Biostats Blues

Time to take a break from my biostats homework and blog on this rainy Saturday in Baltimore. I think the Counting Crows put it best when they sang "It's raining in Baltimore." How do they come up with such gems??? (I'm not knocking the Counting Crows. I love them. I just listened to that song and it's quite good and fitting: "Three thousand five hundred miles away...", "I need a raincoat." It's so true! I do need a raincoat. I left mine in my friend's baby stroller.)

Waking up to the rain is among my top ten favorite things of all time. Especially on a weekend morning. But unfortunately, this morning wasn't quite perfect as I was out of coffee. So, instead of sitting with my hot cup of coffee in my nice dry apartment watching the rain fall, I had to venture out in the rain to avoid a caffeine headache. Not my ideal rainy morning. The closest coffee place was closed so I had to walk up the hill to the second closest one (well, third... I haven't returned to the communist cafe yet). By the time I got there, I was wet despite my trusty umbrella-ella-ella-ella. But even worse, I was sweating, so I opted for iced coffee. Meh. The first month in Baltimore we had great weather, so I forgot how oppressive humidity can be. If 100% humidity is being underwater (I'm assuming), then it's definitely 99% humidity today. Just barely breathable. I should get a scuba tank or something.

Why am I writing about the weather? Because I don't want to write about biostats. And weather and biostats are the two major things happening in my life today. Here's a little something that is becoming more solidified with each day of biostats: I really don't like it. I sat in on a lesson on how to use the computer program that we need for this class...the kind of program where you have to input commands by hand (I'm using keys I've never touched before, like this one: ~) ... it's bad... and as I was sitting there in the class, I was thinking "Why? Why am I here learning this computer program?" I have absolutely no interest in doing this particular thing after I graduate. I really don't. It isn't even interesting to me. In college, I forced myself through Organic Chemistry and Bio, etc. for a reason (a retrospectively pointless one)-- to become a doctor. It was even interesting, but also hell, which is why I became an English major. So I could read books. Something I enjoy. Now I'm in grad school by choice and I really don't see the benefits of learning this computer program to the extent that I am required to. (I also don't like having it on my computer. Is there anyone else out there who has Stata and Final Draft on their computer? If so, I'd like to meet them). Everyone says you can make a lot of money if you know how to do these programs. But, the chances of me taking a job where this is required are slim (remind me to remove this post when I end up applying for biostats jobs next year). I know having new skills is important, blah blah, and at least Hopkins is more hands-on and not entirely theoretical, but seriously, I'm over it.

Enough complaining. I like my other classes a lot (well, the Entertainment Education is a maybe so far), so I'll hang in there with biostats. And the other day my Epidemiology professor told us that we'll have a guest lecturer next week because he'll be in Geneva at a measles meeting. A measles meeting! Awesome! I do love some things about public health.