part two, in which Blenheim gives details about Kelly’s mission to become an ACMG guide, is a bit of a drag. Part three is where the actions are. Now that I am into snowboarding, this book is an intriguing read for me.