August 12, 2013: Attack of the killer (well, really big) tomatoes.

Today is Vinyl Record Day. I miss records. I shouldn’t, I have about 4,000 of them, but I miss the feeling of having something substantial. The size of the disc, the area for artwork and, in the case of foldouts, poster size artwork. Dust slipcovers that had even more artwork and lyrics and more artwork. I think quite a few people miss vinyl records because it seems that I see them more and more. A couple of years ago my wife bought me a new USB turntable. You plug it in and rip your vinyl right into iTunes. It was a wonderful gift and I think that the music I rip sounds better than the same track purchased digitally. If you go to the Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios, there are giant records. I miss records and have I mentioned 8-tracks and cassettes?

Today is World Elephant Day. One of the coolest things I have ever seen was two baby elephants playing in the water while a third one considered whether or not to join in. The two were wrestling and thrashing just like two human kids would but the third was that kid that really wants to join in but doesn’t want a beating. Where did I see this? Kilimanjaro Safari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I could ride the safari all day and not be disappointed a single time, especially in the rain. This is one attraction that is definitely better in the rain. The animals love the rain, it cools down, the sun is not beating down on them and they revel in the moments of relief from the heat. Get a poncho, go to the Animal Kingdom and pray for rain.




Ross McWhirter was born on this day in 1925. Ross is one of the authors of the Guinness Book of World Records, a book written to settle arguments in pubs short of full on bar fights. I don’t buy one every year but every couple of years it’s nice to see what has changed. Disney has several records in the book: Most tomatoes harvested from one plant in a year, largest cucumber plant, most cucumbers harvested from one plant in a year, world’s heaviest lemon and the largest tomato plant. All these record setters are from The Land in EPCOT. It’s amazing and you can ride right through the farm and check it all out.

Remember, your best excuse is always: waiting for your dreams to come true.