Here we go!

Hi all, welcome to my strange little world. I plan to use this space to talk about all the odd things that I seem to see out there. I may rant a little, I may complain a little, but mostly I just need to share all the weird, crazy, and idiotic crap that happens around me everyday. You would think that a wife and mother would not run into all that much craziness, and yet, it seems that everyone down here is crazy!
I am a Jersey Girl through and through, and now I am stuck down here in Georgia and everything is strange. This was not a choice, my husband had a great job opportunity, so one year ago we packed up the house and kids and down we came. I don't want to sound like I am only complaining, the move has had some amazing results. I no longer have to work full time, we have a great house, and we were able to add a new member to our family. None of these things would ever have happened in New Jersey, it would have been financially impossible. But, things are very different down here.
Everyone is nice, all the time. It all seems so completely fake. No one is nice all the time. You just have this feeling that they are all smiles and sunshine to your face and then they are flipping you off the minute you turn away. At least in Jersey we are upfront with everything, we say fuck you to your face.
There are no Italian people here! Everyone from Jersey seems to have some Italian blood. Even if you aren't Italian, you spent so much of your life around Italian people, you feel like some of it must have rubbed off on you. This was my first holiday season without at least one person inviting me over for the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. And as for Italian restaurants, no way! Back home you could walk into any little hole-in-the-wall pizza joint and get the most amazing penne vodka, but not here. The Italian 'restaurants' are either chains or run by people who are not Italian. It is so weird. Nobody even has a last name that ends in a vowel.
There are Baptist Churches everywhere. There are so many churches, that they advertise. They send out bulk mailings of postcards trying to get you to join their church. The nearest Catholic Church is about 30 minutes away. And forget about trying to find a synagogue. They all think that my husband and I are going to hell. Maybe we are, but this is just another example of how all that niceness is crap. Sure they smile to your face, but when your back is turned, they are condemning you to an eternity in flames.
This place is crawling with Republicans. I feel like the odd man out all the time. I don't have a problem with lively political debate, there were plenty of republicans in Jersey, but it is weird being the only people who didn't drink the red Koolaid.
As I make my way in this odd world, I will let you know about all the strange things I witness down here in the South.