Melissa - The Italian Stallionette

Name: Melissa Martens
Rides: A red Yamaha Vino named "Scarlet O'Hara"
Lives: In Butcher's Hill, Baltimore
Pet: One kitty, Little Miss Muffin
Job: Curator, Jewish Museum of Maryland

Current Hobbies: Ice skating; roller skating; tap dancing; creating wacky events; singing out of tune; watching HBO series; collecting marshmallows.

Volunteer work: Fluid Movement; The Pigtown Pageant; Hamden community events

Favorite things about Baltimore: Snowball stands; formstone; window shrines; alleys; Italian delis; The Charles Theater; Tusk Lounge; Henninger's; The American Visionary Arts Museum; all the weird people . . .

Favorite places on earth: Chicago; Berlin; Venice; and Lucy the elephant-shaped building in Margate, NJ.

Inspirational Movies: Mommie Dearest; Faster Pussycat Kill! Kill!; Breaking the Waves; Mrs. Marker and the Vicious Circle; Waiting for Guffman; anything with dance scenes in it or shown at a drive-in

Favorite reads recently: The Sunday New York Times; The Tipping Point; Nest magazine; books about architecture and the history of design

Guilty pleasures: Red wine; cappuccinos; macaroons; gelato; grilled cheese; guacamole - but not all together . . .

Scooter Fantasy: To lead scooter tours around Europe, complete with