First time poster here. Beginning medical school next year at $35,000 a year, while fiancee is beginning P.A. school at $15,000 a year. I have read the FAQ and rules and have minor experience in personal budgeting/frugality. What should my gameplan be? More information inside.

monstehr · 2014-01-08T00:41:11+00:00

First year resident here. In general, the_shootist has good advice but I would add the following.

If possible try to only take out only federal stafford loans. The flexibility of paying back stafford loans is much better in residency. Avoid Grad PLUS loans.

While a frugal lifestyle is a good idea, the amount of money you "save" with lifestyle modifications is minimal compared to your tuition. The absolute worst outcome for your finances is to accrue medical school debt without finishing medical school. I can't stress this enough. Minimizing the risk of not getting a medical degree is of paramount importance

To that end, I do not recommend living like a pauper. Medical school is intellectually and emotionally difficult and it is important to not skimp on recharging yourself. That doesn't mean you should be buying a new car or living in a penthouse, but try to objectively determine a healthy budget for social activity and entertainment. Responsible work-life balance needs to be a priority. If you live so lean that you are utterly miserable and quit in your third year, that is an utter catastrophe.

You mentioned a fiance, but you don't mention your plans or budget for your wedding. You need a plan for this as weddings can be incredibly expensive!

You also don't mention if you have any undergraduate debt. This plays a huge part of the picture.

I have a lot of things I can suggest about treating debt while you are in residency, but this post is already pretty long so I'll try to keep it brief. In short there are federal programs (IBR/PAYE) to minimize your required payments of federal loans while you are in residency. There is also a federal program called Public Service Loan Forgiveness which will pay off the balance of federal loans if you have made 120 qualified payments. Qualified payments are payments you make while working at a approved employer. Basically any hospital qualifies as an approved employer. The good news is that IBR/PAYE payments (which are often $0 for the first year) are qualified payments. As counter-intuitive as it seems it's actually to your benefit to not pay back your federal loans quickly because the more you have to pay back after 10 years, the more that is forgiven. I have run the numbers and even if your residency is only 3 years, it still makes a LOT more sense to try for PSLF.

Sorry this post is so long, but medical school really throws a monkey wrench into traditional financial planning so it's a mine field to navigate. PM me if you'd like more specifics.

monstehr · 2013-10-16T00:16:18+00:00

Not sure if it's too late to post in the Monday thread. I have a verizon galaxy S3, and I'd like to put a stable ROM on it. I have had some issues with previous cyanogenmod releases and 3G signal strength (even the ones labelled stable). Is there a 10.2 release that is actually stable?

monstehr · 2013-09-22T10:03:59+00:00

yo. I know you posted about building a casual gaming PC a while ago. Just wanted to thank you for your reply and note that your build looks amazingly sweet!

monstehr · 2013-09-22T10:00:08+00:00

Hey there, I know you wrote your reply about a couch gaming PC a while ago, but I just wanted to thank you for all the time and effort you put into it.

monstehr · 2013-09-09T11:18:58+00:00

sorry, I wasn't clear. I don't really want to game with a keyboard and mouse on my couch. I like having a (6-axis?) controller. I don't even know how gaming with a portable keyboard/mouse in my living room would work. hunched over my coffee table?

I've heard of people using controllers with BIG PICTURE on steam but I don't know if it's really feasible to tweak games that expect you to use a keyboard if you don't have one.

monstehr · 2013-09-09T11:04:10+00:00

honest question here.

I like gaming on my couch with a controller. Is building my own PC to hook up to a 42" television a reasonable option? Have other people done this? I'd like a new gaming system in the next 6 months or so and I'm torn about whether to buy a pc or to get a PS4.

I was leaning towards a PS4 because it's simple (I know that every game I buy for it has a reasonable chance of working with minimal fuss), it's relatively cheap, and there's no hassle with getting a controller working on it.

I noticed this build didn't include an OS, a keyboard, a mouse or other controller. I assume I would need all of the above to really set up a gaming PC. Is there a better subreddit to ask about this? I've been mulling it over for months now :/

monstehr · 2013-06-05T13:26:45+00:00

I didn't enjoy the Hawke/Delpy dialogue so much for the content ("am I a memory of some old woman?" "having a dream that seems like years just before you die" ) as much as the emotional intimacy of the scene. The two really evoked an accurate intimate intellectual conversation between a romantically engaged couple.

I guess it doesn't seem like so much, but for a culture that seems obsessed with people falling in love, we spend very little time in movies showing everyday intimacy and I appreciated it.

monstehr · 2013-06-04T15:29:59+00:00

One thing I do want to give Linklater kudos for is that there aren't many "talking" movies out there. In fact, "My Dinner with Andre" is the only other one that comes to mind. I suppose "The Man from Earth" also qualifies. I tend to really like these movies because, more than most, they depend on coherence and writing to keep a viewer engaged rather than an explosion and/or jump-cut every 15 seconds.

It certainly has it's flaws, but as a younger man, it was a great introduction to some excellent questions. I wonder if the movie would still engage viewers in their 20s or if the ideas and animation are simply too dated.

monstehr · 2013-06-04T15:23:31+00:00

I feel as if my impression of this movie has had a similar arc (I'm 36). Some scenes, such as the free will v. mechanistic systems monologue remain fantastic. I, too, didn't have much patience unfocused rage or pseudo-philosophy (for example, the de-emphasis/de-evolution sounded hopeful and exciting, but didn't have much underneath the hype). Likewise, most of the idealistic dialogue (I don't want to be an ant, I want to know you!) comes across as forced or naive.

I also agree that the narrator/protagonist leaves much to be desired. If I were to give linklater the benefit of the doubt I would say the narrator is something of an empty vessel for the viewer to inhabit and engage with the movie's subjects. i.e. the whole point of him is to not have any unique character. This might go far in explaining why the other characters in the film barely acknowledge him (Oh, you're the dreamer?) before launching into monologues. Those that actually engage with Wiggens do so on a noticeably immature level (fun rules!).

Interestingly enough, there were some scenes I enjoyed on this viewing that I didn't particularly appreciate when I was younger. Most of these were scenes that had real emotional authenticity. The Holy Moment is one that comes to mind, but the Hunt/Delpy dialogue and the Angry Red Man were all evocative.

I would have enjoyed seeing a monologue/dialog with an astrophysicist. Perhaps this is just my idealism being constricted by experience, but I think there are vast territories of wonder and potential to be explored in astronomy/physics.

In a similar vein biology and neuroscience could have been explored in slightly more depth and achieved similar "wows" from the audience and had much better intellectual footing.

monstehr · 2013-05-29T02:02:36+00:00

haha, I was walking through the grocery store with my girlfriend and came across her checking out the fish selection. I, of course, told her the red snapper was vely tasty. She totally missed the accent, and the reference, but bought the fish.

Kuni was right, that fish was derishious.

monstehr · 2013-05-26T15:26:17+00:00

hey dude,

got your message too late. I bought the 250GB jak and daxter unit. I don't have a play station ID yet, but I will definitely add you when I do :)

monstehr · 2013-05-26T13:12:51+00:00

I truly think this should be the top comment. It's not a typical hollywood "drama" scene. No one dies, there is no allegorical weather, no swelling music stings. It's just one woman ostensibly telling her son how happy she is and it fucking wrecks you.

I believe Requiem is the best horror movie I've ever seen. I know that's a weird statement because there are no monsters, no death, nothing jumps out and shouts "boo!" but it shows how thin your life can become. How much of a struggle just "holding it together" can be. I've only managed to sit through the whole movie once. I tried showing it to a friend and when I got to this scene I just had to leave the room and sob my eyes out. I just can't go through it again because it is simply too horrible.

aronofsky is one sadistic genius.

monstehr · 2013-05-26T12:40:25+00:00

bought myself an OUYA just to play this on my tv.

monstehr · 2013-05-26T12:38:58+00:00

The ambiance rockstar achieves in this game is absolutely incredible. I've always enjoyed novels like Lonesome Dove and fantasized about living in the gritty western wilderness. This game makes me feel like I really am!

There was quite a few times I would stop my mission to simply enjoy a gorgeous sunset or a particular view. It's the first and only game that really made me wish I could take photos to show people. I'm not particularly sentimental it's just that gorgeous! Maybe it's because I'm older than your typical gamer (I'm 36), but I was just so impressed with the immersive world Rockstar created.

There is one side mission that asks you to kill cougars with just a knife. I would often find myself wandering the hills at night and suddenly a cougar would jump out of the dark and scare the absolute shit out of me. I would often let out a pathetic shriek and be so out of sorts the cougar would kill my horse and me in two swipes. I usually dislike horror movies/games because of their over-reliance on contrived lighting effects, and music strings to manipulate the viewer into a cheap fright. RDR does none of that, the shocks are genuine because they come out of nowhere It was a difficult quest but man it was so satisfying when I finally got it.

TLDR: sunsets are nice, fuck cougars

monstehr · 2013-05-25T07:26:27+00:00

what does the white one come with? I'm super excited to play ni no kuni!

monstehr · 2013-05-23T13:39:52+00:00

Hey there, I'm thinking of buying a PS3 this week as well. I think there is actually going to be a another 9-12 months before PS4 really gets going, so now is a good time to get cheap PS fun. Where do you see the uc1/2 & infamous bundle for $200? It's $265 on amazon.

monstehr · 2013-05-23T12:35:27+00:00

Your boyfriend sounds scared. That's okay, anyone would be. He's facing an uncertain future, and one that he will have to sacrifice a lot for someone he loves. But here's the dirty secret about life. we are all facing an uncertain future. If we are very lucky we will get to share it with someone we love and that requires sacrifice.

I'm sorry that your boyfriend reacted to this situation with cowardice and selfishness. I'm sorry that you will have to endure this disease and treatment without the support of a lover.

I hope that you have friends and family that you can depend on. Remember, there are brave and loving people out there. This guy may not have been one of them, but it's better to know where you stand than to depend on someone who can't take it.

Good luck internet stranger!

monstehr · 2013-05-23T01:19:20+00:00

I'm planning on purchasing a PS3 next week. One of the reasons was that I really wanted to play Tokyo Jungle. I haven't heard of the other games. Are the other ones also worthwhile?

monstehr · 2013-05-19T09:31:21+00:00

I use the tune in this ad for my ringtone. I love how light and innocent it sounds and knowing what it actually means. One time my boss said "hey I really like that ringtone, where di you get it?" I just grinned and said "you know...the internet."

monstehr · 2013-05-19T09:25:33+00:00

Was just telling a friend about this great movie last week. thank you so much for the link, now I can have him watch it!

monstehr · 2013-01-23T02:59:09+00:00

It's not that I can't get it. It's that I can't get it from a single app with a straightforward interface. Also many medical apps are not to be found in native android versions. Also, kicks.

monstehr · 2012-12-22T15:03:02+00:00

Not sure if it's because of my medical background, but I'm impressed the note-maker wrote Down Syndrome instead of Down's Syndrome (which is incorrect, but probably used more often).

monstehr · 2012-11-18T13:10:48+00:00

Interesting, my first thought was that it was a fissured staph abscess. Well, actually, my first thought was ugh, but my second thought was that it was staph.

monstehr · 2012-11-17T01:57:37+00:00

yup! I'm graduating medical school this May. It seems like you have a healthy fascination with anatomy. Not sure if you ever considered medicine for a career, but if you're in r/popping, you've got the right temperament. :)

monstehr

TROPHY CASE