Down the Hill We Go

Down the Hill We Went

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:08:00 +0000

Down the Hill We Go is closing the virtual doors. It was a fun ride, but an unproductive one. Between three personal blogs, a full-time job, and raising twins, something had to give. While DTHWG received a handful of visitors, The Goozex Report really took off and started receiving thousands of visitors, I’m not about to give up the full-time job, and Rohde Family SF is now an institution; so DTHWG got the axe.

The silver lining on this cloud is that starting soon, the Best of Down The Hill We Go will be transferred over to Rohde Family SF. There were a few posts that became popular on sites like Outside.In and there are some personal favorites as well. I don’t want to lose that content and it might find some new readers on Rohde Family SF.

Any future posts that would have appeared on DTHWG will now be published on Rohde Family SF. I thank you for your support of this blog, and the Rohde’s look forward to seeing you on the family blog.

A Successful Sunday Streets Experience

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 20:06:00 +0000

We missed the last Sunday Streets and we weren’t about to miss the second one. We got up early, left home at 9AM, found a great parking spot near the ballpark at 9:30, and were in line to run the bases by 10 (we stopped at Starbucks for coffee and croissants).

The Giants staff opened up the gates, there were a half-dozen of us waiting (most with strollers and kids), and off we went! Being down on the field is a very surreal experience. Looking up into the stands instead of the other way around is an experience not to miss. Not to mention standing on first base and looking back to home plate, or rounding second and looking out at the expansive outfield; and who could ever forget hitting third base, looking down the base path, and seeing home plate. It was awesome. We did it twice.

We exited the field, walked around the harbor area, and re-entered the park to play in the Children’s Area. We were there so early, we practically had the place to ourselves, which was another surreal experience. Our 20-month old toddlers made a beeline for the mini-ballpark, grabbed the wiffle balls and bat, and proceeded to have their own little baseball game. We couldn’t have asked for more fun. Eventually, other kids and parents showed up, and we practiced our sharing time. Our kids had no problem with that, as they had many turns swinging the bat, and they had just as much fun chasing balls the other kids hit.

After the Children’s Area, we walked back down to the harbor area, and walked over to the neighboring playground. This is a pretty nice playground. It’s fenced in, has activities for the younger set, and has that soft, rubber ground that we like. It fits all of our pre-requisites for a park. After playing for awhile, the kids started to get tired and it was nearing lunch time. We packed up and headed home.

The kids are napping now. No doubt dreaming of becoming Hall of Fame baseball players, after all, they took their first steps toward becoming Major Leaguers today.

Let's Go to the Zoo

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 02:19:00 +0000

I haven’t been to the zoo since I was a kid, which makes sense, because the zoo is really designed for kids. My wife heard through the grapevine that the Oakland Zoo is very nice, so, for our first visit, we took the kids to the Oakland Zoo and it was well worth it.

They do make you pay for parking on top of an entrance fee, but you can tell that the proceeds go towards keeping the park clean and the animals well cared for. And the staff was very pleasant, friendly, and helpful. Becoming a member, which we are considering doing, has many advantages (including free parking and admissions to other zoos).

We arrived at 9:50 AM, before the gates even opened, and already the parking lot was filling up with families. Our kids are 20-month old twins and we saw at least 3 other pairs of twins strolling around. It was fun to see so many kids running around and enjoying the animals. The tigers and lions were still sleepy, so we moved on to the giraffes, elephants, camels, chimpanzees, bears, zebras, you name it, they were there. Our kids were speechless and amazed at the sights and sounds. They had never seen such large animals up close before and it made for quite the experience.

The Children’s Zoo was the absolute highlight. The kids were able to pet the most docile goats you’ve ever met. They also had alligators, who put on a show of splashing as they competed for a sunny spot. The Children’s Zoo also puts on a show, which allows the kids to get up and personal with more of the animals. It was getting close to 11:30 AM by that point, so we moved on to lunch, and missed the show (but we’ll be sure to catch it the next time we’re there).

Lunch was the only sore spot of the day. Let me highly recommend that you bring a picnic lunch. Yes, you’ll have to lug it around with you before you eat, but it’s well worth it. The Oakland Zoo has plenty of picnic areas and we saw lots of families with wagons to haul their bounty of provisions. We didn’t arrive that well prepared and ate at one of the cafes. Let’s just say the food was sub par and leave it at that. However, I will say the curly fries were tasty. But I’m very partial to French fries.

The day was a hit, we recorded 20 minutes of video, which captivated the kids after their nap. I’m sure we’ll go back again.

Oakland Zoo
9777 Golf Links Road
Oakland, CA 94605

Friday Night Date Night: Parent's Style

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 05:40:00 +0000

So, what do parent’s of 20-month old twins do on a Friday night date night? They go shopping for their 20-month old twins, and then get dinner, and then shop some more. That’s right, our night away from the kids was spent thinking about the kids. What can we do? We’re parents.

The San Francisco Parents of Multiples Club (SFPOM) held their bi-annual, members-only consignment sale Friday night. The sale was held in Golden Gate Park near the Botanical Gardens. They had some really good finds. We got three pairs of shoes—including never been worn before pink checkered vans, a pair of blue converse, and pink crocs—a fishing hat, and a pink winter coat complete with fur lining; all for under $24. That was awesome.

After Mom got her fill of shopping, we walked across Lincoln in search of dinner. We passed by many places, all with lines out the door, and then we remembered: it was Friday night and close to 7PM. This was rather unusual for us, as we never get out like this. We settled on Pacific Catch. Neither of us has ever been there before so we decided to give it a try. The place was crowded, but not packed, and the décor reminded us of the Venetian’s (think: Vegas) version of a coffee shop (that’s not an insult but rather a compliment).

We took our seats and promptly scoured the beer list. We both ordered the Alaskan Oatmeal Stout without hesitation. It just sounded good. And it was good, but it was served ice cold, and any beer snob will tell you that you have to drink stout at room temp. You just get better flavor that way.

For an appetizer, we went with the Hawaiian Poke, sashimi style. It was served quickly, and like the beer, it was served refrigerator cold. It was tasty, and was marinated in a good sauce, but it would have been better if it wasn’t so cold.

We split our entrée of fish and chips. The chips were sweet potato French fries and they were good. They were real good. I arm-wrestled the wife for rights to the last few on the plate. The fish was light and flaky and fell apart at the touch of the fork. It wasn’t greasy tasting at all. I was really impressed with the entrée. It was served with a jalapeño tartar sauce that wasn’t too spicy. I had to look past my water glass to find it (my wife had placed it conveniently next to her plate and out of my reach). That should show how good it was.

The conversation during dinner turned back to the consignment sale and the missus started thinking about this pink coat with a fur trim… It was only $7 and still in brand new condition. I said, “Why didn’t you get it?” Next thing I know, we are hurriedly paying the bill, and running across the street. We got back to the sale just as they were closing the doors.

Yes, we got the jacket, and we had a good dinner. That was Friday Night Date Night – Parent’s Style. Does it get any better?

Pacific Catch
1200 9th Avenue at Lincoln across from Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, CA 94122

Whole Food's 365 Organic Coffee

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000

It’s been over a month since I’ve discussed coffee. And in my book, that’s a month too long. Those of you following my coffee thread know that we last left off with the San Francisco brand of coffee. It was good, but it wasn’t all that, and it left us looking for more.

I’ve compared beer to coffee before; and I’ll do it again. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Gordon Biersch Marzen might be my two favorite beers, but every once in awhile I have to mix it up with a Fat Tire or even BevMo’s own Coastal Fog IPA. Like beer, you have to mix up your coffee, or you’ll get tired of it. Hence, I’m tired of French Roast and I’ve moved on.

Our latest is Whole Food’s 365 Organic Pacific Rim blend from Sumatra and Papua New Guinea. Now this stuff is good. The Pacific Rim blend has great flavor and has plenty of caffeine kick. Just because I’m over the French Roast does not mean I’m over caffeine. Caffeine is still a top priority in my choice of coffee and the Pacific Rim does not let me down. We are still using six tablespoons of the whole beans to make approximately five cups of coffee. The coffee cups we use at home are equivalent to two cups; so my wife and I are getting our fair share of coffee each and every morning.

Let me try and explain why coffee is so darn important in the morning. Caffeine is such a necessary ingredient when picking Cheerios up off the floor for the third time in 10 minutes and wiping milk off the table for the fourth time. Also, coffee goes great with changing diapers and wrestling with a 20-month old who would prefer wearing his diaper to daycare rather than get dressed. Coffee is just one of those things I would rather not see disappear from my life. It gets you through the screams and wails for Barney while you’re trying to pack lunches.

If that’s not a love letter to coffee, than I don’t know what would be…

Rigolo

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:19:00 +0000

My family was casually strolling through Laurel Village a couple weeks ago and we noticed that Rigolo was closed. We took note and saw they were remodeling and they would reopen the next week with changes to the menu. We went back after the re-opening to check out the remodeling and the new menu. We walked in, looked around, scratched our heads, and asked ourselves, What the heck changed? We figured they must have painted and cleaned the floors; that was about it.

Then we thought, we better check the menu. Maybe the big changes will be found there. The first thing that I noticed was the pulled bbq pork sandwich was gone. GONE. Simply vanished. My favorite item on the menu was removed. Down the hill we go, indeed.

We ordered the kid burger for the toddlers, who were dismayed to see the toys were gone. They too thought, Down the hill we go… We loved the idea that Rigolo had toys for the kids to play with. Sure, the toys were old and dirty, but they were there, and they were played with.

I ordered a pizza and my wife got a burger. Can’t go wrong with a burger, right? Actually, at Rigolo you can wrong with a burger. Back in the day, during another visit, I ordered a medium-rare burger and my wife ordered a medium-well burger. Her's arrived bloody and mine arrived mooing. We decided the chef couldn’t handle cooking two different temperatures at once…

My pizza arrived and immediately I noticed it was not shaped in a rectangle. It was a circle. Back in the day, I liked Rigolo’s pizza for the crust, which is rare for me, because I’m a toppings-kind-of-guy. But Rigolo’s pizza crust was light and flaky. Kind of like a croissant. It was good. It was the reason I used to order it. Well, they changed the crust. It’s not light and flaky anymore. It’s just a boring, regular pizza crust. Ho hum. The toppings were good though. I ordered a make-your-own with three toppings: home-made sausage, mushrooms, and roasted garlic. The toppings saved the pizza. But you don’t go to Rigolo for pizza, you go there for the mac and cheese and the bbq pork.

My wife’s burger was OK. She ate it. Really nothing more to say there. It was cooked medium-well. I tasted the kids burger and it was overcooked and dry. But that’s a good thing for the kids.

I’m sure we’ll go back to Rigolo. It’s close by and it’s not awful. Although my first choice will be Asqew. Hey, I’m a guy. I like my bbq.

Rigolo
3465 California St
San Francisco, CA 94118

Blissful Bites Bakery

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:13:00 +0000

Blissful Bites Bakery is one of those places we’ve passed by a thousand times, each time saying, we need to stop in there. We never have. That is, until yesterday, and it was well worth it.

Blissful Bites is located on Arguello Blvd, near Clement Street. In the window, they have very enticing photos of cupcakes. Cupcakes with frosting piled high. That’s my kind of cupcake. Yesterday, in the early evening, we took the kids for a walk and we found ourselves passing by the bakery. We decided that we needed dessert for tonight’s dinner. We stopped in and took a look around.

Inside, there are several tables convenient for sitting down and enjoying your pastry, cake, or what have you. There are also a couple of sidewalk tables. The staff was very friendly to us and we noticed several customers moving about the place.

The display case was filled with so many treats it took us awhile to decide what to get. We got the standard chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting, the chocolate cupcake with orange buttercream, and we branched out a bit and got two of the banana chocolate chip with banana buttercream. The man behind the counter boxed them up and charged us $10.35. That’s right. We paid over $10 for 4 cupcakes. And these are not the huge cupcakes like you get at Costco. We started thinking these better be good cupcakes!

We headed back home, fed the kids their dinner, and split the chocolate cupcake in two for them to share. I had a sneak-taste and was like, Wow. That’s a pretty good cupcake! Mom agreed and said it was very fresh and moist. Before we could blink our eyes, our toddlers wiped their plate clean and let us know, rather loudly, they wanted more! It was a good thing we got four cupcakes, so we split up the orange buttercream, and they snarfed that down just as fast. Blissful Bites went two for two as far as the kids were concerned.

We (Mom and Dad) enjoyed our banana cupcakes after we put the kids to bed. These were a little disappointing after trying the chocolate cupcakes. The cake was not nearly as fresh and my wife complained the frosting was too thick (which is not possible in my book) and too sweet (also not possible). I happily ate her leftover frosting. When you pay $2.50 for a rather small cupcake, you kind of expect perfection. Blissful bites went two for three.

We might stop by another time. We did notice they had some tasty looking croissants…

Blissful Bites
397 Arguello Blvd.
San Francisco, CA 94118

Sunday Streets

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:46:00 +0000

It’s free, it’s healthy, there are activities, and there’s no traffic! On Sunday, August 31 and again on Sunday, September 14, a four and half mile route stretching from Bayview to Chinatown along the Embarcadero will be open to physical activity.

The event is called Sunday Streets, a unique and exciting set of events that has flourished in major cities throughout the world, from Tokyo to Kiev, Ukraine; now it’s happening in San Francisco.

From 9AM to 1PM on these Sundays (August 31 and September 14), portions of the Embarcadero will be closed to traffic and allow for biking, walking, jogging, and physical activity such as yoga and dance. Bring the kids (what? You’re going to leave them at home?) for special activities like running the bases at AT&T Park. That’s something my family has always thought about doing and never have; now is the time to do it!

Remember, Sunday Streets is free and open to all. Come make history and explore San Francisco in a whole new way.

One Nation, Under Corn

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:52:00 +0000

Following in the footsteps of Morgan Spurlock’s, Supersize Me, filmmaker Aaron Woolf made King Corn. The documentary reveals how high fructose corn syrup became a primary ingredient in so much of our food. Released in 2007, Wolf’s documentary follows his two friends as they travel to Iowa, grow an acre of corn, and then try to follow that corn to the supermarket. What they found is the vast majority of America’s corn is not fit for consumption. The quality—and nutritional content—of the corn has dropped to the point that it must be processed into high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) for it to have any marketability. The film shows the two would-be farmers’s biting into their corn, spitting it out, and claiming that it tasted like sawdust.

The corn America’s farmers are growing is designed for mass production and not for the highest nutritional quality. King Corn points the finger at the government for the lack of quality in the food; and the government points the finger back at the American people for wanting cheap food. In the early 1970’s, the Agriculture Secretary changed the philosophy of American farming. The new edict was to produce mass quantities of cheap food. Almost 40 years later, we have cheaper food, but at what cost?

For years, articles have addressed the adverse affects of HFCS, such as the SFGate’s 2004 article, Sugar Coated. A quick Google search on the topic reveals articles that dispute the direct comparison of America’s obesity problems and HFCS. Some articles claim that overall lack of exercise and other poor food choices play a more significant factor in America’s health issues, rather than blame HFCS alone. However, everyone should agree that natural, organic food is better for you than drinking mass amounts of soda and highly processed foods.

A quick survey of my own pantry and refrigerator revealed HFCS in several food items that I feed my kids. The biggest culprit is Nabisco's Fig Newtons, which contain both sugar and HFCS. That’s like pouring sugar on top of sugar. Nabisco’s Ritz crackers also contain HFCS as does Kellog’s Nutri-Grain bars. Most surprisingly, Oroweat’s Whole Grain 100% Whole Wheat bread contains HFCS. In the King Corn film, a representative of the high fructose corn syrup industry explains that the ingredient gives bread that golden brown color that everyone enjoys (while adding sugar to the food).

Products found in my kitchen that does not contain HFCS include:

Krusteaz Buttermilk pancakes

Trader Joe's products

Organic brand products

Skippy peanut butter

My kids are still healthy and are not obese. And to keep them healthy and fit, we plan to eliminate all of this extra, highly processed sugar that is added to foods in the form of HFCS. If this means no more Nutri-Grain bars and Fig Newtons, then so be it. We’ll find some alternatives. The first step is to continue going organic. There is plenty of naturally occurring sugar in fruits and vegetables. Last night, my wife found Planet Organics. They offer home delivery service of organic groceries, fruits, and vegetables. We might start paying a bit more for our food, but when it comes to the health and safety of our children, the small increase in cost is well worth it.

Fundraiser for Bay Area Discovery Museum

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:15:00 +0000

I was a little hesitant about posting this information. My reasons were greedy and selfish. I don’t want the Bay Area Discovery Museum to become so filled with laughing, playing children that my own children do not have room to run around and have their own fun. This is precisely the reason we avoid the Discovery Museum on the second Saturday of each month. That’s the day when non-Members can visit for free. And the place becomes a mad house. However, I just learned that beginning Wednesday, October 1, the free day lands on the first Wednesday of each month. This should clear up some congestion on the weekends…

After a second thought, I reconsidered posting this news about the fundraiser. After all, if the Museum does not raise funds and gain new members, then they can’t grow and improve the museum. Case in point: the waterfall in the Tot Spot. That’s been under construction for a month now… Anyone have the inside scoop on that topic?

The Goblin Jamboree fundraiser takes place October 18 and 19. Admission for members is $12 and the public pays $14. Children under age 1 are admitted free. Admission includes all of the activities, which include pony rides, train rides, a haunted house, a Witches’ School, and more.

Tickets for the Sponsor breakfast go on sale September 1. Sponsorship levels start at $200 for a family of four and go up to $1000 for a table of eight.

A raffle will be held. Prizes include special Disneyland family passes, a signed San Francisco Giants baseball, and various gift certificates.

Hopefully, this turns out to be a very successful event and we hope the Bay Area Discovery Museum overflows with happy families.

Rumblefish Bistro

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:26:00 +0000

Sam Cooke crooning in the background. The Godfather framed on the wall. Welcome to Rumblefish Bistro: a sushi restaurant. Located on 23rd Avenue, between California Street and Clement, Rumblefish offers a unique dining sensation. Where else will you find empty Coppola wine bottles lining the wall with Nigiri on the menu?

Yesterday was date night, and we wanted the babysitter to enjoy the experience of feeding our toddlers dinner, so we got out early. We arrived at the restaurant around 5PM. They open at 5:30PM. This gave us time to walk around the block; a couple of times. We passed by Pizzetta 211, which is kitty-corner to Rumblefish. They were already open with diners seated at their tables. A mutual friend recommended Pizzetta 211 to us, so we stopped to peruse the menu. It looked like fancy-pants pizza to me. A quick glance at the menu, and a peep at an outdoor diner’s plate, revealed that the pizza looked more like baked bread with toppings on it. I wouldn’t consider it pizza in the traditional sense, but it did look very good. We also noticed on the menu, in all caps, that they recommend children remain seated at all times for their safety. My wife and I looked at each other and simultaneously said, “We won’t be coming here with the kids!”

After our relaxing stroll around the block, we headed back to Rumblefish. We were the only diners through our entire visit. That was a little surprising, because the food and service were both excellent. My wife reminded me that it was 6PM and most people don’t go out for dinner until after 7PM. Like I’ve said before, having kids changes your perspective on the world.

We are not sushi snobs, and therefore, we are very happy ordering the chef’s selection of sashimi, the spicy tuna roll, deep fried soft shell crab, and a dragon roll. I was tempted to order the Philadelphia roll, but I was vetoed based on the idea my wife was not eating sushi with cream cheese (maybe we are sushi snobs?).

The sashimi was fresh and served at room temperature. We’ve had sashimi at other restaurants where the sashimi tasted like it came out of a refrigerator. You really lose a lot of flavor that way. This sashimi was near perfect.

The spicy tuna roll lived up to our expectations of being spicy. A classic stand-by, it’s hard to mess up a spicy tuna roll. I don’t think we’ve had a bad spicy tuna roll anywhere, and Rumblefish did not let us down.

My wife’s favorite was the deep fried soft shell crab. For whatever reason, I thought we were getting hand rolls, but again my wife corrected me and said, “Oh, no. We ordered just the crab.” Even though it was deep fried, it was not greasy, and it was fried to a golden brown. The crab was accompanied with greens with ponzu sauce; overall, simply delicious.

What can I say about the dragon roll? Barbecue eel is one of our favorites and the avocado was creamy and melted in our mouths. We snarfed it down and looked around for more.

The waitress came back and asked if we wanted dessert. She only offered a grean tea cheesecake, which my wife promptly turned down. I would have tried it, but my wife whispered to me that we’d explore other options…

Our other option turned out to be a fresh market about a block down on Clement. We got a couple of sweet breads. I wish I could remember the name of the market… It was close to the movie theater. If you’re in the area, and walking around, you won’t miss it.

Overall, Rumblefish Bistro is a recommended sushi restaurant. If you go early, you'll have the place to yourself!

Rumblefish Bistro
200 23rd Ave
(between California St & Clement St)
San Francisco, CA 94121

Pizzetta 211
211 23rd Ave
(between California St & Clement St)
San Francisco, CA 94121

Let's Go to the Library

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:20:00 +0000

Having kids can lead you to places you have not been for a long time. The last time I stepped foot in a library was back in college. And that was a long, long time ago.

My kids are ferocious readers and they love their books. This is a good thing. A very good thing. Not so good for the books, as they tend to get bent, folded, and mutilated. Covers come off, spines are ripped apart, and pages are found littered throughout the home. Don’t get me wrong, the kids are reading the books. Most of the damage happens when they play tug-of-war with the book, or drop one out of their crib, or the book succumbs to old age (roughly six months of constant use). This has led us to the library.

The San Francisco Public Library provides a bounty of reading materials and is rich with history. The Presidio location was established in 1898 as the sixth branch in the system. It opened at its current site on Sacramento Street in 1921. It’s a small library, but it boasts wonderful architecture and many of the wooden bookshelves appear original. They do have a Kids Reading room and we have found some great books there. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, you can always go online, do a search, and the library scours all of its locations to find what you’re looking for. Then, they send the book (or DVD) to the branch of your choosing so you can pick it up. If you sign your child up for a library card, there are no late fees, but we’ve still been good and renewed our books when they become due.

If you have kids, and have not visited your local library, I highly recommend it. Even if you don’t have kids, you should go to the library, take a few hours offline and reconnect with a good old-fashioned book. It’s good times.

Presidio Branch Library
3150 Sacramento Street
San Francisco, CA 94115

I Love Goozex

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:41:00 +0000

I started using Goozex, the game-trading service, in April 2008. Since then, I have received 10 games. In my eyes, that’s $600 (not including tax) worth of Xbox 360 games. If you’re a gamer, and you’re tired of dropping $60 for the latest titles, then I whole-heartedly recommend Goozex.

The web site works off a point system. Each game is assigned a point value, which fluctuates based on popularity, availability, and for how long the game has been available. Points can range from a maximum of 1000 to a low of 200. You can obtain points two different ways. The first way is to trade the games you currently own. The second way is to purchase them; you can purchase 100 points for $5. For each trade, you need a Trade credit. A Trade credit is worth a dollar. To keep it simple, think of Points going back-and-forth between the traders, and Trade credits go to Goozex (they have to get paid somehow). After someone requests one of your games, then it’s up to you to purchase a bubble envelope, print out the address, and head to the post office. Not a big deal, but on some days it can be a hassle getting to the post office, but they do give you three days before you have to mail it.

A game like Peter Jackson’s King Kong is worth 250 points. Simple math says that you can purchase King Kong from Goozex for roughly $12.50. If you bought it brand new in the store when it was released, you would have paid $60. While King Kong is a fun game with awesome dinosaurs, there is no way the game is worth $60. It is, however, worth $12.50 and I was very happy with my $12.50 game. What made me even happier is that I purchased the game for 200 points and I sold it back for 250 points. That made me very, very happy. In the end, I earned 50 points ($2.50) off the game. That offset the cost of shipping.

For every excellent deal like King Kong, there’s a Viking: Battle for Asgard. A simple button-masher of a game, it does offer beautiful scenery and awesome cut scenes. However, it is very repetitive and the core of the game tests your button pushing skills. I bought this one for 900 points (a big mistake) and, two months later, it’s still sitting on my shelf waiting for someone else to request it. When I do sell it back, I will only receive 750 points (provided it does not drop further in value). I’m looking at a potential loss on that one. Looking at it positively, if I trade it for 750 points, then I will have spent 150 ($12.50) points on the game. Yes, the game is worth $12.50, so in the end, I’m still happy.

Then there are games like Grand Theft Auto IV. When this game released, I ran to the store to purchase it. The game critics were raving about it and it was deemed the game of the century. Personally, I thought the game was severely over hyped and did not live up to it’s potential. I finished the single-player missions and promptly put it up for sale on Goozex. Less than an hour later, someone requested it, and I earned 1000 points for it. My $60 purchase of GTA IV earned me the equivalent of $50. Basically, I played GTA IV for $10. The only way you could beat that is if someone gave you the game for free. This is the beauty of Goozex: it allows you to buy games you wouldn’t normally purchase in the store and it allows you to sell games that you’re not happy with.

The service does rely on the honor-system: if you say you’re going to trade a game that is in good condition, then you better do so. You can provide Positive, Neutral, and Negative feedback. That way, if you decide to be a jerk and trade scratched games, or never send the game at all, then karma will come back to bite you. On the other hand, if you keep your game, case, and manual in new condition, promptly mail the game to the requester, and send a nice note, then you will receive Positive feedback and your karma remains healthy. I’ve only had one negative experience so far and it wasn’t really that bad. I sent a requester a full package, and they gave me Neutral feedback saying I only sent the game and the manual. In the long run, this hasn’t hurt me or my standing with Goozex, and I have had no problems since then.

The Pizza Place on Noriega

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:43:00 +0000

The Pizza Place on Noriega is our new favorite pizza joint. Amici’s used to be our go-to pizza place. We’d pick up the phone, place our order, and less than 30 minutes later dinner would be served. We were also $50 lighter in the wallet. And that was just for a large Amici’s Combo and a spinach salad. That was fine, before we had kids. But we have kids now and $50 for a pizza dinner is far too expensive.

The Pizza Place on Noriega is the perfect solution. We’ve gone several times in the past year and a half and we’ve never been disappointed. Located at 46th and Noriega, it has a good view of the ocean, and the local surfers and families frequent the joint regularly. The restaurant has a bar up front in case you’re stopping by for a quick beer and a slice; and they have an ample dining room for those sitting down to enjoy a meal.

We usually show up around 5PM, and we find parking right out front, and a couple of high chairs waiting for us when we enter. The staff is friendly and fast. Two of my favorite attributes in a wait-staff! The restaurant is very casual, and what they lack in décor, they make up for in style. There’s usually reggae playing on the sound system; last night they were playing some old Neil Young. Our toddlers’ bopped around to the music until dinner showed up. They also have a very cool car up on the wall; complete with spinning pizza wheels. It’s awesome and the kids love looking at it.

The food at The Pizza Place on Noriega can’t be beat. We order the antipasto plate for the kids. This is one of the best antipasto plates we have found. It has ham, salami, coppacola, cheese cubes, olives, bread, and peppers. Like I said, it’s one of the best plates around. We simply slice up the ham, dish out the cheese and bread, and the kids go to town. They couldn’t be happier. We (Mom and Dad) eat the olives and peppers.

Pizza fans will not be disappointed. The pizza is some of the best around and they offer some unique combinations. Last night, I got the Dimitri (sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, garlic, tomato sauce, and cheese). It’s like a combo, minus the green peppers and onions, which is fine with me cause those are my least two favorite toppings on a combo. My wife got a slice of cheese. Not too much to say there, except that it’s good. On past visits, we’ve both had the Besto (pesto, roasted potatoes, feta, and roasted bell peppers). It’s very, very good. The pizza is thin crust, and is served crispy. The toppings are plentiful and the cheese is ooey-gooey. You won’t be disappointed.

The price is right, too. The cost for two slices of pizza, the antipasto plate, a beer, and a soda, with tax and tip, was less than $25. That’s awesome!!

Home Fried Potatoes: The Home Fried Way

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 16:51:00 +0000

Everyone knows that Squat and Gobble has good home fried taters; but they aren’t perfect. Bay Watch also has good home fried taters, but they tend to be served cold and not very crispy. They always say, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. So, we started making our own home fried taters. It’s easier that way: we get to control the ingredients and preparation; and if the kids decide to throw tantrums, we don’t have to walk them outside.

We started making our own home fried potatoes about a month ago. We had a single Russet potato sitting on the kitchen counter hanging out with a couple of bananas and an apple. We weren’t sure what to do with our lone potato, and after long consideration, we decided to make our own home fried potatoes: and the result was better than anything we’ve had at a restaurant.

The secret is to bake the potato the night before you eat it. We use the microwave for our baking (it’s faster…in case you didn’t know). After nuking it, test the potato to make sure it’s soft. Use a paper towel or an oven mitt, because (here comes the safety tip) nuked potatoes tend to get hot. After the potato is sufficiently nuked, put it in the refrigerator. The next morning, you’ll have a soft, yet firm potato, ready for slicing.

After your kid wakes you up at 6AM, and you’ve done diaper changes, and brewed the coffee, it’s time to pre-heat the pan. This is probably the most important step. The first time we made our own home fried potatoes, we used butter. The second time, we used extra virgin olive oil from Trader Joe’s. Prep your extra large frying pan with either butter or EVOO (we prefer butter) and turn the heat up high. The trick is to get the pan screaming hot to achieve golden brown perfection.

While the pan is heating up, slice up your tater. We prefer thin sliced, so they get extra brown and crispy. If you prefer a mushy center, then slice the potato a little thicker.

After the pan is screaming hot, place the potatoes in an even layer in the pan. This is where the restaurants fail. They tend to heap the potatoes on the grill in huge piles. Doing it this way, not all the potatoes become golden and crispy. And some stay soft and mushy. This is not preferred… After the potatoes are sizzling in the butter or EVOO, it’s time to season to your liking. We prefer dried, minced onions, and of course, salt and pepper. I add a little Tabasco at the end.

Let the potatoes cook and don’t mess with them. They tend to break apart if you’re too attentive a cook. After several minutes, check one of the potato slices to see if you’ve achieved golden perfection. If it has, then gently turn each potato slice over one at a time. If you use a spatula, and flip all at once, they might break apart and you’ll wind up with a pan full of mush.

Let the second side cook just like the first side, but for not as long. The second side always takes a shorter amount of time than the first side.

We like to serve a scrambled egg melt with our home fried taters; complete with sliced lil smokies and shredded cheese. Enjoy!

A Modest Proposal for Stop Signs

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:12:00 +0000

People do not stop at Stop signs anymore. That’s not news. My proposal for the removal of Stop signs is news.

When I moved to San Francisco 11 years ago, I lived in the Haight-Ashbury, and I either walked or took the bus everywhere I went. When I crossed the street, people would stop at the Stop sign—wait for me to cross—and then they would proceed.

Flash forward 11 years and now I’m more surprised when someone actually stops as opposed to narrowly clipping me or slowly creeping up on me as I cross the intersection. This not only applies to people in cars (although Range Rover owners are the worse offenders), it also applies to bike riders. Bike riders are worse at stopping at Stop signs than most drivers. And believe it or not, from my experience, cab drivers stop more often than any other category of people you find on the street. So, kudos to you, Cabbies!

What are we, as a society, going to do about the Stop sign problem? Offering dirty looks to offending drivers only results in either bored looks, or they yell back, saying that they see you. Well, if you see me, then STOP at the Stop sign and quit creeping up on me! It’s just creepy behavior. The cops don’t seem to think of this as a problem. And I would prefer them to be more concerned with real crimes like murder. The Police can spend their time catching Stop sign offenders when it’s their time of month to fill quotas. It would be easy enough to do. All they have to do is park near any intersection, wait five minutes, and start pulling people over. It would be like fishing in a barrel.

My modest proposal is to simply replace the Stop signs with Survival Zone signs. I am a firm believer in calling something what it is, rather than using some cutesy name. Survival Zone signs would indicate to a driver, or bike rider, they are approaching an intersection. They would have two choices: 1. They can take the defensive approach by slowing down, looking around, and proceeding. 2. They can take the offensive approach and simply gun it. The offensive approach assumes that any pedestrians or other drivers will get out of the way. After all, this is a Survival Zone.

As I am raising kids in the city, I can’t wait to teach them to drive. I will definitely teach them that the best defense is a good offense. Look how well that’s working for the Bush administration, the War on Terror, and the War on Drugs; all huge successes. I will teach my kids that aggression in a Survival Zone trumps hesitation, and plus, you’ll reach your destination much quicker by not stopping for pedestrians. Of course, I’ll have to buy them armored cars. Possibly a Range Rover with reinforced steel plating. On second thought, it would have to be a Hybrid-Armored-Range Rover, because we can still be concerned with the environment while running down pedestrians.

How about it, folks? Let’s put this in motion and start replacing the Stop signs with Survival Zone signs. We’re already acting like intersections are a Survival Zone, now let’s start calling it like it is.

Let's Go to the Park

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:33:00 +0000

Having 19-month old twins at home, and living in a relatively small city apartment, makes us want to get out and play—just about every day—regardless if it’s sunny or rainy. That’s why it has become so important for us to find good parks. And a good park is hard to come by, especially in the city, and especially when your toddlers aren’t exactly ready for the monkey bars and the big kid swings. We have several defining factors of what makes for a good park:

It has to be enclosed. With a gate that locks shut.

It should have that soft, rubber surface instead of gravel and concrete. I heard they make these bouncy surfaces from old tires. Good use of recycling, if you ask me.
The park needs more for toddlers to do than just sit in the sand and bake in the sun. Granted, San Francisco does not have many cloudless days, but when it does, the sand heats up and it heats up fast.
The gym set needs to be geared for toddlers, which should include short steps, a place to run around once you get up top and not accidentally fall off, and a short slide.

The best park we have found so far is Alta Plaza Park. I think it’s also known as Alta Vista park. It’s located between Scott and Jackson Streets. It has everything we look for in a good toddler-park and it boasts beautiful views of the city. This park also provides a “see-and-be-seen” opportunity for parents who prefer to socialize while playing with their kids. While we prefer to wear shorts and flip-flops to the park, some parents like to wear designer boots… but I digress. It’s a great park.

Julius Khan Park, located in the Presidio, is another good one. While it is more geared toward the bigger kids, our toddlers still enjoy playing in the shade underneath the gym set that’s just a little too big for them. We will probably visit this park more as the kids get older. It’s also a great park to host your birthday party. They offer a huge field, a clubhouse, and picnic tables. I understand you have to make your reservations early, like a year in advance, but people do it because we see parties there all the time.

Another park in the Presidio is Mountain Lake. We’re not huge fans of this one, because it is a little small and limited and again the gym set is designed for older kids, but there are always other people there. The best part is the lake. The kids love the birds and ducks. There’s also a dog-run nearby, and our kids love dogs, so that’s a bonus.

Last, and certainly least, is Presidio Heights Park. This is a true city-park; it offers plenty of asphalt and concrete. We like this one the least, and yet it’s the one we visit most often, simply because it’s so close by. On the plus side, it does have a small sand box for the little ones to play in, and there are always park toys that our kids like. Once again, the gym set is a little too big for our kids, but they do enjoy the swings.

Parks are great for the good weather days. But as we all know, San Francisco can get cold and rainy. On those days, we pack the kids in the car and head to the Bay Area Discovery Museum. It’s a short hop across the Golden Gate Bridge and is located in beautiful Marin. Simply put: Our Kids Love It! They have great play areas both indoors and outdoors. They offer breathtaking views of the bridge and surrounding hills. They offer all kinds of activities for kids of all ages. We see ourselves visiting BADM for several years to come. They also provide birthday party services, which we’ve contemplated doing.

So, there you have it, that’s our run down of San Francisco parks that we’ve enjoyed.

Alta Plaza Park
Between Scott and Jackson Streets
San Francisco, CA 94115

Bay Area Discovery Museum
East Fort Baker
557 McReynolds Road
Sausalito, CA 94965-2614

Julius Kahn Park
Pacific Avenue (inside the Presidio)
San Francisco, CA 94118

Mountain Lake Park
10th Avenue and Lake Street (inside the Presidio)
San Francisco, CA 94118

Presidio Heights Park
Clay and Laurel Streets
San Francisco, CA 94118

Using Fire Eagle

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:04:00 +0000

Yesterday, I attended a press conference at Yahoo’s Brickhouse office. They announced the launch of Fire Eagle. It’s an API that allows you to post your current location on your blog or web site.

This morning, I wrote an entry posted on my professional blog about how I wouldn’t use Fire Eagle and that it’s really for the younger generation (and I got a little snippy). Because, you know, being in my late 30’s makes me an old man (and apparently a little gerpunkety).

This afternoon, I started using Fire Eagle. I logged in to outside.in Radar, paired up Fire Eagle with this blog, and viola, instantly my blog posts were appearing on Radar. It’s all location specific, so when I post about the Farmers’ Market, or Costco, or even businesses like TiVo, it picks it all up and places it in various spots on their site. It’s really pretty cool.

Reading Radar will tell you interesting stuff, like the fact that Rachael Ray just ate at Spruce, a restaurant within walking distance of my home. That falls into the interesting category and made me say, “Oh, that’s cool.”

Despite what I said this morning, I think I am going to use Fire Eagle. Why not?

Fresh and Fruity

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:14:00 +0000

Regular readers of Rohde Family SF know that we’ve been on a Farmers' Market kick lately. It’s a fun thing to do. It gets us out of the house in the morning. The toddlers really like that! They don’t like being cooped up in the house all the day. Plus, we get some fresh air, not to mention fresh fruit. We’ve really been digging the corn lately.

The Farmer’s market we enjoy best right now is the one on Alemany Boulevard. The parking is tight, but there’s a fairly good turnover, so we’ve been lucky at finding people that are leaving and we snag their spot.

The last time we went there we noticed that someone had altered the words ‘Farmers Market,’ which had been painted on the side of a building. And now, forever more, the Alemany Farmers' Market is hereby renamed to, “Farters Market.”
Yes, we are in our late 30’s, and we still thoroughly enjoy a good fart joke.

Hot Dogs!

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:53:00 +0000

Re-Discovering Past Favorites
There are foods you eat as an adult. And then there are foods you eat as a kid. There are also foods you re-discover as an adult when you have kids; and you like them. And last, there are foods you re-discover and you kind of wish you hadn’t. For example, canned, sliced carrots. Those are just nasty. But my baby girl loves them, so we buy them and feed them to her.

Foods you’re thankful for re-discovering, cause they’re good: grilled cheese, peanut butter and jelly, Cheez-It crackers, Ritz crackers, tater tots, and hot dogs. Yes, hot dogs! As an adult, hot dogs are reserved for the ballpark, and even then you usually get the bratwurst. Otherwise, hot dogs conjure up images of miscellaneous pig parts, horse meat, and other various meat products that if you found it laying on the sidewalk, you’d just as soon step around it then on it, let alone eat it.

As a kid, you probably snarfed down the dogs like it was a gourmet meal at Gary Danko. Then you grew up, and you learned better. You became an adult and your tastes evolved. Then you had kids. And you send your kids to daycare. And daycare has hot dogs on the menu. At first you revolt: No way are my kids eating all those nitrates and mystery meat! And then you run out of time to make a special lunch for the kids to take to daycare and you say: Fine, let them eat the dogs. And the kids like them. They snarf them down like they were dining at Boulevard. So, you buy them at home to feed them on the weekends, cause nothing else seems to be working, and you can only make so many grilled cheese sandwiches.

But then my wife gets smart, she does her research, and what does she find: all beef hot dogs with no nitrates. And these things are good. They are real good. And once again, hot dogs become a re-discovered food that you don’t have to feel guilty about eating and they don’t make you feel sick if you eat more than one (I’m looking at you, dollar-dogs at the Coliseum…).

And then I found this article over at Serious Eats, and we’re back at square one. Doesn’t matter what the article says, I like hot dogs, my kids like hot dogs, and we’re gonna eat hot dogs!! Especially during baseball season.

“Nobody, but nobody, puts ketchup on a hot dog anymore!” —“Dirty” Harry Callahan

Sitting at the Table

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:18:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, or was it a couple weeks ago, or was it last week (you know, the memory fades and the calendar melts and we forget what we had for breakfast an hour after we wolf it down while standing at the counter, handing the toddlers bits and pieces as they walk in circles waiting for mom to blow dry her hair so that we can get out of the house… but I digress). Anyway, sometime back we moved the toddlers out of the highchairs and into their dining chairs. Now we all sit down for dinner like one big, happy family. There are several advantages to this over the highchairs:

Cleaning highchair trays are a complete pain. And washing them after breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner completely wipes out the entire day. And that’s no way to spend the weekend.
Food spilled from a highchair and food spilled from a dining chair all wind up in the same spot: on the floor. This isn’t really an advantage, it’s more of a keen observation.
Another keen observation is that both the highchairs and the dining chairs have seatbelts. So, again, there’s no real advantage to the dining chair, I’m just making a keen observation. I like that phrase, ‘keen observation.’ OK. I’ll stop now.
When the toddlers were in the highchairs, there was a certain disconnect. It was as if, we’re eating over here, and they are over there. Sure, the highchairs were pulled up close to the table, but it’s just not the same thing.
With the toddlers at the table, it’s a surreal feeling having the whole family sitting together. I really didn’t think it would be such a big deal, but it really does have a psychological affect on everyone. The toddler’s do not scream to get out of the highchair to sit in our laps and they don’t demand to have our food instead of their food (even when it’s exactly the same food). I think they feel like the big kids they are. That’s not really an advantage either, I guess it’s another keen observation. OK. I promise. I really will stop now. And I think that’s the end of the list, because it’s not much of a list anyways, it’s really more a series of… it’s a series of (I can’t help it)… KEEN OBSERVATIONS.

I really am done now with only one last note: I’d like to get rid of our highchairs. They take up a lot of space. OOH. That could’ve been Advantage #6: the dining chairs do not take up extra space. Too bad I’m already done with the list… I’m not very good with lists. That’s my wife’s department. I’m better at rambling…

There's a Dog in the Backyard

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:32:00 +0000

“There’s a dog in the backyard. Do you see the dog? Huh, huh? Do you see the dog? There, there he is! He’s running around! Dog. Can you say, Dog?”

The reply comes back, “Baby.”

“Max,” I say, “that’s a dog. Not a baby.”

“Baby!” He yells back, finger pointing, arm waving, smiling as only a 19-month old can about a dog running around in the backyard. I turn my attention to his twin sister.

“Julia,” I say, “do you see the dog? Can you say, Dog?” She just smiles at me like I’m a big dummy. ‘Yeah, Dad, I see the dog. I see the dog everyday. He barks and runs around and he plays and I really want to go down there and play with the dog. Yeah, Dad, I see the dog. And you know I can’t say ‘dog’ cause if I could, I would, and I think you know that.’ She’s a smart one, that Julia. A real smarty.

While I have their divided attention, I ask Max, “Where’s the baby?” At this point in time, Max refers to everything as ‘Baby.’ A few months ago, everything was ‘Da-Da.’ Later, everything was, ‘Mom-Mom.’ Now, everything is, ‘Baby.’ The only thing he has a reserved word for is milk, and that comes out as, ‘mo-mo.’ As in, ‘More milk, please.’ I take liberties with the interpretations…

I’m standing there, holding one toddler in each arm, looking out the window at the dog, and I ask Max once more, “Where’s baby?”

He looks at me, smiles, and leans toward his sister, finger pointing at her chest, and squeals, “Baby!”

“Max, that’s your sister, J-J!” I say.

“J-J!!” Max yells back.

“Good boy, Max. That’s right, that’s J-J. J-J is not a baby, she’s a toddler.” He just looks at me and then goes back to looking at the dog. “Julia,” I say, “Where’s Max?” Again, she looks at me like I’m a big dummy. ‘You know where Max is, you’re holding him… why are you asking me such inane questions?’ I ask her a second time, “Julia, where’s Max?” This time she gets a big smile on her face and then dive bombs with her head into Max’s chest. I guess that’s one way to let me know where Max is. It would be too easy for her to say, ‘Max.’ Too easy for her to point at him. Julia doesn’t do things the easy way. She does things her way.

And we resume watching the dog run and play and have fun. So much fun.

Birthday Wishes

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:45:00 +0000

Wishing You a Happy Birthday

All you have to do is remember
that I love you

Even when the toddlers run away
they love you

Even when the toddlers scream and scream and scream
they love you

All you have to do is remember that we love you

Happy Birthday, to my wife, the mother of my children, the most important woman in our lives.

"...And I can't do a love song, like the way it's meant to be..."—Dire Straits

Hitting the Full-Speed Coffee

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:46:00 +0000

Q: Which flavor of coffee do you prefer? A: The kind with the most caffeine.

When it comes to coffee, the caffeine is the key. Drinking decaf is like drinking non-alcoholic beer. What's the point? With this in mind, the best coffee is the strongest coffee. And right now, the French Roast wins hands-down. It does not matter the brand; it does not matter if it's beans or ground. The French Roast is consistently the strongest that I've come across.

The Kirkland house blend we tried before didn't cut it. So, we moved on to the Safeway Select French Roast beans. It's good, it gets the job done, it's not great. We are moving on once again...

In the cabinet, we have a Costco-sized bag of San Francisco coffee. I'm looking forward to it. The SFWeekly wrote it up in their Best-of series: Best Coffee Bean Roasters. The article does not appear to be dated (which I believe is a huge Ooops, kind of like putting your pants on your head, even toddlers know that's an Ooops), so who knows if the article is recent or not. I'll let you know how that coffee is in future posts. Stay tuned.

The daily routine of grinding beans has lead my wife to refine her technique. Where I like to put six tbls into the grinder all at once, she likes to do three and three. She claims the beans grind finer that way with less beans in the grinder. That's fine in theory, so that's how we do it. And plus, the toddlers really like the Whrrr, Whrrr, Whrrr, noise. They like to put their hand on the dome while the beans are ground up. It's great fun.

It's Cold In Here

rohde.mj@gmail.com (Mike and Jill) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:43:00 +0000

Picked the wrong day. Yeah, it is the wrong day to not have a jacket in the car. Usually, the car has two or three jackets thrown in the back seat. You never know when it's going to be cold, hot, windy, or all of the above. Or none of the above. You just never know. You just never know when my office is going to be freezing, or steaming; it's never "just right." No, it's never just right. It's either freezing or steaming. And today was the wrong day to have cleaned out the car. It was the wrong day to bring the jackets into the house. It was the wrong day to not have the fleece, or the vest, or even a wind breaker. It is plain and simple: it was the wrong day to not have an extra layer to put on. My fingers are cold. My nose is cold. My feet are cold. It's cold. I could leave my sandwich on my desk and it would stay cold. Did I mention it is cold in here?