Rob’s bike was recently stolen out of our garage. We’re not sure exactly how the thieves got in, but they took two bikes and nothing else. We’ve had people ransack our car numerous times, and when our front door handle broke a couple of weeks ago, the locksmith told us it was because someone had tried “really really hard” to get into the house. Fortunately, the door – – which is a lovely shade of blue called New York State Of Mind – – held strong.

Last week, a group of squatters was arrested in an abandoned house a few doors down. My friend Jay Smith of  Every 90 Minutes fame asked me if these were hippie squatters or crackhead squatters. Hippie squatters, he suggested, could be cool. Potentially fun to hang out with. Sadly, I think ours were of the crackhead variety. And suddenly, my beautiful green San Francisco neighborhood is not feeling so safe.

All of this happened while Rob was in New York, and when I called to tell him about the door, it was clear that he didn’t quite understand things from my point of view. I’m in a wheelchair. I can’t even open a door, and I certainly couldn’t do anything to deter a break-in. The idea that I couldn’t keep my daughter safe if I needed to had me feeling very uncomfortable.

“But the door worked,” said Rob. Read More>