Tuesday, April 12, 2011

J is for I'll give you three guesses...

If you're here today looking for this week's Hodgepodge questions you'll find them at the end of this post. First things first...my A-Z challenge post...click the button on my sidebar to read more.

J is for Jersey

How can it not be?
I don't really think of myself as a Jersey girl even though approximately one third of my life has been spent living in various parts of this state.

What is a Jersey girl anyway?

Nails done, big hair, tight clothes, popping gum and foul mouth?
That's the stereotype isn't it?
And if you happen to have your own reality show then maybe that definition fits.

But me?
Not so much.
Not at all in fact.
And its also not true for most of the 'Jersey Girls' I know.

I grew up in South Jersey and have lived two different times now in North Jersey. North and South Jersey are seen by the 'natives' almost like they're two different states. The first time I lived in North Jersey I'd hear friends say they were going 'down below' and I always wanted to ask 'down below where?' I figured out pretty quickly they were not referring to the Mason Dixon line. Going down below meant they were headed somewhere south of the imaginary border that separates the Northern part of the state from the Southern part of the state. South Jersey feels the influence of Philadelphia while North Jersey feels the influence of New York and they are most definitely not the same thing.

Do people in NJ have an accent?
Of course, but generally its not as harsh as television likes to portray it.

Generally.
ahem.

I will tell you that no one says Joisy unless they're joking. And speaking as someone who has lived a few places around the globe, everyone has an accent.
I get asked at least once a week if I'm from the south.
I love the reaction when I say yes...South Jersey.

Since I'm educating you on the finer points of a real Jersey girl here are a few things I've observed and we'll see if I qualify...

Jersey girls love their families-check

Jersey girls love the 'shore'...check
We could call it a beach if we wanted to.

Jersey girls love 'The Boss'-check.
I shouldn't need to say it but I will...Springsteen is "The Boss"

Jersey girls know their exit-check.
You might need to be a Jersey girl to understand that one.

Jersey girls know how to confidently navigate their car around a circle-check
Circles are known as roundabouts in other parts of the world.

Jersey girls know where to get a good bagel-check.

Jersey girls don't pump their own gas-check.
Very happily checked I might add.

Jersey girls know there is more to the landscape here than the industrial and sometimes questionable bit you see as you go up and down the turnpike-check.
It is the Garden State and I've got the fox, deer, and bear in my back yard to prove it.

Hmmm...I guess there is a little of the Jersey Girl in me after all.

And now...here are the question's for this week's Hodgepodge.
Don't even think about not coming back here tomorrow (Wednesday) to link answers.

Remember...I'm from Jersey.
I might know people.

1. Would you rather talk to everyone at a crowded party for a short time or have a significant conversation with two people?

2. What objects do you remember from your parent's living room?

3. Do you hog the bed? Steal the covers? Snore?

4. Speaking of Easter dinner....what is your favorite way to cook/eat lamb? Or does just the thought of that make you squeamish? If you're not cooking lamb what will be your entree du jour on Easter Sunday?

5. Let's throw some politics into this week's mix-oooohhh...Do you know the whereabouts of your birth certificate and when was the last time you had to produce it to prove you're you?

6. As a child, how did people describe you?

7. What do you complain about the most?

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Here's a little pre-Hodgepodge random...it seemed appropriate-

17 comments:

  1. Great questions this week, I hope to be back tomorrow to join the hop.

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  2. Love it ....people just don't get Jersey! I'm from the North....I wish NY didn't make us pump gas you are so spoiled! It's funny my sisters live a town away and their accents are totally different. Have a greets Tuesday!

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  3. Looking forwarded to tomorrow - and why do ask such hard questions? They make me think - early in the morning - before my 3rd cup of coffee!! Love ya.

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  4. One of my roommates in college was from Jersey...and our sophomore year she got a car on campus so we all decided to go to the mall...so she pulled into the gas station and just sat there...we all looked at each other and said, "Um, hey Jenny...are you going to pump the gas?" She laughed and said, "No, just be patient...they'll be out in a second." We asked her who she was talking about? She INSISTED that someone was coming to pump her gas. She was incredulous when we informed her she'd have to learn to pump her own. I gave her that very first gas pumping lesson. We STILL tease her about that...and she STILL says that she loves her Jersey!

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  5. Interesting! I always wondered what *exactly* a Jersey girl was. Now I know!

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  6. Although transplanted to Idaho, I am very much a Jersey girl (born and raised -- and lived most of my adult life there).

    Whenever I meet Jersey folk, we trade exits and commiserate on the lack of pork roll in other (less enlightened) parts of the country. And you just can't get pizza anywhere like Jersey (it's the water).

    Loved this post!

    Have a blessed day, Joyce!

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  7. Friends have visited the south Jersey "shore" and have raved about it. They've inspired us to add that as a destination for one of our travels. I guess I always kind of thought of Jersey as just a large NYC suburb. Thanks for continuing my education. ;-)

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  8. Thank you for the education! My son is dating (and has plans to marry) a girl from South Jersey. Big hair and nails done--check, but aside from that, she makes me wonder "Just what IS a Jersey girl?" She loves the beach--loves it
    ! I hadn't asked her about the gas pumping--never heard about that one, but then again, my son would always do the pumping so it never came up.

    Great Hodgepodge questions. I have answers poppin' in the noggin already!

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  9. Funny thing: I stopped on RH of NJ this morning as I was channel surfing and thought of you. Then I came and read this post! I laughed! (I couldn't find you anywhere on the show...)

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  10. I have a friend who is from Jersey...you can't always pick out her accent but I love the way she says coffee!

    ...and I agree with LynnMarie...you sure do come up with some challenging questions! :D

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  11. Loved this post! Thanks for the education on a true Jersey girl. : )

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  12. This was such a fun read! I've never been to New Jersey...I think everyone would probably think I'm some sort of hick from the sticks!:) Sounds like a great place!

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  13. I don't know that I've ever met someone from New Jersey in person. Thanks for clearing up (or confirming!) the misconceptions.

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  14. Loved the post :) Never been to Jersey. I'm a Tejana from Texas to the core. I love Fiestas, fajitas, tamales, & guacamole!

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  15. I've only driven through Jersey (there's a reason it's called the Garden State), and I don't watch Jersey Shore. But you've made Jersey girls sound wonderful!

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  16. I must admit, I knew not who The Boss was. I was thinking cake boss? But obviously, I was way off.

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  17. I suppose I'm part Jersey girl, having lived in Margate when I was very young, and visiting "the shore" until I was in my teens. You forgot to mention the smoking hot lifeguards...

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