anyone need a couch?? cause there are three at the curb out on main street. and a chair.

oh new jersey. :)

i forgot!

I can't believe I forgot to share my very favorite observation about the intriguing culture of the state of New Jersey! Seriously, this is my favorite. Every time I see this, I literally laugh out loud.

-People in NJ like to leave their crap on the lawn. No, I'm not kidding. There is a big tv on my lawn right now. I don't know who it belongs to or how it has been there, but it was there when I moved in 5 months ago and it still is. Right next to the house. On the other side of the house, the neighbors had an old a/c unit on a moving dolly for a couple weeks. Just sitting in the middle of the space between our houses. And last week I swear driving around I saw at least 3 other houses with similar situations, including an old computer monitor on the front lawn for days. Seems like an electronic recycling company would be a good addition to the area. But at least I get a good laugh at the sights.

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...

things i like about new jersey (so far)

-the sales tax at IKEA when i bought my bookshelf last week was 3.5%
-gas is around $1.55 a gallon and i can fill my tank for under $20 without ever getting out of my car (nj is all full service gas stations)
-i went to the ocean today :)
-"rush hour traffic" is equivalent to an off time of day in chicago
-parking RIGHT in front of my house
-laundry right outside my bedroom!
-cheaper everything
-diners, diners, diners
-trees! everywhere i drive, trees alongside
-small towns

gravity

the yard behind my new place is huge. i think it's shared with the whole building, but i see/hear the same woman and her husband and dog out there everyday. they have a patio set. hammock. flowers and garden. etc.

i've been sitting on the porch reading for about an hour, and my first floor pothead neighbors have been yakking it up with these people. a few others arrived in the yard with beer a bit ago. i can't see them when sitting in my porch chair, but man they're loud.

just now the woman who lives there was singing something that vaguely resembled john mayer's "gravity", though i think she mixed up the lyrics. anyway, i heard "gravityyyyyy wants to bring me down..." and a rattle/crash that sounded like a group of schoolkids running too fast and bashing into the metal fence around the playground. of course, this was followed by "owwwwww."

i stood up to peek and see what had happened as the others in the yard began chuckling and asking the woman if she was ok. seems in the midst of her singing and swinging the hammock came loose from the stand and landed her flat on her back in the lawn.

irony.