Sam is in the habit of reading the NY Times every morning. What a surprise she had when she opened www.nytimes.com and saw this page under the NY Times URL.

Yes, Samantha Day (aka Sam's Birthday) is finally upon us. Let the rejoicing begin.

This year's theme: Nothing too material, but a nice relaxing day away from the busy lights and tight spaces of Japan. We're spending it at the local Grand Hyatt.

Compared to our cramped quarters, the Grand Hyatt is a football field. Moreover, it's next to a trendy strip of restaurant and movie theaters. We decide to go see "The Time Traveler's Wife". We both give it a big thumbs up.

We even had cake, complemented by Sam's favorite ice cream.

And of course, in true Samantha fashion, she gave me an "un-birthday" present. It was a super cool and uber manly Gorillapod, which I used to take this time-lapse photo from our hotel room. It's sooooo cool.

Happy Birthday Sam! Hope you enjoyed Samantha Day