On being from the Garden State…

So as the address for this blog indicates, I am indeed an ex-Jersey Girl. In recovery, really. There are so many negative stereotypes about Jersey girls… that we all have big hair and short skirts and we vamp around malls looking for Guido-type boys driving Camaros or Firebirds. We go to the “shore” not the beach, where you can either have fun in borderline ghetto places like Sea Isle City, Wildwood or Seaside or in really nice places like LBI, Ocean City, Stone Harbor or Avalon.

I’m a south Jersey girl, from the Philly ‘burbs. What exit? For those in the know – I was exit 4 off the Turnpike or 36 off 295. We supposedly spoke with funny accents (although I never said ‘wudder’ for water) and were haunted by the Jersey Devil. We were uncultured hicks compared to our Sopranos-like Northern Jersey counterparts.

The thing about being from Jersey is that no matter how much fun you or others make of the state (What’s that smell? Oh, it’s just New Jersey; Armpit of the Northeast, dumping ground for NYC medical waste) there is a certain bond among New Jerseyians. For example, I recently attended an Orientation program for Presidential Management Fellows, where I got to meet people from all over the US. The people from the Midwest are all nice, the people from the South are nice, and the people from the Northwest were nice. But when Bon Jovi was playing on the karaoke machine, nobody could belt out those lyrics like us Jerseyians. And isn’t that what’s really important.

Whoa, we’re halfway there
Whoa-oh, living on a prayer
Take my hand and we’ll make it I swear
Whoa-oh, living on a prayer

Yeah, you have to pay to leave the state. Yeah it smells funny up around Exits 11-14 on the turnpike. Yeah, there isn’t much “Garden” left in the most densely populated state in the country. Car insurance and property taxes are ridiculously high. Hmm. I was going somewhere with this – but I forget now what it was. Get out while you can!

Almost paradise

I just love coming into work on the MARC train. They have a nice quiet car, where no one talks on cell phones or gabs about God knows what I don’t need to hear about first thing in the morning. You can bring your cup o’ morning coffee or tea – no worries about spilling it or getting yelled at by some Metro jerk (who is happily snacking away on his own McDonalds breakfast). It’s only a 30 minute ride, just the perfect amount of time to breeze through the morning paper or read a chapter in a book. No traffic, no headaches, no worries. And best of all its free to me with the government transit subsidy.

Thank God for decent public transportation – one thing being done with my exorbitant taxes that I can support.

And then there were two

I can’t just let there be one post on the blog. Its too lame. So I have to post another entry.

How about more of my favorite things?

My favorite …

wines are a good Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Mosel Riesling, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and Chilean Merlot.

treats are Trader Joe’s microbatch pumpkin ice cream, York peppermint patties, cannoli, and Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice and Gingerbread lattes (they’re like crack, I can’t refuse).

memories from high school include falling face first off the boardwalk the day after my senior prom, sophomore year homecoming, and seeing Hamlet at UPenn.

random quotes are “isn’t it pretty to think so,” “Frankly, my dear I don’t give a damn,” and “K'Ehleyr was my mate.” (Don’t ask me to explain it, there’s a funny memory attached).

That’s all for now folks.

Post #1

My first blog post – what the hell should I write here? Well, I guess I ought to introduce myself

I …
am a 29 year old woman living in the DC area.

have a B.A. from Dickinson College and an M.A. from Georgetown University.

am happily married.

have a house and two cats.

love to travel, read, hike, and cook.

My favorite …

foods are good Italian (none of that Olive Garden crap), Thai, and Indian.

movies are Gone with the Wind, The Best Years of our Lives, The Philadelphia Story, Roman Holiday, Kill Bill Vol. 1, and Garden State.
books are The Sun also Rises, Siddhartha, The Brothers Karamazov, Gone with the Wind, The Lord of the Rings, and Brave New World.

places are Florence, Italy; London, England; St. John, USVI; New York City; and Venice, Italy.

music is Bizet’s Carmen, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Smashing Pumpkins, Alice in Chains, Beethoven’s Symphonies, Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slave, early No Doubt, Simon and Garfunkel, early Alanis Morrissette and Madonna, and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

color is tropical ocean blue, flower is a stargazer lily, and gemstone is amethyst,

I think that’s enough for a start. Welcome to my world.