Inspiration Fridays: Long Beach Island

New Jersey.  Ah, the different thoughts that come to mind when you hear the name of that state.  New.  Jersey.  Some people think of Snooki.  Others think of pollution.  Some think of the pine barrens, or Jersey City, or Princeton, or Hoboken.  Camden.  Trenton.  Cape May.  To me, Jersey means vacation.  Jersey means Long Beach Island, which is one of the best places in the world.  It also happens to be where I am going tonight.

 

 

 

My grandparents own a house in Beach Haven, on Long Beach Island, or LBI, which is a barrier island right near Atlantic City and Manahawkin.  18 miles long, and just under a mile wide at its widest point, this place is just perfect.  It's so pretty.  Relaxing, nice, fun places to eat, good stuff to do.  For many summers, I had the pleasure of working at a theatre in Beach Haven, Surflight Theatre, and I worked one fall and winter there as well.  Great venue- it's changed hands a few times recently, but I have so many fond memories of the place.  I've lived in Beach Haven, and consider it one of my homes, it is such an integral part of who I am.  Danny and I met there while we were working at Surflight, and fell for one another on the beach under the stars.  Yes, really.  It felt like something out of a romance novel, but here we are, almost three years later!  Beach Haven will always hold an incredibly special place in my heart, for most of the important events of my life occurred there.  

 

 

 

 

This weekend, though, will just be a little vacation.  And boy, is it needed.  I've been busy lately, what with yoga teacher training, work, martial arts, parents visiting, etc.  Once again, it's all been good- but, I've been stretching myself in a few too many directions.  Crazy?  A bit, yes.  But, it's almost done now.  I'm sure that I'll replenish my schedule with some new crazy soon enough, but, at the moment, I have only a few more weeks of insanely booked schedule until things look as if they might clear up a bit, and I  might have time to do things like hang out in the park with a friend.  Or Danny.  You know, that guy.  His dad is visiting all next week, which should be very fun.  He's cool.

I just can't wait to stand on the beach at night.  That's my favourite part of Beach Haven.  Though the town is fairly bustling during the summer, the beach, at night, is very quiet, and you can barely see the lights from town.  It's pitch.  Or, well, way, way, wayyyy more pitch than Brooklyn ever gets.  You can see stars.  It's amazing the effect stars have on me- maybe it's because I've been living in cities for the past five years, but stars are gorgeous.  They are awesome, in every sense of the word.  Awe inspiring.  They are balls of fire in space!  Millions of miles away!  There they are!  Shining on us.  When I see stars, there's an instant decompression in my mind and body.  

 

 

 

 

Plus, this weekend, I get to hang out with my marvelous grandparents, who are like a second set of parents to me, and with my sister. 

So psyched.  This weekend is going to rock.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beach Haven and Holgate, New Jersey, USA

Photographer Feature: Nick Griffith

Nick Griffith and I went to high school together, and I think he's a very good photographer, as well as a great artist in other mediums!  He's been some places that I have never seen... including Hawaii!  I'd love to go there, and maybe I will one day.  But, in the meantime, I hope that you will join me in enjoying his photographs and dreaming about how beautiful it must be.

More of Nick's work can be found on his flickr account, The Next Big Thing.

Here are some more of Nick's awesome photos. These ones were all taken in Pearl Harbor.

Hawaii, USA

South Beach Short Shorts

People in South Beach, Miami, seem to be pretty brazen when it comes to their swimwear.

I saw a surprisingly large number of men in speedos or short short swimsuits.  I wasn't that surprised- the majority of the tourists seemed to be from Europe and South America, where men are just generally better dressed, and more confident to wear such things.  Also, they don't have the false machismo, the pretending to be the concept of what people consider to be a man, as much as American men seem to.  I know I'm making vast generalizations here, but that's what I have experienced.

The women were what I expected in South Beach- thin and pretty.  Everyone who looked like a local also looked like a workout-a-holic.  Not gonna lie, I felt a bit pudgy lookin at my thighs.  But I wasn't wearing a swimsuit... so no one else saw them...  

This post is actually mostly of people!  I know I do that very rarely, but sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone. 

 And, to show you pictures of what South Beach was really like, I feel that I have to show you people, who are always more interesting than things anyway.

  Yes, there was a lot of sand which was surprisingly rocky, and yes, there was the ocean, which was a beautiful blue.  There were palm trees, and flowers, and seagulls. 

However, I've shared lots of photographs of sand and seagulls, and there were palm trees everywhere, not just on the beach, so you'll get your fill of those before my Florida trip posts are over.  

Thus, I share with you the life, the actual feeling of this place through the people.  

I only wish it had been sunnier- the photographs are a little bit dark. 

I let in as much light as I could without sacrificing it to super-blurriness, and some of them turned out blurry.  More of them turned out a bit dark.

But, everyone was just fascinating. I was so happy to see vibrant, diverse people who were not what I was used to, that I just kept snapping away regardless of the light difficulty.

Apparently I wasn't alone :)

There were also a lot of very cute children on the beach, who were surprisingly well behaved.  Many of them were surprisingly naked too, but as I said before, that's a cultural thing, I guess. 

I wasn't at all bothered by the nudity, but I am also not posting any pictures of it here, for propriety's sake.  

There werelots of other young couples too- I don't think we were the only ones with the idea to hit Miami as a romantic winter getaway!

It was such a great study of humanity, which as an actor, I am always trying to do.  Studying how different people from different places act, interact, dress for different occasions and such makes me really happy.  It brings a sort of fulfillment, with the knowledge that I can use that information for a character somewhere down the line. 

Miami, Florida, USA

Pictured:  Lots of people I don't know.  And me, in the last photo (taken by Daniel Garrison).

Things from Long Ago

These photographs were taken at the beach in early September.  I totally forgot that they existed.  

WOW.  

I miss the warm weather.

I miss being able to wear sundresses, and walk on the beach in bare feet.

Right now, I have to walk on the beach in boots and a heavy coat.

Bring on the snow, December.  Bring it on.

Beach Haven, New Jersey, USA