He shoots, He scores!

I was a stranger to New Jersey for approximately one year and four months.

I made a New Year’s resolution that I would make more friends outside of journalism in 2006. The New Year’s resolution went into effect on January 1, 2006.

It is three weeks into the new year and I think I’ve hit the jackpot.

I stumbled upon the New Jersey Young Professionals yahoo! group while surfing the web the last week in December of 2005. I saw that the group has 5,271 members (growing exponentially each week) and I saw that the group averaged about 750 messages per month.

I nodded my head. I scratched my chin. I tapped the side of my head gently with the index finger of my right hand. I swiveled around in my black leather computer chair. I dropped down on both knees. I raised my hands to the sky. I yelled with every cubic foot of air in my lungs “YES!”

I clicked on the join button and I’ve been exposed to a brave new world that I didn’t know existed. Officially, I’ve only attended one NJYP event (the sticker soiree) that I blogged about in my weekend (in black & white) post a while ago. Well from that one event, I’ve already made some solid contacts (professionally and personally).

In February, NJYP has a Super Bowl party, another sticker soiree and several happy hours planned throughout the state and I’ll try to make each one. After having the worst year of my life in 2005, I couldn’t contain my joy any longer in 2006.

I hope it lasts.