When I was contemplating the ideal person to teach me how to make excellent crepes, the first person who came to mind was Chris Abraham, President of Abraham Harrison. In other words, I know how to pick my instructors.

The photos were taken in the kitchen of my last apartment (the studio in Arlington), not the apartment I live in right now (1-bedroom in southwest DC). My old kitchen was actually larger than the one I’m in right now, but I made up for the loss of kitchen space with the addition of more space elsewhere.

Chris not only taught me how to make crepes, he brought all of the ingredients and left me with my very own crepe pan. (I have super cool friends, and Chris is one of the nicest guys I know.)

We made savory crepes (with ingredients such as prosciutto, smoked salmon, and Gruyère) and sweet crepes for dessert (Nutella with powdered sugar sprinkled on top).

Chris demonstrated the correct crepe-scooping and flipping procedures, and let me try it out for myself. I must admit, I haven’t tried it again since my first-and-only lesson, but I have the pan and the know-how. (Maybe that should be the next thing I invite a crowd of people over to do…Crepe-Making Party.)

(Yum. Thanks, Chris! You’re the best-est!)

Also, I ate my first-ever cheesesteak (not just my first Philly cheesesteak, but my first cheesesteak EVER). We bought one at Pat’s and one at Geno’s, splitting them in half so we’d each get to try. Which one did I like best? The second one. And no, I don’t remember which one that was because I have a short memory. I’ll have to ask Justin; I’m sure he could recall.

I took about five photos (because that’s how I am!). Here are two of them. One is a random building and the other is Justin by the fountain in LOVE Park.

Number watched so far: 32

I’m listing the documentaries in the order in which I watch them, and putting them in one of three categories: Very Interesting, Worth Watching, or Not All That Great.

1. Ballerina
Filmmaker Bertrand Normand’s documentary profiles five outstanding Russian ballerinas from the prestigious Mariinsky Theatre, following them from grueling rehearsals to flawless performances around the globe.
Opinion: Very interesting. (Maybe it’s the little girl in me, but I liked watching the extreme dedication and day-to-day lives of these ultra hard-working ballet dancers.)

2. This Emotional Life
Harvard psychologist and best-selling author Dr. Daniel Gilbert hosts this three-part PBS series [note: I watched the third episode, called "Rethinking Happiness"] that explores the range of human emotions and how we can strive to become more positive in our day-to-day lives.
Opinion: Worth watching. (Some of the profiles went on too long, which made it difficult to pay attention, but I like hearing/reading theories about happiness.)

3. The September Issue
A documentary chronicling Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour’s preparations for the 2007 fall-fashion issue.
Opinion: Not all that great. (I thought I’d like this better than I did. I would have found it more interesting if they talked to Vogue staff members who were lower on the totem pole, rather than focusing mainly on Anna Wintour.)

4. A Wink and a Smile: The Art of Burlesque
The camera goes inside Seattle’s Academy of Burlesque to shadow 10 ordinary women — among them, a taxidermist, a housewife and a doctor — who are learning the art of the striptease.
Opinion: Very interesting. (The class looks fun and empowering. I might try it myself if I had the nerve.)

5. A State of Mind
Two young North Korean gymnasts prepare for an unprecedented competition in this documentary that offers a rare look into the communist society and the daily lives of North Korean families. For more than eight months, film crews follow 13-year-old Pak Hyon Sun and 11-year-old Kim Song Yun and their families as the girls train for the Mass Games, a spectacular nationalist celebration involving thousands of performers.
Opinion: Very interesting. (I found the look inside the girls’ day-to-day lives especially interesting. Even though I’ve heard a little bit about life in North Korea, this made me realize how much I didn’t know.)

6. Every Little Step
Go backstage for an up-close look at a Broadway production with this documentary that follows hopeful dancers as they audition for coveted spots in the 2006 revival of “A Chorus Line.” Drawing parallels between the interactions of the aspiring actors and the events of the play, filmmakers Adam Del Deo and James D. Stern also intercut interview footage of composer Marvin Hamlisch and dancers from the original Broadway production.
Opinion: Worth watching. (Some people are so talented, it’s sickening. In a good way, of course.)

7. Spirit of the Marathon
Six runners from vastly different backgrounds train for the 26.2 miles of glory that comprise the famed Chicago Marathon. Along the way, filmmaker John Dunham provides an informative account at the centuries-old race. Vintage film clips and thoughtful interviews fill out this heartfelt portrait, which also includes appearances by legendary runners such as Dick Beardsley, Paula Radcliffe, Bill Rodgers, Toshihiko Seko and Grete Waitz.
Opinion: Very interesting. (I found the most inspiring marathoner to be an old gentleman who ran his first marathon at the age of 65. He runs slow, but he’s now run multiple races and inspires others to do the same.)

8. Young @ Heart
Coldplay, the Clash and Jimi Hendrix will never sound the same once you’ve heard the Young@Heart chorus, a group of Massachusetts senior citizens who thrill audiences worldwide with their unusual — and unusually poignant — covers of rock songs. Stephen Walker’s humane and heartwarming documentary, which premiered at Sundance in 2008, follows the elderly ensemble as they prepare their latest show for public performances.
Opinion: Not All That Great. (I liked the concept, but it was difficult to get into.)

9. Paper Clips
Whitwell Middle School in rural Tennessee is the setting for this documentary about an experiment in Holocaust education. Struggling to grasp the concept of 6 million Holocaust victims, the students decide to collect 6 million paper clips to better understand the enormity of the calamity. The film details how the students met Holocaust survivors from around the world and how the experience transformed them and their community.
Opinion: Worth watching. (I love the idea of one small idea exploding and inspiring like this one did.)

10. Rank
Filmmaker John Hyams trains his lens on the dicey sport of professional bull riding, focusing on a trio of top contenders for the world title. Cameras follow newcomer Justin McBride, 21-year-old Mike Lee and two-time champ Adriano Moraes as they prepare — physically and mentally — for their wild rides, working through injuries for a shot at the crown and $1 million in prize money.
Opinion: Very interesting. (8 seconds! Constant injuries! What a life.)

11. No Impact Man
A Fifth Avenue family goes very green when writer Colin Beavan leads his wife, Michelle Conlin, and their baby daughter on a yearlong crusade to make no net impact on the environment. Among their activities: eating only locally grown organic food, generating no trash except for compost and using no carbon-fueled transportation.
Opinion: Very interesting. (I wouldn’t want to go this extreme, but their experiment is very thought-provoking. I’m sure it had a huge impact on their life.)

12. The Botany of Desire
While visiting places like Peru, Kazakhstan and Amsterdam, learn from author Michael Pollan as he explains the natural history of apples, tulips, marijuana and potatoes and describes how common plants such as these deftly manipulate human desires. Based on Pollan’s best-selling book, this documentary encourages viewers to look at the world from a vastly different perspective and improve their relationships with nature.
Opinion: Worth watching. (There was some interesting information, but I didn’t find it overly-stimulating.)

13. Urban Explorers: Into the Darkness
Discover the secret world of urban explorers, daring modern archaeologists who seek out the hidden nooks and crannies of cities in abandoned subway stations, long-sealed sewers, and condemned buildings. Filmmaker Melody Gilbert joins these thrill seekers as they hunt for the lost trappings of the modern world and, in the process, shines a light on a fascinating subculture that is, quite literally, underground.
Opinion: Not all that great. (It started off okay, but after the first 45 minutes it wasn’t doing a good job of keeping my interest.)

14. The Business of Being Born
Director Abby Epstein’s controversial documentary takes a hard look at America’s maternity care system, juxtaposing hospital deliveries against the growing popularity of at-home, natural childbirths that some expectant parents are opting for. Former talk show host Ricki Lake was inspired to produce this compelling exposé after a dissatisfying birthing experience with her first child left her with many unanswered questions.
Opinion: Worth watching. (There were more shots of babies being born than I wanted to see, so I looked away.)

15. Blood, Sweat & Teeth
The most intimidating, bloodthirsty warriors of cage fighting battle it out in this collection of extreme matches. Front-row fans should be warned: The hard-hitting, take-no-prisoners action doesn’t stop even when teeth go flying. Packed with some of the most intense cage fights ever filmed, this carnival of carnage captures all of the incredible moves, debilitating knockouts and blood-and-sweat drama of the sport.
Opinion: Not all that great.

16. King Corn
Friends Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis move back to America’s Corn Belt to plant an acre of the nation’s most-grown and most-subsidized grain and follow their crop into the U.S. food supply. What they learn about genetically modified seeds, powerful herbicides and the realities of modern farming calls into question government subsidies, the fast-food lifestyle and the quality of what we eat.
Opinion: Worth watching. (Corn is in just about everything…)

17. Bigger, Stronger, Faster
Filmmaker Chris Bell points the camera at his brothers and himself — all of them users of steroids — for this thought-provoking examination of sports, competition and the unyielding pressure to succeed. By exploring the reasons behind steroid use and its effects within his own family, Bell asks whether the winning-is-everything attitude that’s so prevalent in American society has truly built a better athlete.
Opinion: Worth watching.

18. Beer Wars
Anat Baron ushers viewers into the backrooms and breweries of the ultra-competitive beer industry and reveals what it takes for independent brewers to compete with the corporate giants who dominate the business.
Opinion: Worth watching.

19. Encounters at the End of the World
Filmmaker Werner Herzog takes us on a wild and woolly journey to the South Pole — from the National Science Foundation’s headquarters on Ross Island to some of Antarctica’s most remote and dangerous terrain. With a keen eye for the wonders and sometimes hilarious peculiarities of this icy land’s animal and human inhabitants, Herzog offers an astounding look at the world’s most inhospitable landscape.
Opinion: Worth watching.

20. Inside Deep Throat
This documentary examines the goings-on behind the porn film that grew to become an icon, Deep Throat, which made more money than its producers anticipated and ignited a sexual and social revolution.
Opinion: Very interesting. (It’s kind of crazy, in our current times, to think about what people complained about just a few decades ago.)

21. Pressure Cooker
Three Philadelphia high school students negotiate the challenges of the inner city and the demands of their tough-minded culinary arts teacher, Wilma Stephenson, to become contenders in a citywide cooking competition. This documentary showcases the heights that young minds can reach, regardless of their environment, when they’re expected to succeed.
Opinion: Very interesting. (Tough love! Awesome.)

22. Etoiles: Dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet
ETOILES celebrates the legacy one of the best ballet companies in the world by weaving together rehearsals, tour snapshots and performances of classical ballets such as Swan Lake and La Sylphide.
Opinion: Worth watching. (Most of this documentary is in subtitles, if that matters to you.)

23. National Geographic: Camp Leatherneck
In a part of Afghanistan controlled by the Taliban prior to 2009, the U.S. Marines’ Camp Leatherneck now serves as the base of operations for more than 10,000 U.S. soldiers charged with turning the tide of war in a stark and alien landscape.
Opinion: Not all that great.

24. National Geographic: China’s Lost Girls
Accompanied by her team, reporter Lisa Ling flies off to China with American parents set to adopt baby girls, the casualties of the country’s long-standing one-child policy. In hewing to this strict rule, families wind up aborting, abandoning or hiding their daughters, many of whom end up in the United States, brought by couples longing for children.
Opinion: Worth watching.

25. Cocaine Cowboys
Director Billy Corben pulls out all the stops to explore the many dimensions of Miami’s cocaine-trafficking boom of the 1980s, as told by the smugglers, cops and average citizens who were there. The film is an unflinching study of Miami’s most notorious and lethal vice — from how the drug was moved and its financial impact on the city to the havoc and violence that followed in its wake.
Opinion: Very interesting.

26. The King of Kong
When Steve Wiebe got laid off, he turned to the classic arcade game Donkey Kong for solace; soon, he decided to challenge Billy Mitchell’s long-standing record score. Providing a history of competitive video gaming and a look at some of the key players, The King of Kong is at its best when revealing just how far Mitchell will go to retain his crown.
Opinion: Very interesting.

27. The Big Show: A Giant’s World
This pro-wrestling bio offers a bird’s-eye view of what it’s like to be a giant — which, in the case of Paul Wight (better known as the Big Show), makes you one of the most intimidating figures in the WWE. In addition to discussing his battles with wrestling superstars like Steve Austin, Ric Flair and the Undertaker, the Show also talks about his struggles with the genetic condition that caused his extraordinary growth.
Opinion: Very interesting.

28. Good Hair
Actor and stand-up comic Chris Rock hops around the world, going from beauty salons to science labs to comb through the mystery of African American hair. Rock contemplates the purpose and application of a weave as well as women’s self-esteem and their locks. He also gains varying insights from Ice-T, Nia Long, Rev. Al Sharpton, Raven-Symoné, Maya Angelou and other celebrities.
Opinion: Very interesting.

29. Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead
Focusing on two men whose bodies have been trashed by steroids, obesity and illness, this documentary chronicles the rigorous healing path — including a two-month diet of fruits and vegetables — that both attempt in a bid to rescue their health.
Opinion: Worth watching.

30. Super High Me
Determined to find out the true effects of cannabis on the human body, stand-up comedian and former Stoner of the Year Doug Benson chronicles his experience as he avoids pot for a month and then consumes massive amounts of the drug for 30 days. More than just an amusing story about one man’s quest to get superhigh, this 2007 documentary also examines the hotly contested debate over medical marijuana use.
Opinion: Worth watching.

31. Forks Over Knives
Focusing on the research of two food scientists, this documentary reveals that despite broad advances in medical technology, the popularity of modern processed foods has led to epidemic rates of obesity, diabetes and other diseases.
Opinion: Not All That Great.

32. Waiting For Superman
This documentary weaves together stories about students, families, educators and reformers to shed light on the failing public school system and its consequences for the future of the United States.
Opinion: Very interesting.

(This post was last edited on: Jan 27 2012)

This was the first time I’d seen a class like this offered by Living Social, so I immediately decided to take advantage of the $40 offer (most sushi classes I’ve seen advertised in this area run $75-85 apiece).

This particular class took place at CulinAerie. I liked the space; it’s conveniently located to several Metro stations and the interior is bright and clean. The only thing I didn’t like is that the main room is a little small for the amount of tables they had in there, which made it difficult to maneuver around the tables without waiting for someone to move out of your way first.

The class lasted for two hours. The first 45-60 minutes were dedicated to a “history of sushi,” instruction on how to cut the vegetables (we didn’t use raw fish, which was a little disappointing, but it was understandable due to the relatively large class size), and a demonstration of how to roll sushi two ways (one with the rice on the outside, and the other with the rice enclosed by the nori). There were two large TV screens hanging from the ceiling so people in the back could see what was going on up front, one camera on the instructor’s face and one close-up on the food preparation.

The second hour was hands-on. Everything we needed had been laid out for us in advance — knife, cutting board, sushi rice and veggies, bamboo mat, etc. No set-up or clean-up was required, which was very nice. And several CulinAerie employees roamed the room, answering questions and bringing extra ingredients as requested.

I went to the class by myself, so I was paired with another woman who had also arrived solo. She was pleasant and we worked well together, taking turns sharing a cutting board and bamboo mat, but I found myself wishing that someone I knew would have taken advantage of the class as well — it would have been a bit more fun if there was easy, relaxed conversation with a friend involved.

However, I did get to practice rolling the sushi both ways (I did a pretty good job…a tad better than my assigned partner, if I say so myself). And even though I typically don’t order vegetarian sushi, it tasted good. They gave us a glass of wine, too. (That came out near the end, though, and I wish it had arrived a little sooner.)

All in all, I had a good time and I’d go back to CulinAerie if they offer something else I’d like to learn about. But next time I’ll definitely take a friend.

2. Learn to swim
(Please note: I get horrible motion sickness on boats, and even when I’m just standing in water. Previous attempts at swimming lessons have been cut short because I feel like I’m going to barf after about 15 minutes. Whoever teaches me to swim will have to be very patient, and also willing to do short lessons over a longer number of days. Or else cure my motion sickness.)

3. Do at least 1 unassisted pull-up
(Strength! Yeah!)

4. Use chopsticks without embarrassment
(I can pick up sushi, that’s about it.)

5. Become conversational in Spanish
(Previous experience: I took Spanish in high school and college.)

6. Once I become conversational in Spanish, take a trip to a Spanish-speaking country and interact with locals

7. Complete a difficult hike

8. Ride in a helicopter

9. Live in another country again for at least six months
(I spent five months in Amsterdam in 2004)

10. Watch 50 documentaries
(In process)

11. Take a self-defense class

12. Ride a horse
(Taking a simple ride while on vacation doesn’t count. I’d like to learn how to put on a saddle, and a bridle, and ride…fast. This will be scary.)

13. Throw a surprise party

14. Host a party at my house
I hosted a bachorlette party for a friend in March 2011 and threw myself a large birthday party in June 2010.

15. Take another long road trip in the U.S.
(I’ve made two round-trip cross-country drives, from Virginia to California and back, so I’ve crossed the U.S. four times already. I’ll take a new route next time.)

16. Learn to drive a motorcycle
(I don’t necessarily want to buy one, but I’d like to know how to ride.)

17. Ice skate on a frozen lake

18. Eat sushi in Japan

19. Appear in a movie or TV show
(Serving as an extra would count, even if I don’t see my face on-screen.)

20. Walk along the Great Wall of China

21. Learn to make excellent crepes
(This lesson took place in late November 2010, but I wrote the post in February 2011)

22. Make homemade marshmallows
(Sounds sticky! But also fun.)

23. Make macaroons

24. Learn how to handle and take care of a gun (including loading/unloading, shooting, and cleaning)
(I’ve been to shooting ranges a few times, but that’s the extent of my knowledge.)

25. Visit 10 new locations in/around Washington, DC (restaurants don’t count)
(#1: Newseum)

26. Visit Philadelphia
(I went to Philly with my friend Justin in October 2010)

27. Visit Boston

28. Visit New Orleans