Sam Barry's Blog, page 17
October 22, 2009
The Daily Sam: Notes from My Underwear
I was doing some laundry this morning before work when it hit me. However, before I explain that statement let me just say that I am a big admirer of the renowned Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield, not least because he is the father of Uma Thurman. No wait, that's Richard Gere. Still, I am a big admirer of Kornfield, author of After the Ecstasy, the Laundry. I never read the book, but I intend to ...
October 19, 2009
The Daily Sam: Wooly Bully
All you need is love, says the song. But that's ridiculous. You need a room, too, and a harmonica. What were the Beatles thinking?Still, I miss those times when pop artists wrote songs that meant something, and none more so than Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, a quintessentially American band led by singer and organist Domingo "Sam" Samudio, best known for their hit "Wooly Bully." ...
October 16, 2009
The Daily Sam: The Kazoo and God
I used to be a Presbyterian minister. That was back in the days before they found a cure (rim shot). But seriously, folks, take my Bible—please!I kid. Well, not about being a Presbyterian minister. I really was one, in Omaha, Nebraska, serving a little church called Florence Presbyterian. When I tell people I used to be a minister I get a variety of reactions, but when I say "in Omaha," ...
October 14, 2009
The Daily Sam: Public Flogging
Tonight I will be attending and participating in the Litquake event honoring Amy Tan at San Francisco's Herbst Theater. If you don't know what Litquake is, you should check it out. Litquake makes San Francisco cooler than New York. In fact, Litquake makes San Francisco cooler than San Francisco.Tonight's occasion is the presentation of the Barbary Coast Award to Amy, a literary gem of this ...
October 9, 2009
The Daily Sam: The Threat of Harmonica Violence
We, the harmonica players of the world, have worked long and hard to bring our reputation up out of the gutter and onto the sidewalk where it belongs. Historically we have not been granted our place in the orchestra of life; people would not hire us for any but the most menial tasks; the police pulled us over for simply playing our instrument while driving. (That is NOT a euphemism). Many of the ...
October 8, 2009
The Daily Sam's Guide to Etiquette: Smuggling Dogs on Airplanes
In the July 29 edition of The Daily Sam we discussed the delicate etiquette question of what to do about sharing the armrest when you are stuck in the middle seat on an airplane (answer: become rich enough to fly first class). This post prompted an important question from author Brian Moreland, who asked what one should do with one's legs "when the space beneath the seat in front of you is ...
October 4, 2009
The Daily Sam: A Family Affair
Kathi, my daughter Laura, and I are staying here in New York City with the Jewish Don of New York Restaurateurs, Kathi's cousin Alice Cutler. Going out to eat with Alice is serious business. For instance, when we eat dinner at her family style Italian restaurant Carmine's enough food is placed on our table to feed the entire Polish nation. And when we protest we have had enough, because we ...
October 1, 2009
The Daily Sam's Walgreens Diet
Many of us are thinking about dieting because we feel like bloated, unhealthy, repulsive blobs. The question is, what's the best diet for me? Or, for that matter, you? There are actually more diets available today then there are human beings on the planet, leading to considerable confusion on the covers of women's magazines. What's a dieter to do?The Daily Sam would like to help. But ...
September 29, 2009
The Daily Sam: What's Going On In the Women's Room?
I work in an office with about thirty other people at HarperOne (a platoon of HarperCollins, a company of NewsCorp, a battalion of Rupert Murdoch Media-Growth Opportunities Unlimited, a regiment of China, Inc.). In the course of a month, I enter every room and cube in our office. I am not always invited or welcome, mind you, but I enter them all, even the cold room where we keep the computer ...
September 28, 2009
The Daily Sam: The Best Kindergartens in the World
We have some of the best kindergartens in the world here in San Francisco. Or they should be, given what kids and parents have to go through to get into these elite institutions. The screening begins at age three and a majority of applicants are turned down for their first choice of kindergarten. The process is grueling, beginning with the application fees and the numerous high-pressure visits to ...
