My weekend and why I love living in DC

   I've been in this city almost 8 years and I have yet to be bored. There is literally always something to do (and not just da club) and there's a good chance that it is going to be free. If you're not doing anything, it's because you don't want to.
   This Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the 2nd annual Art All Night festival. It's based on a similar one that takes place in Paris called Nuit Blanche. There were 5 sites around the city with different exhibits and it went from 7pm-3am.

There were paintings, body art, fire hula hoopers, a silent party, live bands every hour, and much more. While I didn't get to visit all 5 sites, the 2 that I did were so full of activity that I don't feel like I missed out. The crowd was really clectic and relaxed. I'm not the biggest art fan but this festival was comprised of so many different mediums that it really drew me in and was the type of atypical fun that I like. I went with my roommate who has actually attended the Nuit Blanche in Paris and he said that this one was more fun and light-hearted.

One of the exhibits in the Wonderbread Factory at the Shaw location.

   Sunday I had the pleasure of seeing this gentleman DJ at the Kennedy Center:

   If you have never been to the Kennedy Center put it on your calendar. They have free concerts at 6pm 365 DAYS A YEAR.  I went just expecting to see ?uestlove and Black Thought perform. It turned out that this particular event was a celebration for the winners of a youth poetry contest. I was pleasantly surprised to hear amazing poetry from high school and college students from around the country, a presentation by Glynn Washington from one of my favorite podcasts Snap Judgment, and a brief talk by Hill Harper. Chock full o' fantastic!
   To get into the concert a friend and I had to wait in line for an hour but it went by quickly. After we got our tickets we had a couple of hours to kill so we walked over to Founding Farmers restaurant and had our fill. Founding Farmers has a fantastic menu and the portion sizes based on the prices are fantastic. They also try their best to make sure that their food is locally sourced as much as possible. After eating we walked back to the Kennedy Center and were blown away by the performances. The friend I wa swith siad they would have gladly paid $50 to attend.
   How did I find out about these events? Twitter. I follow several accounts that post events around the city like @goingoutguide and @freeindcblog. There are several so just do a little research for your city and I'm sure you will find tons of fun gems in your area. Have fun!

Free Fitness Friday: Running groups

   Running has never been my favorite activity but I've come to appreciate it over the last few months. It's free, it works your entire body, and you can do it anywhere. Lately I've run farther, longer, amd more often than I ever thought I could or would. I've increased my speed, and I feel a real sense of accomplishment once I've finished. Sometimes, however, I'm not that motivated and need a little encouragement/competition/accountability to keep me going. I do this with a running group here in DC. If you're interested in finding a running group of your own, on meetup.com there are tons of running groups ranging from beginner to advanced. Besides the exercise, these groups are a great way to meet new people.

   The group that I run with that is helping DC stay healthier and build community through running is the District Running Collective. They meet every Wednesday at The Coupe on 11th st NW. The runs are anywhere from 2-4 miles and incorporate calisthenics. At the end there is usually a physical challenge and the winners are awarded prizes (gift certificates, gym memberships, etc.) Everyone is really encouraging and they have pacers to make sure that no one gets left behind. I love this group because it's people of all backgrounds and body sizes engaging in a healthy activity that encourages bonding. Check them out on facebook and IG (@districtrunningcollective). If you're in the DC area, come join us! You won't regret it.


Photos are often taken during our runs. This was me last Wednesday running up the steps at Cardozo High School.

If you like what they're doing but don't happen to be in the DC area, start your own! Happy running!

DIY: Face moisturizer

   I haven't bought traditional face moisturizer in a few years. I find the ones in the store to be too greasy and I have more than enough of that going on in these pores of mine. I also think that charging me $7 for a face lotion when I pay less than $4 for body lotion doesn't add up. I found a simple recipe a few years ago that provides me with the moisture my face needs without making me look like a shiny penny. It's super simple and saves me a couple of dollars that I can put towards my SmartTrip card (rates have gone up AGAIN as of today...boo Metro!). So here it is. You will need just 2 ingredients:

1) Aloe Vera gel: I usually get the bottle for $2.99 at Trader Joe but right now I have this one by Fruit of the Earth. I think it was a little over $3.

2) Glycerin: I find this at CVS for about $5. Glycerin is a humectant which means it pulls moisture from the air (many beauty products contain it) and brings it into your lovely skin. The bottom half of my face tends to get very dry so the glycerin really helps to balance it out with the oily top half. But you have to be careful with it because too much glycerin on your skin will actually pull the moisture OUT of that pretty face of yours.

How to make the moisturizer:

1) Put about a dime sized amount of the aloe vera gel in your hand.

2) Add 2 drops of glycerin. You don't need a lot. Promise.

3) Rub together in your hands

4) Apply

That's it. Super simple and quick. Looking at the costs up front it may seem more expensive than a traditional face moisturizer but the Aloe Vera Gel typically lasts me about 2-3 months and I JUST finished my first bottle of glycerin that I bought 3 years ago. Try it out and let me know how you like it. And share with your friends! Together we can build a more frugal and beautiful America! :-)

Free Fitness Friday

   I gave up my gym membership to Washington Sports Club a few months ago. While I loved it there, I've been trying to cut costs. I don't care what these market experts say; the recession is real, alive, and kicking and I'm trying to keep as many coins in my pocket as I can. Plus I need to chip in to bail out my boo Felon Bae.

   I've been working out long enough to know that I'm going to keep it up with a membership or not. Since breaking up with the gym I've discovered so many ways to maintain this fit life without breaking the bank. So once a week I'll share my findings with you and please send me your ideas too. I'll try to make my suggestions universal but there will also be a focus specific to the DC area.

   So on this first Free Fitness Friday, my advice to you to get your exercise on on a minimal budget is: check out your local recreation centers. There are 2 recreation centers in my neighborhood: one that is 2 blocks from my house and another that is only 2 bus stops away. Both of these facilities have workout rooms complete with weights and cardio machines (treadmills, ellipticals). One of them has free fitness classes multiple days a week. So even if I don't have the motivation to get through a workout on my own, I can drop into a class and burn those calories. For those in the DC area you can check out where all facilities are located here and the schedule of classes here. For those outside of the DC area, send me links to recreation centers in your city. I'll compile a list so we can have a one stop shop to point our friends to.

   If you like what you're reading, please feel free to share with friends. I'm new to this blogging thing so if you have suggestions, send those too. I'm not an expert at this; I'm just a woman with some time on her hands and some things to share. Hopefully some of it helps.

Geek by day...Frugal superhero by night

So Halloween is one of my favorite times of year. I get to dress up in something completely outlandish that also allows me to put my skills, talents, and love of a bargain to good use. This was my costume I made last year:

                                                         I was Woman Woman Nubia.

Bet you didn't know there was a Black Wonder Woman did you? Well I only found out last year myself in my never ending pursuit of a novel costume idea. Wonder Woman cost me less than $20 from head to toe. I also made my version of a Poison Ivy costume a couple of years prior that cost me a grand total of $7.98:

I'm currently working on this version of a Storm costume...

as well as making a hood for a Red Riding Hood costume. I'm having some trouble finding a well-priced base piece for Storm so if you have any hints, shout em out.

I've been watching Heroes of Cosplay lately and that has me thinking I might want to show up at a convention in one of my creations. What I will NOT be doing is spending hundreds of dollars to make said creations. My parents taught me to sew from a young age and while I never enjoyed it then, it's a skill that has proven quite useful and cost effective in pursuing this hobby of mine.
    A costume can be both fantastic and cheap if you start early enough. Because it's a hobby of mine, I'm constantly on the lookout for good deals on pieces that can be incorporated. Good places to find these deals:

1. Thrift stores. The base piece for Wonder Woman was a bathing suit I got for $6 at a place by where I live. Poison Ivy was a $7 dress and an $.88 plastic vine from another thrift store. If you have an idea of what you want to be and take your time, the thrift store can be your best friend.
2. Your closet. There's nothing I love better than a $free.99 special. I rarely throw away clothes because I always feel like they can be repurposed for a costume. I've got bags of scraps in my closet that I'm constantly re-evaluating for usage. The gold patches for Wonder Woman were from some old jeans that I cut, spray painted and sewed on. The head piece was an old belt and I already owned the boots.
3. Freecycle/craigslist. To reiterate: I love free. They may not have it in every city but freecycle is a way people give away things they don't use anymore or ask their neighborhood for things they are looking for that someone may have and not be using. Wonder Woman's gloves were a freecycle find (sidenote: I've also gotten a fantastic dresser and a television off of freecycle). You can also check CL's free section to see what people are giving away.

Now comes the hard/fun part depending on how you look at it. Aside from my parents showing me how to sew on buttons and repair minor tears, I'm not a trained seamstress but I've become pretty resourceful and make generous use of Google and Youtube. Sewing can seem like a daunting task but once you learn the basics it's not that bad. There are plenty of online tutorials on how to sew and at least in the DC area, I've seen free workshops to teach basic stitching. Investing a little bit of time to learn up front is a big payoff in the end. Needle and thread are more cost effective than a hot glue gun and if you make a mistake, it's easier to repair without visible evidence of it.

The last part you need is creativity. Sometimes I have to make alterations based on my body type and the tools that I have on hand. I want my costume to look as close to the prototype as possible, but I also want it to look good on me.

So, do any of you have any tricks/tips? Need some? Let me know. I would love to learn from you or help you work out a costume plan of your own. I'll keep you updated on the ones I'm working on now.

So I went to a sci-fi Burlesque show...

    I should have mentioned in my welcome that I live in DC. Quel surprise. Young, black and living in the District; how unique. Whatever, I love it here.
     So this past Friday there was a Burlesque show at the Black Cat that was called Whedonism. It's burlesque based on Joss Whedon's amazing catalog of work. If you want to check it out, the group that does it is called Evil League of Ecdysiasts.
     I biked there ahead of time for the Dr. Who Happy Hour. This was my first time at the Black Cat believe it or not. The decor was cool and comfortable but Black Cat please start accepting debit/credit cards. I am morally opposed to ATM fees and would rather walk around the block and get cash back at the Rite-Aid than pay whatever Cayman Islands bank that runs your ATM a fee to get my coins that I work so hard for.
     After my cash finding mission I settled in. I've never been a big Dr. Who fan but this episode was pretty good. It was called "The Crimson Horror" and was a nice little appetizer for the entree of geekiness that was coming up. I didn't get my tickets ahead of time and the first show was sold out but I bought a ticket off of someone who was willing to go to the later show. Shout out to Chance even though you will probably never see this. I got a seat right up close to the stage so I had a great view. The performances were really funny; it was less about trying to titillate the audience and more about just being comfortable in your skin and having a good damn time on stage. The women came in all shapes and sizes and had me thinking that I could get on stage and do a shimmy or two for the Vine. Apparently they all make their own costumes too which I loved because that is a hobby of mine (I'll show you guys my catalog of costumes one of these days). There were routines from Buffy (the #1 series of my teenage years), Angel, Firefly, the Avengers, and some more that I can't remember at the moment but I got my sci-fi life on that very evening. Shout out to Gigi Holliday who gave me some great tips on where to get stuff for future costumes and showed out in her Avengers routine. Keep repping for us black geekettes.
   Overall I had a great time and I just found out that Black Cat has a BSG happy hour on Saturdays. I will definitely be going to one of those and will let you know how it goes. Or you can come join me and we can watch Adama kick some Cylon ass together. Later!