I love NJ....Got a problem with that?

Ah my beloved, attitude laden Garden State...how I love thee... Yes, I really, really do. I was born and raised in NJ...and I still live here! I am a true Jersey girl who is proud of the fact (one of many) that New Jersey is one of only two states left in the USA where it is illegal to pump your own gas! Seriously, why are self-serve states bagging on Jersey for this when they all end up filling up here because our full-serve stations charge LESS for gas? Go figure...

It's not easy to put up with the constant barrage of jokes about my NJ. (You're from NJ? What exit? Really? Like I haven't heard it before...and it was a stupid joke then. Let it go...) I've always felt that the only folks who were 'allowed' to criticize NJ are those people who actually are from NJ... But there are so many things about Jersey that folks just don't get...or that have been passed around and twisted so they just plain get it WRONG!  I would like to show some love for my state, clear up a few things for the misinformed, and share a few fun facts about my home.

It's New Jersey....NOT 'New Joisey'.
Thank you Tom Kean, you twit... Because of your 1980's tourism ad, people around the world think that native New Jerseyans actually speak like this! Tom Kean acquired his accent when he went to school in Massachusets, kids. It stuck with him after he moved back to Jersey...and when he became governor in 1981 we were stuck with it. So let me clear this up....okay?
People in NJ pronounce it 'Jer-zee', not 'Joy-zee'. You may hear the occasional variations as you move from north to south and detect differences from the influences of New York and Philadelphia accents. But it is not, nor has it ever been New Joisey. It's New Jersey...3rd state to enter the Union...and we like our state with the 'r' intact...okay?

Like movies? Thank New Jersey...
The film industry was born in New Jersey....yes, that's right, NJ. When Thomas Edison created the technology for motion pictures, he did it here in New Jersey. Before Hollywood, the motion picture industry was in Fort Lee. It all started right here! NJ was home to many inventors...and the Wizard of Menlo Park brought about the ability to show people in motion on film. Since then, the industry has grown in leaps and bounds, but NJ is still at the heart of it. Numerous films are filmed here every year, and many film story lines are often set in NJ as well.  Beyond the Sopranos (give me a break already...) there are many films where NJ is a part of the story.You may know a few:
-On the Waterfront (1954)- Academy award winning picture starring Marlon Brando. Not only set in NJ, but also filmed in and around the docks of Hoboken.
-Friday the 13th(1980)-Filmed in Blairstown, it was set in the fictional town of Crystal Lakes, NJ.
-The Toxic Avenger (1984)-Kiss my ass, losers....it's a cult classic!!! Take that!!
-Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)-The ultimate road trip for stoners who appreciate how good a 'slider' can be when you've got the munchies.
-Being John Malkovich (1999)-Starring John Cusack, John Malkovich and directed by Spike Jonez. Enter the mind of a star and wake up on the NJ Turnpike....trust me, we get it...
A Beautiful Mind (2001)- Academy award winning film based on the troubled but brilliant mathematician, John Nash. Set and filmed at Princeton University.
There are more...but I think you understand. Now, go check out something Jersey-ish on Netflix...

The entertainment industry would suck without New Jersey!
Here I will list some of the numerous singers, actors, authors and other famous folks that have been born and/or grew up in my fabulously talented state. Maybe you recognize a few?:
Charles Addams; Les Paul; Jon Stewart; Bud Abbott & Lou Costello; Ed Harris; Allen Ginsberg; Franki Valli & the Four Seasons; Jason Alexander; Linda Hunt; Patrick Warburton; Savion Glover; Alan Alda; Lee Van Cleef; The Misfits; John Spencer; David Copperfield; Shaquille O'Neal; Patti Smith; Anne Hatheway; Phoebe Snow; John Amos; Nathan Lane; Whitney Houston; Frank Langella; Mira Sorvino; The Smithereens; Meryl Streep; Janane Garafolo; Richard Lewis; Queen Latifah; Frank Sinatra; Bebe Newirth; Connie Frances; Lesley Gore; Ricky Nelson; Kelly Ripa; Robert Blake; Loretta Swit; James Fennimore Cooper; Danny Devito; Uncle Floyd Vivino; My Chemical Romance; Jack Nicholson; Ice-T; Janice Ian; John Forsythe; Kevin Spacey; Naughty By Nature;  Joe Pesci; Bruce Springsteen; John Travolta; Kirsten Dunst; Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes; Norman Mailer; Skid Row; Avery Brookes; Sandra Dee; Dionne Warwick; Lou Monte; James Gandolfini;Roy Scheider; Kool & the Gang; Michael Douglas; Jon Bon Jovi; Count Basie; Tom Cruise; George Clinton; Anthony Bourdain; Brian Depalma; Brooke Sheilds; Elizabeth Shue; Bruce Willis; Judy Blume; Jerry Lewis; Dorothy Parker; Sarah Vaughn; Ray Liotta; Ernie Kovac; Debbie Harry; Wyclef Jean; The Shirelles; Paul Simon; Kevin Smith, etc.
See what I mean? How can a state as awful as some proclaim it to be, produce so many richly talented artists? We grow them here...that's why it's the Garden State. ;-) Love it!

Some of my favorite things about New Jersey
This whole ranting blog would not be complete without a list of MY favorite things about NJ.
-The Jersey Shore! And NO, I do not mean that suck-ass reality show that should have been called 'Guidos from NY'. I mean, the SHORE...for every true Jerseyan knows you do NOT refer to it as a beach! I adore the small towns...the boardwalks...the B&B's...historic sites...the food...the shopping...the quirky, artsy communities, etc. Mostly, I love sitting with my toes in the sand, soaking up the sun, and listening to the ocean....ahhhh....that's my idea of Heaven...
-Pork Roll!! This is another fantastic Jersey invention (and no, it's not Taylor Ham....WE call it Pork Roll). Fried up with egg and cheese on a kaiser roll....yummy!!
-Diners! Open 24/7...each with their own unique personality. You can't go far without passing one, and if you haven't eaten at one, you haven't really experienced NJ.
-Pizza! Real pizza...not franchise crap, though that is everywhere! Serious Italian pizza...thin crust...or thick Sicilian...mmmmmm....
-Wawa! Best convenience store/Deli around! Yeah, we know folks in PA claim it as theirs...but the Jersey Wawa's are OURS...trust us, there is a difference!

So much more I love about my state...but I think I will just leave you with a little song. One of my absolute favorites by John Pizzarelli called "I Like Jersey Best". And just remember...it's MY state. You don't have to like it...but I LOVE NEW JERSEY!!!