<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1" ?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>washingtonpost.com - The Expert</title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/style/columns/theexpert?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</link><description>The Expert</description><language>en-us</language><ttl>15</ttl><image><title>washingtonpost.com</title><width>140</width><height>20</height><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com</link><url>http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/hp/image/wp_web.gif</url></image><item><title><![CDATA[Jewish Prayer Shawl Weaver]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7934-2005Apr21.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7934-2005Apr21.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2005 7:50:42 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[SPINNING 101:  After I graduated from Cornell, I met this older woman while out dancing. It was my first time and she  --  a regular  --  took pity on me. I found out she knew the age-old practice of weaving. I was fascinated and wanted to learn.  In the evenings, I would bike to her house where she would give me pointers and fix my mistakes. A friend built a loom for me so I could weave in my spare time. I went to Harvard Law School and started my own nonprofit. Then in 1995, I wove a tallit, which is a Jewish prayer shawl, and started wondering: What would it be like to spend more time weaving?]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Movie Makers]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55213-2005Apr14.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55213-2005Apr14.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2005 7:50:42 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[HOT SHOTS:   <em>Cahill</em>: When I was 11, my dad had one of those big clunky VHS camcorders, and he used it for filming cheesy family stuff  --  but I used it to make little films. I discovered the ability to make myths seem real, the beauty of creating truths.]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Alignment Authority]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35781-2005Apr7.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35781-2005Apr7.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2005 7:50:42 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[WISE CRACKER:  Growing up, I was always active in sports, so I was always getting hurt  --  twisting my ankles, hurting my back. I saw a lot of doctors. During my first year at American University, a chiropractor treated me for back pain. That's when I decided that's what I wanted to do. I spent five years at Life University's College of Chiropractic in Georgia, getting my doctorate. But I missed Washington, so when it came time for me to open my practice, I came back to the area.]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Arborist]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17336-2005Mar31.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17336-2005Mar31.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2005 7:50:42 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[THE FAMILY TREE.  My dad's been in the tree business for 45 years; my uncle has a tree business; my brother has a tree business. So when my dad offered me a job after high school, it seemed like the logical choice. I worked for him for a few years to learn everything possible from a real pro. Later, I got a job with Asplundh Tree Expert Co., which works closely with Pepco to trim trees around power lines. Then in 1984, I came to the National Park Service.]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ceramics Connoisseur]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64565-2005Mar24.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64565-2005Mar24.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2005 7:50:42 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[SETTING SITES:  When I started studying archeology in college, I fell in love with ceramics. Of all the artifacts, they're the easiest to place as far as what they are and where they come from. They're a great tool for dating a site. Then when I came to work at the Alexandria Archeology Museum (<a href="http://oha.ci.alexandria.va.us/archaeology/">oha.ci.alexandria.va.us/archaeology/</a>) in 1980, I learned that potters had worked in the city in the late 18th and 19th century. One of my first projects was an exhibition of their stoneware.]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Cell-Phone Recycler]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45659-2005Mar17.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45659-2005Mar17.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2005 7:50:42 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[SAVED BY THE BELL.  I retired from my job with the Bell companies in 1998, after 30 years of service. I'd started out working for New England Telephone, the forerunner of the regional Bell companies  --  as a janitor. I got that job when I was a college student, laid off from work and desperate. Then I climbed the ladder. By the time I left, I was working with land lines. But I was "officially" retired for only one day. The next, I went to work for Nextel. I've been with them for seven years now.]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Graham Master]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25580-2005Mar10.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25580-2005Mar10.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2005 7:50:42 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[A SWEET START:  I was a stay-at-home mom in 1996, when the owner of Teaism in Dupont Circle, who's a friend of mine, asked if I wanted to work as her pastry chef. I'd grown up cooking, so it was a natural transition. After about four-and-half years, though, I wanted to learn more. I tried working at another restaurant. I tried catering. Then I started studying the gourmet foods market and realized that no one made a really great graham cracker. I spent about a week perfecting my recipe and, last August 2004, went to Cheesetique in Alexandria with the results. The owner bought some on the spot. Dean & DeLuca followed and that was the beginning of my newfound success. Now, I support myself and my daughter by baking.]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Roller Coaster Designer]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5702-2005Mar3.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5702-2005Mar3.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2005 7:50:42 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[AHEAD OF THE CURVE:  I spent six years of my career as a flight engineer. Then, in  1988, I was sailing off the coast of Marina del Ray, in Southern California, and I met some executives from Six Flags Theme Parks at one of the after-race parties. As we talked, we discovered that the technology of the aerospace industry was conducive to the world of amusement park rides. So that year, I ended up  trading professions and going to work for Six Flags. My first big design came in 1995, after I'd left to join a local design firm called Premier Rides [<a href="http://www.premier-rides.com">www.premier-rides.com</a>]. It was a roller coaster called Outer Limits: Flight of Fear at Paramount's Kings Dominion in Virginia. Riders were launched to 60 mph in less than four seconds and traveled 2,705-feet of track in near-darkness. It was awesome.]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[SHARK FEEDER]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51892-2005Feb24.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51892-2005Feb24.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2005 7:50:42 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[THE LITTLE MERMAID:  When I was a sophomore in college, Ripley's Aquarium opened in my town, Myrtle Beach, S.C. I started as a tour guide -- educating the general public about marine science, the exhibits and local wildlife -- and eventually became a show scuba diver. Divers go into the tank with the sharks and stingrays so that visitors can see that the animals really have little to no interest in humans. The first time I took part in a dive, the adrenaline was definitely pumping. Then, like any job, it just became routine.]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[RACKET ROCKER]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33722-2005Feb17.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33722-2005Feb17.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2005 7:50:42 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[OUT OF AFRICA:  Squash originated in an English prison. Inmates started playing what they called "rackets" -- a game that involved smashing a ball against one or two walls -- and then the game spread with the Brits. I picked it up at my high school in South Africa -- my cousin was ranked second in Zambia, and he inspired me. Watching and playing against him also helped me improve my game.  Then in 2000, I came to the States to establish myself as a world-class player. Currently, I'm 89th, according to the Professional Squash Association.]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Champagne Champ]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15759-2005Feb10.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15759-2005Feb10.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2005 7:50:42 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[UNCORKED:  Before last March, all I knew about champagne was that it was fun to drink. My background is in politics and public relations: I'd been on the Howard Dean campaign and when that ended, I responded to an ad looking for a PR person. Turns out the job was at the Office of Champagne, which represents the drink's French producers in the United States. I've really learned the most on the job, answering our online Champagne Hotline (<a href="http://www.champagne.us">www.champagne.us</a>). We'll take any question -- someone once  asked which kind of champagne had the least carbs, for example. I told them to get extra brut.]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sweat Savant]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62146-2005Feb3.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62146-2005Feb3.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2005 7:50:42 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[NO SWEAT:  When I was a football player at the University of Maryland in the mid-'90s, I never liked the way a cotton shirt would get soaked beneath my pads. Like everyone else on the team, I'd have to change  it after warm-ups, at halftime, and sometimes on the sidelines. I thought there should be something better, so I set out to develop it.]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Street Luger]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43239-2005Jan27.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43239-2005Jan27.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2005 7:50:42 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[GOING TO EXTREMES:  I was always a big fan of Olympic ice luging but never got an opportunity to try it. Then one day in  1995, I saw a documentary on something called street luging. It had all the elements of ice luging, minus the ice. I thought to myself, "I can do that." So I paused the VCR, got some dimensions and decided to build my own street luge. We like to describe a street luge as an oversize, lay-down skateboard. There are pegs that serve as a foot rest, and your head is slightly elevated so you can see where you are going. I took mine for a spin and was hooked. I entered my first competition that year,  in West Virginia, and took second place.]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Denim Diva]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25198-2005Jan20.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25198-2005Jan20.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2005 7:50:42 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[THE PERFECT PAIR:  When I graduated from college in 1996, I went straight to work for a company called Buffalo Jeans in New York. Before premium denim labels became popular, Buffalo Jeans were the "it" jeans. I was really their only sales rep, so I would travel across the country learning about washes, fits, rivets, pocket placement -- anything that had to do with jeans. During this time,  I noticed that the D.C. metro area didn't have a suburban store dedicated solely to denim. I was getting tired of all the travel and, coincidentally, my mom had a boutique in Cabin John Mall. She was at the point in her career where she needed to get out or move to a bigger location. So we decided to pair up, and the rest is history.]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Corkscrew Connoisseur]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8054-2005Jan13.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8054-2005Jan13.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2005 7:50:42 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[TURN OF THE SCREW:  I got interested in antiques after I left the Army in 1987. I was walking through a flea market and I  just fell in love. It wasn't until about 12 years ago that I got into corkscrews, though. At an antique show, I ran into  another buyer who'd purchased a collection of 13 vintage pieces -- I was intrigued, so I bought 12 of the 13. Then, when my customers reacted well, I started amassing a collection at my shop [Frank Milwee Antiques, 2912 M St. NW, 202-333-4811]. Currently, I have 438 on display, with no duplications.]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Cheesemonger]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54812-2005Jan6.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54812-2005Jan6.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2005 7:50:42 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Jill Erber, the owner of Del Ray's Cheesetique, is raising a stink.]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Contractor Connection]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35555-2004Dec29.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35555-2004Dec29.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2005 7:50:42 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[START ME UP:   In April 2002, the third tech company I'd worked for folded, after just a year and a half. That's when I knew it was time to get out of sales and start a business.  I sent a survey to about 35 friends and business owners in my Dupont neighborhood, asking them what the District was missing, what they wanted and, most importantly, what they'd pay for.  People said more parking garages, movie theaters, even a bowling alley. But there was also a call for service-based businesses -- errand running, concierge, those kinds of things. Then I was reading a magazine and stumbled upon a business plan for this home referral service in New York: They investigated contractors and recommended them to homeowners. It seemed like the perfect fit. And so,  Urban Referrals was born.]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bouncer]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20970-2004Dec22.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20970-2004Dec22.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2005 7:50:42 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[GETTIN' JIGGY WITH IT:  I've been working as a bouncer for about eight years. When I  was introduced to Mark Barnes, who's now owner of Dream, it was to work the door of Republic Gardens part time; somehow it evolved into a full-time gig. Since then, I've worked at   the Saint, Fur, Club 23 -- the list goes on. Honing my people skills has really paid off: I rarely have a problem keeping the wrong people out and getting clubgoers to pay for their evening.]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Kitschmas Collector]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6327-2004Dec16.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6327-2004Dec16.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2005 7:50:42 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[KITSCHMASTIME:  I was a retro enthusiast in the early '80s; I wore the sharkskin suits, drove a Chrysler Imperial and had retro furniture in my home. It seemed natural to continue with the theme for Christmas. I started buying up '50s, '60s and '70s vintage ornaments because I wanted my tree to be period perfect. Of course, that led to wall decor and lawn ornaments -- it became an obsession along with all my other obsessions. I now own three aluminum trees, about 300 vintage ornaments and maybe 100 other decorative objects. The rest of my collection I display and sell in my shop, Good Eye (4918 Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202-244-8516), through the holidays. We call it "Kitschmasland."]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sled Pioneer]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53748-2004Dec9.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53748-2004Dec9.html?nav=rss_style/columns/theexpert</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2005 7:50:42 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[STRANGE SLED-FELLOWS:  My story's kind of corny. Two years ago, I was watching snow fall and started thinking about when I was a kid. I grew up near a golf course with a mile-long hill; sledding was so fun. But we'd have problems with different types of sleds -- you couldn't steer, or they were big and heavy. At the time, I was working as a naval architect, and it suddenly struck me that the principles for designing sleds are similar to those of building boats. Something just clicked. I began imagining the ultimate sled. I had some stuff lying around from a renovation project -- some PVC pipe, pieces of wood -- and I started fiddling. Next thing I knew, Reindeer Sleds (<a href="http://www.reindeersleds.com">www.reindeersleds.com</a>) was born.]]></description><author></author></item></channel></rss>