First snow

It's a very rare feeling, these free Saturday afternoons I get. For one, they only come about once a month. Other Saturdays are filled with studying, trips, friends, family, or more studying. But that one Saturday, right after a test, when I'm in Baltimore, when my roommate's away, I can blast my music, light up my candle, drink tea, and play around online for as long as I want without feeling guilty (I'm such a rebel).

Last night, one of my best friends came to visit me in Bmore. He crossed mountains and rivers (e.g. downed power lines and train delays) to reach me in the middle of our first snowfall of the year. Isn't he a dear?

 J being sassy, as usual.  

We bundled up and headed to my favorite place for Happy Hour, Kona Grill. Now, Kona is not one of those hole-in-the-wall gems you can only find in Baltimore (I have plenty of those, but this is not one of them). It's right in the Inner Harborand is one of those confusing Asian-White fusion places that are hit or miss. Why do you serve both sushi and pizza? Burgers and pad thai? I don't understand it, but Kona actually pulls off the food pretty well, and you can't beat the prices for the atmosphere (note the giant fish tank) and service. I go there exclusively for happy hour, so I can't tell you about any of the normal food, but I've pretty much got the happy hour menu memorized. For example, this plate of sushi was only about $12! Other appetizers like flatbread pizzas and calamari are $6.

And see those two burgers in front of me? Those are "mini" burgers that are only $6. Plenty for two to share.

Baltimore's affordability is still one of its major selling points. Where else can you get stuffed off of burgers, sushi, and drinks (and still have leftovers to take home) for $30? I'm looking at you, DC or NYC. Alright, enough gushing about Kona. After dinner, it was about 12 degrees out, so we scrapped our plans to go out to a lounge in Mt. Vernon and ended up just curling up on the couch and watching Girls. #casual 

Fresh sprinkling of the first snow in Baltimore! Of course it all melted away this morning. 

 The building is lit up purple because the Baltimore Ravens are going to the Superbowl! I'm excited for the city, but could care less about football. 

 Inner Harbor this morning. 

I was telling J that a year or two ago, I would have never wanted to stay in on a Friday night--I was the one who always wanted to go out, and often dragged J with me. His response was that it was because it was 12 degrees out. But I disagree (ok yes, I would have likely been wanting to out if it were a balmy 75, but before I wouldn't have let anything stop me!). I think I'm finally past that point where I want to go out every weekend -- now I would more often than not be happy enough staying in and watching a movie with friends, reading or literally going to sleep at 10. What has med school done to me? 

FYI, reddit's time appropriate answer to "Is being a med student as hard as they say it is?" I read through a lot of it, and it is pretty accurate. My answer is a resounding yes. I don't necessarily agree with the top comment, in fact, I upvoted ferretnoise's comment and med-throwaway's comparison of medicine to learning a dozen new languages at once. If you're at all wondering what I go through every day, go read some of the comments. They can enumerate it a lot better than I can!

Anyway, after falling asleep while in the middle of watching a movie, we got up this morning and went shopping in the fancy schmancy Harbor East part of Baltimore (e.g. where the new J. Crew and Anthropologie are). He's the one who wanted to buy stuff, but instead it was me who ended up trying on a million things and buying nothing. Typical. But then we both bought matching City Sports Baltimore shirts and ate at Krazi Kebob, one of our favorite College Park eateries that recently opened up in the mall here. And then I got white corduroy jeggings at the Gap for $12.70. Teehee. You know, with the right people, you don't even have to do anything and can still have so much fun. So thanks J, and come visit me again soon!

New Year's Resolutions (1 week late!)

Last week, my best friend asked me what my New Year's resolutions were. In the wake of every other blogger posting their resolutions and listening to my friends share theirs, I told her I decided I didn't really have any this year. I was sick of making the same New Year's resolution every year with no good intentions of keeping them.

One week later, I've changed my mind, and contrary to what I believed, I don't think New Year's resolutions are meant to be completely serious. Very few people make the resolution to lose weight or to find love arbitrary on the first day of a New Year and completely believe they will succeed. Rather now I believe New Year's resolutions are just meant to inspire thought, provide time for reflection on what worked or what didn't last year, and if they are kept, all the better. Here's my short list.

1. Check Facebook less and eventually faze it out

Think about it. When has having a Facebook ever made you happier? Most of my closest friends don't update often or even check it that frequently. While I hardly update or post anything new (sometimes vacation photos or mobile uploads), I do check it multiple times a day -- out of boredom, procrastination, and habit more than anything else. However, I've realized that doing so never makes me happier, and on the contrary, when I see a new couple get engaged every week (don't get me wrong, I'm completely happy for them)  invites the inevitable comparisons of "Why aren't I in a relationship? Why aren't I getting engaged?" that aren't healthy. Best to just bite the bullet and do it already! 

2. Keep up with current events more. 

There's not much more that needs to be said about this one. I don't typically keep up with many current events (I'm guilty of just relying on Reddit or Facebook to tell me the important stuff, then clicking on links to find out more about the big things), although it is arguable one of the most important things you should keep up with. Nothing bad can come out of being better informed about the goings on of the world. And perhaps I can fill the time I save by cutting out Facebook to do so.

3. Build my blog
I realized that my favorite blogs feature mostly short, lighthearted posts, usually restaurant reviews, outfit posts, a day in the life, recipes, etc written in a personable, sometimes snarky, manner. So I'm going to aim to do more of those. I've heard some criticisms that my posts are too long and "heavy." This is a personal blog, so my aim isn't to go publicizing it on every other social media outlet, but I'm going to try to make it more fun for me and my readers (the few of you out there) as well.

Stay tuned!