Visiting the anthopology pod at MSC

Last week, Carlos and I were able to take a private tour (with a few other Smithsonian staff) of the anthropology pod (or the anthro-pod as I like to call it) at the Museum Support Center. This pod contains lots of really neat artifacts and collections. We first looked at the Terry Collection: human remains that comprise one of the most studied collections in the world (for pathology, forensics, history, etc.). We examined many old Peruvian skulls, learning about what different facial traumas and diseases look like on crania, then we looked at more really neat stuff in the mummy room. We saw a mummy from Peru and shrunken heads from the Amazon (while learning about different levels of shrunken head fakery -- some heads were sloths but most were human). We even were able to see a mummified bull -- one of only three known to exist!  This was a very unique opportunity to see more of the treasures housed in Smithsonian storage~

 

 

On another note, Carlos and I leave for Washington state and California tomorrow. We will be gone for about two weeks. I still have some things to blog about (like my Dad visiting DC for a couple of days) so I should have more adventures up soon!

Cephaloleia horvitzae painting

Yesterday, I completed a  project that I had been working on for a while: a scientific illustration of a new beetle species, Cephaloleia horvitzae. This genus is the group that Carlos works with and he decided to name one of the new species after his Ph.D. advisor and our friend, Carol Horvitz. As a present, I illustrated this little beetle (it is only 4 mm long!) and thought I would post some photos of the process and end product. The work involved in creating a scientific illustration is more intense than just creating illustrations with no scale specifications.

I am really pleased with how this illustration turned out and I hope Carol likes it!

Zoo Lights

A couple of weeks ago, Carlos and I visited the National Zoo to see the collection of lights put up for the holidays -- Zoo Lights! We have never seen these before, but it was a real treat to be able to visit the animals at the zoo after nightfall (the zoo usually closes every day around 6 pm). It was pretty cold when we visited so we bundled up and brought a little picnic dinner of Morningstar burgers, satsuma oranges, and hot apple cider.

This event was pretty popular and we really enjoyed seeing all the lights, hearing Christmas music, and seeing the sleepy animals in the ape, small mammal, and reptile houses. We also looked at some of the special Christmas exhibits: a clouded leopard-themed tree, edible dioramas of North American animals, and train sets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

We wandered all over the zoo, ate dinner, got a free glowstick, and had a nice time -- we will probably be back soon to see it again before we start our holiday travels in a week!

Cornish game hen dinner

 

 

Last night, Carlos and I tried a new recipe: little roasted Cornish game hens!  We bought them from a little poultry stall in Eastern Market, then used a recipe I found online (stuff hens with lemon, rosemary, and garlic, then pour white wine sauce over the top).  They turned out very delicious so we have found a new food item to incorporate into our diets!  We also made some roasted brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes to go with the hens.  This was a pretty easy and satisfying dinner that we will definitely make again.

PS. The light in the kitchen is strange so the color in the pictures looks a little weird.  Everything looked tastier in reality!

Crafty Bastards 2012

 

A couple of weekends ago (on 10 November), Carlos and I ventured out to another part of DC that we haven't yet visited: the area north of Union Station which houses the newly-renovated Union Market.  This was a REALLY cool area that we will definitely be visiting again!  Our reason for being here was to attend the 2012 Crafty Bastards arts and craft fair.  We have gone to Crafty Bastards for the past two years, but this is the first time that it was held in the Union Market area. 

We arrived about a half hour before the fair opened so we peeped around the indoor market and its varied vendors.  Union Market renovated only a couple of months and you can tell that this really gentrified building is a little out of place in its current location and seems to cater to hipsters and foodies.  I really liked it (and am neither a hipster nor foodie) -- I especially liked the bakery (we bought a huge delicious sourdough loaf for $4) and dairy (fresh eggnog!).  We also saw coffee and tea shops, an oyster bar, cheese shop, vegetable stand, and old-fashioned soda shoppe (among other neat-looking vendors).

Once Crafty Bastards officially opened, we got our wristbands (we had to pay $2.50/each for entry this year, bleh) and started our wanderings.  I am glad we came early because this space became crowded very quickly.  We looked at all of the great vendors and purchased a few goodies (some are gifts and I can't show them) -- there was a lot of really high quality creative art here!

 

After making a pin, buying some goodies, and looking at everything, we hopped back inside Union Market to get a snack: tasty vanilla creme soda and a mulled apple cider ice cream from Trickling Springs Dairy.  It was so crowded that we stood near the seating area to eat. 

 

By this time, we were ready to leave (it was so crowded everywhere by this point!) so we wandered back to the metro to go home.  I ended up buying a really cute long-sleeved shirt for myself with a little silkscreened mountain scene.  We probably won't be in DC for Crafty Bastards next year, but we will definitely visit Union Market again soon to stock up on gourmet treats.

Nintendo 3DS XL

The other day I ventured out to Target for a little treat that I had been thinking about getting for a while (about a year) -- a Nintendo 3DS XL!  I haven't had a handheld Nintendo system since my little pink DS (which I still love).  The 3DS is fantastic -- it has two screens: the upper screen is in 3D (no need for 3D glasses, which is so cool) and the bottom screen is a touch screen.  I am still playing around with all of the features, but I really like this system so far!

I also bought a 3DS game that just came out: Paper Mario Sticker Star.  I love the Paper Mario series (which I have played since the first game came out on the Nintendo 64) and so far, this one is just as fun as the others!  I am excited to look into the virtual console for this system too.  It is analogous to the virtual console on the Wii, but instead of downloading old games for the home consoles (e.g. NES, SNES, N64, Atari), the 3DS virtual console has a lot of titles from handheld systems (e.g. Gameboy)!

Seafood market in SW DC

 

Things have been extremely busy this month!  Carlos and I have been trying to plan our trip to China for interviews, but it looks like we have to postpone that until April because the bureaucrats there were too slow in getting letters of invitation to us.  Bleh, oh well.  We should still be going in April and this will give us more time to adequately prepare everything!

Anyway, Carlos and I visited Southwest DC a few days ago to buy some seafood at the fish market there.  Despite living in DC for 2+ years, we had never made it to this part of town before!  The market was pretty interesting, comprising lots of little individual stalls floating right on the water.  When you order some food, you have to be careful not to fall in or drop anything (I saw a lady drop her credit card in the water between the land and boat -- whoops!).

Carlos really wanted some oysters and crabs.  I just had a clam chowder because I had eaten a snack before heheh.  The crabs were thrown into a huge paper bag and steamed right there then sprinkled with seasoning.  We took our goodies to a nearby park (there isn't really anywhere to sit and eat near the market) and enjoyed our fresh seafood.  We will probably be back again soon to have more crabs -- don't forget to bring your mallet!