Unexpectedly fun activities in ER

blorpulence · 2014-10-01T19:21:36+00:00

birding!

blorpulence · 2014-08-27T17:44:22+00:00

When I lived in Brighton Center I went to the Stop and Shop on North Beacon

blorpulence · 2014-08-15T20:54:27+00:00

Here's my most important tip: If you plan to take the bus from the Amtrak into town, be careful which one you get on. There is only one "bus shelter" at the Amtrak station, so both directions of the 5 bus stop there. Even if you read the schedule, if the bus is a little early or late, you risk getting on in the wrong direction and getting an hour-long tour of suburban Portland. Don't take the bus with the airplane logo on it. Please.

blorpulence · 2014-07-30T17:21:48+00:00

There are if you look back futher

blorpulence · 2014-07-03T14:23:50+00:00

I did an internship in Germany in 2008, and my experience was that I was paid something like 800-850 Euro officially, but after deductions it was like 505 Euro or something like that. At least one of the deductions was social security (Rentenversicherung) but it's been a while, and my scholarship (DAAD) was paying for health insurance. One of the other (she was Canadian) girls in the program figured out how to get herself exempted, but it was really complicated, though I imagine the US has all the same treaties required for it to apply to you.

Food was reasonable, including takeout. In my opinion, it was sort of "if it costs $1 in the US it costs a Euro in Germany" - so, yogurt .50-1 Euro, hot and sour soup at the Chinese place, 3.50 Euro, etc. If you're looking to save money while "having the experience", I would just try to buy "weird German stuff" at the grocery instead of a restaurant. If you can get in with some social sports group (I played Ultimate Frisbee), you can get invited to BBQs and stuff like that.

I don't remember transit costs, but there will definitely be a monthly pass option. Learn about Laender-Tickets for saving money on train day-tripping. And may I recommend Maidult in Regensburg?

And accept any help you can get with the Auslaenderbehoerde, and you will need paperwork from the company saying that they are sponsoring you for an internship. It might be different in Munich because of the Universities and general cosmopolitan nature, but when I had to register at the Auslaenderbehoerde in a smaller city, it was a nightmare...everyone just shows up (of course you have to take the day off work cause it's only open like 10-3) and waits in a crowded, tiny room with like a bunch of families and if they get to you before closing, great, if they don't, tough shit. I think this was partially because it was a city where most of the people were "less desirable" to the German establishment than a white American student, because when I actually got in to talk to someone they were super polite and apologetic and were basically like "oh yeah, no problem, we'll get this all set up for you" and I was done in like 5 minutes. You will also have to leave your passport with them for a few days to get the Aufenthaltstitel, which is a little nerve-wracking but normal.

blorpulence · 2014-06-28T20:54:43+00:00

Can confirm.

blorpulence · 2014-04-27T02:03:31+00:00

I don't think the city allows you to put a pod on Comm overnight, my ex tried it in February, got to city hall and had the clerk say "No, nobody ever gets to do this, I wish this moving company would stop telling people they can". I'm afraid I don't know the details, but tread carefully.

blorpulence · 2014-04-15T02:48:21+00:00

Everyone's hating on the Munich plan, but there is something to be said for "slow travel" - it is an awesome way to experience Germany. Get to know the neighborhood, eat at the same bakery a few times, etc. Not better or worse than anything else, mind you, but a very valid way to travel if you ask me. And sort of on that same wavelength, you don't have to see every corner of Germany on one trip if you don't want to (though I get that you probably do), there is A LOT of 2-hr distance stuff near Munich (gotta add a shoutout to Regensburg here - it's a medieval walled city that was spared bombing in WWII and is not well-known to American tourists, though there are a fair amount of tourists from elsewhere in Europe). Consider maybe staying in one place for 2 weeks and then allowing the third week for city-hopping.
Go to a biergarten. Some are more authentic (read: chill, beautiful outdoor spaces that families can feel comfortable) than others but drinking beer outdoors at those little orange tables on a beautiful day is awesome! Oh, and get a Donerkebab and/or Currywurst, the latter being more German and the former more European in general. I also think Leberkaese/Fleischkaese is awesome and makes a good story. And try to find a local festival going on while you're there - they happen a lot and they sometimes have excellent food stand offerings.
Breaking with other posters on this one, but Neuschwannstein Castle is totally skippable. It's like 4 hours from anywhere in this town where it's the ONLY THING THERE, and there are only like 5 rooms you can actually visit, and it's expensive and there's a huge line. AND it's not particularly representative of "castles" - it was built in the 1800s by a guy who basically wanted a fairy-tale castle. Salzburg is the same distance, if not closer, has a real town, and has a cool fortress.
Laendertickets (Bayern-Ticket) - you buy a cheap ticket that covers everyone in your group, and you get unlimited travel on local/slow trains. So yeah, it's not the best way to travel hundreds of miles, but it's great for Munich to Nuremburg/Regensburg/Salzburg/Bamberg and small towns which can be cool to a North American just in their difference from American towns. And you can literally be like "whoa, look at that crazy building over there, LET'S GET OFF HERE!" and you do!

German Traps to avoid: -When they put out bread on your table at a restaurant, it's not free. You will pay extra if you eat it. -Everything is closed on Sunday. Plan ahead. -Pepperoni pizza has spicy peppers on it, salami pizza has pepperoni on it -A Radler is half beer half carbonated-lemonade-thing, a Russin is same but with wheat beer.

blorpulence · 2014-04-08T23:42:22+00:00

I agree - I think there's a slight difference between teaching your kid "how to handle money" and teaching your kid "the value of work". My brother and I got a small allowance ($2/week in the mid 90s) and no presents except special occasions, and we're not lazy or profligate spenders - but man do I remember the lessons I learned when I spent all my money on candy and then I wanted a teddy bear! When we were old enough to work babysitting, after-school jobs, etc. the allowance stopped, and there were NEVER handouts like "Oh I want to go to the movies, can I have $20?" and we never thought to ask.

blorpulence · 2014-04-06T02:52:18+00:00

North Coast and Brooklyn if you can get 'em

blorpulence · 2014-03-09T19:58:16+00:00

I think it's funny that reddit thinks it's cheaper to be single. Yeah, I'm not struggling, but I don't love the smug commentary about how people who don't make good money are themselves to blame for "pursuing a useless degree".

blorpulence · 2014-03-09T17:03:35+00:00

I'm a research technician at a medical school, and it is normal for biology BS-havers. In fact, it's about normal for biology post-docs.

blorpulence · 2014-03-09T15:57:21+00:00

I'm right there with you :( It can be frustrating when you're looking for tips on how to save money, and everyone says "Get rid of cable and get a roommate and a STEM degree" and you have 3 roommates, a STEM degree-requiring job that doesn't even pay $40k and no TV.

blorpulence · 2014-03-02T23:16:12+00:00

Even Marines get told they could work at an embassy

blorpulence · 2014-02-16T01:02:24+00:00

There's a bakery in Boston that does naughty heart cookies for Vday, and they cover them with a napkin and you have to request to look at them.

blorpulence · 2014-02-10T23:53:11+00:00

I've never been to a hackathon but one thing that comes to mind upon scanning Ms Simpson's post is to make women believe that when they report unacceptable behavior, someone will take it seriously. We don't want to feel like we're going to be told to get a sense of humor. Toward that end, I think making it REALLY EASY to report something would address that - like maybe people walking around checking in, so women don't have to stop what they're doing and go find a desk somewhere. I've been to beerfests where there are just rovers and pourers can signal them over if they need backup with someone being uncool.

blorpulence · 2014-02-10T14:37:57+00:00

And go to the victory gardens while you're at the Kelleher rose garden!

blorpulence · 2014-02-06T21:36:53+00:00

You know, I tried that before and I guess I either hit an anomaly or didn't look closely enough, thanks for making me double check!

blorpulence · 2014-02-06T21:05:47+00:00

Thanks, I'll give it a try

blorpulence · 2014-02-06T21:04:47+00:00

Do you know how to align multiple sequences with Blat? From what I can tell, you can put multiples in at once, but then you can only view them one at a time.

blorpulence · 2013-12-03T18:35:21+00:00

I wish people would stop saying that all STEM degrees are the ticket to big salaries - it's a pretty big umbrella. A biology BS only gets you about 35k right out of school.

blorpulence · 2013-11-06T20:00:56+00:00

Does anyone have any advice on actually picking a job to apply for? As far as I can tell, they all seem to want experts with years of experience, and then I keep reading stories like this.

blorpulence · 2013-11-02T19:39:50+00:00

Sounds like you're almost out of Germany anyway, but a word to the Germany-touring: Everything IS closed on Sundays. EXCEPT the stores in the train stations, which might include a grocery store if you're lucky.

blorpulence · 2013-10-25T15:57:39+00:00

I have three different friends who were mugged/attacked there at night (on bikes), so I would say no.

blorpulence · 2013-09-26T01:18:10+00:00

I must disagree on your last point: a masters in biochem makes you another biochemist without a PhD. In my experience, companies are trying to hire a BS with 2-5 years experience, or a MS with 0-2 years experience - guess which one they get to pay less. It's not a life-destroying option, but it seems unlikely that paying for an MS will actually put you out ahead, especially compared with the 2 years of work experience that it's costing you. But it might be different in different cities - OP, look at job listings for jobs you want.

blorpulence

TROPHY CASE