On Saturday evening, I joined the daddy table. We were having a good time eating steak and crawfish and drinking bourbon and whiskey until the topic of pickleball came up. While the arguments among the dads didn’t get out of hand, they showed the snobbiness and eliteness side of the sport. I still enjoy hanging out with my friends, but I stopped playing pickleball with them.

I started playing pickleball last summer with the dads. They invited me into it. I enjoyed playing pickleball because it made me sweat. I was an absolute beginner, but the game was not hard to play. My friends were better than me then, but they were still welcoming.

As the winter approached, I dropped pickleball completely and focused on skiing and snowboarding while my friends continued to play pickleball indoors. Once the winter was over, I went out to play again, but I noticed the shift in both their skills and attitudes. I was impressed by how much my friends had improved. They had upped their games. They also no longer wanted to play against me or to be my partner. When they played with me, they were bored out of their mind and they had to take it easy on me.

They wanted to play with players who were at their own level or higher. Even men and women played in separate courts. When there were women playing, I joined them because I just wanted to break some sweat and didn’t care about competing.

Then I started to hear the dads discussing about 3.75 and 4.0. I had no idea what they were talking about. Even though these guys are my friends, they started to exclude me from the games. They have become arrogant and snobby. They have become pickleball elitists.

During the heated debate on Saturday, one of the dads refused to participate in a fundraising pickleball tournament for our kids because he didn’t want to play with someone who he had never partnered with—even if that player were around his level. He wouldn’t want to step out of his comfort zone. Even for a fundraising event, they had to be competitive.

Pickleball has become a prick sport. It goes against the spirit of sportsmanship. They not only have no interest in helping others to improve, they also look down on them. I don’t want to be a part of a condescending sport.

I am so glad that skiing and snowboarding aren’t like that. When I first started skiing, I received encouragement from more advanced skiers. They helped me get back up and put on my skis when I fell. They gave me tips to improve my skills. The snowboarding community is also very bonding and sharing. We teach each other what we know. That’s the spirit of sportsmanship.

I am fine with not playing pickleball in the summer because I can still go to the skateparks to rollerblade and to pick up skateboarding. It is just a shame that pickleball has become an elitist sport even within my own Vietnamese community.

In Cơm nhà xứ Quảng (Home-cooked meals of the Quang region), Lưu Bình, born and raised in Quảng Nam, invites readers on a culinary journey to her hometown. Through her beautiful writing, she shares her childhood memories filled with joy, love, and mouth-watering dishes. Reading her essays gives me nostalgia for my own homeland. As a result, I decided to select 15 out of 86 pieces to create a Vietnamese typographic sample. The page is typeset in Lavishe, designed by Dương Trần, a Vietnamese type designer. Take a look at Cơm nhà xứ Quảng.

Yesterday evening, a friend invited us over his house for crawfish and steaks. An older acquaintance who is a bit of a bourbon snob brought over a bottle of Nashville Barrel Company 8 Years Old Single Barrel.

At 108.10 proof, NBC is strong, smooth, and complex. It is dark and layered with sweet notes including cocoa, brownie, vanilla, grape, and raisin. Unfortunately, it is a bit thick on the sweet side—even the aftertaste.

I enjoyed it, but I would have liked it more if it was less syrupy. It went well with steaks and our own HaH! Chili sauce.

Simplexpression, a handcrafted jewelry boutique founded by Dana Nguyễn, gets an updated visual identity. The new word mark is typeset in Buckridge, designed by David Jonathan Ross. Buckridge is a simple-yet-expressive sans-serif typeface, which makes it a perfect fit for Simplexpression. Take a look at the updated website, which is also available in dark mode.

Since the day had been windy, rainy, and a bit dreary, I asked my wife if we could have hotpot for dinner. The kids also loved hotpot; therefore, she complied. When the hotpot was served, I popped the bottle of Uncle Nearest Single Barrel. I bought it several months ago and had been wanted to give it a try.

At 122.1 proof, Uncle Nearest Single Barrel is strong, smooth, and a bit sweet. I definitely tasted the caramel. Even with its hot and spicy finish, Uncle Nearest is an excellent complement to the piping hot broth and Szechuan spicy.

I enjoyed sipping it with the delicious hotpot, but I am going to save it for the ski season.

In the last few days, Xuân had been coaching Vương on how to ride a bike. Yesterday, Vương came up to me and said, “Dad, I can ride a bike now.” Then he demonstrated.

I was surprised how quickly Vương learned how to bike. I was even more impressed with Xuân’s coaching skills. He not only showed Vương how to balance and paddle, but also ran along to make sure Vương didn’t fall. He was patient and caring. Vương is lucky to have an older brother like Xuân.

I wish Đạo and Đán are more caring and tentative to their younger brothers. Unfortunately, they always treated Xuân with disdain. No matter how many times I tried to reason with them, they always held grudges against Xuân. I rested my case. I gave up. They didn’t listen to me and they didn’t change their attitude and behavior.

Ðạo is seventeen years old now and he can be a role model for his younger brothers, but he chooses to loathe them instead. I never wanted to raise him that way, but that’s how he’s turning out. Nothing I can say to convince him of the importance of brotherhood. Maybe when he goes away for college, he would appreciate his family and change his perspective. Maybe he’s lacking maturity because we haven’t done our part to show him the real world outside of our home.

Ðán is fourteen years old now. Our relationship has been tumultuous for several years. His digital addiction has taken over his life. He succumbs to his PC and phone. He has no empathy for anyone around him, including me and his brothers. He treats Xuân, in particular, with contemptuousness. He is disrespectful even towards me. He seems to be insensitive to mask his sensitivity. He has told me many times that he doesn’t need me. I comply with his wishes. I am backing off. I can’t let him stress me out anymore.

I am going to focus my attention on Xuân and Vương. Xuân isn’t my favorite child out of all my children. He listens to me and he does what is expected of him. I have been working with him on his math and his English. He still wants to hangout with his old man. He wishes he can still go snowboarding with me. I am here for Xuân and Vương until they won’t need anymore. These days, my goal of being a father is to make myself useless. Once the kids won’t need me anymore, I will become a useless father.

The American Prospect removed “Mapping Corruption: The Interactive Exhibit.” Since I was hired to build the interactive piece of the project, I put it on my own site for posterity. One of the issues with the web is that it doesn’t last forever. I have come to accept the fact that once I am gone all my digital properties will be gone as well. For now, I just keep whatever I can.

My drinking buddy and I finished a bottle of the Hakushu 12 in one sitting. That was the first time I was introduced to this fine Japanese whisky.

At 86 proof, the Hakushu 12 is so damn smooth. What draws me into the Hakushu 12 is the combination of the slightly smokey texture and the green tea note—a singular element of the Japanese single malts.

I love it, but the price tag of damn-near $200 makes it only for special occasions. If any friend wants to treat me to a bottle of the Hakushu 12, I am always down. I also enjoyed sipping the Hakushu 12 while listening to Vietnamese intimate ballads at night.

sls.gmu.edu is a network of Scalia Law Sites powered by WordPress Multisite. As Director of Design & Web Services at Scalia Law School, I proposed, architected, designed, developed, and maintained this platform.

Read more about this project at: donnytruong.com/sls.

In just 153 pages, Melinda French Gates gives readers a glimpse into her personal life. She talks about her father, mother, her children, a close friend who died of cancer, and her divorce from Bill after almost 30 years. She didn’t give any detail of the divorce. She just revealed her decision to do so and the book is her transition to a new chapter. It’s a very short read. I didn’t know anything about her before reading this book. I knew just a little about her after reading it. Though I like this advice from her:

By releasing my grip on perfectionism and feeling the ease of letting go, I think I got a little bit closer to being the best version of a mother I can be.