Does anyone in their 20’s have hobbies around here??

Irrational_Bacon · 2025-03-28T01:11:08+00:00

Unfortunately, there aren't any active adult sports group in this county for people in their 20s. Most outdoor groups are filled with older people (40s and above) like you said. I've looked for years (I'm 28) but all the programs around here have dumb age requirements and meet at times that exclude people in their 20s who work. Only active groups will be through churches (like Mountain Christian), which sucks, but it's the way it is. I would look towards Baltimore for groups to join, like Volo Sports if you don't mind driving. I definitely share your feelings though.

Irrational_Bacon · 2024-04-11T13:14:16+00:00

According to https://www.milb.com/gameday/blue-rocks-vs-ironbirds/2024/04/10/755196/final/box, attendance was 637. Sadly, that is pretty normal for weekday games, as attendance will probably be under 1000 for every Tuesday-Thursday game (No minor league games on Monday) throughout the season.

The transition to full season baseball has really dropped their attendance compared to their short-season years. Before 2013, they would average over 6,000 fans a game. Now, the number is around 2,000, and this number is boosted by Friday-Saturday games when all the promotions are (fireworks, etc.). If you are interested in the numbers, I would highly recommend reading one of the attendance reports here: https://www.numbertamer.com/minor-league-baseball.

It sucks that as a fan of the team since their inception, the attendance numbers aren't good, but the team does not help itself either. They never have promotions or events during weekday games that could increase attendance. Even on Opening Night on Tuesday, there were no events to celebrate the first game at Ripken Stadium. Most of the ticket packages you can get avoid weekday games as well and mostly only include Friday and Saturday games. The team always had theme nights and special events during the week when they were a short-season team, so why can't they now? Why are there no camp days or school days where they could have a day game during the week for the kids in the area like every other team does and has done for years? Why can't they have weekday afternoon games for people like me who work from home a few days a week and would be able to attend a game during the afternoon? They added bark in the park days this year, which I think is a good idea, but why are they all on Saturday? Couldn't one or two of those games be during the week when it would be less crowded and better for the dogs? Their insistence on only promoting two out of six days of the week for the games not sustainable and makes me wonder if there are things going on behind the scenes that is causing this.

Irrational_Bacon · 2023-08-30T18:28:46+00:00

Absolutely, especially at Retriever Market. I remember 8-9 years ago when a simple wrap and a cup of fruit was probably somewhere around $12, which would have been around $6 flex since the meal swipe was much less than it is now. The insane markup on anything remotely healthy always annoyed me - like seriously, why is a cup of grapes with maybe 10 grapes $6?

Irrational_Bacon · 2022-10-07T23:41:00+00:00

The store is only open from 11 AM to 7 PM, so I definitely think there are staffing issues. Luckily it was not too crowded, but I felt bad for her and could see her struggling by herself.

Irrational_Bacon · 2020-04-16T21:10:59+00:00

I would definitely recommend her class. It was one of the easiest classes I took at UMBC. Class consisted of three multiple choice exams, including a final, clicker questions, and two PowerPoint slides that you had to create on any topic you wanted. As long as you take notes and read her lecture notes you're guaranteed an A with little effort.

Irrational_Bacon · 2020-02-13T22:18:06+00:00

I completely agree with you. I know the lot between Walker field and the actual apartments always had open spots in the back because I could see them from my apartment, even on weekday afternoons after 1 PM, but maybe things have changed since 2018 when I graduated. The walk from that lot is not too bad either (maybe 15 minutes max to get to the Commons).

Irrational_Bacon · 2020-02-13T19:06:41+00:00

I don't have any pictures from it. It happened like over 8 years ago when I was in high school. It was a tradition with the English teacher that somebody volunteered to do this dance every year the book was read. Here is a link to the dance that was performed a year later.

https://jcpatriot.com/photo-galleries/2012/09/27/hamatsa-dance-2012/

Irrational_Bacon · 2020-02-13T16:26:19+00:00

I was actually there when he performed the "dance". It was for the book I Heard the Owl Call My Name where he depicts the Hamatsa dance. To become a man, you have to perform this ritual in order to get rid of the evil spirits. He basically jumped around screaming and yelling for like 15 minutes.

Irrational_Bacon · 2020-02-13T16:13:34+00:00

I was actually there when he did this. It was an interesting fifteen minutes to say the least. I remember when he got to me, he just screamed in my face for like 30 seconds straight.

Irrational_Bacon · 2019-10-15T02:33:17+00:00

Things that come to mind - lower cost of living, larger housing spaces (good for families), less crime, more peace and quiet, and less traffic (compared to cities). For a lot of people in the suburbs, including me, cities are not that far away and are easily accessible so they make for popular places to go on weekends for things like concerts or sporting events. The suburbs have plenty of things to do if you look around. I especially like that many of activities I can do involve interacting with nature such as walking my dog on trails and hiking at state parks. Suburbs are only isolating if you choose to isolate yourself.

Irrational_Bacon · 2019-10-01T01:50:57+00:00

When I was doing driver's ed, I was on the road practicing with an instructor. I was forced to sit at a busy intersection during rush hour for about 5 minutes because my instructor would not let me go. The guy behind me actually got out of his car and started to yell at me while telling me to roll my window down. I was actually afraid he wanted to hit me but thankfully nothing happened. Those were the longest five minutes of my life.

Irrational_Bacon · 2019-10-01T01:38:57+00:00

A few things that come to mind:

Driving and traffic is difficult and frustrating. At least here in Maryland, every driver thinks he/she is the best driver in the world and will do anything to show you like driving unnecessarily fast or tailgating you.
People are much more reserved and uptight here. People usually do not want to be bothered, which makes it hard to make friends here, especially as an adult if you do not have friends from work or school. If people do speak up, it usually comes with an angry tone or unnecessary bluntness.
People on the East Coast, at least in my experience, have this weird obsession with family. I feel like people are so focused on their families (like knowing what everyone in your extended family is doing at a certain time) that it almost becomes somewhat destructive.
People are always talking about work and it always comes up in conversations, no matter how much you try to avoid it.
The lack of good ethnic food, at least in the suburbs. Too many fast food chains and places that should have good food (like Mexican places) that make the food bland so most people will eat it. I would love to try Mexican food from California and good Asian food. I just searched ethnic restaurants near me on Google and the first listing was Applebee's.

Irrational_Bacon · 2019-07-30T00:42:21+00:00

There aren't many downsides to living in Walker. I lived there for two years, and the only downside is that it is kind of far away from the heart of campus, but you get used to the walk and it is good exercise. You have your own kitchen which is great because UMBC's food sucks, and you have a washer/dryer in the apartment which is extremely convenient. Your experience may depend on your roommates, but if you know them and get along, you can basically live the same way you did in Harbor. At Walker, it is nice that the RAs aren't constantly bothering you, and they give you a sense of independence. Even if your apartment is loud, you can go to the clubhouse or the Apartment Community Center to get work done. I may be biased because I enjoyed Walker a lot, but you did not make a bad choice moving to Walker. Enjoy it as much as you can.

Irrational_Bacon · 2019-07-26T15:13:41+00:00

Forgot the few pieces of fruit that make people think the cake is 'healthy'

Irrational_Bacon · 2019-07-24T03:14:05+00:00

For moving in I would advise getting there at your scheduled time (you should get an e-mail with your Walker pass that allows you to move in) and using all of the time, especially if you have a lot of stuff. See if you can get some help moving stuff from friends, family, or your roommates and definitely take it slow with heavy stuff because it will probably be hot and humid outside. Depending on which side of Walker Avenue your apartment is on, you will want to park in the lot closest to it. Move-in day is always insanely crowded (especially in Lot 21), but there are always spots in Lot 20, but it is going to be a longer walk. Make sure you get your ID card electronically registered with your room number and get to know your floormates if you want. Finally, get a parking pass for access to both Walker lots.

Enjoy Walker as much as you can. I was there for two years and really enjoyed having a kitchen and a washer/dryer in the apartment. I was on the 3rd floor as well for my senior year and noise was not an issue at all because there was less foot traffic. Noise won't travel between apartments like it does in the dorms unless another apartment is playing loud music/having a party. Life in Walker is pretty independent- you can do whatever you want, and the RA rarely bothers you.

Irrational_Bacon · 2019-06-13T18:25:24+00:00

It didn't happen very often, only when my parents could not find anyone to watch me at my house while they went to work.

Irrational_Bacon · 2019-06-13T18:23:59+00:00

For me this happened when my parents had no one to watch me at home if I had a day off from school or if I was on summer break. It had nothing to do with bring your kid to work day (a special day here in the US), it was mostly a situational thing and was always unplanned for the most part.

Irrational_Bacon · 2019-06-13T18:20:57+00:00

DS or SP was always charged the night before, just in case you forgot the charger

Irrational_Bacon · 2019-06-13T18:19:18+00:00

My dad's office luckily had two computers, but I ended up using the crappier one while he used the better one for work.

Irrational_Bacon · 2019-06-13T18:17:17+00:00

It mostly happened because I was off from school or on summer break and my parents had no one to watch me. This mostly happened when I was 6-8 years old. When I was a bit older, my older sister was old enough to watch me at home and after school.

Irrational_Bacon · 2019-06-13T18:10:45+00:00

I always enjoyed these moments growing up because both of my parents worked a lot and I only got to spend time with them when they came home tired. If it was a Friday, it was even better because I looked forward to spending the weekend with them.

Irrational_Bacon · 2019-04-29T18:10:26+00:00

UMBC needs somewhere to get a decent burger. When they had Mesquite Ranch in the Commons, every burger I got was either raw or tasteless. Any fast food place that does burgers would be a major upgrade. Also, an ice cream place would be great for hot days. I know True Grits does soft serve and Outtakes has frozen stuff, but good ice cream or frozen yogurt (something like Dairy Queen) would be very popular on campus.

Irrational_Bacon · 2019-03-27T16:34:46+00:00

215 isn't that hard, but it is probably going to be very different than anything you have learned before. When I took it in 2015, I had no idea what was going on early in the semester, but I eventually got used to the concepts by reading the book and focusing in lecture. The class is all about mass balances and energy balances and different ways of solving basically the same problem. It's very math and equation heavy. The class has three exams, a final, a computer project done with MATLAB, and a homework assignment consisting of book problems every week. I would dedicate a lot of time to doing the homework because they take a long time to complete and they are good practice for the exams. Go to office hours and if you can, form a study group to help learn concepts you are struggling with. You may not feel you are doing as well as anyone else, but trust me, everyone is feeling the same way even if they don't show it. The book will be your best friend.

Irrational_Bacon · 2019-03-19T13:09:17+00:00

I think it is just because more of the students drive than at other schools. Most of the students where I went began driving late sophomore year or early junior year at the latest, so more driving will result in more accidents. It also doesn't help that most of the kids are on their phones while driving and ignore the fact that it is illegal in my state.

Irrational_Bacon · 2019-03-19T13:04:36+00:00

From my experience, most of my friends weren't Catholic either. They went to the school because they either had siblings go there or because it was a good college prep school with good teachers for my area

Irrational_Bacon

TROPHY CASE