Polar Bear Plunge - Seaside Heights, NJ

So what can 3,000+ people do for the Special Olympics of New Jersey.
I may be able to describe it best with this exchange from There's Something about Mary stolen straight from http://www.imdb.com/.

[after telling Mary that he's an architect]
Pat Healy: Really, it's only a side thing for my true passion.
Mary: And what's that?
Pat Healy: I work with retards.
Mary: Isn't that a little politically incorrect?
Pat Healy: Yeah, maybe, but hell, no one's gonna tell me who I can and can't work with.

Then again, that probably is not the best example and possibly one of the more offensive I could have chosen. Maybe this video can explain it better:

For some unknown reason, I felt the need to plung my mostly naked body into the frigid Atlantic Ocean like I was some kind of polar bear. From the photos below, you can clearly see neither I nor my plunging partner Gabe are polar bears.

Regardless of our species, we both jumped into the Atlantic Ocean in February with 3000+ (mostly drunk) plungers to support the Special Olympics of New Jersey. As a group, the plungers raised over $1 million and jumped into 33 degree Fahrenheit Atlantic Ocean in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. The plungers included an interesting cast of characters

Sadly, Pics of Me in Front of Stuff did not feature of pics of me throwing my body into the chilly Atlantic Ocean. If I could search on Google for images of cold, I would post a link. However, I am not sure any of them could do justice to how cold that water was. The water was cold, the sand was cold, the air was cold. Overall, the whole day was cold which probably made it a good day for polar bears. However, as I pointed out previously, me and my plunging partner were not polar bears so we coped the best we could. You can see below, some of us coped better than others.

Kate and Mark's Wedding - Lake Valhalla Club - Montville, NJ

I really thought I was done with the period of my life where it seems I am always going to weddings. Most people go through this time shortly after college when all of your friends have realized they have found the love of their life and decide to marry him/her. College came and went over 5 years ago now and save for the occasional matriomonial, I assumed the period of non-stop wedding attendance was done for me. Most of my friends from college got married while I was in grad school. I gave them the best gift I could afford, but I figured I had avoided spending large sums of money on wedding gifts due to my graduate school based poverty during the non-stop weddimg extravaganza following college. However, there seems to be a recent increase in my wedding attendance featuring at least four this year with a fifth scheduled for next summer, none of them featuring me as the groom. The first wedding occured in the Empire State Building on Valentine's Day making it difficult to surpass as a unique event though it featured limited in personal emotional investment for me. The most recent wedding, while lacking the exciting location made up for it with both friends and an open bar not to mention a thrilling Villanova victory over Pitt in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

That shot prompted what has become the standard celebration for big sporting event moments here at Pics of Me in Front of Stuff - a Bearfight. Gabe, a Pitt fan, was the unfortunate co-drinker, or my new term 'bartner'(bar + partner), in this instance.

Scottie Reynold's One Shining Moment aside, the second wedding, which will henceforth be known as Kate's Wedding since I work with Kate aka the bride, was an excellent time and that was not just from the open bar. The weather allowed for the ceremony to occur outside and Kate looked resplendent in her wedding dress. However, the most memorable event of the ceremony was Mark, the groom, stated his vows via song which he accompanied with a guitar. Reportedly, many people in his family are skilled musicians and must be in his DNA because Mark was no exception. His original song was a wonderfully unique way to declare his love for Kate. Throw in his business and invention and Mark seems like excellent husband material. I kind of wanted to marry the guy after his performance though it would not be recognized in most states. My impromptu homosexual urges aside, I hope Mark and Kate had a wonderful wedding day and enjoyed their honeymoon in Hawaii.
The rest of the ceremony and the reception were the standard wedding fare with the usual dancing and drinking that comes with these events. The reception was followed by an after-party at the hotel bar of the wedding party. At that point, the events get more blurry. At some point I was called the 'epicenter of debonair'! Though the memories are hazy, from the pictures I do not remember taking I am sure everyone had a fantastic time!

Congratulations, Kate and Mark!

Long Pond Ironworks - Hewitt, NJ

Long Pond Ironworks State Park is located in Hewitt, New Jersey on land once owned by Peter Hansclever, just south of the NJ/NY border. The first half of the park consists of several hiking trails many of which border the Monksville Reservoir. Though the weather was warm, if a bit overcast on the on the day Pics of Me in Front of Stuff visited, the reservoir was frozen over and the ice's surface was dotted with ice fishermen. Some of us were not confident in the ice's thickness. Clearly, there was no need to worry about the safety of the fishermen and so the hike commenced near the shores of the horse shoe shaped reservoir. The hike was mostly uneventful, the usual hills and woods found in north Jersey. At about the midpoint of the trek, a side trail took Pics of Me in Front of Stuff to a wonderful view of the ice covered reservoir. Check it out below.

Thanks, Herr Hasenclever, for the awesome view!

The second half of Long Pond Ironworks State Park consists of the ruins of Peter Hasenclaver's iron plantation. Since these buildings had not been used since the mid-1800s, it is understandable that they have fallen into disrepair. I figure 150+ years from now, I can only hope I look half as good as these piles of rocks. Of course, 150+ years from now I hope I am dust in the wind. That's right, not only did I try to quote Poison but I also plan on being cremated when I die. You read it here first! Regardless of the plans for my remains, the ruins of the Long Pond Ironworks are beautiful in their own way. Like other piles of rubble, these represent the way things once were in our country. Sometimes what we learn is surprising. When was the last time you considered plantations in NJ? How about a plantation including neither cotton nor tobacco nor slaves from Africa? That was the iron planation of Herr Hasenclever. Other things I have learned are not so suprising. The Long Pong Ironworks were put out of business by the Pittsburgh steel industry...Damn you, Andrew Carnegie! Pittsburgh often ruins things, like the Super Bowl so who could be surprised that it ruined the burgeoning steel industry in north Jersey. However, if Pittsburgh had not caused this plantation to be shut down there may not be this lovely state park in New Jersey. Unfortunately, there is no bright side to Pittsburgh ruining the Super Bowl! My hurt football feelings aside, the path winding through these piles of rubble is a unique historic experience giving a view of industry in an era that is too often overlooked. I guess I am glad Pittsburgh ruined the steel industry there and gave me the opportunity to experience this walk through history.

Don't I look thrilled to be visiting these ruins?

Every manufacturer needs a power source and the Long Pond Ironworks was no different. That time period's power source happened to be running water. Never one to shy away from waterfalls (I have been to Niagara Falls three times!) or fast moving water so long as I do not have to swim in it I could not resist having my photo taken with what was once Peter Hasenclever's waterfall. I am the bright white spec to the left of the falls below.

It is no Niagara Falls. But then again, what is?