Today, I just secured an apartment in South Jersey with my good buddy and future roommate, the right, noble Claudio. Felt excited at the prospect of moving into my own place, but queezy all the same since it marks the beginning of my being grossly indebted to the federal and state government. Ahhh, the price of becoming a physician, I suppose.
On a brighter note, I start school this coming June. I never thought, in all my years, that I would welcome the prospect of going back to class...5 days a week for 5 weeks, 8 hours each day, in the middle of summer no less!!! It feels like starting college all over again. Either that or my allergies have gone straight to my brain.
And then, it rained. Pooh.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Garden State
It dawns on me tonight that perhaps sometime in the future, I might move out of New Jersey and put down roots somewhere else. That's not to say that I don't like Jersey, in fact I enjoy living here (save for the high car insurance rates and property taxes...but let's face it, what state doesn't have its cruddy underbelly?). It gets hot in the summer, but nothing compared to the south or the west, it gets cold in the winter, but it ain't like freezing in New England or Northwest, and let's face it, our natural disasters don't compare to all the other states out there. In fact, New Jersey is a very pleasant place to live in, meteorologically speaking. But it's a whole 'nother thing living somewhere else...a new experience. So, in the interest of potentially pursuing the adventure of living in another state, I've compiled a "loose" list of things I'd want to do while I'm still in the borders of the Garden State:
1. Hit up every diner from Cape May all the way to High Point. This is probably the best way to get to know the state I'm living in right now. I had fond memories of the diners around our local town here. I'm pretty sure that all the other diners in the other towns carry with them the same charm that makes them unique. That and I want to know who makes the best greek salad and pastrami omellete in NJ.
2. Follow the wine trails. Many people probably don't know that NJ boasts a strong standard in terms of making wine. Right now, there are about 30 or so wineries all over the state and many of them make excellent wines as well as fruit wines. That's right, we take our own fruit produce and make them into vino, and if you've never heard of it, or think it hoaky...wait until you try the almondberry or the blackberry currant wines these wineries have in stock.
3. Walk the Appalachian Trail. Yep, NJ also is part of this prestigious trail and there's a nice span of it along the northern part of the state which leads towards Delaware (I think). Anyways, I've never really gone hiking before and what better way to get right into it than by going down this road?
4. Fishing the hotspots. I've only gone fishing twice. The first was in South Jersey by the Cohansee River where I caught a 21 inch striped bass (no lie!) among MANY other fish (yea, fishing was good in those areas - Many thanks to Mr. Piontkowski for taking me out on his pontoon at 5 in the morning.) and the second was in California (where I got skunked in a man-made lake seeded with catfish and trout). Somehow I'll take my chances along with my bait and tackle and check out the different state parks that offer fishing around here.
5. Book and music hunting. Probably there are many other places out of NJ where this activity might be more fruitful, but there's a lot to be said about the mom and pop used bookstores and music shops all over NJ. Case in point,The Montclair Book Center and The Princeton Record Exchange, to name a few that I've visited before. Both areas are teeming with awsome finds. I could easily lose all my money in these two shops alone. I'm sure there are others that are just as cool.
6. Spending time at the beach. There's still a lot to be said about the Jersey Coast. No, not the Seaside, MTV type of beach (ugh)! More along the lines of Cape May, Sea Isle City, Wildwood, LBI, Point Pleasant, Belmar, Sandy Hook, etc.
7. Hitting the farm. NJ isn't called the Garden State for nothing. There's plenty of fruit to be picked from the summer with it's peaches and strawberries to the fall with its apples and pumpkins (I'm a sucker for fresh fruit)
8. Driving through the highways. I'd like to think that someday, I could be placed in any road in NJ, blindfolded and know my way around well enough.
9. Go sky diving. It's not really related to NJ, but I still want to do it!
10. Check out the top 10 sites featured in Weird New Jersey. Need I say more?
That's a pretty hefty list. I guess I better get started.
1. Hit up every diner from Cape May all the way to High Point. This is probably the best way to get to know the state I'm living in right now. I had fond memories of the diners around our local town here. I'm pretty sure that all the other diners in the other towns carry with them the same charm that makes them unique. That and I want to know who makes the best greek salad and pastrami omellete in NJ.
2. Follow the wine trails. Many people probably don't know that NJ boasts a strong standard in terms of making wine. Right now, there are about 30 or so wineries all over the state and many of them make excellent wines as well as fruit wines. That's right, we take our own fruit produce and make them into vino, and if you've never heard of it, or think it hoaky...wait until you try the almondberry or the blackberry currant wines these wineries have in stock.
3. Walk the Appalachian Trail. Yep, NJ also is part of this prestigious trail and there's a nice span of it along the northern part of the state which leads towards Delaware (I think). Anyways, I've never really gone hiking before and what better way to get right into it than by going down this road?
4. Fishing the hotspots. I've only gone fishing twice. The first was in South Jersey by the Cohansee River where I caught a 21 inch striped bass (no lie!) among MANY other fish (yea, fishing was good in those areas - Many thanks to Mr. Piontkowski for taking me out on his pontoon at 5 in the morning.) and the second was in California (where I got skunked in a man-made lake seeded with catfish and trout). Somehow I'll take my chances along with my bait and tackle and check out the different state parks that offer fishing around here.
5. Book and music hunting. Probably there are many other places out of NJ where this activity might be more fruitful, but there's a lot to be said about the mom and pop used bookstores and music shops all over NJ. Case in point,The Montclair Book Center and The Princeton Record Exchange, to name a few that I've visited before. Both areas are teeming with awsome finds. I could easily lose all my money in these two shops alone. I'm sure there are others that are just as cool.
6. Spending time at the beach. There's still a lot to be said about the Jersey Coast. No, not the Seaside, MTV type of beach (ugh)! More along the lines of Cape May, Sea Isle City, Wildwood, LBI, Point Pleasant, Belmar, Sandy Hook, etc.
7. Hitting the farm. NJ isn't called the Garden State for nothing. There's plenty of fruit to be picked from the summer with it's peaches and strawberries to the fall with its apples and pumpkins (I'm a sucker for fresh fruit)
8. Driving through the highways. I'd like to think that someday, I could be placed in any road in NJ, blindfolded and know my way around well enough.
9. Go sky diving. It's not really related to NJ, but I still want to do it!
10. Check out the top 10 sites featured in Weird New Jersey. Need I say more?
That's a pretty hefty list. I guess I better get started.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Dreams are...
Today was orientation day, Friday the 13th, @ UMDNJ-SOM. It was quite fun and informative. I'd never think that I would ever be excited to go back to school, but I am. I've been looking forward to it for so long now...it's getting nuts. Anyways, I found out that they're holding prep classes for this upcoming semester in June and I want to attend so as I can get back into the academic swing of things, so Claudio (my roomie) and I need to find a place in the area, pronto. I'm sure going to miss the money I'm making now at work, but hopefully, the loan money would be enough to carry me over.
There are so many nice people at school. So nice that they made my face hurt from smiling all day. June Can't come here fast enough.
On a down note, I got home and decided to take a nap before going to the gym. When I woke up, it was 8:30pm already. So much for working on my fitness. I had a funky dream too, where I was parallel parking my car on a street, on a hill, intersecting another busy street. Lo and behold, I lost control of my car and got hit by another vehicle coming from the street perpendicular to mine, spun me sideways, and rammed me onto another car. By this point, I was freaking out, thinking that it was my fault, that I wouldn't be able to pay for the damages, that I wouldn't have enough money to pay for med school and such. I was on the verge of tears, then my brother and Stitch (my black dog) walk into my room and woke me up just in time for dinner. I was in bed for another 5 minutes trying to convince myself that it wasn't real.
I'm starting to get uber paranoid. So close and yet so far away.
There are so many nice people at school. So nice that they made my face hurt from smiling all day. June Can't come here fast enough.
On a down note, I got home and decided to take a nap before going to the gym. When I woke up, it was 8:30pm already. So much for working on my fitness. I had a funky dream too, where I was parallel parking my car on a street, on a hill, intersecting another busy street. Lo and behold, I lost control of my car and got hit by another vehicle coming from the street perpendicular to mine, spun me sideways, and rammed me onto another car. By this point, I was freaking out, thinking that it was my fault, that I wouldn't be able to pay for the damages, that I wouldn't have enough money to pay for med school and such. I was on the verge of tears, then my brother and Stitch (my black dog) walk into my room and woke me up just in time for dinner. I was in bed for another 5 minutes trying to convince myself that it wasn't real.
I'm starting to get uber paranoid. So close and yet so far away.
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Reaction
It's hard to comment on the subject of love, especially coming from one who is not as well-versed as others. It's very difficult for me to quantify my own experience, knowing that the influence of popular culture and pretenses on the subject have greatly influenced my view of it as far as I can recall. From what I can gather in my own accounts (despite being few and far between), the idea of love to me is as elusive as the mountain mist...visible, tangible, yet fleeting, burning away in the light of day. The times I thought I was in love only brought eventual heartache, disappointment, disillusionment. The thought of having one true love is also disconcerting because of my capacity to "move on" and thus finding a new love if you can call it that. I'm not quite sure whether that trait describes my ability to be emotionally resilient to romantic misfortune or perhaps a testament to my inconstant nature, my irreverence for such a noble emotion. Then again, I could be just as confused about all this now as I was back when I was 16...love or lust? Where does infatuation end and love begin?
I fear that with this examination, I may have grown mistrustful. You grow to like someone and they seem good enough to gain your trust, but they let you down the minute you lower your guard. I understand people aren't perfect and that promises do get broken, but what I don't comprehend is why people choose not to mend more often than not. Case in point, the high number of ballads about broken hearts only to be topped by the divorce rate in this country. Are relationships that disposable? I suppose it's cheaper to start a new fling than to patch up a broken bond.
Was it wrong for man to bind himself to woman "forever, till death do they part?" Is marriage really such an antiquated and impractical tradition for this day and age, especially when one can easily meet somebody new, somebody more interesting/attractive/etc. at a click of a mouse?
People change like the weather (present company included), so bring an umbrella. And be wary of love songs.
I fear that with this examination, I may have grown mistrustful. You grow to like someone and they seem good enough to gain your trust, but they let you down the minute you lower your guard. I understand people aren't perfect and that promises do get broken, but what I don't comprehend is why people choose not to mend more often than not. Case in point, the high number of ballads about broken hearts only to be topped by the divorce rate in this country. Are relationships that disposable? I suppose it's cheaper to start a new fling than to patch up a broken bond.
Was it wrong for man to bind himself to woman "forever, till death do they part?" Is marriage really such an antiquated and impractical tradition for this day and age, especially when one can easily meet somebody new, somebody more interesting/attractive/etc. at a click of a mouse?
People change like the weather (present company included), so bring an umbrella. And be wary of love songs.
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