Baby, It's Cold Outside

Oh.

My.

Gosh.

What a cold, blustery weekend! Even though we didn't get the promised snow storm, I took a cue from Emily and hibernated this weekend. But it won't stay that way for long -- this week I'm working on a big piece about Atlantic City, interviewing the Morey brothers, and meeting Beth Ciotta, former AC show gal and now romance author. Good thing I hit up the REI sale this weekend. It's going to be cold down the shore.

But it's going to be even colder this upcoming weekend. Adam Joseph of 6ABC is calling temperatures to top out in the TEENS. The teens! What do you say to that, polar bear plungers? I think that's too cold for me to even watch on Saturday (and I also might be working on a story that has to do with the Eagles. I'm sorry for your loss, Giants. Well, not really).

So it's going to be a busy one in the world (and on the road) of Down the Shore with Jen. Now that I found my camera -- which, of course, was where it should have been -- I should have pictures along the way, too.

I played with that camera this weekend, and given that I spent the entire weekend with a dog bent more on hibernation than, well, doing anything, here is a series I call "Ms. January."



Meet Emily, a jack russell terrier mix from Collingswood, NJ. She never thought she was a pretty girl but blossomed in middle age.



Turn ons include long walks and peanut butter. Turn offs are squirrels and rude people.




In her spare time, she serves as CEO and Chairman of Jen A. Miller, Inc. She also sleeps a lot and looks adorable while doing so.



This is normally the spot where I'd include awkward high school pictures (involving bangs, no doubt), but since Emily showed up fully grown, I'll just use that silly one.

Cabin fever much? Good thing the job is getting me out of my house this week!

I WILL Take that Midnight Train to Georgia

I didn't get to play Simon, Randy or Paula -- just Jen -- but I still had a blast judging AtlantiCare Idol on Thursday night.

The night started with my first trip to Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, which on a cold winter night is sort of an eerie drive through the woods. It reminded me of a horror movie or at least the Jersey Devil hunt (which, let's be honest, is done at the speed of Girl Scouts instead of Saw).

Once I got to the performing art's center, the fine folks from AtlantiCare led me backstage to a cacophony of noise and contestants getting ready for the competition. We had pirates (Susan Fisher Brown & Family), a lady in red (Kimberly Nasseredine), the "Nursettes" practicing their dance routine with Nancy Hayes, and a lot of glitter. It reminded me a bit of this:



For the next few hours, we were entertained by singing and dancing from the staff. What a great idea! Could you imagine seeing your boss belting out "When I Fall in Love" (Jaime Pinter) or giving a full out performance of "Wanna Be Startin' Something" (La'Quinta Price) with wig and silver eyelashes included? I used to work at a hospital, and what fun that would have been!

The winner was Nancy Hayes (and her "Nursettes," of course), singing a very soulful "Midnight Train to Georgia." She was so good that she sang it twice, which is why I had it in my head the whole drive home. Congrats much to Hayes, who not only won a trophy but an extra week of vacation time. And who doesn't want that?

A few other blog notes to share:

1. Friend of the blog Steve Chernoski has been getting quite a bit of media attention with the upcoming Eagles/Giants game. Check out his blog to see what's cooking.

2. Got nothing to do Saturday night? Then come out to the second Brian Hickey fundraiser. It's at the Pen & Pencil, a member's only club. It's got, um, character. That's all I'll say.

3. Ocean Drive 10 Miler training starts -- at least for me -- on January 19. Anyone else planning to do that run or the full marathon? Let me know. Need inspiration? Click here.

AtlantiCare Idol!

Apparently someone read about my singing prowess, which I wrote about on another blog, because on Thursday night I'm a judge at the third annual AtlantiCare Idol talent competition, which is being held at 7 p.m. at the Stockton Performing Arts Center at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. I'll be one of a panel of judges that picks the best of the best from a field of 12, who have already been chosen picked as finalists from field of hopefuls.

Best part? It's open to the public and tickets are only $10, and the event benefits the United Way of Atlantic County.So if you're looking for some real, live talent to brighten up a cold night, head on down. Want tickets? Call 609-441-2118.

Now, I refuse to call myself a "celebrity judge" as the press release does, because that's silly. But if they want me to get hopped up on pills and booze to play the Paula role, I'm game...as long as they send a driver :-)

Polar Plunges

On New Year's Day, folks up and down the Jersey Shore did something that I consider absolutely bonkers: went swimming. In the ocean. Yes, outside.

There's two more polar plunges (that I know of) coming up this winter -- the Special Olympics Polar Bear Plunge in Wildwood on January 17 and the Sea Isle City Polar Bear Plunge on Valentine's Day. I'm tentatively going to the Wildwood one to see what all the fuss is about, though dressed in winter gear and NOT going in the water.

But I want to hear from you, plungers. Why jump in the ocean in the winter? What do you wear? And how do you ever warm up after?

News from Around the South Jersey Shore

Here's more info on the ACES train (and, yes, I am taking a ride on it as soon as it opens. Weeeeee! I like trains!)

Want some super cute pictures from a chilly Sea Isle City? Then click here.

Speaking of Sea Isle City...want to bike from there to Washington, DC?

Diamond Beach robbery!

Will Wildwood be using rainforest wood on the boardwalk? That didn't go over too well in Ocean City last year...and what is wrong with people? I'm not referring to the rainforest wood issue, but what people are saying in the comments. Ugh.

See? I'm not the only one who loves the shore in the winter.

Elizabeth Norton shares her top shore picks of 2008.

I wasn't kidding when I said Cape May was a destination for birders from around the world. Here's a great site for them (and any birders in the area).

And here's another "best of."

Wildwood's high school might close. This has been a problem in shore towns since prices skyrocketed and houses were bought out for big vacation homes -- less year round residents.

Bad news for Trump.

And bad news for Atlantic City in general. Oh, wait -- here's some more.

But -- hey -- they're trying.

General blog alert: Atlantic City Weekly's got a great one.

Barnegate Lighthouse lights again!

Here's information about all the polar bear plunges that happened last week. I gotta admit it: I don't get it (I don't get Mummers, either). But I'm hoping to check out either the Wildwood or Sea Isle plunges...

I'm excited about Boardwalk Empire, a new HBO series that seems to have gotten the greenlight. It's about Atlantic City in the 1920s.

Anyone resolving to lose weight in the new year should read this article -- that's dedication.

Not shore related, but I got a new computer over the holiday break (Macbook weeeeeee!) and have been re-doing my itunes collection, which reminded me that Ari Hest, one of my favorite artists, was working on a 52 songs in 52 weeks project last year. Well, the cycle is now complete and you can download all 52 songs here or buy them on itunes. I've been listening to it all morning -- highly recommend it!

The 2009 Radar

Before I hung up my 2009 calendar, I wrote in a few key shore dates. Most of them are in the first three months of the year, and I know this list will expand, but here's what I've got so far:

January 17: Special Olympics Polar Bear Plunge
January 31: Dismantling of the Golden Nugget
February 14: Sea Isle City Polar Bear Plunge
March 1-7: Atlantic City Restaurant Week
March 29: Ocean Drive Marathon/10 Miler (I've already registered!)
May 23: Tri for our Veterans

So what's on your 2009 shore radar?

Recommended: Bedandbreakfast.com

One item on my year-end to do list was find a place to stay the night before the New Jersey Marathon. Some of the prime spots have already sold out. I wasn't willing to pony up $260 per night (with a two-night stay required) or take my chances with what could be a roach motel.

What to do? First, I hit kayak.com, which is where I start most of my travel searches. That lead me to a few options on bedandbreakfast.com where I found a room in a very nice B&B in Ocean Grove for $100 -- and they're letting me stay one night instead of the two normally required (no, I'm not telling you which one, stalker).

Why a B&B? Besides the price and location, I don't want to worry about late night partiers keeping me up the night before the marathon (even though I have a feeling I won't be able to sleep much). Ocean Grove's a dry town, too, so there's even less chance of next-door debauchery.

One question I'm asked a lot is about places to stay, either in casinos or B&Bs in Cape May. I can give you my suggestions, of course, but you might also want to try bedandbreakfast.com to search a lot of B&Bs at once.