Baltimore ~or~ Ring of Fire
When I first arrived in Baltimore I was struck by the repetitive brick apartments, the overwhelming combination of heat and humidity, the extremes of wealth and poverty, the dirtiness of the streets, and the omnipresence of the police force. But now Baltimore is growing on me.
First of all, my School is superb. Which is nice, since I’m blowing $30,000 on education this year. There are obvious reasons why Johns Hopkins is the #1 public health School in the world. The teachers are the best I have ever had, the curriculum is well thought out, and the students are motivated, experienced, and smart.
Aside from the glaring nastiness I mentioned, city is nice, and the local people are friendly. The city is brimming with bars, boy howdy does Maryland have a drinking culture! My neighbor hood is nice and working class, the harbor is a bit jockish (but pleasant), the slums are surprisingly nice, and the rich fuckers who live in the suburbs leave everyone alone. Which is nice for the peace of it, but the tax revenue would be good for the city.
Above that, the friends I have met are a blast, and will probably stay that way in the long run. I’ve made instant friends with a bunch of people…of course everyone is nice and friendly, but quite a few of the people I have started hanging out with would fit in perfectly with the ranks back home. There have already been a slew of nights out, BBQs, lunches, and a crab feast ($1!!! Sooo many crabs!). I have been designated “My Brother” by my Venezuelan friend, Correna. A bunch of friendly girls invited me to live with them ($350 a month!). Ten or so people complemented me after class for accusing the teacher of cheating on the statistics of coin flipping by using a two headed coin. At a School party tonight I was introduced to people as “Fun Sean” by my friend D.C. David. I’m the only “Sean”, so the “Fun” is not really differentiating me from anyone else. Apparently I’m just the guy who everyone knows and likes. So all has been well for the last month… Until last Sunday.
I finally reached my social breaking point. After a weekend of back to back communal events, a month of mustering all my charisma to meet people, and two events at the party my new housemates held (one obnoxious, one disarming) I reached the end of my societal wits. For the first time in years I loathed the fact that I would have to go to School and interact with me. So, I crawled inside a pair of earphones for the next two days and disappeared into the less frequented parts of the School. A day or tow of avoiding my new quasi friends worked wonders on my socially drained brain. This morning I emerged form my musical cocoon invigorated to face the world and the friendly, albeit trying, denizens of the School.
Regardless, I keep catching my self thinking about who would enjoy all of these new experiences. Nick would totally dig this dungeon-esqu bar. Matt would be down to walk end to end across Baltimore. You know who would like fighting with cooked and seasoned $1 crabs? Meghan. And Lynn would disapprovingly glare at us. Ari and Evan would totally explore those islands with me. John would love all these new friends
Thanks to all of you who have called and emailed me. Now I’m waiting for someone to visit. There will by ample $1 crabs for the first to come!
First of all, my School is superb. Which is nice, since I’m blowing $30,000 on education this year. There are obvious reasons why Johns Hopkins is the #1 public health School in the world. The teachers are the best I have ever had, the curriculum is well thought out, and the students are motivated, experienced, and smart.
Aside from the glaring nastiness I mentioned, city is nice, and the local people are friendly. The city is brimming with bars, boy howdy does Maryland have a drinking culture! My neighbor hood is nice and working class, the harbor is a bit jockish (but pleasant), the slums are surprisingly nice, and the rich fuckers who live in the suburbs leave everyone alone. Which is nice for the peace of it, but the tax revenue would be good for the city.
Above that, the friends I have met are a blast, and will probably stay that way in the long run. I’ve made instant friends with a bunch of people…of course everyone is nice and friendly, but quite a few of the people I have started hanging out with would fit in perfectly with the ranks back home. There have already been a slew of nights out, BBQs, lunches, and a crab feast ($1!!! Sooo many crabs!). I have been designated “My Brother” by my Venezuelan friend, Correna. A bunch of friendly girls invited me to live with them ($350 a month!). Ten or so people complemented me after class for accusing the teacher of cheating on the statistics of coin flipping by using a two headed coin. At a School party tonight I was introduced to people as “Fun Sean” by my friend D.C. David. I’m the only “Sean”, so the “Fun” is not really differentiating me from anyone else. Apparently I’m just the guy who everyone knows and likes. So all has been well for the last month… Until last Sunday.
I finally reached my social breaking point. After a weekend of back to back communal events, a month of mustering all my charisma to meet people, and two events at the party my new housemates held (one obnoxious, one disarming) I reached the end of my societal wits. For the first time in years I loathed the fact that I would have to go to School and interact with me. So, I crawled inside a pair of earphones for the next two days and disappeared into the less frequented parts of the School. A day or tow of avoiding my new quasi friends worked wonders on my socially drained brain. This morning I emerged form my musical cocoon invigorated to face the world and the friendly, albeit trying, denizens of the School.
Regardless, I keep catching my self thinking about who would enjoy all of these new experiences. Nick would totally dig this dungeon-esqu bar. Matt would be down to walk end to end across Baltimore. You know who would like fighting with cooked and seasoned $1 crabs? Meghan. And Lynn would disapprovingly glare at us. Ari and Evan would totally explore those islands with me. John would love all these new friends
Thanks to all of you who have called and emailed me. Now I’m waiting for someone to visit. There will by ample $1 crabs for the first to come!