University of Maryland Class of 2010 part 01

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I guess I am also desensitized to all of that. I grew up in a bad part of St. Louis (right next to East St. Louis, if anyone is familiar with that area). My freshman chem lab partner was a drug dealer/gang member...and mostly a nice guy (to me at least). When I would spend the night at my best friend's house, we would hear gunshots all night from the neighboring apartment complex. A few months after my family moved someone was shot at a gas station one block from our old house. One year for halloween I got jumped and had my candy stolen. Was it scary? The last one was, but the others you just get used to. You quickly learn where you can and cannot go, and how to be aware of your surroundings. Most of the places were fairly safe during the daytime, but not somewhere I would necessarily go wandering around at night by myself. So Baltimore does not scare me. I don't think its safe, but I'm not going to fear for my life. Of course, in my case I can retreat to a highrise apartment building, so this isn't exactly the same situation LW and LS are facing.
I just don't think we are unique in our situation here. The students at Wash U and SLU Med face the same problems, as do students at schools like U. of Chicago....probably any school in an urban environment. Those crackheads and drugdealers are probably one of the reasons WHY I chose U. of Maryland - the diversity of the patient population is taken to the extreme.

Oh, and LW - I'll definitely help you plant some grass when I get to Baltimore in July. Though I hear you're supposed to plant grass in the fall if you want the results to be better. Regardless, planting grass isn't too hard - I've had to do it for my parents a few times - so I would be more than happy to help with your landscaping. We'll just get some cold beer and good music, and it'll go by quickly.
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LucidSplash said:
Several people I know have made the suggestion of cooking large batches of food once every week or two. If you take a chunk of time on a weekend to cook up a mess of food you can freeze and then eat over the course of a couple of weeks, that might help you on the health standpoint. You can always buy fresh veggies and make a quick salad to go with something you've defrosted.

And it may sound silly, but Greg and I own one of these: https://www.nuwaveoven.com/index.php

We love it. When Greg wanted to get one I laughed at him, but found a used one on eBay so I got it for him. We eat out much less because of it, and I think its going to save us while I'm in med school. We're pretty bad about forgeting to take meat out to thaw so that's the big bonus for us, that we don't have to thaw things before we cook them.

Other than that, I think batch cooking and freezing are your best options.
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I definitely do batch cooking - it really comes to the rescue sometimes. I'll make a huge quanitity of pasta sauce and freeze it in small portions. Then, when you need a quick meal you just throw it on the stove, and in the time it takes to cook some noodles your sauce is ready. You almost have to resort to something like this when you're cooking for 1 or 2 people, since most food you buy at the grocery store is made to serve families of 4-6. Otherwise you end up throwing a lot of food away (which is also why a dog comes in handy!).

That nuwave oven sounds pretty cool - Todd and I might have to look into getting one. You should also try a crock pot - 10 minutes of prep time before you leave for class, and when you come home your house is filled with the delicious smell of slow-cooked goodness. ;)
 
Cozmosis said:
I don't think its quite a sweeping generalization to call the neighborhoods within walking distance to be not so great, especially when you'll get the same sort of consensus from people who have lived here for awhile.....

I don't have a negative view on the whole city even though it isn't my favorite, but that particular part of Baltimore has earned a pretty poor reputation over the years, and even as it improves, isn't going to change overnight (or even over 4 years maybe).
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When I mentioned sweeping generalizations and what I consider overstated comments, I was referring to things like the following comments, not the ones calling the neighborhoods "not so great":

Cozmosis said:
All of downtown doesn't suck, but I think UMD's area certainly does.
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Cozmosis said:
No neighborhood within walking distance of UMD is... particularly safe IMO.
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Cozmosis said:
Pigtown? Do not live there! I repeat: do not live there....Just a really crappy neighborhood and it borders a very, very ghetto area.
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I think this whole discussion started with me saying we should be careful not to overstate things and to clarify exactly what we are saying because people just moving to town are likely to take what the locals say as the complete story. I don't think "the area isn't that nice" is the whole story when it comes to Baltimore and it leaves out important details.

But you are correct that it's an individual thing. I'm excited to be part of a neighborhood revitalization and not just for the sake of property value. The last thing I want is to isolate myself in the "ivory tower" of medical school (so to speak) and only see the type of people I'm seeing in my 3rd and 4th year rotations when I'm working. I think taking proper precautions is appropriate, but I also think there's a lot to be said, for me at least, for being part of the community you're going to spend 4 years learning from. I'm one of those weird people that thinks a rotation in urban or rural medicine is a fantastic idea, because I want and need to be pushed outside my comfort zone, socially. Not everyone wants that for themselves and I'm not saying that makes anyone a bad person.

I'm just speaking from experience in saying that I was terrified of living west of Martin Luther King Blvd. because of somethings stated on this board and by others outside it. But when I actually went to see it with my own eyes, what I saw definitely wasn't the ghetto or even "really crappy." I guess it just depends on what filter you're seeing it through. I saw what wasn't good but was actively seeking signs of improvement and did research to determine what direction things are moving in. If you're lived here your whole life, you're less likely to look for those things.

To me, the ghetto is something like Patterson Park, which I consider dangerous, decrepit, and showing no signs of improvement. I don't consider Mount Clare, Washington Village, Morell Park, etc. a beautiful area, but I think they are decent enough and improving all the time. Federal Hill is really nice, but a few years ago, it wasn't disimilar to Wash. Village or Mount Clare. I'm ok with helping to move my neighborhood in that direction.

I feel like I'm getting close starting to restate that which I've already committed to writing elsewhere on this thread and I don't want to do that. But my main point is just that it's fine to have different opinions, just be careful to clarify, be as specific as possible, and be careful of using inflammatory language. I'm not trying to start or continue a "I say vs. you say" debate. I understand the need to view the negatives and I'm just trying to give as much airtime to the positives for anyone that might be tuning in.
 
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SuzieQ3417 said:
You should also try a crock pot - 10 minutes of prep time before you leave for class, and when you come home your house is filled with the delicious smell of slow-cooked goodness. ;)
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I :love: my crockpot too. Although last week I made a potroast for the first time in an actual pot on the stove because I thawed the meat and forgot that my crockpot is already packed in a box somewhere in prep for moving. I still :love: my crockpot, but I think I :love: potroast on the stove more than potroast in the crockpot. :laugh:
 
I went to undergrad in N. Baltimore and never felt unsafe even at 2 in the morning walking back from the library, coming back tipsy with friends after a night out bar hopping, or walking from the Mt. Vernon area to Charles Village and the Inner Harbor. Neigborhoods up in northern Bmore were usually dead quiet that late at night. I always thought that Bmore's stereotype of being a crime-infested city was overblown, but perhaps it holds true to a certain extent for particular neighborhoods.

LW, there are a bunch of good places to go out in the Canton, Federal Hill, and Fells Point areas of Bmore. My favs are Sky Lounge, Red Maple, and Brewer's Art.
 
LucidSplash said:
I :love: my crockpot too. Although last week I made a potroast for the first time in an actual pot on the stove because I thawed the meat and forgot that my crockpot is already packed in a box somewhere in prep for moving. I still :love: my crockpot, but I think I :love: potroast on the stove more than potroast in the crockpot. :laugh:
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I think its amazing how many times you managed to use :love: in that post. lol
 
I don't think any of those statements were sweeping generalizations, they are very specified to UMD's area. I stand by them.

Improvements are well and good, but when I'm looking for a place to live while in school, I'm looking for the here and now, not what is trending for the future.

In any case, it doesn't really matter too much, most people are set and happy where they are anyway. Crockpots are good for chili! And stew. And enormous amounts of velveeta chili dip..mmm.

I want a smoker. I need to find out how to make ribs.
 
Wow, feel the :love: , I think I need to bust out my :love: squeegee. All the :love: is starting to drip down my screen.

I wish that I had known more about this city before moving here. I grew up in Suburban DC, went to college in Ann Arbor (which is arguably one of the safest college campuses in the US), and lived in Seattle, which was also extremely safe. I used to be able to fall asleep with my door unlocked, and that was even in a pretty urban part of Seattle. That being said, I've been exposed to extremely urban areas, and I don't think that I've ever been ignorant about their existence, but I've never felt as close to it all as I do now. So I guess that I do have to become accustomed to it. At the same time, I don't want to lose the edge, because I certainly don't want to become complacent. Then you're just inviting problems.

I've never lived in a place like East St. Louis (which is a frickin war zone) or New York City. I've only been to the really crappy parts of DC during the day. It's an adjustment that I'll have to make. What really gets to me, though, isn't the squallor, or the crackheads, or even the drugs really, it's the way that people treat each other, their families, and their neighbors. I've never experienced living in a neighborhood where people don't give a crap who they are disturbing, or that they are hollering at the top of their lungs and it's 3am and people are trying to sleep, or what their kids are doing/saying when they should probably have an adult with them, or who's yard they are tossing their garbage into. And it's not something that I think I'll EVER be OK with, or that I'll ever accept, because I was not raised that way. It's not right, and it makes me almost ashamed to live in this neighborhood.

Part of the problem is that my house lies directly on a corner of a relatively busy street. So there's plenty of foot traffic going by at all hours of the day and night. Which I'm OK with. But I'm having a lot of trouble sleeping because my bedroom is in that corner of the house that sits directly on the street corner, and my windows are large/walls are thin. When I'm lying in bed and people are walking by, there is no more than a few feet separating me and them. So if they yell, break glass, or gun their engines, it wakes me up.

Anyway, I'll stop bitching about it because it depresses me. My main issue is that I'm losing a lot of sleep because I'm constantly being woken up at night. But maybe I'll develop a thicker skin with time.

LS and SQ, thank you guys so much for your kind offers to help with my landscaping. I really wish you two were in PSP with me. It would be extra-fun with you there. I will definitely provide the drinks :) :thumbup:
 
PS Why the f@#$ does this thread now have 4 stars?!?! Who's the **** who got their rejection letter, and then decided "F Maryland, I'm gonna go vote zero stars"!? How seriously lame are you?

Everyone knows that this is the BEST THREAD EVER. :thumbup:
 
Well, I just voted about 5 times with 5 stars. Maybe if we each do that for the next couple of days, we'll cancel out that 1-starred bastard. :p
 
LadyWolverine said:
I've never lived in a place like East St. Louis (which is a frickin war zone) or New York City. I've only been to the really crappy parts of DC during the day. It's an adjustment that I'll have to make. What really gets to me, though, isn't the squallor, or the crackheads, or even the drugs really, it's the way that people treat each other, their families, and their neighbors. I've never experienced living in a neighborhood where people don't give a crap who they are disturbing, or that they are hollering at the top of their lungs and it's 3am and people are trying to sleep, or what their kids are doing/saying when they should probably have an adult with them, or who's yard they are tossing their garbage into. And it's not something that I think I'll EVER be OK with, or that I'll ever accept, because I was not raised that way. It's not right, and it makes me almost ashamed to live in this neighborhood.
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I guess all you can do is pick up the trash people leave so at least your house looks presentable. Have you gotten to know your neighbors yet? Are they the people up at 3 am screaming, or are these people from outside the neighborhood? You should just band together with like-minded neighbors and take turns calling the cops on those people. Eventually they will learn not to cause trouble and leave your block alone. Thin-paned windows are awful - my sophmore year of college I had these people who lived in a house right next to our apartment complex that would throw parties all the time. Their driveway/backyard was about 5 feet from my bedroom window. It was really hard to fall asleep, and I spent at least a few nights on the couch in the living room. Eventually, though, you do get used to it. But if ever you need a good night's sleep and don't feel like you can get it at your house, you are certainly welcome to stay at our apartment (after we move in, of course). Or if you'd like I can come over and beat the crack heads away with a big stick or something. :)
 
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Buy an aluminum bat, and write "Crackhead Cracker" on it, and stand guard outside of LW's pad at night. BRING STUDY MATERIALS. Nothing scarier than a med student with a bat.
 
Cozmosis said:
I don't think any of those statements were sweeping generalizations, they are very specified to UMD's area. I stand by them.

Improvements are well and good, but when I'm looking for a place to live while in school, I'm looking for the here and now, not what is trending for the future.
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I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on this issue Coz. Don't worry, you're still invited to my BBQ, and I'll buy the first hubcap if we ever make it back to Nacho Mama's as a group. :D

Cozmosis said:
Crockpots are good for chili! And stew. And enormous amounts of velveeta chili dip..mmm.

I want a smoker. I need to find out how to make ribs.
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We already agree on this! :D
 
Cozmosis said:
Buy an aluminum bat, and write "Crackhead Cracker" on it, and stand guard outside of LW's pad at night. BRING STUDY MATERIALS. Nothing scarier than a med student with a bat.
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LMAO!!! :laugh:

We can even quiz each other while you whack away. *CRACK* "That was his external occipital protuberance!" *CRACK* "And that was his posterior superior iliac spine!"

And, unfortunately, a lot of the racket is coming from my neighbors. There's a whole half-block of 'em down the street, and it doesn't look like they're moving anytime soon. They all have really loud mopeds, don't seem to have jobs (since they are lounging about up and down the street all day), curse like sailors, and most of them walk around half-naked all over the neighborhood. Oh, and another thing that bothers me - I saw a kid walking all by himself down the street yesterday. A really, REALLY young kid - probably 6 or 7. There seem to be a lot of "untended children" around here. It's rather disconcerting.
 
LS, before I forget, I owe you a punchbowl. I have it at my sister's place. It's all cleaned out and back in the box, I just forgot to bring it the last time I saw Greg (which was quite a while ago). Now I know what to give you for your housewarming gift...just kidding :)

I bought a grill, but now I need a propane tank to go in it. And I have turkey burgets in my freezer that are calling to me!! Does anyone know how to hook up a propane tank? I'll probably have to figure that one out on my own, too. It's amazing, I've owned a home for only a month, and I've already had to learn more about dry wall, HVAC, plumbing, electrical wiring, and phone connections than I think most contractors do. I managed to caulk my own bathroom without screwing it up worse than it was before, and now I'm trying to learn how to manage my yard :( And I only have a fairly simple townhome...I can only imagine what kind of work must go into a single-family home.
 
LadyWolverine said:
We can even quiz each other while you whack away. *CRACK* "That was his external occipital protuberance!" *CRACK* "And that was his posterior superior iliac spine!"
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I don't know what any of this means! :thumbup: Except spine, and even that is pretty shady.
 
SuzieQ3417 said:
All that talk about crackheads...check out this from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0S6dl3DdO8&eurl=http://dlisted.blogspot.com/

Maybe instead of crackheads, you just have a leprechaun problem. :laugh:
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OMG, I was like, "WTF?" Until the "amateur sketch" came on...then I lost it. :laugh:
Do you really think that guy's great-great grandfather was irish? :)

And I bought the grill from a urology resident. He wanted to keep his propane tank, so I got a really nice grill, but it's sans tank. I think I can get one at Costco for like $20, but I dunno how to fill the damn thing. Knowing me, I'd end up setting myself on fire or making it explode.
 
Cozmosis said:
I don't know what any of this means! :thumbup: Except spine, and even that is pretty shady.
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Don't worry, Coz. You will learn this all the first week of school, when we dissect the back. The back was really gross. I'm not particularly squeamish, but I almost threw up when one of my lab-mates began scooping out oily fat and tissue with a spoon. (That's right, they give you SPOONS in your instrument trays). But even that pales in comparison to the stench that emmanates from the abdominal cavity. Mmmm...intestines.

Geez, I can't WAIT to go through all this again during the regular year. I think I turned 8 shades of green.
 
LadyWolverine said:
OMG, I was like, "WTF?" Until the "amateur sketch" came on...then I lost it. :laugh:
Do you really think that guy's great-great grandfather was irish? :)
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That amateur sketch was great...it even included the hat with a brass buckle.
As for that guy's great-great-grandfather....I like how the "flute" was "thousands of years old." It was totally a pipe with a few holes drilled into it. OMG, between that and the irish comment I totally lost it.
 
I don't know how to hook up a propane tank, but Greg's dad does. He'll be up here to help hang things on the wall and whatnot Monday-Wednesday after we move in (26th-28th). If you don't learn how by then, I'm sure we can jet down the street and he'll help out. I promised Greg a grill for our anniversary, so he's supposed to go shopping for grills with his dad while he's in town. He's ridiculously excited about it.

I know you can buy propane tanks at Home Depot too, I don't know if there's anyone there that can tell how to do it.
 
Wow...what a resume, including publications:

"He has published 11 books, four monographs and 450 peer-reviewed articles, chapters and abstracts."

:wow: He sounds like a great man for the job.
 
Today was my last day too, Coz! On the one hand it was kind of exciting, because of all of the changes coming, but it was also really sad. I've worked in that lab for 3 years, and will definitely miss some of the people...such a nice group, and the only lab on campus that would hire me (given my non-science background).
 
I hear you SQ, for all the coworker complaining (which was really about 1 or 2 people), I'll really miss that place, I worked there for 3-4 years.

So uh, want to start a June 15th-last-day-missing-people club? ;)
 
Cozmosis said:
So uh, want to start a June 15th-last-day-missing-people club? ;)
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Lol...sure, but we have to wait awhile before we have our first meeting. I will be in Colorado all of next week sans internet and cell phone. :eek:
 
LadyWolverine said:
PS Luvumms, I want your histo books. I also need an embryo book. Embryo is the bane of my existence. It's kicking my ass, and the worst part is that I'VE HAD IT BEFORE. I remember NOTHING, apparently, if today's exam is any indication. Lateral plate mesoderm what?

QUOTE]

I sent you a PM but am not sure if you check them - if you want those books, please check your PM tonight and let me know since I'll be around campus tomorrow (I'm actually at BMWC for peds so am not downtown too often).
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LucidSplash said:
Man, I wish I was already in Baltimore. Greg is in Atlantic City with the boys tonight and I'm bored. :(
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We officially move in on July 8, and I can't wait. I'm ready to get there, get settled, and start school.
 
Any one else interested in buying the books I'm selling ... I think I'm going to put them on Amazon or Ebay soon but wanted to offer them to you guys since I know you will be using these books and its much easier to meet someone then to have to ship it and deal with Ebay (its great but a big fat pain in the butt). If its the same as when I bought the books, the book store tends to run out of used books pretty fast and most of the books are super expensive.

I have a bunch of other books at my moms house - the big huge text books that I'm also going to be selling soon so please either PM or email me if you are interested.

[email protected]
 
LadyWolverine said:
And, unfortunately, a lot of the racket is coming from my neighbors. There's a whole half-block of 'em down the street, and it doesn't look like they're moving anytime soon. They all have really loud mopeds, don't seem to have jobs (since they are lounging about up and down the street all day), curse like sailors, and most of them walk around half-naked all over the neighborhood. Oh, and another thing that bothers me - I saw a kid walking all by himself down the street yesterday. A really, REALLY young kid - probably 6 or 7. There seem to be a lot of "untended children" around here. It's rather disconcerting.
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This sounds like where my ex used 2 live. Hundreds of little kids roaming around, noisy as can be. It was so bad, the ice cream truck used to come out at midnight. That's rite...midnight!
 
LW -

I tried calling the phone number you gave me and didn't get an answer - it didn't go to voicemail either (is this your cell number).

Anyway, if you want those books I will sell you all three for $50 otherwise, please let me know so I can put them up on ebay and sell the other one to the person that emailed me.

Last call if anyone is interested in the books please let me know ... I would much rather sell them to incoming MD students since I know the bookstore is a total rip off (I think I spent like $1000 on books first year). I wish I could hold on to them until you guys get into anatomy, physiology and biochem but I need some cash (planning a wedding) and want to get them out of my house ... I actually thought I might use them again once the classes were over but have not opened one in forever. They are all in really good shape since I bought almost all of them new.

I'm also going to my moms house in a week and she has a ton of my big text books that I'm also going to be selling (and those are the REALLY expensive ones that are worth having for the classes).

Email is the best way to get ahold of me since I don't always check SDN.
Here is my email: [email protected]
 
Cozmosis said:
Nothing to say but our thread needed rescuing!
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No kidding. Oklahoma is almost beating us again! WTF is going on, people??
 
Hey everyone,

So I decided not to do PSP, obviously, since I'm not complaining about summer homework on a daily basis. I also got off the waitlist at Columbia, so I won't be seeing you guys this year. Best of luck in the fall!

-Speed
 
Hey guys -- first time poster. This may have been discussed. Have you all received much in the mail from UMD? I'm waiting for a bill or a request for an immunization record or something. Am I alone here?

Christian Halvorson
2010
 
You're not alone, we haven't received crap! Welcome to the class, Christian :)

Unrelated: Counting Crows and Goo Goo Dolls August 26th at Nissan, oh snap baby!!!
 
LadyWolverine said:
But even that pales in comparison to the stench that emmanates from the abdominal cavity. Mmmm...intestines.
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put a dab of vicks under your nose.
 
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