Jody Melto
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Mandarin Chinese translator, interpreter and teacher; writer. As the first Westerner to graduate from Henan University in Kaifeng, China, she was also the official Beer Girl for Kaifeng’s famous Bian Jing brewery. Now she lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and son.

Blog Entries by Jody Melto

How to Make Friends and Influence People -- Become a Mom

(2) Comments | Posted May 3, 2012 | 3:56 PM

The person who said it gets harder to make friends as you get older didn't have a child in her late 30s.

Because for me, becoming a mother at age 36 in D.C. has brought waves and waves of friends into my life, some becoming playful ripples, others deep...

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Come Fly With Me

(0) Comments | Posted March 30, 2012 | 10:54 PM

Renew. Refresh. Regroup. Rejuvenate. Reinvent.

Spring is a time for all these "re" words. A time to shed skins. Change perspectives.

If in that mood, take the money that you were going to use on a dust-collecting self-help book that will only embarrass you in front of friends...

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Do One Thing Everyday That Scares You: Suspend Your Sexuality

(3) Comments | Posted February 29, 2012 | 2:54 PM

She bends forward, her long, silky platinum blond hair falling in waves as she secures the strap of six-inch high heels around her ankle. Flattening her back, she gives her muscular legs and ample butt, barely contained by colorful boy-shorts, a deep stretch before hitting play on the remote control....

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Losing the Battle but Winning the War: A Local Example

(1) Comments | Posted December 7, 2011 | 3:24 PM

Sure. It's great that the D.C. Council is working on Ethics Reform. That's what happens when someone gets caught with his or her hand in the cookie jar. Or at least on the lid.

But let's not forget that it's often a tenacious private citizen or internal...

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Need Career Help? Recruit It Yourself

(0) Comments | Posted December 6, 2011 | 10:22 AM

In the current climate of uncertain employment (or in some cases, certain unemployment), many people are reevaluating and adapting their career strategies. But before spending hundreds of dollars on a life coach or career counselor, try recruiting your own support group.

Over a year ago, I started W.E.N.C.H. --...

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Do One Thing Every Day That Scares You

(0) Comments | Posted October 3, 2011 | 11:01 AM

If you can't be scared everyday, at least settle for being slightly uncomfortable.

For the next four Tuesday nights the Jam Cellar, a weekly party for swing dancers at the Josephine Butler Park Center in NW D.C., is offering a unique experience to challenge your comfort level...

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Does This Car Seat Smell Bad To You?

(0) Comments | Posted September 23, 2011 | 5:13 PM

Bring up the topic of car seats with some people in the over-40 crowd and prepare to hear stories of how they faced vehicular peril without the aid of a plush, ergonomically designed, high-priced Barcalounger. "Car seat? I never had a car seat. My parents just threw me in the...

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In D.C. Crosswalk Doesn't Necessarily Mean Cross or Walk

(1) Comments | Posted September 21, 2011 | 3:07 PM

From May to November a fabulous part of Saturday morning in my D.C. neighborhood is the Mt. Pleasant Farmers' Market, a cozy place to chat with neighbors, gush over babies and nosh on muffins. A couple Saturdays a month, I'm luckily enough to work there. Though I can't...

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The NYC To D.C. Bus Connection

(3) Comments | Posted September 15, 2011 | 12:08 AM

It's a beautiful day in Manhattan and I'm waiting on West 33rd Street for my bus back to Washington, D.C. For those who have taken the DC2NY bus, or one of the others that shuttle between the two cities, you know this spot. It's right in front of that strip...

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