Sam Barry's Blog
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Jul.04.2009
In Armonk, New York, where I was raised, we celebrated the Fourth of July in the most traditional of ways: standing alongside Route 128, the road to Mount Kisco and Main Street all rolled into one, waving little American flags and watching the veterans, the baton twirlers, the volunteer fire...
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Jul.02.2009
Don’t get me wrong—some of my best friends are Yorkies, but I never really thought of them as real dogs. You know what I mean. A dog rides in the back of your pickup truck, tongue hanging out as they sniff the air. You throw a stick for them and they bound after it. They wrestle and play and bark...
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Jul.01.2009
You just can’t be in two places at once. It’s a tough life lesson, and I have had to learn it again and again (which, come to think of it, suggests I have never learned it at all). It is also one of life’s greatest injustices: an electron can be in two places at once, but we can’t: see Discover,...
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Jun.14.2009
We had a great wedding. The source of the greatness is our family of blood, our family of connection, and our circle of friends. We were surrounded by love, and I felt love pouring out of my heart. My stunning, talented daughter Laura sang her superb song; my handsome and brilliant son Daniel was...
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Jun.12.2009
I am getting married today, so I guess it’s time I tried on my suit. Hold on a second—I’ll be right back.
Okay, I tried it on and it looks pretty good. I’m relieved, because I bought the suit for this occasion. It took me fifteen minutes. I went to Macys, picked out two suits in ten minutes, tried...
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Jun.10.2009
The big news story of the day is that Swoop the Attack Bird continues to threaten unsuspecting pedestrians. And even some suspecting ones. I know this because Laina Adler, my friend and colleague here at HarperOne (motto: “We publish the truth and nothing but the truth, so help us God”) told me...
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Jun.09.2009
San Francisco has been rocked by an attack bird. The assailant, which has been described as a “small black bird” by eyewitnesses, has been attacking people on Front Street between California and Sacramento. This morning a sizeable crowd gathered on California to watch the angry bird flying both to...
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Jun.08.2009
This morning I was running to catch the bus. As I jumped on board I realized I didn’t have my monthly municipal transit pass, because this month I am marrying Kathi Kamen Goldmark (see Kathi’s blog about the wedding dress wars, which begins, “It was the best of times, it was the worse of times”)...
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Jun.05.2009
I am a Democrat. I have voted democratic most of the time for most of my life. And I am a liberal. (Note to Ann Coulter: not all Democrats are liberals.) I am also a writer, musician, and a guy who works in publishing (though I do work for HarperCollins, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch), so it is...
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Jun.04.2009
The pressures of the day, of a busy life with the usual adult responsibilities, were overwhelming as I awoke this morning. I reviewed the list of tasks facing me in the next week, the next few months, the next year, and I thought: I can’t do it. I am going to stumble. And what does it all mean,...
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Jun.03.2009
San Francisco: We had a lively discussion today around the HarperOne lunch table about parenting. In short, we agreed that it is a good idea.
I was blathering on like I am a good dad when it me: I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE KEATON IS. Keaton is my virtual son. I learned about Keaton on April 1 (really)...
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Jun.02.2009
Actually, I’m not quitting, but one of my colleagues said this the other day in a moment of frustration. (Hint: the colleagues name was not Rupert Murdoch and the company in question is not NewsCorp.) Although I thought my colleague was overreacting, I empathized with her (or possibly his) feelings...
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Jun.01.2009
I work simultaneously in media (used here as a mass noun, construing the singular). I work in the old world of books and the new one of websites. No one ever knows what the future holds—not even Newt Gingrich—but one thing I am pretty sure of: the government is not going to bail out HarperCollins...
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May.30.2009
It’s summertime, which means it is cold and foggy here in San Francisco and the boys of summer are frolicking in the park. Also, there are baseball games going on in the stadium. I actually had two opportunities to see the San Francisco Giants play this week (it never rains but it pours here in...
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May.29.2009
Americans today are manners challenged. When I was young I greeted my elders on Main Street, Armonk, New York, this way:
“Hi Mr. Green! Nice weather, isn’t it? How are you today? Can I mow your lawn when I am done mowing the lawns at my own house?”
But it’s not like that today. This morning when I...
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About Sam
Sam Barry is the author of How to Play the Harmonica: and Other Life Lessons and coauthored Write That Book Already! The Tough Love You Need to Get Published Now with his late wife, the author and founder of the Rock Bottom Remainders, Kathi Kamen Goldmark....
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