new jersey--the good, the bad, and the ugly

I became an official resident of New Jersey this morning at 9:43 am. Darn that Utah and their policy to renew your driver's license by mail only once every ten years. (I think that is the policy anyway.) Since I'm not planning on being in Utah before my birthday later this month, I had to break down and get a New Jersey one. As a current NJ resident, I think that qualifies me to comment on this fair state in which I reside. Overall, it's a pretty good place to live. There are some good things about it, some bad things about it, and some ugly things about it. Here they are:

The Good:

• lots of good places to shop
• a mall on practically every corner
• it's against the law to pump your own gas so someone has to do it for you
• cheap(er) gas than most surrounding states
• close proximity to NYC
• small state so within just a few hours you are in another state--New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia
• can make a right hand turn on a red light unless posted otherwise
• lots of beaches
• green, green, green--so many trees
  

The Bad:

• the roads stink and make absolutely no sense
• the drivers can be lousy
• traffic
• stuff can be more expensive
• driving down the highway going 65 mph and having to make a right hand turn right into a shopping center or gas station
• tolls are kind of a pain but the turnpike really isn't as bad as people say
  

The Ugly:

• the roads make absolutely no sense whatsoever--often the same road has like five different names
• people are often very egocentric and concerned only about themselves