Stephanie Damassa

@shdamassa.bsky.social

2628 Followers 1071 Following

A public pool in the District of Columbia
Norman Rockwell’s Freedom of Soeech painting
4 bikes and a soapbox derby car
Sign reading “we are sorry to inform that we have no pizza today”
Plum and blueberry torte
Full page ad in the Washington Post hyping their climate overage
Cover of Frostbite by Nicola Twilley
a screenshot from gridstatus.io comparing energy loads and prices - showing ERCOT (Texas) using primarily solar) and PJM using gas
“Sublime! I substituted a baking sheet for a sheet pan. The lack of a ridge on the sheet meant that oil dripped to the bottom of the oven, causing a grease fire which I extinguished with 2.5 to 3 cups of water (this amount may vary based on the size of your oven and the intensity of the fire). I found that the fire added a delightful smokiness to the potatoes while the water used to extinguish it created steam in the oven, resulting in deliciously moist chicken. Would recommend!”
AP election total showing Brian Schwab with 90% of the DC vote
2 cute electric bikes parked at a bike rack
A juicy looking strawberry rhubarb crisp in a square pan
A toasted marshmallow atop a marshmallow latte
Book cover for Last Train to Paradise by Les Standiford
Cove of the Florida Keys press with a headline about the Artemis II astronauts training in Key Largo
A crusty loaf of sourdough bread
I bought Evolve Rat Birth Control Soft Bait Sausages expecting population control. What I didn’t expect was to accidentally establish a tiny rodent socialist republic behind my shed. These sausages don’t poison, don’t murder, and don’t spark dramatic soap-opera deaths. Thank the gods! I don’t want to live with mice but I don’t want to murder them and poison other wildlife! Instead, I calmly introduced the concept of collective responsibility to the field mouse community that like to patrol the perimeter of my abode. No more unchecked capitalism of reproduction. No more surprise litters. Just long-term, sustainable population management. From each according to their appetite, to each according to their uteruses remaining blissfully empty. The field mice probably still show up, still snack politely, and still live their nocturnal little micey lives, only now without the relentless pressure to out-breed one another. Frankly, I’d guess they are much calmer. More reflective. Possibly reading tiny manifestos.
A trash can overflowing with bottles and cans
2 piping hot sourdough loaves
A screen outside a church reading “this is a test”
Kid-made sign that says “don’t be a loser and stop littering”
A column titled “one path to a happier life: thinking more about death”
NYT cooking comment: “Made her exactly as written this afternoon and she’s lovely, with a moist delicate crumb and subtle flavors of carrot, orange and cardamom. If you’re searching for a Super Bowl crowd pleaser, you haven’t found it yet, big guy. However, if you’re having your favorite elaborate gays over for a round of Hearts, a few G&Ts and a platter of cucumber sandwiches, she’ll be your perfect not-too-sweet ending. Next time I’ll serve her with a dollop of softly whipped cream, but that’s just me. PS: All this parchment paper talk … tedious.”
Email from the Washington Post telling me they’re increasing my subscription rate again
NYT text reading "Some Republicans like Neil Chatterjee, who led the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission during part of Mr. Trump’s first term, say government officials ought to embrace an all-of-the-above approach to energy. As electricity prices continue to rise, “solar is just going to be a cheaper alternative for residents than the bills they’re paying for their utilities,” Mr. Chatterjee said. “We can’t possibly do this with fossil fuels alone.”
A person riding a motorized wheelchair down a snowy street as the sidewalks aren’t safe
A map on a worksheet of pet laws in states, omitting DC and territories
A photo of shelves of books at a library
Pretty sunset
Superb - much better than I anticipated! Followed the recipe precisely, didn't substitute Doritos for the celery, etc.
A bar chart showing Rural America emissions higher than aviation and shipping, Canada, and the UK
A close up for blue cornbread crumb
A button that says “ask me about Robert Caro’s 1974 masterpiece The Power Broker”
A lemon strawberry Swiss roll cake or whatever it is called
“I added sherry vinegar to the balsamic for a bit more bite and topped with burrata because I am alive and like joy.”
This recipe seemed familiar to me, like I had seen it before under a different name. Then I made it and realized, it was "Satan's Recipe for Burnt Potatoes and Ruined Sheet Pans." Proceed with caution. The high oven heat and long cooking time evaporates the liquid (for what it's worth, my sheet pan had no problem containing the potatoes and liquid, so don't worry about that - you have bigger problems here) and the sugars from the lemon juice scorch and burn. Use a lower temp, and watch closely.
Stacked IPCC reports to demonstrate the broad scientific research
Graph from Navigator poll showing "most concerning issue about budget" - As many as 18 million children could lose school meals is the top issue
Recipe for Tichi’s gazpacho from Jose Andres first cookbook
Passage reading “The other important effect of the Mississippi flood was that it forced the federal government to accept that certain matters are too big for states to handle alone”
Detail grid from EDF poll showing strong opposition to the Republican budget proposal with opposition to most components, led by cutting funding for medicatid (73 oppose, 22 support)
Cool ranch Doritos, voodoo and Tostitos lime
A spoon buried in compost
Photo of a Rad Power Bikes odometer reading 5,000
Norman rockwell painting of man standing up
Magnet from the National Zoo That says “they didn’t have my name”
Screenshot of text from Washington Post story reading: "Travis Forgues, who runs a creamery in Westby, Wisconsin, with his wife, Amy, said he is waiting for a roughly $55,000 REAP payment to help cover a solar panel installation. The couple filled out the USDA’s survey last week and indicated they would make no changes to their project. “I hope that we didn’t make a mistake with that,” Forgues said. “When you’re trying to talk about solar or energy independence, this is not a DEI issue. And, quite frankly, if it was a DEI issue, who cares?”
Pinky purple Redbud trees in full bloom filling the frame
A car flipped on its side on a busy intersection in DC
A photo of a box of novelty jelly beans where they look the same but one is pomegranate flavored and one is “old bandage”
The Ventures Christmas album cover
A 100+ word sentence in the book the Power Broker, page 479
A purple and pink sunset over rowhouses in DC
A coffee in a blue cup and saucer next to an almond croissant
Text reading: Since 1975, the market has shifted dramatically away from sedan/wagons and towards truck SUVs and car SUVs. Until recently, the sedan/wagon was the most efficient vehicle type, so the market shifts toward other vehicle types with lower fuel economy and higher CO2 emissions offset some of the fleetwide benefits that otherwise would have been achieved from the improvements within each vehicle type. However, the growth of electric vehicles, particularly within the car SUV vehicle type, is changing the relationship between vehicle types and overall average new vehicle real-world CO2 emissions.
A stalk of Brussels sprouts on a cutting board with garlic
Food processor filled with puréed blue pumpkin
screenshot of NYT graphic showing 92% of DC residents voted for Kamala Harris