Oh the weather outside is...nice!

I don't miss snow. I don't miss ice. I don't miss brown slush. It's the end of December here in sunny central Florida, and I couldn't be more pleased about it. My biggest weather concern is whether or not I should shut my patio door at night so the temperature in my fish tank doesn't drop below 70 (it's been over a week with the new fish and everyone is still alive!). I do still have to wear a jacket - inside at work. I have to take it off to go to my car at the end of the day, though, because it's so nice and warm and sunny. And if I forget my sunglasses - well, it'll take my eyes a while to adjust to the bright sunshine.

The temperature reaches the mid to upper 70s during the day and a brisk 50 or so at night. It was overcast one day last week. That was a nice change from the boring sunny days that surrounded it. Oh, and the humidity is gone, too. I'm not sure why people want to live in places that it snows and drops below freezing. I guess some people like it, but not me. No sir, I like my sunshine and warmth.

Fish, take 2

Earlier in the month, Matt and I bought a 5 gallon fish tank. We bought several small fish and thought we were set. I really enjoyed watching them. I found it relaxing. The cats really enjoyed them as well. No more than 2 weeks later, they were all dead.

Last night, I completely cleaned the fish tank. I bought some water treatment stuff and some more fish. I also got some aquarium salt to see if that helps. It's nice to have the fish again, and I'm hoping for three weeks this time!

Road trip!

Matt and I were being lazy and doing absolutely nothing early Saturday afternoon. I suddenly got sick of being lazy, so I decided we were going to go to Charleston, South Carolina. I looked it up on Google maps, and it's about a 5.5 hour drive from Daytona Beach. Why Charleston? Two reasons - first, I could cross South Carolina off of the states that I hadn't been to. Second, Matt was stationed there for about a year.

So, within 30 minutes, we packed up and headed out. We ran a few errands in town and off we went. The drive up was fun. Matt and I talked most of the way, which we don't seem to do as much as we used to. The sun set on us after about an hour of our journey, but that made the trip that much more interesting. Somewhere in Georgia, we pulled off the interstate and found a secluded spot to look at the stars. I hadn't seen so many stars in a long time. I realized that it's almost impossible to stare at the sky at night without plummeting into deep thought. As we drove on, Matt and I discussed our views on the meaning of life, spirituality (or lack thereof), civilizations, religion in the world today, space exploration and many other heavy topics.

Along the trek up, I came to realize something about the Georgia and South Carolina coasts - they stink. I don't mean that in a metaphoric manner, I literally mean that they smell bad. Matt described it as the smell of someone's breath who hasn't brushed their teeth in a few years. Anyway, we made it up to Charleston and found a hotel room close to the base that Matt used to live on. However, sleep was not to visit on this night.

I think that we were in a room below some amateur wrestlers. Starting at about 1:00, the wrestlers stomped around in their room. They didn't stop until 5:30. At one point, Matt decided to turn on the fan in the air conditioner to drown out the noise. As soon as he turned it on, the room was filled with a smell worse than the bad breath of the state we were in. Matt described this new smell as follows - someone had peed in the fan, it had dried and stayed there for a bit waiting for him to turn on the fan.

At this point, I was laughing pretty hard. Matt did end up getting a couple hours of sleep and I learned a lot about grizzly bears from the discovery channel. The next day, we went out for breakfast, drove around Charleston Harbor, stopped at a Fort Sumter Civil War museum and went to the Charleston aquarium. We were glad to get home, though.

Here's another one!

So, what's the full name on your birth certificate? Cheyenne Marie Gillingham
Who sleeps in the same house as you? Matt, Nite, Buffy and now a bunch of fish
Who was the last person you hung out with? Everyone from work at our company holiday party.
Suppose you see your crush/ boy/girl friend kissing another person, what would you do? Oh man, I'm not sure I can honestly answer that without being in that situation. It wouldn't be pleasant.
Right now do you prefer a Strawberry Milkshake or a Banana Cupcake? The milkshake.
Is your phone within a meter radius of you? The house phone is.
Are you doing this just because you're bored? Pretty much yeah.
Whats bothering you right now? I'm tired and don't want to go to bed yet cause it's Friday night.
Who do you think you're going to spend New Year's with? Maybe Carolyn and Mat.
Was last year's New Year's enjoyable? It was nothing special.
Do you miss someone right now? If so who? All of my family that isn't here.
What does your last text message say? I haven't texted in a long time.
Can you text 60 words per minute? No problem.
Are you high? No.
McDonalds or KFC? McD's.
Krispy Kreme, Dunkin donuts or Wendy's? Wendys
Target, Wal-Mart or K-Mart? Depends what I'm shopping for, usually Wal-Mart though
What color is your top? Grey
Is that color your favorite? No
Is there a high chance of you going out to the movies soon? No
How smart do you think you are? Not as smart as I once was, but wiser.
Can you surf? No
Are you easily scared by horror/thriller films? No.
If you were given $100 would you spend it or save it? Spend it
If there was a large spider in the room, would you stay? Definitely not
Would/could you ever become a vegetarian or even vegan? No way, I like myself some meat. Medium rare. Maybe even still mooing.
Where are you right now? Home, sitting on the futon.
Do you think your crush likes you? These teenage questions crack me up.
What is your desktop picture? A digital picture of the view of Earth from the surface of the moon.
Can you swim well? Yeah.
Do you shop for clothes? Only if I have to.
Would you rather go to Tokyo or Paris? Definitely Tokyo.
Do you have a guitar in your house? A bass guitar yeah. I eventually want a regular electric and an accoustic.
Are you listening to music right now? Yep, some Jim Croce.
Who else is in the room with you? Matt, Nite and Buffy are all snoozing.
In winter, would you rather wear jackets or hoodies? Probably both, I hate the cold.
Can you make balloon animals? I never really tried.
How often do you get onto myspace/facebook? Myspace, usually everyday
How long can you go without your mobile phone? A very, very long time. I don't like it anymore.
Do you have any enemies? Not that I know of.
How much cash is in your wallet? Usually none
Ever kissed a blonde haired, blue eyed person? Nope
Last compliment? Matt told me I look nice.
What are you thinking about right now? Wondering if I should post this or not.
Would you ever be able to date someone who had a kid with someone else? I don't know
What made you laugh a lot last? A ranger with a sock puppet in front of Old Faithful.
Spoon or fork? SPORK!
Where did you last sleep other than your house? Mom and Dad's.
What are you doing tomorrow? Probably sleeping in, playing video games, going to Pet Smart to get Ick killer.

Year in review

Where did you begin 2007? At home with Matt.
What was your status by Valentine's Day? My status? Married if that's what they mean.
Were you in school (anytime this year)? Yes, dropped out though.
Did you have to go to the hospital? Nope.
Did you have any encounters with the police? Nope.
Where did you go on vacation? Just home to Wisconsin.
What did you purchase that was over $500? I don't think I bought any one item over $500 this year.
Did you know anybody who got married? Nope.
Did you know anybody who passed away? Yes, a guy at work.
Did you move anywhere? For the first time in a couple of years, NO.
What sporting events did you attend? Wow, I had a boring year. None.
What concerts/shows did you go to? See my answer to the previous question.
Describe your birthday: Uneventful.
What's the one thing you thought you would not do but did in 2007? Worked at Tel-Tron the whole year.
What has been your favorite moment(s)? Going to Wisconsin was nice.
Any new additions to your family? We just got some fish.
What was your best month? November was pretty good.
Who has been your best drinking buddy? I don't drink much, but when I do, Carolyn's my pal.
Made new friends? Yes - a few at work.
Favorite Night out? Not one in particular that I can think of.
Overall, how would you rate this year? Eh - not bad, not good. It gets a solid 6.5.
Other than home, where did you spend most of your time? Work
Change your hairstyle? No, I should though.
Have any car accidents? No.
How old did you turn this year? 29
Do you have a New Year's resolution? Hopefully lose a few pounds.
Do anything embarrassing? Probably, but nothing sticks out right now
Be honest - did you watch American Idol? Yes, but I stopped when Sanjaya kept winning.
Did you get sick this year? A cold here and there but nothing major.
Been snowboarding? I live in Florida.
Are you happy to see 2007 go? Yes.
Been naughty or nice? I'd say I've been very nice all year.