Just as when I'm in the city blogging and I find bursts of optimism about the state of the world, when I find myself in the self-imposed exile of southern New Jersey, the despair just grows by leaps and bounds. Environment is a very important component of the quality of life and the quality down here sucks. First off, everything is dependent on a car. One must burn fossil fuel in order to get a quart of milk. It's so great in the city to be able to walk to local stores and it's also good exercise. In the two years of living in this wretched location I have put on lots of weight. Hence, one could say it's not healthy living in Jackson, NJ. Another horror is the local population that is obsessed with driving pick up trucks with Tea Party bumper stickers, or the nut that has planted himself at the entrance to my community who sits in a lawn chair and waves an American flag. Medical care here is akin to that of a third world country, and any cultural diversity is non-existent. And of course, the icing on the cake is that when in Jersey my governor is an obnoxious Fat Slob!