I honestly have to say that I was wicked stoked to be in New Jersey for Thanksgiving. Spending time in Philadelphia has been a great experience, and I am starting to get used to living this far inland — bear in mind, I have resided no more than a 20 minute drive from the beach. And may the saints and angels preserve you if you call my journey “going down the shore.” Here’s why:
- I know where I am from, and it is called “the beach.”
- The thrice-damnable MTV show is by no means a reflection of who and what we residents along the coast are as people — fist-pumping morons we are not.
- Look at the names: Long Beach Island, Point Pleasant Beach, Island Beach State Park, Monmouth Beach, Beach Haven, North Beach — I’m sure you’ve got the full hologram here.
- “Going down the shore” is grammatically incorrect when traveling to the east from Pennsylvania. The phrase only works when traveling down roads like Route 35, which literally goes down the state along the shoreline. Otherwise, it should be “going down to the shore.”
We were truly blessed, as one of our professors was able to adjust the meeting time for our class to the morning instead of the afternoon, so I was able to book after Church History I.
There’s a particular feeling that permeated the community of the seminary early last week— the strong desire to go home as soon as humanly possible is truly an electric sensation, and there was not a single one of us who wanted to stick around.
That being said, I am almost ready to head back to Philly. If I stay here much longer, my roots might settle back into the sandy earth of the Pine Barrens and enjoy the media cross-market of New York and Philadelphia. The blessings that everyone appreciates on Thanksgiving truly were the good food and the great family. And admittedly, it was really terrific to recharge my batteries. But much like a 90’s era cell phone, if I stay on the charger for too long, I’ll overload my batteries. So it is back to the seminary, ready to work and learn.
Tomorrow.
No, I'm not procrastinating or anything, we literally don't have to return until Monday night.