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ISSUE: November 1, 2009

Articles about Sam

Stalking The Perfect Gift - 12-1-2004

You know the joy that lights up a persons face when she opens her special gift from you on Christmas morning? I Don't. What I know is the quizzical expression that animates her features for a fleeting, unguarded instant, her eyes desperately trying t...

Article Excerpts:

... if surprised by the question. “Jim and Sam gave it to me for Mother’s Day one...

...wings?” “Sure,” Sam said. Like any good father, I thought it best...

...I asked Sam. “Yeah?” Sam said. “I bet she’d love her...

Journey To The End Of The Earth - 9-15-2005

Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, is not a remote and barren land but a place of intoxicating beauty.

Article Excerpts:

...the waning light. ¶ I beam thought waves to my Sam, whose poofy brown ’fro I spot a few...

...¶ I beam thought waves to my 15-year-old son, Sam, whose poofy brown ’fro I spot a few...

...rows up. Are you seeing this? I am hoping that Sam has set his book down. It is a painful wish,...

College Tour 101 - 4-1-2007

We've got our MapQuest printouts directing us to the admissions offices, our cell phones stored with contact information of department chairs, and, most crucially, an iPod plugged into the car lighter.Were embarking, my son, a pal of his, and I, on a...

Article Excerpts:

...Peabody, we meet with a student Sam knows from our hometown of Washington, D.C. He...

...Sam knows from our hometown of Washington, D.C. Sam dispenses valuable advice —...

... dorms, and the library. We end in the cafeteria. Sam looks around and then suggests that we go down...

No, We’re Not In Kansas - 7-15-2005

The romance part, I have to admit, was accidental: I hadnt intended to keep our destination a secret from Jessica when this thing started out. "I was thinking we might go to Buenos Aires for spring break," I had said. Everyone ...

Article Excerpts:

...great?” I enthused. Jessica and our Sam, looked at me, wide-eyed, the expression of...

...I enthused. Jessica and our 15-year-old son, Sam, looked at me, wide-eyed, the expression of...

...two cities Jessica yearned to visit. Sam had Sam heart set on Chile. I contemplated Hong Kong,...

A Perfect World - 7-1-2002

Need summer plans? Get towed in Vancouver. Know, though, that life isn’t like that. If you haven’t yet made plans for the rest of your summer, I have a suggestion: Go to Vancouver and have your car towed. First of all, to get t...

Article Excerpts:

... your chances of your car being dragged off. My Sam, and I didn’t know that at the time.

...car being dragged off. My 12-year-old son, Sam, and I didn’t know that at the time.

...if we knew the license plate number so that Sam could radio it in and locate the vehicle that...

Great Expectations - 10-15-2008

IF YOU DO it right, and even if you do it wrong -- perhaps especially if you do it wrong -- travel has a way of confounding your expectations.As we left our Washington, D.C., home for a family vacation to Montana and Wyoming, I expected I would see ...

Article Excerpts:

... know, coffee?” From the backseat, our Sam, asks a question. “What’s...

...the backseat, our 18-year-old son, Sam, asks a question. “What’s...

...and I concoct a scenario of some cowboy, Sam chaps flapping in the wind, sidling his horse up...

Trick Or Treat? Both - 10-15-2003

Anyone who knows my wife will tell you that she is even-tempered, fair-minded, and emotionally generous. As you might imagine, this isn’t easy to live with. Me, I am more of a fan of the adage: “If you don’t have anything nice to...

Article Excerpts:

...No, our immersion occurred because our son, Sam, was born the day before Halloween. Actually,...

...the whole world to see. Sam must have thought Sam was born into a Frank Zappa song. The only...

...told his son the city was so happy to have Sam in the world that it set off fireworks to...

The Scoop On Fact-checking - 9-15-2005

It looks easy, this column-writing business. But the fact-check process can be a bear, especially when it is your wife who is doing the checking. After e-mailing my editor a supposed correction to an alleged factual error in my Tierra del Fuego stor...

Article Excerpts:

... happened. We were walking down a street with our Sam, in the fashionable Recoleta neighborhood, when...

...walking down a street with our 15-year-old son, Sam, in the fashionable Recoleta neighborhood, when...

...that hushed tone of a teenage boy with lust in Sam heart. “Wow.” We watched...

(half A) Cheeseburger In Paradise - 11-15-2004

We are sitting in a cafe called the Red Flannel Saloon in a town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan called Paradise. My son, Sam, knows exactly what he wants. “A cheeseburger,” he says. I glance at the menu. “The...

Article Excerpts:

...Peninsula of Michigan called Paradise. My son, Sam, knows exactly what he wants. “A...

...Paradise. My son, Sam, knows exactly what Sam wants. “A cheeseburger,”...

...wants. “A cheeseburger,” Sam says. I glance at the menu. “The...

There Ought To Be A Law - 10-15-2001

Great restaurants should be protected, at least as much as whales and trees. I’m not big on passing new legislation. I figure we have plenty already. But I think we ought to consider the passage of a Restaurant Preservation Ordinance.

Article Excerpts:

...me recently. Worse, I was in the company of my Sam, so I couldn’t break down and weep for...

...I was in the company of my 11-year-old son, Sam, so I couldn’t break down and weep for...

...break down and weep for fear that Sam might think his dad had lost his marbles. It...

In Martin Luther King's Footsteps - 2-15-2002

Retracing the U.S. civil rights movement one historic landmark at a time, the author takes his son on a living history lesson that sets the stage for Black History Month.

Article Excerpts:

...people just happen upon the Lorraine Motel. My Sam, and I didn’t. We went there the same...

...upon the Lorraine Motel. My 12-year-old son, Sam, and I didn’t. We went there the same...

...was at the Lorraine Motel, on April 4, 1968, as Sam prepared to go to dinner, that Martin Luther...

A Day At The Beach - 8-15-2001

In summer, people go to the beach. Unless they live in Texas, where it’s always summer and summer itself is something else entirely. What I may remember most about my boyhood Christmas vacation to Florida is the sight of my grandfather ...

Article Excerpts:

...living in Texas, I took my wife, Jessica, and Sam, to the beach. No sane person goes to the Texas...

...I took my wife, Jessica, and 11-year-old son, Sam, to the beach. No sane person goes to the Texas...

...or Will Rogers. The genial Rogers famously said Sam never met a man he didn’t like. It is...

Blowing In The Wind - 6-15-2002

When traveling, it’s good to plan ahead. It’s even better to go with the flow. It was raining when we arrived at the beach. Not just raining. Pouring. And not just cold. Unseasonably cold. Unseasonably, as in more or less winter.

Article Excerpts:

...a mini-golf,” exclaimed our Sam. “Can we play?” “S...

...exclaimed our 12-year-old son, Sam. “Can we play?” “S...

...the best time to play,” Sam said. “We played in a thunderstorm in...

And The Winner Is... - 11-1-2007

OKAY, LET ME FIRST apologize for getting us into this. Ask the American Airlines flying public for suggestions on where to take my next vacation, promising 100,000 AAdvantage miles for the winner? Was I nuts?

Article Excerpts:

... in the world to visit, my wife, Jessica, my son, Sam, and I were paralyzed by indecision about where...

... I concocted this cockamamy contest: Tell Jim and Sam family where to go on their next vacation. The...

...the e-mails until I had my top 40; then I had Sam and Jessica select their favorites. We trimmed...

Mensa Quiz-7/15/2007 - 7-15-2007

Mensa Quiz for American Way Magazine 07-15-2007

Article Excerpts:

...brothers as she has sisters, but her brother Sam has two more brothers than he has sisters. How...

...but her brother Sam has two more brothers than Sam has sisters. How many siblings are in the...

...to a birthday party for Ryan. Ryan was Sam maternal grandmother’s only...

Looking Like My City - 5-1-2003

From the “two-second blink and move” to a “shiny face,” I’m adapting a little too well to my new home. My son, Sam, came home one day recently, took a look at me, and, in a tone that suggested something was just a bit off, told me I had...

Article Excerpts:

...a little too well to my new home. My son, Sam, came home one day recently, took a look at me,...

...asked. “Like Santa Claus,” Sam said. “And Senators.” I...

...Senators.” I knew exactly what Sam meant. The faces of Santa and Senators have a...

A Well-traveled, Five-star Pork Chop - 10-1-2004

The waiter recommends the pork chop. “Many people argue that it is the best pork chop in the world,” he says. “I’ll give you a few minutes.” As he disappears, I turn to my wife. “The best pork chop in the world?” Before replying, Jessi...

Article Excerpts:

...best pork chop I’d ever had. My son, Sam, when he was 12, seared a pork chop then...

...chop I’d ever had. My son, Sam, when Sam was 12, seared a pork chop then simmered it in...

...have to say Sam’s was better. Sam I know about the vaunted Michelin Three-Star,...

Wired For Weirdness - 2-1-2003

Scientists say adolescence is a kind of biological malfunction. Duh! A team of neuroscientists at San Diego State University has been working on unlocking the secret to one of life’s most baffling questions: Why are teenagers like that?...

Article Excerpts:

... come at a better time. A few months ago, my son, Sam, turned 13. You don’t have to be a...

... come at a better time. A few months ago, my son, Sam. You don’t have to be a scientist to...

...worst time of my life, except this time through Sam. Adolescence is hard on teenagers. I hear...

Does Food Just Taste Better On The Road, Or Is It Actually Better? Yes. - 7-1-2006

Does Food Just Taste Better on the Road, or Is It Actually Better? Yes.This is the best pizza I have ever eaten. The best gelato too. The best Parmesan cheese. Maybe even the best pasta. Probably not the best pasta. Definitely not, come to think of ...

Article Excerpts:

...ment. “Dad,” my teenage son, Sam, began. “Do you think this really is...

...I said. “Yes?” Sam responded. “What kind of answer is...

...that much better than the other? The parsley, Sam answered without missing a beat. The parsley?...

Getting Settled In - 4-15-2002

When you move, the question everyone wants to ask is, “Are you sane yet?” The sound of footsteps on the creaky hardwood floors downstairs have startled me awake. “Jessica, did you hear that?”

Article Excerpts:

... settled in. During our wait, Jessica, our son, Sam, and I had no furniture except for a futon on...

...print of our son’s little hand when Sam was three or four. He’s 12 now and...

...little hand when he was three or four. Sam’s 12 now and we’ve saved it...