What a WASP

Really quick post tonight, because I'm getting up at 5 AM tomorrow to leave Florida and head back to NJ for just a day. Then it's back up to Boston, to begin 18th grade. The funniest thing I've heard down here was purely geographical (and, in reality, not all that funny). My dad was trying to explain to my uncle where a museum was in the town of St. Augustine, which is America's oldest incorporated town but this is not the point. Anyway, he described it as being "down the street from the Slave Market" ... and he really, unironically meant "Slave Market." Ladies and gentlemen, this is why the South should become its own sovereign nation.

My dad's twin brother - my youngest uncle - is one of the coolest relatives I have (NOTE: I have very few cool relatives). He drives fast cars, drinks Miller Lite, and once volunteered to sit in the passenger seat of my Santa Fe and listen to Jay-Z's "The Blueprint" with me. At dinner tonight, he explained to me that my ancestry could be traced back to the Mayflower, more specifically to William Bradford, the first governor of Plymouth Colony. This surprised the hell out of me, because I am 75% Italian by heritage and the rest of me is such a mess, I figured nobody would ever figure to check it out.

But in fact, a relative of mine from the great town of Millville, N.J. (What the fuck UP, South Jersey!) recently performed the genealogical survey, and it is true. I am a WASP, and, unsurprisingly, a Mass-hole. The coolest thing about being a Mayflower descendant is that I am cousins with the Baldwin brothers ("30 Rock" is a great TV show), Julia Child (nipping the cooking sherry is equally great), Christopher Reeve (who is dead), and the great actor, Clint Eastwood. The second-coolest thing about being a Mayflower descendant is that it greatly expands my possibilities when purchasing ties.

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Below is a link to an excellent Esquire article about one of the most intriguing "ghost cities" of America, Newark, N.J., and Cory Booker, the young mayor who's been trying to save it: Here. Just as interesting is Booker's "angry letter" reply to Esquire, to which they've posted a link on top of the main article.

If somebody on this blog wants to post about Newark, it's going be someone who lives there (e.g., PatentlyJersey). I have some opinions about the city, but this is neither my forum nor my time to state them. I'll just leave it at this -- I admire Mayor Booker and I think he's one of the few politicians who tries to behave true to their own causes. I'm just not sure that Newark can ever be saved.

But the article above is a must-read if you want to slack for an hour at work, or something. Stay classy out there.