I saw my first Zipcar on Saturday, as I pulled into the Trader Joe’s in Daly City. It instantly struck me as a brilliant service: a car you can borrow (that is, rent) quickly in urban areas for all those tasks you miss a car for: such as buying up groceries or other supplies, taking…
Child Protective Services Threatens to Fine Germany’s “Idol”
In preparation for my trip to Germany, I’m watching YouTube clips of “Deutschland Sucht ein Superstar,” (DSDS) Germany’s version of “American Idol, and reading Germany’s tabloid newspaper, Das Bild. The two converged recently in a story that puts the nanny into “nanny state.” Just as context, DSDS is a lot like “American Idol” and the…
A Surprising SuperBowl
As is our family custom, Peter and I watched the Super Bowl, each of us picking a different team to root for. I as much had the New England Patriots chosen for me, because my team lost last year, and it was widely assumed they’d easily win the Super Bowl. The only question was, by…
Marie Antoinette Makes an Appearance at the Legion of Honor
Today I dragged my children to Lincoln Park to visit the Legion of Honor. It’s one of my favorite museums, and though the current exhibition wasn’t that compelling to me, I haven’t been there in over a year. I’ve been having trouble finding a weekday free enough from other commitments, and when I do take…
Beggars, Beggars Everywhere
I think I finally reached my breaking point on panhandlers when I was filling my car up with gas last Monday, and the guy at the gas tank next to mine asked me if I’d fill up his car for him. I was so freaked out I couldn’t answer, and he proceeded to approach others…
Loretta’s Birthday Luau
Last evening we went to a luau at Loretta’s place to celebrate her birthday. We felt like quite the popular family, because Neil had one of his own friends having a sleepover birthday celebration himself, so technically the Bickfords had 2 parties to attend that night. It was quite a rainy night, so the outdoor…
Neil’s Short and Quick Middle School Experience
Last year in early autumn, Neil had completed the Key to Algebra course which had been our only tool to give him math at his level in fourth grade, and was whizzing through the Key to Geometry course with frightening ease. When I broached the “what next?” question with his 5th-grade teacher, Mrs. Weir, I…
No Hablo Foreclosure
Two years ago, two of the houses on my end of the street were sold to families who spoke limited English. We discovered this when we brought pie over to one of our new neighbors (Alessandro), only to find out he needed to have his school-age children translate for him. Our neighbor across the street,…
PC PE TV
Neil’s been at odds with his PE teacher all year, which hasn’t been a major concern for me. But every so often, he comes back with stories or assignments that strike me as really off the mark. For instance, last year, one of the children in the class injured himself during PE. The PE teacher…
Exploring the Mind at the Exploratorium
As I mentioned earlier, Neil and I were excited about a new exhibit at the Exploratorium, so we headed out there on Monday, when it was open, unlike a lot of places who closed on the holiday. Apparently, a lot of other people had the same idea, especially since it was raining, which prohibited a…