A new bike

My old bike got stolen a few weeks ago (even though it had the baby seat on it, harrumph!). It was a rusty Schwinn that I'd had for five years, and I figured it was now finally time to get a grown-up bike.

After researching online, I decided to get one of the PUBLIC bikes, which are incredible Dutch-inspired city bikes made in San Francisco. The best part is, they mail the bike right to your door, and you just have to put the final pieces together (they send you tools and easy instructions). I'm thrilled with the bike, which is cute, comfy and smooth to ride.

The models, above, look gorgeous, and here's me, below, during a recent date night with Alex. (We rode to Brooklyn for dinner.)
Riding in Manhattan...
Over the Brooklyn Bridge...
Fast...
But not as fast as Alex.

Do you have a bike? Which kind? I'd recommend a PUBLIC bike if you are in the market! They also have great bike gear. UPDATE! PUBLIC says they're happy to offer a 10% discount to Cup of Jo readers with the code CUPOFJO. Good until the end of August.

Main: Music of the 20s & 30s

Today's programme on gullar sahir focuses on the music of the 20s and 30s.

It's the first of two programmes covering the period between the end of the First World War and the end of the Big Band era prior to the advent of rock'n'roll. Thus tomorrow's show focuses on the music of the 1940s.

In both cases, the programme is a mixture of predominantly original recordings plus modern performances of the songs and dance music of the period. There is also an inevitable overlap between the two programmes.

Today we will be featuring the music of two modern bands that have captured the mood and feeling of the 20s and 30s. One is Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester, who moved on from their big band pastiches of modern pop songs to authentically recreate the music of the time of the Weimar Republic, when Berlin was a capital of the arts. The other is the 14-piece San Francisco Starlight Orchestra, which was started in 1984 by John Howard as an authentic 1920s “novelty dance orchestra”, with the goal of being true to the full instrumentation and sound of the era. We'll also be hearing period music from the Mighty Wurlitzer cinema organ originally installed in the Regal Cinema, Kingston Upon Thames and now in the Brentford Musical Museum.

Today's programme is presented by Elrik Merlin and produced by gullar sahir in conjunction with our friends at the Alexandrian Free Library Consortium of Second Life. You can listen to the programme in-world now at http://main.radioriel.org, or simply click here to start your player, if your browser is configured to do so. Listeners in the United States are encouraged to tune in using this link: http://loudcity.com/stations/radio-riel/tune_in

For more information on the Alexandrian Free Library, current exhibits and the work of Consortium members in general, please visit the Alexandrian Free Library website, or one of their branches in-world.

My balance: Jordan Ferney of Oh Happy Day

Jordan Ferney writes the blog Oh Happy Day about parties, crafts and all things pretty. She usually lives in San Francisco with her husband and two sons, although they're lucky enough to all be spending this year in Paris! Here, she talks about how she balances it all...

*****

1. What's your work schedule?
Now that we’re living in Paris, my schedule is much different than when I was in the U.S. My husband and I share childcare duties pretty equally. In Paris, we work from 5pm to midnight (American hours) so we have the whole day to hang out with our kids. We sightsee, sit at cafes, go to the park and visit museums. Our boys go to bed around 7:30pm, so the last few hours after dinner they watch a movie or play with toys to wind down before we put them to bed. This is the best schedule we've ever had.

In the U.S., I was the primary caretaker. Our schedule was this:
9am-1pm Babysitter arrived, took kids to the park, did a little preschool session, and fed them lunch while I worked.
1-6pm I take care of the kids. We go to parks, museums, etc., and I would do household errands.
6pm-midnight My husband Paul put the kids down while I got back to work.

2. How do you handle childcare?
Being in France has been so interesting. The French support system for mothers is amazing. France has state sponsored daycare and preschool, and they are really good. We just started our oldest son in preschool this spring. His teacher is excellent, and it is very organized. He only goes for three hours a day but he loves it. If your child is younger than 3, then placement in daycare depends on if both parents work and income, and then there is a sliding scale fee. My friend is a stay-at-home mom in Paris and takes her toddler two mornings a week so she can get errands done. It’s a huge burden taken of a mother's shoulders if she has affordable options for childcare.

Another awesome detail is in Paris they have a large section on the bus for strollers. So you can get on and off the bus without ever closing your stroller. In fact its encouraged! So different from the glares you get in the U.S. for getting on the bus with a stroller. I wish the women's movement would jump on this issue, it's so important for moms not to feel trapped at home.

3. Where do you work during the day?
Right now we work in our home. We have a desk set up in our bedroom. When I really need to buckle down and reach a deadline I just close the door. I prefer working in my home so I can pop out and play with my boys during breaks.

4. What do you find best about your current set-up?
Spending the day with my family is a huge luxury. I doubt we'll ever have a situation like this again so we are trying to enjoy it. Since everyone in the US is asleep while we are out I don't even feel a need to check the internet or twitter because nothing is going on.

5. What do you find tricky about your current set-up? What would you change if you had a magic wand?
Our biggest struggle is always setting boundaries. When you work for yourself the success of your business is directly related to how hard you work. We could work forever and still not be done. Setting limits and sticking to the schedule is really important to keep everything running smoothly.

6. What advice would you give to other moms about the juggle?
The main thing I've learned is that you can't have it all. What I mean by that is you are always sacrificing something with any decision you make. For example I have friends that buy really rad clothes for their kids. They are always dressed adorably. My kids have clothes that fit them and that are kind of cute but nothing that compares. That is something that I would enjoy and I wish I had more time to do. But when I choose to have a job I sacrifice some of that.

I think the secret is to try to reevaluate the situation often to make sure everyone's needs are being met. We are constantly tweaking things about our schedule to make sure everyone (including the parents) are healthy and happy.

7. Do you think the juggle is harder for women than for men?
Yes! My husband is very involved in childcare but if he leaves for work he doesn't think about home or worry. I swear he is hardwired differently than I am.

Thanks, Jordan!

Main: Swing into Summer

Today on gullar sahir, Elrik Merlin presents a programme of music from the 20s and 30s, including swing, jazz, novelty records and ballads of the period.

The programme includes both original recordings of the dance bands and artistes of the period, alongside modern re-creations such as those of Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester, the San Francisco Starlight Orchestra and many more. Enjoy as we "swing into summer" on gullar sahir - swing… and a great deal more!

After approximately 4pm Pacific Time, we will be broadcasting a varied music programme prior to additional programming that will take place later in the evening. Please check this Programme Guide for details later in the day.

Today's programme is presented by Elrik Merlin and produced by gullar sahir in conjunction with our friends at the Alexandrian Free Library Consortium of Second Life. You can listen to the programme in-world now at http://main.radioriel.org, or simply click here to start your player, if your browser is configured to do so. Listeners in the United States are encouraged to tune in using this link: http://loudcity.com/stations/radio-riel/tune_in

For more information on the Alexandrian Free Library, current exhibits and the work of Consortium members in general, please visit the Alexandrian Free Library website, or one of their branches in-world.

The image above is from the vintage sheet music collection of Paula K Wirth, www.inkvision.com 

Do or don't: Bell bottoms

This San Francisco cutie looks adorable in her bell bottoms. I would never have thought to wear bell bottoms, but they're so flattering and make her look like 1970's tomboy. Now I'm itching for a dark-wash pair. Would you wear them?

(Photo by SF Style)

Main: Music for Bloomsday

Today, June 16, is Bloomsday: the anniversary of the day in 1904 when the events of Ulysses, the best-known work by the Irish literary giant James Joyce, would have taken place in Dublin and environs. The celebration - which today includes a great many events in and around Dublin and elsewhere in the world - was originally established in 1954 on the 50th anniversary.

To celebrate Bloomsday we're presenting a programme of Irish music, traditional and modern; we will also be playing no less than three musical settings of some of James Joyce's first published poetry: Chamber Music of 1907. You'll hear the piano and tenor voice interpretations of Alfred and Marc Heller, the San Francisco Symphony Chorus under Marc Shapiro, and a complete series of settings of all 36 poems, by some of today's top alternative artists. You may hear some surprises today.

This programme will be followed at approximately 4pm Pacific Time by a programme of classical music prior to additional shows later in the evening. See additional entries here for details. 

Today's programme is presented by Elrik Merlin and produced by gullar sahir in conjunction with the Alexandrian Free Library Consortium of Second Life. You can listen to the programme now at http://loudcity.com/stations/radio-riel/tune_in; outside the US, tune to http://main.radioriel.org in-world, or simply click here if your browser is configured to launch a player automatically.

For more information on the Alexandrian Free Library, current exhibits and the work of Consortium members in general, please visit the Alexandrian Free Library website, or one of their branches in-world.

San Francisco vacation photos

My lovelies, I'm excited to share our San Francisco vacation photos, if you like to see. We had such a great time and are in love with the city!
As I mentioned before, we were lucky enough to swap apartments with Victoria from SFGirlbyBay. Well, she also let us borrow her sky-blue convertible VW Bug! The only challenge: It was a stick shift, so San Francisco's steep hills definitely tested our driving skills. We may or may not have bumped another car (we did), which Victoria may or may not have been amazingly cool about (she was).
One of the first afternoons, we went to the California Academy of Sciences, where we saw giraffes, dinosaurs and a rad aquarium. Alex and I took turns watching the dizzying 30-minute film in the planetarium; the giant curved screen made you feel like you were actually flying through the solar system. It was, as Alex would say, a trip.
Meanwhile, Toby was in heaven watching the eels and sharks swimming underneath us. Alex and I joked that it might be the best day of his life thus far, and I think it actually really might have been.
One night, Alex and I went to Foreign Cinema, an fabulous restaurant that plays movies on a wall their back garden. (Aren't the ivy-covered walls beautiful?)
We ordered bright green asparagus soup...
...and bright pink rose wine...
...and had a wonderful breezy evening.
The next day was rainy, so we took shelter in the Ferry Building with its cheese shops, gourmet groceries, fish markets...
...gourmet donut stands...
...and flower shops.
Alex and I also had literally, no exaggeration, the best sandwich of our lives (braised brisket, and I don't even usually like brisket)...
...at this place. If they ever opened a shop in New York, I would eat there everyday.
Afterward, we chilled on a bench behind the Ferry Building and watched the waves. Toby is obsessed with all water other than baths, and he was so enthralled that he didn't even mind his soaking wet socks.
Afterward, Alex suggested we walk up to Fisherman Wharf's Musee Mecanique, an old-school arcade with tons of coin-operated games, fortune-tellers (like in the movie Big!), and musical instruments that play old-time-y music when you put in a quarter.
One of the most famous arcade machines was "Laughing Sal," who had a crazy cackle.
The sign said she had "terrified children for over fifty years."
I figured Toby was too young to be scared of her...
I was wrong.
That night, on my sister's recommendation, Alex and I did a taco crawl (just the two of us) through the Mission district. We stopped into a bunch of different taquerias for beers, margaritas and, of course, tacos.
Pork carnitas was our favorite. P.S. Did you know there is a Michelin-starred taco truck?
On our final night, we went with my sister and her husband to a party at SFMOMA. We drank cocktails in the giant lobby...
...and then had our run of the place. It was cool to explore the museum after hours and get to see all the art up close and casually.
Other highlights of the trip: Walking out to Point Bonita lighthouse, hanging out at Dolores Park, going to Tartine for croque monsieur (three times), getting Korean-style massages and salt scrubs in Japantown, and checking out San Francisco's beautiful toy stores.

San Francisco, we love you! We can't wait to come back. :)
P.S. 10 tips for traveling with a baby.

San Francisco bouncy balls

Remember that mindblowing commercial a few years ago where thousands of bouncy balls cascaded down the hills of San Francisco? Well, Danish photographer Peter Funch captured photos of the scene, and Lumas is selling limited edition prints. Aren't they magical?

Here's the commercial, if you haven't seen it:
(Via Honestly WTF)