by Carolyn Bickford
We have always enjoyed going out and seeing live shows, which were all cancelled or postponed as we deliberately distanced ourselves to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Watching recorded performances is not the same, and likely for performers, putting on a show to an empty room is also unsatisfying. But in this time, a new…
We had seen the concert we’d come for, but we had another day to spend in Minneapolis, and I wanted to see and experience what Minneapolis had that I would not find anywhere else. It was already clear that it’s a cultural nexus for the upper Midwest. So for breakfast, we went out to Caribou…
We’ve been living in Tennessee for almost a year now. Just this summer, I’ve gone ziplining through the woods at Fontanel, saw Foster the People at the legendary Ryman Auditorium, ate a chocolate covered cricket at the county fair, done stand up paddleboarding, and, oh, experienced a total eclipse. There’s more to tell than I…
We had a memorable night last Wednesday, which started with a concert in downtown San Jose, and ended with meeting a serial cat killer in front of our house. Peter and I went out to see My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, a band we’ve been seeing live since their Sexplosion tour. At that…
Last Saturday was my first time going to a for-profit fan convention; my previous experiences have been with comic book conventions as exhibitor support, most notably (and for more than 20 years) Comic-Con. As anyone who’s been there lately knows, Comic-Con has evolved from a regional comic book show into a pop culture powerhouse. The…
Upon seeing my choice in light entertainment, my daughter’s dentist recommended we check out the TV show Duck Dynasty. I had heard of it before, but I had had no interest in watching a show about rich duck call manufacturers from Louisiana. As it turned out, it was a refreshing new sort of entertainment for…
My family and I are greatly enjoying The Great Christmas Light Fight on TV this season. With Thanksgiving late, and the kids getting older (and thus more independent), we jumped into the Christmas season with joy this year. We put up our tree and decorated it right after Thanksgiving, enjoyed the post-Christmas sales (though we…
I enjoy following James Altucher’s postings and last night, I would have sworn he wrote a post about losing a new coat he’d just bought. It made me think about my favorite coat, which was also once lost, and came back. It’s a trench coat I bought in 1981 or 1982. I don’t remember what…
In 2011, my family and I went to the San Jose Museum of Art and made sugar skulls as part of their community day celebrating Dia de los Muertos. As we pulled them out for our Halloween decorations this year, Kelly was nostalgic, and asked to do it again. This year, the festivity took place…
This week, I’m grateful not to be working at Comic-Con. Quite frankly, the logistics of the show, in its present state, drove me so crazy, my husband Peter banned me from having anything to do with it.I’m manning the office this week, talking to ComicBase customers (who are almost always fun to talk to) and…