April 28, 2013: That Carrier is one cool guy.

On this date in 1758, James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States, was born in Virginia. Monroe has a foreign capital named for him (Monrovia), established the Monroe Doctrine to prevent old world interference in the new world, was the last of the founding fathers to become president and acquired Florida in 1819. You know about the Hall of Presidents (at The Magic Kingdom) but visiting Florida is an honor to President Monroe.

I am thirteen years older than Penelope Cruz, who was born in Madrid, Spain on this date in 1974. Cruz played Angelica in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. So let’s visit Adventureland and Pirates of the Caribbean in her honor.

God bless W. H. Carrier who patented the air conditioner on this date in 1914.  Carrier made the large, modern buildings and southern cities habitable. Every time you walk from the sweltering Florida heat into a nearly sub-zero building say a little thank you to W. H. Carrier and carry a jacket, some of those buildings are really, really cold.

When I was a kid, Ann-Margaret seemed to be on every talk show and variety show. She was Tommy’s mom, Viva Las Vegas with Elvis and even the original film version of Disney’s Newsies with a very young Christian Bale. Ann-Margaret was born in Sweden on this day in 1941. Let’s visit Norway in EPCOT; at least it’s in the neighborhood.

Jay Leno was born on this day in 1950.  Leno has a bachelor’s degree in speech therapy from Emerson College and he helps people talk every night on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Leno has about another year left on his tenure with the show and he has done a good job of defending the brand that Johnny Carson refined and defined. Unless we forget, Leno also starred as Jay Limo in Cars. Let’s honor Jay by visiting the Cars section of Art of Animation. I know I will on June 23^rd.

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