Author Archives: Melissa

About Melissa

Melissa (D.C.) is a bespectacled, red-lipsticked health policy wonk who reads way too many blogs and decided it was time to contribute to one. She has made Washington, DC her home for the lastseveral years and is still searching for a burrito that compares to those in her native California. When Melissa’s not chasing down pop-up vintage shops, local sausage startups, and museum parties around the city, she can be found cooking in her closet-sized kitchen or reading/knitting next to a giant cup of tea.

SCRAP-DC: Creative Reuse in Action!

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of visiting SCRAP-DC for the very first time- and I’m hooked.

Many times in the last several years, I’ve lamented the lack of proper craft stores DC as well as a sad inability to find glitter without Zipcar-ing to the outer ‘burbs of Virginia or Maryland. While organizing a Valentine-making party for friends this weekend, I ran into this crafting-nightmare once again and decided to ask around for new ideas.

A friend told me about ScrapDC and recommended that I check it out! Thursday night after work, I made my way to this little shop in one of my favorite neighborhoods called Bloomingdale and followed the sign down the stairs to ring a doorbell.

I was greeted by a friendly, smiling face– “Are you here for Scrap DC?” I followed her into a small closet-like room packed to the brim with all kinds of materials. Walls of rolled up fabric, neatly organized bins of buttons (organized by color), sequins, a drawer of google-y eyes, ribbons, boxes of paint, and so much more!

This little store is one of several such organizations around the country– SCRAP started in Oregon several years ago. The two founders of SCRAP-DC, Karen and Heather, have had their store since August 2010 and have since collected almost 5 tons of donations. That’s almost 5 tons of materials diverted from landfills! Their mission is to Inspire creative reuse and environmentally sustainable behavior by providing educational programs and affordable materials to the community.

Needless to say, I found all of the materials I as looking for (and more!) Take a look at my finds:

… and the best part of all is that I got all of this for less than $20!

SCRAP-DC is always looking for donations (but check on their website for what they need! Since they’re such a small space, they can’t accept everything).

Thanks, SCRAP-DC for existing in this craft-store desert! <3 <3

Check out Scrap-DC:
Website: http://scrapdc.org/ (see website for hours!)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScrapDC
Location: 52 O St. NW #L2 (walkable from the New York Ave Metro station- Red Line)

2013: Feel.Be.Act.

Though we rang in the new year almost two weeks ago now, the topic of new beginnings, fresh starts, and transitions has been replaying in my mind. Last year was particularly eventful for me and brought with it with almost every type of change you can think of (besides an actual physical move). I experienced travel adventures, lifestyle changes, a major weight loss, and a whole new focus on improving my physical and mental health. I took on giant projects, an overwhelming job-search (ending in a great new job!), and faced my fears to make a bunch of new friends in this city and many others.

This is the season for endless resolutions and a focus on new new new and better better better! At times for me, it can seem like DC’s highly goal-oriented culture can push me to move along to the next action item in my list without pausing to be happy with what I’ve already done. I have done so much hard work in the last year that I don’t want to get caught up in the “what’s next?” cycle and fail to be happy in the present!

In this mindset, I was inspired by one of my favorite bloggers, Miss Modish. One post of hers in particular caught my eye in the past two weeks and I am officially stealing her motto for 2013: FEEL.BE.ACT. She says:

I’m focusing less on the things I want for my life, and more on how I want to FEEL.

I’m focusing less on what I want to do up ahead, and more on who I want to BE.

I’m tired of hoping for someday, and am ready to ACT on today.

In the spirit of letting go a bit, this post is me committing to trusting the universe a little more. If I’m focusing more on how I want to feel and who I want to be in the coming year- the exact action steps I take to get there won’t matter so much. For example, I won’t need to beat myself up for losing motivation for a particular resolution or promise, but remember how I want to feel and know that I’m heading in the right direction. Ok, here’s mine:

This year, I want to FEEL: engaged, confident, challenged, and creative.

I want to BE: mindful- in my actions and my relationships, courageous, healthy and focused.

These intentions may play out in many different ways– for example, putting away my phone more often may lead me to feel more engaged with my surroundings and those people around me. Taking on new work and new social endeavors may give me a challenge and help me be more courageous in the moment. So many small action items I’ve been writing down can be captured in these Feel.Be.Act intentions- and I can’t wait to see where they lead me this year.

So, I’ll leave you with the same question Miss Modish left me:

How do you want to feel in 2013? What kind of person do you want to be?

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Seasonal Eating: Maryland Blue Crabs!

When the weather gets warmer here in DC, a few magical things emerge: tourists in matching red, white, and blue outfits, rooftop bars, public pools, and Maryland Blue Crabs (not an exhaustive list).

Before moving to DC, my only experience with crab involved King crab legs and lots of complicated cracking tools. While my first time with the official state crustacean of Maryland was only about a year ago, my favorite part has become the social aspect of sitting around a pile of crabs with a group of friends, taking hours to pick out the sweet meat.

Before

A few weeks ago, a friend picked up a fresh bushel of Maryland Blue Crabs from local crab joint, Ruff N Ready Crabs in nearby Hyattsville, MD. We gathered around a table with chips and beer, and got ready to dig in.

For those of you who have never done it, here is a great video with instructions on just how to crack these little crabs:

And here are a few of my tips for getting the most out of your crab-eating experience:

1. Be prepared to get your hands dirty. There’s really no way around this. On a related note, be prepared to smell like crabs the rest of the day. So maybe not a perfect idea for a first date ;)

2. Set aside plenty of time. Eating crabs is not a quick meal. Gather a group of good friends, put on some music or a movie for some background noise, and get crackin’.

3. Don’t eat the yellow stuff in the middle of the female crabs. Some people refer to it as “crab mustard” and think of it as the best part (not me), but it contains some toxins that you might want to avoid.

4. Save the legs for last. These are the easiest parts, and I find it a little more fun this way.

5. Make sure to have some other food to eat if you’re hungry. While delicious, the amount of meat in a Maryland Blue Crab isn’t really enough for a meal. Bake some potatoes, grill some corn, or make a few other side dishes to fully be satisfied. Also, I’ve found that if I eat nothing else besides crabs, I walk away from the table with quite a stomach ache.

After the carnage

While it’s fun to take a bunch of already steamed and seasoned crabs home and have your own little party like we did, there are many other options for enjoying Maryland Blue Crabs this spring and summer. Cook them yourself! Steam or boil them with some old bay and you’re ready to go!

You can find them in many places around DC, including the Southwest Waterfront and many other restaurants in the city (check out Anthony Bourdain enjoying crabs at the Wharf).

Happy Crabbing!

10 Things I Saw Today: DC Edition

Saturday was one of those perfect-weather days that are usually so elusive in this city. To take advantage of the beautiful day, the girl and I set off to the National Mall to soak up some sun. While I rarely make it to this part of town, today seemed like a good time to explore outside.

After picking up some sandwiches and supplies, we hopped on the bus, which is often my preferred method of transportation in this city (except when I take my beautiful Linus bike). While taking the bus is not exactly the glamorous-side of city-living, I thought I’d bring you an honest portrayal of my days– which, let’s face it, aren’t always pretty or interesting.

Our first destination happens to be one of my absolute favorite places to spend a sunny day in DC. The Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery of Art features a beautiful fountain surrounded by benches. On a day like this, people gather at the edge of the fountain to watch the ducks, splash their toes in the water, or sunbathe.

Here’s just one of the pieces featured in the Sculpture Garden. This structure, designed and built by American artist Sol LeWitt, was inspired by the geometrical shapes of the ziggurats of ancient Mesopotamia and the skyscrapers of the modern city.

Our next stop was the US Botanic Garden, which I had been meaning to visit since moving here! We happened to be visiting during Herb Day.

These orchids reminded us of dancing ballerinas and provided beautiful material for a photo-shoot!

My favorite section of the Botanic Garden was definitely the Desert section, as I was reminded of home by all of the succulent plants! This “Old Man Cactus” was especially endearing, and looks vaguely like a real-life Lorax!

Upon leaving the US Botanic Garden, we heard loud music, cheering, and whistles coming from the direction of the National Museum of the American Indian. We found a group of young people performing a traditional Bolivian dance called the Caporales, in celebration of the Bolivian festival of Suma Qamaña, or Living Well.

Next, we wandered in the direction of the Capitol, and spotted ducks enjoying the weather, too! And I must add– these have to be among the most-photographed ducks in the area.

By this time, we had enjoyed a little soft-serve, played frisbee in the park, walked around some more, and taken the bus home! Which means, naturally, that we were ready for some food. We enjoyed an rooftop dinner of pizza and pasta (made in-house!) at one of my regular haunts– restaurant called Local 16.

Local 16, also happens to have my favorite rooftop bar, where we celebrated the end of a great day with a couple (or more) of drinks and friends.

Perfect way to end a perfect day!