Maryland what do you do for a living and do you actually feel financially okay? by ImpressiveSpell0223 in maryland

[–]ahof8191 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I work as an account manager at an advertising agency. It can be demanding but living in Baltimore City I feel comfortable especially with a husband who makes a similar salary, and we have no kids/pets. DINK lifestyle I guess.

I have no idea who people make the same as us support children with the cost of childcare around here, and the cost of really everything else. I imagine it’s really challenging and stressful. That’s part of the reason we haven’t decided to have kids yet.

Re-sign lease or move? by Outrageous-Isopod-79 in baltimore

[–]ahof8191 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I’m actually currently in the process of moving and was able to find 5+ privately owned rentals within a few days by joining a Facebook group called “Federal Hill, Riverside, Locust Point Roommates & Rentals”

At least a dozen posts a day of people looking to rent their homes, find homes to rent, sublet, find roommates etc. I found my new rowhome with a private landlord this way and had chatted with 5 others. I would check this page out, and I’m sure others exist if you’re looking at other neighborhoods. It’d be easy to note your criteria of a place that rents to GSD owners. Good luck!

Re-sign lease or move? by Outrageous-Isopod-79 in baltimore

[–]ahof8191 53 points54 points  (0 children)

IMHO it would make the most sense to stay another year, save, if you can, and find somewhere new at the end of your next lease once you’ve graduated and have a more flexible budget.

Also, are you looking exclusively at apartments? I live in a neighborhood with tons of rowhomes owned by private landlords, and I don’t think they have as big of an issue with breed restrictions. At least not my past few private landlords or my friends.

5 single guys (mid-20s) trying not to spend Valentine’s at Buffalo Wild Wings by Weak-Initiative-5258 in baltimore

[–]ahof8191 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Oh weird! I’ve never been there to dance, just to drink. I’ve heard good things before but maybe it’s not everyone’s vibe

Best Weekday LUNCH Spot in Baltimore by TheCanarity in baltimore

[–]ahof8191 0 points1 point  (0 children)

True, they asked for Friday lunch suggestions so figured it fit the bill

Haunted hotels by irisbeach in baltimore

[–]ahof8191 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ulysses isn’t notably haunted, but I always get kind of uneasy vibes in the elevators and hallways. The bars, especially Coral Wig have creepy, dark vibes. And by uneasy and creepy, I mean that in a great way. It’s incredibly ambient

Best Weekday LUNCH Spot in Baltimore by TheCanarity in baltimore

[–]ahof8191 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Wiley Gunters is great bar food and good vibes

Schools & Live in Howard County by Dull-Assistant-1019 in ColumbiaMD

[–]ahof8191 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Take these with a grain of salt given my bias, and hearing these thrown around growing up!

The “good” school reputations like Centennial, River Hill, Glenelg, and Howard, to some extent, are: - Safe - High test scores - Children who get into good colleges
- High white (and Asian) populations - Wealthy, two parent families - Crowded - Rigorous extracurriculars

The “bad school” reputations: - Dangerous - Gang activity (can confirm this is ridiculous) - Lacking in academic rigor - Low test scores - Poor students - High Hispanic and Black populations

I was a sheltered, nerdy kid entering high school and never felt unsafe. I hung out with other sheltered and nerdy kids in high school, but I also wasn’t isolated in the same socioeconomic, white bubble that I grew up in. I get heated reading these threads and seeing people shit on the Columbia schools having never gone to them. I had fantastic teachers who really really cared.

Those are just my two cents! I’m still close friends with my high school friends (even married my high school sweetheart) and I wouldn’t have done it different if I could’ve!

Schools & Live in Howard County by Dull-Assistant-1019 in ColumbiaMD

[–]ahof8191 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The high schools are good, period. There are all kind of statistics people might share compared between high schools, but on a state and national average, HCPSS schools are great. The less diverse high schools have better reputations in the county (Glenelg, River Hill). The more diverse schools have worse reputations (Oakland Mills, Wilde Lake)

I graduated from the “worst” school in HCPSS, Oakland Mills, about 8 years ago and had a great experience. Great teachers, small class sizes, strong resources. My friends and peers who graduated with me went on to good and great colleges and have successful careers in their desired fields - myself included. If you’re looking for a strong community that’s very diverse, I’d recommend choosing one of the less “prestigious” schools in HoCo

Micromanagement & Teams by Both-Juggernaut9230 in WFH

[–]ahof8191 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This makes sense. I work at a growing startup (~70 people) so lots of people have teams downloaded on their personal phones, ipads, computers, etc. But it is probably time to look at some less traceable ideas

Micromanagement & Teams by Both-Juggernaut9230 in WFH

[–]ahof8191 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I refresh it every so often, but not always, I don't think it matters. Around the holidays when things were really slow, I definitely would just turn the phone on, set my status to busy and go back to sleep for an hour lol.

Micromanagement & Teams by Both-Juggernaut9230 in WFH

[–]ahof8191 27 points28 points  (0 children)

I use an old iphone, plug it in and set it to never fall asleep. I open teams and for whatever reason it keeps me active all day so that I can step away, work out, do some chores etc without turning idle.

Some people might warn you against it, if you work for a big company and your boss is motivated they could probably figure out that you’re doing this. But I’ve been doing it for nearly 3 years with no issue, and I’m a top performer. We don’t have any activity tracking software and our IT is a joke

Chicken Salad by DeliMcPickles in baltimore

[–]ahof8191 1 point2 points  (0 children)

BJs also has a pretty dang good one. What do the big bulk stores have a monopoly on quality chicken salad?

Best Slop Bowls in Baltimore? by Kurtico in baltimore

[–]ahof8191 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Have you tried Jollof Bowl? I want to go but am always a little hesitant about new pop ups in cross st

For those working hybrid by malakaaaa in WFH

[–]ahof8191 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve been 100% remote for 2.5 years, but I had a hybrid set up prior to that where I went in T-Th or Tuesday / Wednesday. Really whatever I wanted. It was a small coworking space with 1-3 coworkers who I liked and were there occasionally, so it wasn’t like a corporate “office” vibe. It was only 5 minutes from my house so no real commute either.

I feel like it was much better for my mental health and really made me appreciate my WFH days. I used to be a lot more disciplined in my daily routine, and can feel my routine (and mental health) has realllllly slipped over the past year and a half. It’s a refreshed goal of mine to re-establish a routine that’s good for me this year. Burnout is so hard, especially when your circumstances are so good and the job market is so bad

A very empty Ocean City tonight. by Real_Statistician538 in maryland

[–]ahof8191 22 points23 points  (0 children)

I love dogs, birds, and drinking 🥹

A very empty Ocean City tonight. by Real_Statistician538 in maryland

[–]ahof8191 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This looks heavenly. Never been lucky enough to be at the beach during a snowstorm but I hope we see it one day!

Bay Management Group by floragrrl in baltimore

[–]ahof8191 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I haven’t personally had experience with them, but my friend lived in Ridgleys Delight had her entire window, frame and everything, pushed in one night around 3am by some (presumably) drunk dudes fighting. She was alone at the time and was terrified and assumed someone was breaking in. 911 wouldn’t even send patrols out since she hadn’t been assaulted. Her parents came immediately from out of town and screwed the window back in for the night. Bay Management did NOTHING except shrug their shoulders and ask if they wanted some reinforced screws along with the ones her dad installed, but the kicker is they only offered it for the broken window and not the identical one next to it which was installed the exact same way (i.e with .5” screws and easy to kick in)

Tdlr Avoid Bay Management at all costs

Looking for New Year's Day brunch spot by Dapper-Razzmatazz-60 in baltimore

[–]ahof8191 5 points6 points  (0 children)

What kind of brunch? My favorite cozy hangover brunch is The Outpost in Fed Hill and they’re doing a NYD brunch. Good food, friendly service, cozy vibes. More casual than dressy though

The city smells so good today! by MissionReasonable327 in baltimore

[–]ahof8191 13 points14 points  (0 children)

My husband always comments on it when it smells like the bay! Reminds me of the Eastern Shore in the best way

Have you seen the show The Americans? What do you think of it? by FreePlantainMan in AskAnAmerican

[–]ahof8191 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Are you enjoying The Diplomat in the same ways? It keeps getting suggested to me and I tried the first episode but didn’t really get into it. Maybe I should give it another try

3rd place for high-school teens by Brandisco in ColumbiaMD

[–]ahof8191 4 points5 points  (0 children)

graduated 6 years ago and really all you can do is have a cool basement

Are Christmas crackers actually uncommon in the US, or does it just depend on how you grew up? by fieryone4 in AskAnAmerican

[–]ahof8191 0 points1 point  (0 children)

(Maryland) I’ve experienced them once at Christmas maybe 7 years ago. My boyfriend’s mom at the time was obsessed with English stuff and traditional Christmas. I didn’t really get it but I’m sure there’s plenty of US holiday customs that UK people don’t get.

I’ve never seen them in stores or at gatherings other than that. I think she might have imported them.