New Jersey Flash Floods

This summer, is an unusual summer. It seems to rain and thunder every other day. Before we left to go to Trader Joe's, we didn't check the news. If we did, we would have heard that a flash flood warning was issued.

The trip to Trader Joe's took about 20 minutes. I got my usual 1lb blueberries, sandwich supplies, and bananas. On the way back, the rain started pouring heavier. I noticed there were puddles and small streams forming alongside the roads.

On the highway, there was a sudden outburst of rain and lightening, causing cars to immediately slow down to about 30-40 mph, with their blinkers on. We pulled to the side of the road, trying to wait it out but the rain just kept on coming, so we pressed on.

The decision was to either take the back roads, or continue on the high way in traffic. Jenny decided the back roads would be safer, but as I saw the puddles become more like ponds, I wasn't so sure about the route.

In one intersection, the water main was overflowing, due to the sudden flux of storm water overwhelming the system. There was also a power outage in the large intersection, and chaos ensued as to how cars would cross it. On one side, it was entirely blocked off by a large pool of water, at least a foot deep. Mall shoppers had only one way out of the mall, and by the example of one car which was stuck in the water, were at a dilemma of how to get out. Some cars started driving on the right bank, which was covered in grass and slightly slanted. The stream of cars along that route decimated the nicely mowed lawn. However, for power cars, such as a truck that was a 4X4, they had no problem going straight through the water.

After this intersection, we passed by many neighborhoods which were also blocked by large puddles of water. Even some driveways were emerged! To get back, we tried to go under the bridge in Morris Plains, but as we got closer, we saw a firetruck blocking the way, and a fireman putting out flares to mark the safety boundary. As I got closer, I saw a car underneath the bridge, with water up to the window shield. Help was on the way to help get the drive out of the car. There was no way we could have gone through that route, and we weren't sure of the back roads for an alternative way home.

There were also many trees and debris knocked down in the middle of the road. One tree, apparently struck by lightening, ended up blocking 3 out of the 4 lanes of the road. I remembered another way home, because I take it everyday from work, so we were able to get back safely. It took more than an hour to get home.
Because of this, I decided not to go to church today... giving me thoughts on what it means to be a fair weather Christian!

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.

Qdoba

When I first came to New Jersey, my co-workers were raving about how great Qdoba was. Was it a sit in restaurant? A regular Mexican fast food joint like Taco Bell? After work on Friday, I went to try it out. It was on the interstate, which was separated by Jersey curbs, which meant I had to take a jug handle turn to get there. "Jug Handles" are these turns that are specifically built for people wanting to U-turn on the highway, and are unique to New Jersey. I must have passed by the jug handle at least 5 times before figuring out how it worked, so its kind of confusing because it isn't well marked.

When I first entered Qdoba, a nice aroma of salsa, and spicy meat greeted me. What striked me immediately was how Qdoba looks so much like Chipotle, in the set up, style, and even menu! They had the usual of burrito, rice bowl, and chips. Instead of pushing guacamole, they had a 4-cheese dip with their chips. The burrito I ordered was pretty good, but I feel Chipotle is the true pioneer in making buttery yummy rice with hint of lime, juicy seasoned chicken and steak, great salsa, and the amazing guacamole. I'm pretty sure Qdoba is a copy of Chipotle, just like Burger King copied McDonald's.. and so on.

It was sunny when I walked in Qdoba, but as I left it, a cold wind, and leaf fragments overwhelmed me. I looked at the sky, and it was dark and covered in clouds swirling quickly. A flash of light in the distance warned me of what was about to come, so I ran to the car with my burrito in hand. As soon as I closed the door, a down pour of rain fell, accompanied by more rain and thunder. Phew!

Heading to Massachusettes

Last Friday, I headed out of work a little earlier, and set off on my drive. I picked the round a bout route, away from NY, recalling from last year's experience of doing a lot of traffic sitting. There was one toll to pay, and a lot of repaving work going on after the winter and rains. The drive wasn't bad, but I had not enough cuisine to select from. It seemed like there were only McDonald's at each stop, with gas prices higher than what I would get around my town.

It took only 4.5 hours to reach there, and I got to Aunt Crystal's house earlier than expected! The kiddies introduced me to their new pets: 2 hamsters and a gerbil. They were super cute, and had distinctive personalities. Unfortunately, that weekend, the hamster Humphrey died, so we had a pet burial for him.
We did some hiking in the woods, and it was the best time of the year to go, because it isn't mosquito season yet. Deer flies, I heard were present, but they were not to be seen on our hiking trip. That weekend I had a lot of cider (which I love, and have been looking fiercely for it ever since) and fun with the kids.

Greek Festival and Picking Strawberries!

This whole week has been raining, thundering, foggy, and has been a source of wonder to even the natives in this area! Deanna asked me how I was managing here, and connected me to a friend of a friend of a friend... so I met Delia and her husband, Stan!

Delia and I went to the Greek Festival (http://www.biggreekfestival.com/) which was located in my town! It was held at a Greek Orthodox Church, and surprisingly, there is a large community of people from Greece who live here. When we arrived, there was no more parking nearby to the event, so many people desperately parked wherever would fit their SUVs. The policemen also crashed the party, and was having a field day in handing out tickets! As we were driving up, there were a whole line of cars with pink slips underneath the windshield wipers! I will be sure to save all the parking tickets I get from New Jersey to give to my family members in California, because that is sure one thing characteristic of this area!

There were all sorts of foods to pick from, a carnival for kids, Greek dance lessons, and some gift items. We ended up sharing a sampler, which allowed us to sample everything. The cheese is very good, and I was amazed to see how much Delia loved the cheese! There was also a live band, singing in Greek with traditional instruments. If you have ever seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding, it was just like that! Everyone was dancing, super friendly, and it seemed everyone knew each other, they were probably all related and one big family.

Afterwards, I became better acquainted with my new friends. They had so many stories, and it was very inspiring to talk with them. I was very excited to find out how close they live to me! When I headed home, it was pretty late at night, and the first time I was out driving in the night. The roads have no lighting, and the trees block out any sign of the moon! Without my GPS, I would not be able to see any of the road signs or know where I was going. Right before I reached home base, I was started by 2 pairs of beaming eyes on the street, which turned out to be a BIG BAD MEAN BEAR!!! Well I thought it was, until I got a better look and it was just deer.

I've been wanting to go strawberry picking, because Judy, the lady who owns the house, keeps raving about how exciting it is. We drove towards Chester, which had a large farm. At various times of the year, they open up the fields that have blackberries, peaches, blueberries, and tomatoes for the public. I couldn't believe how many people were out on a Saturday morning to pick strawberries! As we were walking towards the fields, the smell of what seemed like strawberry jam became more defined. I saw other people carrying box after box of strawberries, so it seemed that this would be an easy task.

Once we reached the fields, I looked out and surveyed that the strawberry field extended for about half a mile, with rows and rows of strawberries! WOW! Strawberry plants grow pretty low to the ground, so I found myself hunching over, trying to find the reddest, ripest, tastiest, and biggest strawberry I could. However, the strawberry plants near the front of the entrance was already picked through, so we needed to head further back to find the better fruit. I spent at least a backbreaking 25 minutes picking strawberries.

They tricked us! Why would people pay money and end up doing all the work for the farm!? I'm just kidding, I thought it was pretty fun, and was tempted to pick a strawberry, eat 2 strawberries, to help me get through picking them. I think its only in America, where we would think doing farm work would be exciting.