Life in NJ

Wow, I've been really terrible about posting. I think part of it is that sometimes I think no one reads this. If more people did, maybe I would be more motivated to post? The other part is that I never want to share anything TOO personal. So sometimes I just have nothing else to say.

I do, however, enjoy looking back at posts from previous years to remember where I was, and what I was doing, and see how far I've come. And since I'm in the midst of a pretty significant phase of my life (moving from Chicago to New Jersey, first time other than college living away from "home") I figure I should start recording more of it.

Since I moved, people keep asking me how I like New Jersey. And this goes for both people here and people I've left behind in the midwest. I never quite know what to say. Usually I just say it's fine. Cause it is. Not much different than most other places. I don't LOVE it. I don't dislike it. It's fine. I did love Chicago, so this is a switch. But I don't feel some kind of itch to get away from here. There's nothing really bad about it. I'm close to NYC, close to the shore, and everything I need is within reasonable driving distance - stores, malls, parks, etc. NJ is like the suburbs, only more spread out, more strip malls, and more trees.

I HAVE decided that I'm really grateful to be living somewhere new. I have encountered alot of people, here and other places, who seem to never leave one place. They either go to college in the same town or at least the same state, and then stay there or move back home. I'm glad I grew up in IL, went to college in Michigan, lived in the city of Chicago for awhile, and now live on the east coast. I'm also really grateful for a few study abroad and travel abroad experiences. I've found that people who travel to and live in different places tend to have a different, more open minded perspective on the world. More global thinking. I like to think I have that.

This may show up in other posts as I continue learning about my new home, but I'm going to start collecting observations about NJ. So far, this is what I have learned.

-People in NJ never leave NJ. They love it. Or just don't see a need to go anywhere else. Or just get stuck here.
-People in NJ like to get their nails done (seriously, at least 5 nail salons in every town. Often 3 on the same block.)
-People in NJ are terrible drivers. Not terrible like Chicago where drivers are offensive drivers. Terrible like... distracted.
-This weekend I have passed at least 8 different yard sales. And that's just driving up and down the main street in my tiny town. People in NJ like yard sales.
-To make a turn in NJ you have to either make a U-turn or take a jughandle. For those unfamiliar, a jughandle is like an exit on the right side of the road that takes you around to the perpendicular road so you can then go straight or make a left (which, from your original direction, would be the equivalent of making a left or a U-turn). Sometimes these jughandles go on and on and on...
-Roads in NJ are not labeled properly. Or not labeled at all. If you don't know where you're going, you might be in trouble. Don't assumer there will be a street sign to help you. There probably won't be.

Kyle just glanced at this and said, "So you're working on your NJ rant?" Hm. Oops. I guess this list does all sound kind of negative. But it's not all bad here! I swear! My next post will be a list of all positive observations. Just give me a few days to come up with a handful...