Wish You Were Here

An Ode to the Roommate

In college, everyone has a different living situation – and plenty of different stories to tell about it. And mine has definitely been unique in an interesting way: I’ve had four different roommates, one for each year of school here.

The first thing to talk about is just how you get a roommate in the first place. The housing questionnaire asks you a bunch of questions to filter you in the right dorm situation for you. First, they’ll ask your preference of building and if you would want a single, double, or triple room. (Insider’s tip: perks of a single include privacy; perks of a double include an instant friend to tackle orientation with; perks of a triple include a cheaper room and board fee.) Second, they ask lifestyle questions, like what you normally use your room for (studying, socializing), how you like to listen to music, when you usually go to bed/wake up, if you would prefer substance-free housing, how often you tidy up the place, etc. Except if you’re on a sports team and your coach wants your teammates to live together, these are the details that Hopkins uses to match you with a roommate.

My corner of Wolman 504B, freshman year!

Third, there is a section of the form that asks if you would like to request a roommate. As long as both people choose each other mutually, you’ll get that roommate and will already be set coming into school. At that point, I started to worry a little: did people do that? Am I going to be the only one being matched up with some rando? And after four years working with Hopkins Interactive, I’ve found that this is an extremely common question for a lot of people, not just with me. (Some people even try to recruit roommates via the enrolled students Facebook group because the thought of being randomly assigned stresses them out.) Luckily, it turns out that people rarely request a friend/family member to live with. I got mine just like nearly everyone else did: in a random draw, based on a few key habits. So, just as some preliminary advice: RELAX! The housing office has been matching people for years and, with a few dramatic exceptions, it all works out in the end. I promise.

And that leads me to my first day on campus, when I met my very first roommate.

Me and Kathleen!

To my freshman year roommate: You were the first person I have ever had to share a room with…and, if I’m being honest with myself, it probably showed. I know when I came to college I was a little uptight, a little moody, and definitely homesick. And by the end of the year, your ringtone, your morning crunchy apple snacks, your texting away on your cell  phone (click click click click click) got on my very last nerve. But it was the natural response to being cooped up in a ~180 square-foot room with another person I barely knew and now, three years later, I can’t help but realize that my first random roommate experience was actually really positive. I remember the good stuff, like going out to the Den and ending up at Uni Mini together, studying late into the night for our ridiculous Fluid Earth final, and roasting marshmallows on our electric stovetop. I took things too seriously at the beginning of freshman year, and I thank you for helping to loosen me up. Thank you for asking me to go out even when I didn’t feel like it. Thank you for teaching me patience, tact, and respect. And thanks for being a reminder of a year in which I grew more than I ever thought was possible: freshman year was a turning point in so many ways and you, freshman year roomie, were a big part of that.

My wall in Charles Commons during sophomore year.

To my sophomore year roommate: Jessica, Jessica, Jessica. How lucky I was that we were both looking for a roommate at the same time freshman spring. How lucky, again, that both of our previous housing plans had fallen through and that we could come together to go through the housing lottery together. How lucky I was, still, that we got a lottery number in the 70′s and had the pick of virtually any room/building we wanted! Our suite was epic and I thank you for that – the fantastic top-floor view of the Inner Harbor, doing homework at our dining room table, and cooking side-by-side at our kitchenette were all made better because I had an excellent roommate to share them with. It’s hard to believe we lived together two whole years ago – I have no idea where the time has gone! But it has been a pleasure to see the adventures you’ve gone through in the meantime, from working and studying abroad, to becoming leader of the Public Health Student Forum, to earning an impressive post-graduation job in Vietnam. We throw this compliment around between each other a lot, but I sincerely wouldn’t mind being you when I grow up. You’ve got it all: drive, passion, intelligence, tolerance. Now I’m just glad, if I’m not still your roommate, that you remain an amazing and loyal friend.

Me and Jessica, Roommate 2.

Me and Jill!

To my junior year roommate: In April 2009, with Jessica going abroad and planning to graduate a semester early, I was desperate for an apartment. I had no idea who I would live with, what building would be home, or even what area of campus to look in for these things. And then I got an email from a friend who was moving to her own little apartment and needed someone to take her bedroom at her old abode. That was when I met you – you, a strong and silly ROTC almost-senior who I had never met before, showed me around the place and humored me as I fell in love with my massive, my gorgeous current apartment. And although we weren’t “friends” going into August, you were there for everything – to help me through a rocky start to junior year, to help plan my birthday party, to chat and have dinner and have fun and everything in between. It was an effortless friendship and roommateship, which continues to make me optimistic about possibly having to live with a stranger next year. Even when I got busier spring semester, I feel like we didn’t lose touch. It was a comfort to know I had a safe, happy place (and roommate) to come home to every day. For that, I thank you.

To my senior year roommate: To the only person who has ever written me a love letter (that nonsense is still up on my memo board), to the person who always took out the trash, to the person who taught me how to use dishwasher detergent, to the person who took showers insanely early (and motivated me to get up), to the person whose loud giggles I can hear all the way across the apartment…I can’t say much more than thank you for making my senior year easy, fun, and full of laughter. I can leave you with some obvious advice too, if you want it: you only have one year of college left, so you better make it count. You’re beautiful, smart, and I know you will do something outstanding in life with all that charisma and knowledge (I know, I’ve taught you everything I know). I’m going to miss your insults and the presents you left in my room, like that Easter basket that got me through some rough nights of paper-writing. I’ll miss Degrassi and That 70′s Show always being on television when you’re in the living room (or Sex and the City, in the rare event that neither of the former are on). I’ll miss complaining with you about our grouchy downstairs neighbor, and about our building’s office manager, and about the bazillion campus organizations you’re involved in. I’ll miss it all – this year was a great year, and that was due in no small part to having a kick-ass roommate to share the experience with.

Typical me and Maxi

Now, after four years and four roommates, I look forward to graduating and moving off somewhere new to (probably) my first non-Baltimore roommate. I don’t know what they’ll be like, if we’ll get along, or how our apartment will look, but I do know that I am much better equipped to handle it than I ever have been before. I’ve learned a lot of things in college, but one of the most useful was learning how to live with people: how to be tolerant of their quirks, deal with problems diplomatically, and still keep my own sense of self along the way. In fact, I’ve also learned that I personally live better with people, which is a remarkable discovery to make as an only child.

A roommate’s hug, when you’re having a rough day (or week or month), is priceless. Living with a roommate, I find myself thriving off their energy and being motivated by their choices in a way I could never have been if I lived alone. I feel a connection with the world too – a roommate, who is involved in different things, has different interests, and most of all has different friends, can broaden your horizons in so many different ways. I credit each of these four ladies for teaching me this and so much more about life and about myself. I wish them all the best in whatever they do – and I’m grateful that, for one year each, I could have had a small part in lives that are going to take this world by storm.

Hopkins CRIBS: Off-campus apartment

This time last year, the Class of 2011 {who were then sophomores} collectively became nervous about the housing process.  Some people decided to try to get a room on-campus again, but most of us looked directly into the eyes of the most grown-up thing we had ever done: going apartment-hunting and securing a place to rent for the next two years.

It feels even more daunting than it sounds, at least at first.  I have never thought in such big numbers – $1000, $1200, $1400, $1500+ A MONTH for a two-bedroom apartment’s rent?  I have never known what criteria to consider when looking at a place – on-site laundry, carpet vs. hardwood vs. laminate, how many windows a room has, security, location to your favorite spots on/off campus, the view, what is included in rent and what isn’t {heat, utilities, hot water}, friendly office staff, reliable maintenance staff…the list of things to think about seemed to grow every day.  But, as is my motto for most things related to Hopkins, doing your homework really does relieve any of the “OMG I DON’T WANT TO LIVE IN A CARDBOARD BOX” stress.  Around the middle of March 2009, I started going on apartment tours.  I basically just called up the office and asked to make an appointment, then a representative would take me around the building to see a staged apartment {to get a sense of what the rest look like}, the amenities, etc.  You do that until you find a few places where you could really see yourself living.  Then, in most cases, you put your name on a waitlist and cross your fingers for someone to move out and leave a vacancy.  If you’re still curious about what the housing process entails, head over to the Hopkins Forums because we have a great discussion going on right now about it!

Anyway {and this is another mantra I have come to use a lot at Hopkins}, everything always works out for the best!  My friends are all comfortably settled into great apartments all over Charles Village that work for them and their needs, while I have found a place that I can call my own as well.  I actually inherited my place from a friend which was really lucky.  I’m currently living with a senior so that means that, once I graduate, I will have had a roommate for every year at Hopkins…and I think that’s kind of cool.  {There’s always the concern that you’ll get tired of a roommate and end up getting on each other’s nerves – for most people though, that isn’t an issue – but for me it makes things feel really fun and fresh when you move in with someone new!  Even though I miss my roomie, JHU_Jessica.}  I feel so comfortable in my apartment now and I’m still finding ways to make it feel even more like a home.

That's my door!

Ok, so with my background story all cleared up, I present you my very first off-campus CRIBS update!

The Building
Even though it is “off-campus,” my building is still literally across the street from the lacrosse field and a 5-15 minute walk to anywhere on campus.  I am also conveniently located near One World Cafe {a great vegetarian/vegan restaurant, bar, and cafe}, Chocolatea {a quaint little cafe and lunch place}, Hopkins Deli {think “game day food”}, and more.  The building itself is kept in great shape and offers a lot of standard amenities like a laundry room, mail services, basement storage if needed, elevator, and maintenance.  I really love the vintage feel it has – there are really charming touches all throughout the lobby and hallways, like beautiful light fixtures and elaborate molding on the ceilings.

The Neighbors
I get along well with our office and maintenance staff, which is definitely a plus.  Another plus is that this building is a great mix of students and “real” people as I like to call them, or adults with families and jobs.  Some students prefer to move into apartments that are mostly students {for a similar atmosphere as the dorms, just a bit more grown up}, but I really wanted something a bit more low-key.  I definitely found it and I would recommend my building to anyone who is interested in the same kind of “neighborhood”-mix of tenants.

The Apartment

Welcome to 3E!  If you walk straight on in down the long entrance hallway to my apartment, you’ll be in my living room.  It’s pretty standard, with a couch, chair, some side tables and a coffee table, a TV, and some decorations on the walls.  We spend a lot of time here so it’s important that it feels really comfy!  Off of the living room is a small sunroom that, at the moment, isn’t being used for anything really.  I have grand plans to one day find and restore an antique bistro table to turn this area into a breakfast nook, but for now we just enjoy looking out our big windows or opening them to let tons of fresh air in.  If you turn in the direction of the front door and leave the living room through another archway, you’ll hit our dining room.  We got this furniture from people who were moving out when Jill, my roommate, was first moving in, so we got it at a great price.  And it’s beautiful furniture so it was a lucky find!

Jill, hiding behind her Physics textbook!

The amount of storage space we have in our apartment is kind of absurd.  There are five closets spread throughout {not including the bedrooms}, an entire pantry hallway full of cabinets and drawers, and a “maid’s quarters” that is too small for a third bedroom so has ended up as our “everything but the kitchen sink” storage area.  Off of this room is also a bathroom, which is super tiny but can be used if our main one is taken.  The main one is actually smack in between my room and Jill’s room – it’s a Jack-and-Jill style bathroom, which I think is pretty unique.  It’s kind of small as well but it does its job!  Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself…if you keep going through the pantry hallway, you’ll hit our kitchen.  Jill and I both really love to cook so it’s great that we have a stove and oven {YAY COOKIES!}, a sink, tons of cabinet space, a microwave, a quesadilla maker given to me as a gift by Jess, a toaster, a toaster oven, a George Foreman grill, etc… and we actually have enough counter space to fit all of this.  And this is some people’s favorite part about CRIBS so I won’t put it off any longer… go ahead, take a peek into the fridge!

Now take a walk straight through the apartment, through the pantry, dining room, and living room.  Now we’re at a mini-hallway, where my roommate’s room and mine are both located.  I love everything about my room.  I love my full bed, I love my headboard, I love my espresso-colored furniture, I love my globe, I love my fancy library chair, I love the makings of a magazine collage on my wall, I love my photos, I love my clock and mirror that I picked out at Target, I love my television {a gift from my Mommom}, I love my pretty blue bedspread, I love my printer stand…I could go on and on.  Just take a look at the photos to see all of the things I adore about it!  Even though nothing beats seeing it in person.

My messy closet...

Sorry I didn't tidy up for the cameras. But I usually have magazines all over the place!

My bookshelf, which I got for free from the trash room on my dorm floor last year.

My bed! Hey there, Curious George.

My magazine collage and some other photography I found to hang, all works-in-progress.

Lastly, on your way out I’ll show you the weirdest part of my apartment, hands-down.  It’s this ancient fire escape that is definitely not something to be used anymore.  We “share” it {if you can consider it really sharing, since you can’t use it in a fire anyway} with our neighbors and it’s accessible by a locked door.  But even though that part is legitimate, look at it: it’s a giant, terrifying-looking spiral slide down into the depths of my building.  Plenty of people {Josh included} have wanted to slide down to see what’s there, but I won’t let anyone go until I get a miner’s helmet with a light…and an idea of where it actually leads to.

Ok, you’ve seen pretty much all of the nooks and crannies of my apartment.  Now get on out of here!

the first of many firsts

With living in an apartment for the very first time comes many responsibilities that I’ve never had to worry about before.  We have to pay for the electricity we use, and lug our recycling to bins across the street, and pay for laundry WITH QUARTERS AND NOT JCASH {be thankful when you live on campus}, and shop at real grocery stores…not places associated with Hopkins that take Dining Dollars.

But not all of the new experiences I’ve had were bad by any means.  There will be plenty more to post about as the semester goes on, but here is the official first of the firsts: me loading a dishwasher – and using it – for the very first time!

I know I sound very un-21st century right now, but we never had a dishwasher at home and never really found the need to get one with just 3 of us in the house.  Plus I’ve always thought washing dishes was therapeutic, so I didn’t ever feel like I needed it freshman or sophomore year either.  But after hosting a pretty large dinner party and waking up to the mountain of dishes in the sink the next morning {the same day of the Student Activities Fair, if you couldn’t tell from that outfit appearing in two separate updates}, I decided I would tackle the dishwasher and let it do some of the work for me.

And, considering there weren’t soap suds all over my kitchen floor by the end of the cycle {that’s pretty much the only criteria I’m using here}, I’d say it was a success!

Hopkins CRIBS: Charles Commons 1016

Welcome to Charles Commons 1016: Lauren and Jessica’s Crib!

Right off the bat, I suggest living in Charles Commons.  At Hopkins, all of the freshmen go into a housing lottery that randomly assigns lottery numbers to each group.  The lower your number, the earlier you get to choose your room before everyone else. Jess and I were a pair last year and got a great number — it sounded like it was a high number at the time, but actually was low enough so that we could get the exact room we wanted.  We live on the top floor of our side of Charles Commons and have a spectacular view — we can see all the way down to Inner Harbor!  It’s so pretty to watch how the city gets brighter and brighter as the sun rises, and it’s just as pretty to watch the sun set out at the horizon.  This is one of my favorite parts of my room…especially considering my view last year from my room in Wolman Hall was into a person’s room in Charles Commons.  {The people across from me played a lot of Guitar Hero.}

Since we live in a 2-person suite in Charles Commons, we share a bathroom and a kitchenette without a common room.  It sounds like we’re getting cheated out of a really great feature — and, I’ll admit, I love the big living rooms that 4-person suites have — but we really have exactly what we need!  We have what I call our breakfast nook, which isn’t a full common room but provides us a table and chairs.  It’s definitely enough to let uscook for friends, socialize with each other, and store all of our yummy snacks.  {That’s a picture of my fabulous shower curtain.  I bought it last year because I thought we’d need one in Wolman Hall — we didn’t because you have shower doors instead — so I decided I’d bring it for us to use this year!  The bright colors make me happy.}

We actually use our kitchen a LOT.  What’s great about sophomore year is that, no matter where you end up living, you have access to your own kitchen.  I’ve also brought along a toaster, microwave, coffee machine, and George Foreman grill {all presents from my family — THANK YOU TO THEM!} and got a quesadilla maker from my lovely roommate as a birthday present.  Jess also has a rice cooker, so we definitely never go hungry.  But we love to cook for ourselves and our friends too!  {Before spring break, we had a steak/quesadilla/rice party where we basically made all of the food we had for dinner one night.}

My room looks really small — and I thought it was when I got here — but I moved my furniture around to get the maximum amount of floor space and have really grown to love it.  Just like last year, I made sure to put up LOTS of photos, copies of my favorite paintings, and more on my walls {and I also have shelves…but shhhh, you’re not really supposed to} to make it much more cozy.  I have a comfy bed with a pretty bedspread, my television {important!}, and lotsof other little touches {like vases and flowers} to make my room a nice place to come home to at the end of the day.

You’d also be surprised at how much storage you get in a room in Charles Commons: you have three big dresser drawers, three smaller desk drawers {that I moved into my closet and use for clothes}, and an entire closet {that I use for clothes, shoes, my handbags, and all of my books for class}.  I know some people whose closets are almost totally empty because they can’t fill all that space.  It’s great to know that you aren’t crammed into your room!

Ultimately, it’s really nice to finally just be able to have my own space.  Personally, I think it’s really important to have a roommate freshman year so that you learn from an experience where you have to share and get along with someone completely random — it teaches you a lot of people skills, and a lot about yourself.  And even if I had to live in the same room as my roommate this year, I know I would be fine — it has been phenomenal to live with someone respectful, clean, and really fun.  Jessica is great because we share a lot of the same interests and are involved in one major extracurricular together {Hopkins Interactive!}, but at the same time we’re able to share different stories and experiences because we have completely different majors, separate clubs and activities, and a bunch of different groups of friends.  Last year, I got along with my roommate, but it wasn’t necessarily a pleasure to come home and find her there.  This year, it’s a lot different — and it has been great.  But there is still something really valuable in being able to shut the door to your room and finally be able to RELAX.  You need your own personal space and private time to be healthy, so it’s great to finally have that {all of the bedrooms in Charles Commons are singles!}.

But even video + pictures + a gushing blog post about how much I love Commons can’t do it justice.  This is a beautiful, almost brand new building that has a laundry room, mail room, common kitchen, exercise room, ping-pong table, pool tables, meeting rooms, a ballroom, music practice rooms, and an entire campus eatery.  We have everything we could possibly want in this building — I feel so spoiled to live here!

Hopkins Cribs: Wolman Hall East, Suite 504B

Welcome to Wolman Hall East, Suite 504B!!

As you’ll see when you first come in to our suite, we have a kitchenette complete with a refrigerator, two burners, and a sink.  We also have a bathroom .. but each of those places need a little bit of scrubbing down before I’ll show them on my blog, so let’s continue on!  ;)

Heading down the hallway to my and my roommate’s bedroom, you’ll see we tried to decorate the walls to make things a little more festive.  Those pictures are from a calendar we bought from a stationary store about a block from campus.  They’re French advertisements for mostly kitchen items {food goods, spices, etc.}, and they’re so colorful that they definitely do brighten up a plain, boring white hallway.

On opening the door to bedroom B, the first thing you see is my desk.  My desk is RIGHT in front of the door: if I sat there to do work, I’d practically be out in the hallway!  So, as you can see, it has become a handy storage area.  I keep all my books, my printer, flowers, and my flavored syrups {for Italian Sodas!} all the way on top; I have nail polish, medicine, bandaids, and jewelry on the next shelf; on the bottom, I have books, magazines, important paperwork, and some decorative touches like my Big Ben sculpture made of silver wire.  And, of course, my shoes are all underneath!  It looks cluttered .. but trust me, everything has its place.

The next big piece of furniture is my closet, which is right next to my desk.  On top of that, I have my television, my lava lamp, my mirror, and more school books, but recently it has been taken over by Alpha Phi things!  I have a bear that I got during Revelation {which is when all the new sisters find out which “family” they have been taken into}, a daffodil that my big gave me during our naming ceremony, and wooden letters that my big decorated and that spell out APHI.

Speaking of Alpha Phi, presents are not only taking over in that one area .. they’re all over the place!!   Last week was Secret Week, so the new sisters got anonymous presents ALL week long from their big sisters.  I can’t bear to take mine out of the bags because I want to make sure I remember what I got on each day, so everything is just sort of sitting in a corner of my room.  I’m making use of all the tee shirts, mugs, and candy .. I just have to dig through the pile to get at them.

So now, to the most important part of the room: my bed!!  I do all of my studying there, if people come over we sit on the bed {our plan early on was to make enough room for chairs/a futon .. and it didn’t actually happen}, I get my beauty rest there .. it’s pretty much essential.  It’s amazingly comfortable thanks to a featherbed that my grandmother bought for me and, since my aunt and uncle bought bed risers for me, underneath of my bed is great for storing all my snacks, toiletries, my suitcase, and cleaning supplies.

And last but not least .. the obligatory tour of the fridge!  My roommate brought a mini fridge with her so we actually have one right in our room {our suitemates use the one that came with our kitchenette, so it works out really well}, and it’s really convenient.  We keep all sorts of things — milk, eggs, take-out, yogurt, chocolate icing {ok, that’s mine}, soda, and more.   It’s really nice to be able to keep these things there so they don’t go bad.  It’s great to know that you have the ingredients to always have a home-cooked meal if you decide
you want one!

And there you have it — a pretty typical Wolman suite.  I love Wolman and would recommend it to any incoming freshman.  It’s just like a dorm in that you share a room, interact with people on your floor, and learn to do things on your own, but it’s even more like an apartment in that you can cook for yourself, you have to clean for yourself, and you have room to take the steps to make it feel more like home.  It’s a great dorm, and I’m really happy that I could show you a tiny bit of it so that you can see it for yourself.  I hope you enjoyed it!

Now, just as they say on MTV Cribs all the time .. get out of my house!  ;)

getting to know you

To be honest, I don’t get the chance to go exploring in Baltimore as much as I would like.  I love to travel and {since I never really go anywhere}, every time I’m somewhere new, I always want to experience it as fully as possible.  But because I have that pesky thing called homework / papers / reading / writing poems / studying / cleaning the bathroom / responsibility hanging over my head all the time, I find it really difficult to pry myself away from campus and actually get out there.

During the week, I never have time because I nap during the afternoons and do my work at night {we’re still being honest – I eat, get a full belly, and then nap like I’m two years old}, and on the weekends — my “free” time — I am always too focused on being lazy to leave Charles Village at all.  Actually, I usually stay in my bed watching America’s Next Top Model or Harry Potter marathons, talking on the phone and on AIM with friends and making comments like, “Maybe I’ll go down to University Market later and get a sandwich” or, “Maybe I’ll go to the library and actually get some real work done” {I haven’t studied in the library my entire three months here so far though} or, “Maybe I’ll go out tonight.”  But, usually, I end up just grabbing some Oreo’s from under my bed, making hot chocolate and vegging out in my room until the next day, when the cycle begins again.  It’s how I relax.  It’s my process.

But thank heaven for Family Weekend!  I hadn’t seen my parents in three weeks, so I knew they wouldn’t stand for me being a hermit all weekend in my dorm room, eating Beefaroni and watching Meg Ryan movies {in addition to Oreo’s and Tyra, this is also typical weekend behavior}.  We definitey would have to do something … and I actually wanted to do something.  Even though I hadn’t properly explored it yet, I wanted to show my family something of what “my” city was all about.  They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach; as we found, that is true about cities too.  You’ll figure out what a city is at its core quicker than you can say “crab cake” just by visiting its most successful restaurants.  So that is what we did.

First, we went to a part of Baltimore named Hampden, known for {from the Hampden Main Street website}, “big hair, art galleries, good food and live entertainment.”  It is a part of town that is so rich in culture that it’s just fun to walk down the street.  It definitely has its own personality!  In our search for this unique personality, we went straight to Hampden’s heart: Cafe Hon.  The restaurant, on The Avenue, has a fantastic menu of “comfort,” homey foods and is famous for its incredible pies.  I got their Thanksgiving Dinner {I couldn’t wait for the holiday itself – as you’ll see in the picture, Anne Jay came with us and fully approved of my choice} and later split a massive piece of blueberry pie with my mom: both were amazing.  The atmosphere of the restaurant is great because of the many antique decorations {reminiscent of the 50′s}, and they even have a small gift shop of a really interesting mixture of souvenirs.  I bought a tee shirt and a gorgeous ring, but they have everything from feather boas to Halloween costumes to crazy pairs of glasses.  We can’t wait to go back!

The next place we went {not directly after, obviously – we spaced out our weekend plans and filled it in with lots of sleep and family time!} was Bo Brooks, down at the Canton waterfront.  We sat out on this porch they have with a view of the docks and the Harbor waterfront, and I ordered a fish sandwich. When it came though .. I got quite a lot more than I had bargained for.  Instead of a filet of fish on a roll, it ended up being two lonnnngg fish strips with a roll on the side.  I didn’t eat the roll because it just seemed silly, but the fish was delicious anyway.  A group of people seated next to us ordered crabs and were having a ball cracking them open and eating them, so we’ve decided that we’re definitely doing that next time!

Our final stop {parents weekend is only two days, after all!} was to Fell’s Point around 8pm for a late-night dinner at Bertha’s.  When we got there and were waiting for a seat, we heard the waiters buzzing about how John Astin {who, ironically, was on television earlier in The Addams Family Christmas episode} had been there for dinner and had just left.  They were all excited, talking about what he ordered and that he was really pleasant and all.  I resisted the powerful urge to brag and tell them that, actually, John Astin teaches at my school {and that I’m going to have a class with him next semester, ahh!}, but inwardly I thought it was pretty cool.  ;)  So anyway, we finally got seated and we decided to order as a table – we got a bowl of Maryland Crab soup, a plate of ravioli, and a bowl of mussels in Spanish sauce to share.  I bought a tee shirt from their bar and we got free bumper stickers when we paid our bill, and then we decided to head next door {after fighting our way out of the restaurant through a pack of awfully drunk, incoherent women} for gelato.  I mixed dark chocolate with chocolate gelato and, really, it was heaven in a little cup.

So that was my family weekend and a fantastic two days of exploring what Baltimore had to offer.  I didn’t get much rest that weekend and was insanely tired on Monday morning, but it was all worth it: I spent time with people I love, shared great food with them, and learned even more about the city in which I will spend my next three and a half years.  That’s another lesson for you, even if you don’t end up going to Hopkins or coming to school in a big city, that I wish I followed from my first days here — explore, explore, explore.  You know where your favorite restaurant is, which streets serve as great shortcuts, and a whole host of fabulous people in your hometown — you should learn these things about your new city, too, and I promise that you will have fun doing it.

Also, I have some videos from the Thanksgiving parade I went to over break in Collingswood, NJ, the town right next to mine.  They’re short and don’t quite capture the moment, but this parade has been an event that I have gone to every single year for as long as I can remember.  There are some things you can always count on about this parade: my grandparents will always be there before us; my dad will always bring his handwarmer thing, and we will all be surprised that it still works because it is so old; I will always ask my mother for a Dora the Explorer balloon from the balloon guy, even though I rationally understand that I am far too old for one; we will always buy pretzels from the pretzel guy; we will always sit at the same stretch of brick wall, the one in front of the parking lot, down the street from the post office; it will always be cold and we will always complain; but we are also always glad we went.

Finally, as I go off to get some work done, I leave you with a gallery of pictures of my Christmas tree!  Because it’s so sparkly and pretty I couldn’t capture it as accurately as I wanted — just trust me when I say that the tree is beautiful, the lights are warm, and that, every time I look at it, I get all happy inside.  It’s the holidays, what can I say!  And I wish you were here to experience them with us!  :)