All aboard my train of thought...

When I moved away from home for the first time a little over a year ago, I promised myself I would never resort to spaghetti-o's, cup-o-soups, or top ramen. Well, I am proud to say that I purchased all three today at the store. Times are tough, people...
I had a wonderful birthday on Saturday! I did have to work, but received many messages, texts, gifts, cards, calls, and offers to buy me a margarita when I got off work. And I appreciate them all :)
I have a bone to pick with everyone who has ever lived in Florida that didn't warn me about the lizards. I have honestly seen close to a million in the six weeks I have been here. As I make the two minute walk to the mailbox (one of my favorite hobbies) I count the ones that run across my path. The results are an average of seven to fifteen, not including the ones I see hiding the the grass or rustling through the bushes...
Have you ever noticed that, when someone says, "Wow, something smells good," it is almost always the smell of a deep fryer they are referring to? What is this world coming to?
There is this person who owns a small plane in Florida who finds it his/her duty to write messages in the sky. These messages usually say, "God+U= :) Jesus" or "Jesus loves U" and they appear about four days out of the week in the sky above Walt Disney World. In a way, I admire this person. He/she captivates the attention of thousands of people every day he/she goes up in that little plane. I call him/her the "sky writer"...
I don't know if this is just an east coast thing, but I never realized how many people in this world smoke. Whether I am at the bus stop, at Wal-Mart, in my apartment complex, or backstage at work there is always someone smoking. The question I get asked most often, yes even more than restroom locations, is smoking areas. It's kind of ridiculous...
Today on my way home from grocery shopping, I saw a man and a woman on the side of the road staking a homemade sign into the ground that read, "gater jerky/boiled p-nuts." Only in Florida...
My parents were way ahead of the game when they named me. And it turned out to be a huge game. If I had to guess, according to the parents I hear addressing their kids every day, I would say that 20% of young girls are named Maddi/Maddie/Maddy/Madi. So I have had to develop a split-second decision making process. Here is what happens in my head when I hear that name: Do I recognize that voice? Is there a supervisor around me? Am I currently doing something wrong/have I recently made a mistake? Is the voice coming from someone in a position where they can read my name tag? Am I in a situation where I can inconspicuously turn me head in the direction of the voice and play it off if I'm wrong but address the person if I'm right? That gets tiring, people. It wouldn't be so hard, but about half of the time, they are referring to me. I never realized how common it is for guests to feel comfortable calling you by name just because they can read it on your costume. And every time, I react a little shocked and they react a little proud...