Personal

190 posts

Thu 26 Nov
2009

Reasons to Be Thankful

11:59 PM
Remarks (10)

Mother and Daughter

Two among many. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Tue 25 Aug
2009

Brand New Baby

10:28 PM
Remarks (54)

Thuy Esme Holder Vinh

About a week ago, Laura and I packed some bags and took a taxi to St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The baby’s original due date had been 4 August, so when we checked into the hospital, we were already fifteen days late and Laura had agreed with her midwifery practice that it was time to induce labor. Roughly thirty hours later, Laura gave birth to our beautiful, gorgeous baby girl: Thuy Esme Holder-Vinh at 4:21a on Friday, 21 August. Find out more about her, and see more pictures, at www.thuy.me.

Tue 04 Aug
2009

The Situation

10:38 AM
Remarks (24)

This picture was taken on Sunday. Compare it to this picture from January.

According to conventional pregnancy calculations, our first baby’s due date is today, 4 August 2009.

Mon 15 Jun
2009

Boulevard Voltaire

3:24 PM
Remarks (4)

For the next week or so, I’m in Paris again, visiting my father along with my nephew Justin, shown here on Boulevard Voltaire in the 3rd Arrondissement.

Sun 25 Jan
2009

Sonogrammatically Correct

1:22 PM

Given the overwhelming response to yesterday’s announcement, I admit being tempted to shift the focus of this blog exclusively to the subject of the little baby brewing in Laura’s belly. Take for example these sonograms, taken over the past two, weeks; endlessly fascinating to one and all, right?

Sat 24 Jan
2009

Baby on Board

11:29 AM
Remarks (68)

Folks, in about twenty-eight weeks Laura and I are going to be parents.

Thu 04 Dec
2008

A Very Hairy Hedcut

10:12 PM
Remarks (17)

It was my birthday yesterday. Among the many nice things that my girlfriend Laura did for me, she also gave me one of the best and certainly one of the most unexpected gifts I’ve ever received on any occasion: an original, authentic hedcut rendering of my dog, Mister President.

Sat 22 Nov
2008

The Right Spot

11:47 AM
Remarks (8)

Thu 02 Oct
2008

Documentation

8:05 AM
Remarks (9)

Mr. Lightning Field and bride, Wilmington, NC.

Thu 03 Apr
2008

Johnny Mnemonic

10:22 PM
Remarks (34)

Everything is forgettable until it’s written down.

Mon 28 Jan
2008

Not by Southwest

7:45 PM
Remarks (16)

Unfortunately, I’m not going to Austin this March.

Wed 02 Jan
2008

New Year, New Notebook

11:52 PM
Remarks (18)

Ways of starting off two-thousand and eight.

Tue 04 Dec
2007

From My Left Feet to the Left Bank

8:44 PM
Remarks (13)

Just an update, is all.

Mon 19 Nov
2007

Presently

10:30 PM
Remarks (40)

A special Thanksgiving message. Really.

Thu 25 Oct
2007

The Long Haul of Public Speaking

12:08 PM
Remarks (8)

Resolved: more personal appearances in my neighborhood next year.

Mon 01 Oct
2007

Operation: Bring Nothing to Work

11:14 PM
Remarks (46)

Believe it or not, I left my briefcase at home and went to work.

Mon 24 Sep
2007

Sleeping the Sleep of the Must

11:32 PM
Remarks (27)

The secret to getting all of this crap done.

Tue 18 Sep
2007

Think Like a Dog

10:59 PM
Remarks (57)

Canine logic answers the question, “Can I eat it?”

Mon 10 Sep
2007

Clothes Make the Design Director

7:46 PM
Remarks (62)

Should one even bother to dress like a designer?

Thu 02 Aug
2007

A Man of Illegible Letters

11:37 PM
Remarks (36)

The dying art of my handwriting.

Tue 31 Jul
2007

Don’t Ever Leave the Airport

10:31 PM
Remarks (45)

From Albuquerque to New York City in twenty-four hours.

Mon 09 Jul
2007

Robots, Rats and La Ragazza con la valigia

11:24 PM
Remarks (11)

A good movie that did really well, and a bad one, too.

Thu 05 Jul
2007

Holiday at Home

11:18 PM
Remarks (7)

What I’m doing with a five-day weekend.

Thu 07 Jun
2007

Design Advice for Your Personal Life

11:28 PM
Remarks (20)

What exactly does it take to get ahead in this profession?

Tue 29 May
2007

You Got to Move It, Move It… to Brooklyn

7:12 PM
Remarks (27)

If you live in New York City and work in media, another borough awaits.

Mon 21 May
2007

Drawing for Memory

11:44 PM
Remarks (32)

A technique for remembering names.

Wed 16 May
2007

Helvetica Hero Shot

10:15 PM
Remarks (15)

The author as a typographic super-hero.

Sun 13 May
2007

The Failures Behind Success

9:35 PM
Remarks (17)

The text of the commencement address I delivered this weekend.

Speech ’n’ Cheech

9:18 PM
Remarks (2)

People I saw this weekend: Cheech Marin and my mom.

Thu 26 Apr
2007

Moviegoing in the Thirties

11:46 PM
Remarks (21)

Habit-forming moviegoing, and recaps of “Grindhouse,” “Blades of Glory” and “Hot Fuzz.”

Tue 24 Apr
2007

Putting the High in Highrise

11:19 PM
Remarks (20)

First day in a new New York Times building.

Fri 20 Apr
2007

GTD for Ten Year Olds

12:48 PM
Remarks (20)

Productivity starts in childhood, apparently.

Tue 17 Apr
2007

Least Useful Site Ever

11:36 PM
Remarks (16)

Updates to MisterPresident.org.

Wed 11 Apr
2007

Three Things I’m Late On

10:42 PM
Remarks (25)

Catching up with a few things I should have written about earlier.

Wed 25 Oct
2006

Mr. France-y Pants

9:29 PM
Remarks (12)

Ho-hum, another trip to Paris, France.

Mon 11 Sep
2006

Five Years

10:02 AM

Thinking about September 11th half a decade later.

Tue 29 Aug
2006

You Can Go Home Again

8:33 PM
Remarks (5)

Look for me in a speaking engagement in Baltimore on 21 Sep.

Thu 03 Aug
2006

Before the Blackout

11:05 PM
Remarks (5)

Retail businesses get through heat waves differently from people.

Fri 16 Jun
2006

Calling All Famous People

8:02 AM
Remarks (5)

What calling famous people can do for your career.

Tue 23 May
2006

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About My Day but Were Afraid to Ask

11:10 PM
Remarks (3)

Looking for input for my talk at An Event Apart New York.

Tue 24 Jan
2006

Four for Today

6:57 PM
Remarks (2)

Lists of things that you may not have known about me.

Fri 13 Jan
2006

Site for a Dog

8:09 PM

What kind of dog needs his own Web site?

Wed 11 Jan
2006

Making Work for Idle Hands

11:06 AM
Remarks (11)

What I’m doing on my holiday between jobs, and can you help me find a good printer?

Sun 01 Jan
2006

Year of the Dawg

6:19 PM

Thanks for everything everybody, and happy new year.

Thu 29 Dec
2005

Breaking News

11:20 AM
Remarks (76)

After four years, I’m leaving the company that I co-founded for a new opportunity.

Wed 07 Dec
2005

Post-Trip Wrap-Up

10:47 AM
Remarks (2)

Back from Viet Nam, jet lagged, but all squared away on Flickr.

Tue 29 Nov
2005

Sleepwalking Abroad

3:21 AM
Remarks (8)

Further adventures deeper into Viet Nam.

Wed 23 Nov
2005

First Day Back

5:18 AM
Remarks (9)

First impressions in Saigon again.

Sun 20 Nov
2005

Away from My Desk Right Now

5:03 PM
Remarks (2)

A quick housekeeping post before I head to Newark International Airport.

Thu 17 Nov
2005

Get Away from It All (with Your Computer)

10:49 PM
Remarks (4)

It would be nice to get away and learn something new.

Thu 10 Nov
2005

Teach Your Dog to Swim

7:48 PM
Remarks (14)

I made an oath not to be a ridiculous dog owner, and then kind of broke it.

Tue 25 Oct
2005

European Vacation

9:28 PM
Remarks (15)

Off to Paris, France for a week.

Sun 09 Oct
2005

Paragraph in The New York Times

11:12 AM
Remarks (9)

A big article on my girlfriend’s small business.

Tue 13 Sep
2005

The Write Stuff: Paragraph

5:43 PM
Remarks (25)

New work for my old lady: an identity and Web site for Paragraph, LLC.

Mon 25 Jul
2005

I, Jury

9:15 PM
Remarks (3)

I got jury duty, and I kind of really want to serve.

Fri 24 Jun
2005

Dog Day Afternoon

5:36 PM
Remarks (8)

It’s Take Your Dog to Work Day, so I did.

Wed 18 May
2005

Do the Locomotive

11:47 PM
Remarks (12)

Being stuck on a train without Internet access is actually quite nice.

Fri 06 May
2005

That’s Entertainment (For Kids)

9:35 PM

What it’s like to keep a kid busy.

Mon 11 Apr
2005

Programming Skills Wanted

8:17 PM
Remarks (19)

For years, I’ve been nursing a daydream of an extended vacation spent learning to program.

Wed 09 Mar
2005

Day in Court

8:53 PM
Remarks (14)

The wonders of our criminal justice system.

Sun 06 Mar
2005

Tape Worm

6:42 PM
Remarks (4)

Putting an end to a decade’s worth of video fun.

Cure for the Common Cold

10:59 AM
Remarks (8)

A miracle drug that beats back common colds has its own drawbacks.

Wed 02 Mar
2005

It’s What’s for Dinner

9:57 AM
Remarks (27)

Beef is great, except for how really, really bad it is.

Wed 23 Feb
2005

Mr. Otis Regrets

9:24 PM
Remarks (7)

After a decade, my old school catches up with me.

Mon 14 Feb
2005

Primate in Pink

11:53 PM
Remarks (3)

What says ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ better than a singing telegram delivered in a pink gorilla suit?

Sat 05 Feb
2005

New York to Nashville and Back Again

12:17 PM

Time is a weird phenomenon when you’re holed up in a week-long series of business meetings.

Tue 25 Jan
2005

Wheres and Whys of Blogging

7:21 PM
Remarks (9)

If I let you know where I am, what’s that mean for this weblog?

Thu 20 Jan
2005

Root Cause

11:25 PM
Remarks (12)

Grumpy, dissatisfied and feeling lousy.

Mon 03 Jan
2005

Dear Outdated Online Diary

10:41 PM

Looking back at an early, abortive attempt at keeping an online journal.

Sat 04 Dec
2004

More Delays on the Turnpike to Relaunch

11:23 AM

I gotta head to California today.

Tue 09 Nov
2004

Snap Happy

11:44 PM
Remarks (3)

What I did with my tax return, when I finally got it.

Sun 07 Nov
2004

File Under “Young, Stupid”

10:53 AM

Be not afraid of paperwork, for it is your future.

Mon 25 Oct
2004

Lost: 5,000 Songs

3:09 PM
Remarks (7)

At the end of a long week, I did something really, really stupid.

Mon 11 Oct
2004

Afterwards

9:03 PM
Remarks (5)

Jet lag, post-vacation doldrums, and losing Superman.

Thu 30 Sep
2004

The Italian Job

12:42 PM

No posts until I’ve seen how the Sicilians do it.

Tue 28 Sep
2004

The Shadow Knows

9:32 PM

Sometimes you do design work that you otherwise never would have done, never ever.

Sun 19 Sep
2004

Just Did It

7:49 PM

I’m exhausted after what my girlfriend did this weekend.

Fri 10 Sep
2004

I Keep Going, and Going, and Going…

2:58 PM
Remarks (7)

On my out of the city and hopefully to stop thinking about this election for a bit.

Mon 06 Sep
2004

Little Bit of Little Saigon

10:09 PM
Remarks (3)

The exception to New York’s rule for lackluster Vietnamese restaurants.

Thu 26 Aug
2004

Third Party Candidate

11:14 PM
Remarks (2)

New threads for this weekend’s march on the RNC.

Mon 09 Aug
2004

Ooh, Ooh, It’s Magic

10:31 PM

The magic — and magicians — of old New York.

Tue 03 Aug
2004

Flirtations with Fame

11:43 PM
Remarks (4)

Two minor flirtations with fame today, one for me and one for my four-legged companion.

Fri 23 Jul
2004

Dangerous Sport

6:58 PM

What ails me: a little game where you chase a ball around in pajamas.

Wed 21 Jul
2004

Back in Black

10:32 PM

How’s it feel to be back?

Sun 18 Jul
2004

Cape from New York

7:47 PM
Remarks (1)

A report from Massachusetts that has nothing to do with the Democratic convention.

Sun 27 Jun
2004

Rumble in the Bronx

5:24 PM

Demonstrations of American might before simple entertainments.

Sat 19 Jun
2004

B Is for Business

6:55 PM

Thu 03 Jun
2004

Teach a Man to Fish

9:34 PM

My day started very, very early this morning at the Fulton Fish Market.

Mon 24 May
2004

Philadelphia First

11:14 PM

Quick highlights from my first trip to Philadelphia.

Thu 22 Apr
2004

When I Grow Up

9:58 AM
Remarks (2)

I guess if I’m going to make a career change, the time is now.

Mon 12 Apr
2004

You Can Lead a Dog to Water

9:55 PM

Mister President’s first ever swim. Almost.

Thu 01 Apr
2004

Manual Dexterity

6:17 PM

I found a little bit of old New York when I tried to get a typewriter repaired.

Mon 29 Mar
2004

School Spirits

11:38 PM
Remarks (3)

Sudden remembrances of high school in slumberland.

Fri 19 Mar
2004

Be Your Own Boss

11:15 PM
Remarks (6)

Wed 03 Mar
2004

Sickly Salty

10:28 PM

Thu 01 Jan
2004

A Night on the Tiles

10:32 PM

“Shampoo” plus Scrabble equals New Year’s Eve.

Sat 06 Dec
2003

Twelve Inches of Fun

8:12 PM
Remarks (1)

Seven inches of snow and a foot of PowerBook.

Thu 04 Dec
2003

365 Dog Day Afternoons

9:37 AM
Remarks (1)

One year after a trip to the Humane Society…

Mon 10 Nov
2003

Weekend Work and a Wedding

11:20 PM

First work, then a wedding, and then the weekend was over.

Tue 28 Oct
2003

Fight the Fire

6:43 PM
Remarks (1)

Sympathy for residents of California.

Mon 20 Oct
2003

Doppelgänger in D.C.

9:07 PM

Doggie double in the District of Columbia.

Mon 29 Sep
2003

Death by Stomach

10:05 AM

Health report from the weekend.

Sun 14 Sep
2003

Cavalcade of Canines

11:15 PM
Remarks (1)

Mister President’s performance debut at today’s Great American Mutt Show.

Thu 21 Aug
2003

Taking the New Yorker Out of New York

8:42 PM

What to do on a vacation away from the city.

Fri 08 Aug
2003

Relocated

5:46 PM

First day in the new apartment.

Mon 04 Aug
2003

Abstract Expression

11:58 PM
Remarks (3)

Design as the spit and polish on a showroom car.

Fri 01 Aug
2003

Office Water Cooler

4:51 PM

Things discussed at Behavior today.

Mon 28 Jul
2003

Location, Location, Location

7:56 PM
Remarks (1)

The struggles of moving two blocks away.

Fri 25 Jul
2003

Fever to Tell

7:46 PM
Remarks (1)

Still in recovery.

Mon 21 Jul
2003

Ill Communication: It’s Hot

5:44 PM

Heat is hard on the unwell and the four-legged.

Fri 18 Jul
2003

I Knew Him When

11:32 AM
Remarks (2)

An old friend got nominated for an Emmy yesterday.

Mon 14 Jul
2003

All Wedded Out

11:44 PM
Remarks (1)

Report from my friends’ wedding.

Sat 12 Jul
2003

Friend of a Friendster

1:35 PM
Remarks (2)

Succumbing to Friendster foolishness.

Fri 11 Jul
2003

Rehabilitation of a Coke Addict

6:07 PM
Remarks (34)

Khoi kicks Coca-Cola.

Wed 09 Jul
2003

Busy Work

11:43 PM

What keeps me so busy?

Mon 07 Jul
2003

The Keymaster

5:51 PM

Tips for losing a rental car key at the beach.

Mon 30 Jun
2003

French Canadians Are People Too

10:56 PM

A quick assessment of Montréal.

Fri 27 Jun
2003

Week in Review

11:17 AM
Remarks (1)

On my way to Montréal, a few random items.

Wed 11 Jun
2003

Ill Suited

12:17 AM
Remarks (1)

The eternal disappointment of the search for the perfect suit.

Tue 10 Jun
2003

The Morning Commute

11:28 AM
Remarks (3)

Two anecdotes from my daily walk to the office.

Tue 20 May
2003

The Seaside and Cake

1:16 PM

Things to do on vacation in a deserted beach town.

Fri 09 May
2003

Hat Trick

11:44 PM

What better present for a girlfriend’s birthday than a customized baseball cap.

Wed 07 May
2003

Long and Drawn Out

11:35 PM
Remarks (1)

Drawing used to be what I did, all the time, but it no longer seems the case.

Tue 06 May
2003

A Sorta Homecoming

6:15 PM

Mister President is back from the hospital.

Mon 05 May
2003

Toy Fare

10:32 PM

Status report for Mister President.

Sun 04 May
2003

Belly of the Beast

6:10 PM
Remarks (8)

The continuing medical misadventures of Mister President.

Mon 14 Apr
2003

Number Crunch Time

8:35 PM

One day until taxes are due, and I am feeling the pain of being a partner in a limited liability corporation.

Mon 31 Mar
2003

Postcard from the Past

4:53 PM
Remarks (2)

Digging through my old comic books, I came across an amazing postcard from 1979.

Tue 18 Mar
2003

How to Raise a Dog

11:44 PM

The perils of doggy daddyhood.

Sat 15 Mar
2003

Spring Day

5:31 PM

The current temperature in New York is 49º F, and I finally feel like myself again.

Mon 24 Feb
2003

Wounded Walking

11:25 AM

After slipping and twisting my ankle, this is how I spent the weekend.

Tue 18 Feb
2003

Mush

4:00 PM

How my dog and I spent the worst blizzard in seven years.

Fri 13 Dec
2002

Seen Anything Good Lately

6:21 PM

What I’m going to watch for the holidays.

Mon 09 Dec
2002

Meanwhile

12:51 PM

More extracurricular goodies from Chris Fahey.

Mon 02 Dec
2002

Top Dog

11:09 PM

Getting a new dog turns your world upside down.

Mon 23 Sep
2002

Joy Ride

2:02 PM

Yesterday, I took an excursion to Six Flags Great Adventure.

Tue 03 Sep
2002

A Side Note

5:58 PM

Getting back on my feet again.

Fri 07 Jun
2002

Looking for Language

2:34 PM

Looking for someone to teach me Vietnamese.

Sun 26 May
2002

May Not

11:34 PM

Slow month for posts.

Thu 16 May
2002

This Week

10:06 PM

Personal mutterings.

Wed 08 May
2002

Bridget Cross

11:05 PM

Bridget Cross needs your help.

Mon 01 Apr
2002

Time Out

10:22 PM

Blah, blah, blah.

Sat 30 Mar
2002

Full Color

6:20 PM

The latest addition to my hardware family is an Epson Stylus C80.

Thu 21 Mar
2002

Public Swag

6:52 PM

Donation to NPR: done.

Sat 09 Feb
2002

Beagle Boy

6:13 PM

Thinking about getting a dog.

Tue 22 Jan
2002

Blackout

8:59 PM

Cable modem goes out for an afternoon.

Tue 15 Jan
2002

Good Times

5:05 PM

New year, new resolve to keep blogging.

Fri 07 Dec
2001

Go West

4:43 PM

Off to the Golden State.

Mon 03 Dec
2001

It’s Yer Birthday

11:26 PM

Happy birthday to me and Behavior.

Sun 04 Nov
2001

Every Sunday Is Like Sunday

5:24 PM

Feeling kinda blue.

Wed 26 Sep
2001

Days and Hours

9:39 AM

Getting on with life after September 11.

Sun 16 Sep
2001

After the Aftermath

11:10 PM

Some thoughts after September 11.

Thu 13 Sep
2001

Can’t Can Not

6:31 PM

Mesmerized by the news.

Thu 06 Sep
2001

A Three-Hour Tour

10:16 PM

Getting around Manhattan, I mean really around Manhattan.

Wed 05 Sep
2001

Post-Employment Life Is Groovey

2:02 PM

Using Groove to collaborate after losing my job.

Wed 18 Jul
2001

And Then I Snapped Out of It

7:25 PM

Getting off my ass and doing some work on my own stuff.

Sat 16 Jun
2001

Shelved

11:27 PM

The shelves in my apartment are complete.

Fri 15 Jun
2001

Shelf Life

12:10 AM

Building a custom set of shelves in my apartment.

Sat 26 May
2001

Much Later

9:40 PM

It’s so hard to maintain a blog, wah wah.

Thu 19 Apr
2001

A Mean Town

2:46 AM

Some asshole lit a trash can in front of my building on fire.

Wed 18 Apr
2001

Uh-Huh, I Light It Like That

8:43 PM

The new light in my life.

Fri 13 Apr
2001

Who’s Zoomin’ Who

3:33 PM

Cable modem access comes to my apartment.

Tue 10 Apr
2001

Waiting for My (Cable) Man

12:16 AM

Thu 05 Apr
2001

Excuses, Excuses

5:57 PM

All of this is why I haven’t been posting to my blog.

Tue 03 Apr
2001

Delay

4:40 PM

Things have been crazy, including a recent round of layoffs at my company.

Thu 22 Mar
2001

Now They Just Laugh

11:27 PM

The prestige level of an Internet job has declined.

Tue 20 Mar
2001

Like a Bouncing Ball

11:32 AM

I found myself in New York again last Friday.

Tue 06 Mar
2001

Currently in Development

8:37 PM

Fooling around with a digital camera.

Fri 02 Mar
2001

Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt

1:05 PM

Everyone’s scared: Sapient just announced massive layoffs.

Thu 22 Feb
2001

On the Lam, So to Speak

12:00 PM

After all this moving around, it’s only fair to ask, “Am I running from something?”

Things You Notice When You Grow Up

3:19 AM

I no longer have the luxury of staying basically oblivious to the state of our economy.

Meanwhile, Back at the Blog…

12:07 AM

What brought me to Los Angeles.

Tue 13 Feb
2001

How to Get Around in Los Angeles

11:11 PM

Lots of driving to be done in Los Angeles, lots of it.

Thu 08 Feb
2001

Get Outta Here

1:16 AM

Getting the hell out of Singapore.

Wed 07 Feb
2001

And Away I Go

3:27 AM

Update on whereabouts.

Thu 01 Feb
2001

Journal: 02 Feb 01

10:21 AM

All about my trip to Viet Nam.

Mon 29 Jan
2001

Haircut

9:59 PM

Heat and pollution lead to drastic hair cuts.

Sun 28 Jan
2001

Saigon to Singapore

11:31 PM

Quick recap: from Saigon to Singapore.

Mon 22 Jan
2001

Gong Xi Fa Cai

11:08 PM

Gong Xi Fa Cai, 2001.

Fri 19 Jan
2001

Visa to Vietnam

5:11 AM

My visa to Viet Nam was approved.

Mon 15 Jan
2001

Just as I Left It

12:00 PM

Much later than expected, a sort of homecoming to Singapore.

Tue 09 Jan
2001

Feelin’ Mighty Legal

9:08 AM

Singapore has finally issued me a legitimate work visa.

Sat 06 Jan
2001

Singapore

12:54 AM

I guess I’m not ecstatic about being back in Singapore.

Thu 04 Jan
2001

Amsterdam

5:13 AM

Finally left New York, on my way to Singapore.

Fri 22 Dec
2000

Let’s Go to California

12:46 AM

The very first post. About California or some shit.

Wed 20 Dec
2000

It Don’t Cost Nothing

11:05 AM

On leaving New York: a tip on how to make life here more pleasant.

Sat 16 Dec
2000

Good Hair Day

10:36 AM

A good hair day is a good hair day.

Wed 13 Dec
2000

Back out There

7:25 PM

Leaving New York (again!) and returning to Singapore.

Fri 08 Sep
2000

Anywhere I Go, Here I Am

12:00 PM

Leaving New York a second time isn’t going to be much easier than leaving it the first time.

Tue 08 Aug
2000

River Place: It’s a Place Near a River

12:00 PM

A tour of the swanky and absurd condominium I rented in Singapore.