Initial thoughts on living in New Jersey
The POTR has now been a resident of New Jersey for six months. I must say that I am not at all impressed.
First: My insurance rates actually DOUBLED just for moving here. As of last month I know why as I had my first vehicle accident in over two decades. People drive like shit here! I see at lease 5 accidents a week driving back and forth to work. Locals take it in stride as it’s a no fault insurance state so who cares right? Drives me nuts.
Second: People here seem to have a perverse pride in being ‘Jersey rude’. Jersey girls, and the ever bitchy Jersey Blue Hairs, will block a row of 20 people to have a conversation for 10 minutes without batting an eye. Of course everyone in line is bitching at them (loudly), but they just ignore it. I say excuse me, and hold doors for people, going in and out of stores and people stare at me like I’m pissing on their shoes.
Third: This is an anti-gun state. My CCW is worthless here, and they treat me like a criminal when buying ammo. The Zombie hordes will move through this defenseless state like a buzz saw.
Fourth: This is a mega-liberal state. I went to get new plates at the DMV and had to endure the war/Cheney protesters camped at the front door of the DMV. Being at the DMV was bad enough, listening to those meatheads spout conspiracy theories didn’t help my mood at all.
Fifth (GOOD POINT): You can get an AWESOME deli sandwich almost anywhere in NJ!
Sixth: The Mexican restaurants here, when you can find them, all suck for some reason. This mysterious condition has me perplexed.
Seventh (GOOD POINT): I live 15 minutes from the beach and that’s cool.
Eighth: You are NOT allowed to pump your own gas in NJ. Not an option, but some weird ass law. Each station has some poor schmo doing it for you. Doesn’t cost any more, but slows things waaaay down.
Ninth (ANOTHER/LAST GOOD POINT): The trains here are easy to use and run on convenient schedules.
Tenth: New Jersey roads have something called a Jughandles. Get this, on major roads in NJ you can’t turn left! So you turn right past the light to loop around to wait at the light a second time to go straight completing your ‘left’ turn. But there are several shapes and makes of these jughandles. You never know which ones coming up so your screwed no matter what. What the Hell’s this all about?!
From Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia. A jughandle is a type of ramp or slip road that changes the way traffic turns left (when driving on the right). Instead of a standard left turn being made from the left lane, left-turning traffic uses a ramp on the right side of the road. In a standard forward jughandle or near-side jughandle, the ramp leaves before the intersection, and left-turning traffic turns left off it rather than the through road. Right turns are also made using the jughandle. In a reverse jughandle or far-side jughandle, the ramp leaves after the intersection, and left-turning traffic loops around to the right and merges with the crossroad before the intersection.
As of today I can not wait to move in a few years!
