I'm the new kid.

More to myself than anyone else, most likely, I am alive, and I still care about this blog. Yes, I still need to change the title, and I still need to document my first month in Lawrenceville, NJ, as well as being a VISTA for EducationWorks. But hey, baby steps.

The wonderful thing about being late blogging about things like this is that retrospect can be a very powerful memory editing tool. Of course, I lose out on quality, embarrassing entertainment when I look back on this later, but I can give a wiser perspective on my situation. Well, one month in a year can't make me a Solomon about nonprofits, AmeriCorps*VISTA or life, so stupid things might still surface.

I love it when everyone wins.

Living in Lawrenceville is pretty much what I expected; navigating this friggin' state, on the other hand, is not. This has been the dilemma since Day 1 of my arrival, and so far, neither has won me over. Thus, my verdict of living in NJ is at a standstill. I'm neutral - no wonder I've been craving all things Swiss lately: cheese, chocolate, Innsbruck.

Anyway, the townhouse community I live in is awesome. It's safe, in a great location and easy for running. Everything is convenient, and I am comfortable at any time of the day, no matter whom I see walking about, going anywhere. I have wireless Internet, cable, kitchenware, washer/dryer and furniture (albeit almost destroyed by the cat) at my disposal. Target, Walmart, two malls, Whole Foods, Marshall's, ross, DSW, BB&B, Blockbuster, Trader Joe's, downtown Princeton and Princeton University are all within a 20-minute drive from my house.

And the most glorious thing: a 10 to 15-minute commute to and from work. AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING.

Needless to say, I love where I'm living, and I believe my little civic is my handy partner.

The three blizzards this past February, though, haven't been all that great because of my Civic. In a more suburban town, digging cars out is the norm and unplowed roads aren't uncommon. I must follow these wrongful ways of life, though, so I do kinda...not like snow as much anymore. Funny enough, snow days aren't that fun, either. You still have to rise before the sun and get ready in anticipation of no snow day. It's really no use to go back to sleep after you've gotten yourself together. You're also just stuck in the house and your work just gets pushed way too far behind. It's hard to work from home, too. Imagine that!

The only good thing out of my snow days is that I get to watch the TODAY show in its entirety, which always makes my day. That's my favorite part of the morning - what's yours?

Wow...this is much longer than I had intended, so I guess reflecting on my VISTA experience so far will come...later.

For now, March, bring me spring!