The New Jersey Shore: Ocean Grove

Spray-on Sunblock

First of all, I want to thank the inventor of spray-on sunblock. It is no mess, no rub, non-greasy, and saved my life. A couple strangers asked me to put on traditional sunblock, to protect their really scary (hairy) backs. Just my luck, I had a thing of spray-on sunblock so I was saved the experience of having to do that. Bleeuugh...

Ocean Grove
This weekend I went to Ocean Grove, which is part of "the shore." On a nice weekend, there is traffic backing up for miles as New Yorkers try to escape the city to enjoy a nice day on the beach. It is important to get to the beach early, to secure a good parking spot, which could be up to half a mile away from the beach!

What is interesting is that there are a series of beaches all linked to each other, and they were traditionally towns containing a certain ethnic group. For example, Ocean Grove was mainly a methodist community, Bradley Beach a jewish one and so on. It appears Ocean Grove is still owned by the methodist community, who leases out land for 99 years. There is also the "Tent City," where families live in these simple homes made out of tents with simple furnishing. In the summer, many people rent out these homes or stay at a bed and breakfast along the shoreline.
This place is also nick-named "God's square mile," and has Christian concerts and organized activities all through the summer. On the boardwalk, there is a Pavilion where there are sermons and music going on throughout the day. It's like taking Santa Cruz beach life, Jersey Shore, and American Christian culture, blending it together, and you get Ocean Grove.. hmm..

Only in New Jersey do they seem to charge for beach admission. It is about $7 to get a wristband, to get unlimited access for the day. I took surfing lessons, and had a really great instructor. Even though I was really bad, he was really encouraging in a surfer way. Although snowboarding seems similar to surfing, I never feel comfortable or stable when trying to get up. On land, the sequence of steps seems easy, but when subject to the quickly changing water, I seem to forget what I learned! Anyway, I was about to get up about half-way before having my board run into the sand. My next goal is those 14-foot waves off the coast of Hawaii. Duuuude, I'm so stoked.

Metal Detector
I met up with my roommate later, and I met her friend Miriam. The first thing I noticed was that she had a large metal detector for finding treasure. She really wanted to find at least one diamond ring, or a piece of gold. But all she ever seems to find is loose change, Canon batteries, and other odds and ends.
However, she is more likely to have a passerby ask her what she's doing or found, than for her to find a treasure. This is a bizarre hobby, so I was thinking of what kind of strange hobby I would want to have when I am older. My mother makes a lot of rainbow jello, my dad tries to do a triathalon every week, so I need a hobby for myself. Some possibilities include:

1) Making Clothes for Cats

2) Becoming a Hippy and living at an Eco-Village, shunning Modernization and Technology except for solar panels, internet, and a toaster oven.
3) See all the volcanoes in the world
Any other suggestions are welcome as well!

Update

• I burnt my hand with the pot while cooking today, so it is very ouchie.
• Two days ago, a deer jumped out of nowhere while I was driving, and I almost hit it! It was a very scary experience.
• The fourth cat, Cloey, passed away. She was 18 years old, and a very good cat, because she always hid under the bed. The owner says that for the first year as a kitten, she hid in the downstairs closet. Cats are prone to have interesting personalities just like we do.
• Grandmom let me know at the last minute that my cousin Marian and Josh would be in town! I was very excited to know they would be closer than Washington DC, so drove quickly down to West Chester, PA. Uncle Curt, like usual, was grilling a lot of good stuff. It was great seeing family.
• 
• My group decided that they needed to send me home, to Fremont, for whatever mysterious reason. It was really nice to be at home, and see my friends as well as church friends. Only drawback was that it was very hot, and I wasn't used to hot weather after being in New Jersey.
  

• Today was the directorate barbecue. I missed the payment because I wasn't here last week, so I just snuck in anyway. I was scared there was security hiding behind the trees and would escort me back to work, but that wasn't the case. We were given 3 hours of leave, as well as all you can eat BBQ. There were ribs, burgers, hot dogs, steak, italian sausage, chicken, wings, and pasta of all kinds. In addition, there was unlimited beer. There was a dunk tank set up, and many people took turns trying to dunk the directorate leader. There was supposed to be a game between us and the rival group, but it looks like that will be postponed to the next time.
  

There it Lurketh

Very late at night, I here foot patter impatiently pace across the rug, just outside my door. From time to time, I also hear a shuffling of something against the door. Sleepily, I woke up, and turned on the lights to find...

My room is under siege!!! The paw reaches out further towards my direction, and I wait if the paw has backups. Pretty soon, a white paw tries to reach under.

I have enough food to last me in the room for about a night and a few hours. Every hour or so, I hear a faint meowing, which surely is the warcry of whatever lurketh outside my door.

It isn't possible to stay in my room all day, because of work. The moment I get ready to open the door, a stampede of cats run into my room. Defeated, I have to deal with cats all over my stuff.


Looks like the cat has got my mouse. Thus, the siege of Joyce's room of the 4 cats resulted in the cats winning and taking over.