Last fall, an Animal Kingdom employee by the name of Karen Price was hit by a coaster car on Primeval Whirl, and died as a result of her injuries. Four months later, Disney is taking steps to ensure this won’t happen again, but installing sensor mats in the area where you enter and exit the coaster cars. I’ve been on the ride several times, and have noticed more than once that you need to move pretty swiftly around the cars to make it in and out without injuring yourself.

The sensor mats won’t change anything for riders, who will still need to move pretty quickly to enter and exit the cars, but the rides will shut down if anyone steps in a designated area beyond the loading area.

I think I missed my calling in life! I saw this article in the paper today, about a local mom chosen by Disney to be one of 12 Disney park experts nationwide. After reading the article, I think I’m more of a Disney expert than she is! Beatrice Rose didn’t even start going to the parks until 1991. I started in 1979. She didn’t know the original name Walt Disney had picked out for Mickey! And she thought that Cinderella’s castle was made of stone.

I demand a recount!

For those of you wondering what Hollywood Studios is, that’s the name of the theme park formerly known as Disney’s MGM Studios. You’re probably also wondering how Disney / ABC got a Fox show into their theme park? Let’s begin at the beginning…

The attraction will be a live performance show. Instead of listening to people who can’t sing on your television, you’ll be able to enjoy it in person at the theme park. The attraction, which will open later this year, will give people the feeling of really appearing on American Idol. Performers go through hair and makeup, get tips from a voice coach, and then they’re off to perform. I can picture it now - three lookalikes standing in as Simon, Paula, and Randy insulting and raving about singers, calling them “dawg”, and acting drunk. (You guess who gets to do which bit!)

Winners of the daily shows go to the grand finale at day’s end, and those champs get a special pass to the front of the line for a real American Idol audition.

Disney got the rights to do the show attraction from the Idol co-producers, so Fox wasn’t involved at all. Disney is also working on the real Idol stars making special appearances through out the year.

Residents of Citrus county, and the surrounding areas should continue to be on the lookout for James Coursey, who escaped from the Citrus County Jail’s “trusty” program last week. A resident of a neighborhood near the jail had a close encounter with Coursey that led to a hammer in the head…yet one more reason to make sure your home isn’t built next to a jail or correctional facility.

Despite 100 offers, K-9 units, and bloodhounds searching for this guy, he hasn’t been seen since.

If you live in Florida, you know a little something about skin health. Go to any beach, at any time, and you’ll see people slathering their skin with sunscreen - even on cloudy days! We all know that UV rays can damage skin even when the sun isn’t shining, and we do our best to protect ourselves at all times. I even wear a foundation that contains an SPF of 15 in it, so I’m protected even when I’m not thinking about applying traditional sunscreen.

One of the newest skin health trends is about taking care of your skin where the “sun don’t shine” - the inside! In addition to applying sunscreen, moisturizer, and taking care of the skin everyone can see, you can add a new supplement into your diet to provide your skin with nourishment. R.G. Skin Revitalizer is derived from a tropical fruit called Gâc, which is full of antioxidants.

The cantaloupe sized fruit has been used for years in Vietnam and other Asian countries for it’s medicinal properties. It contains plenty of beta carotene, which can help to boost your immune system. Beta carotene also assists with building new skin cells. Americans have typically turned to carrots or sweet potatoes to get a weekly dose of beta carotene, but Gâc contains up to ten times MORE beta carotene!

It’s been confirmed that the man who died this week on Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom (part of Walt Disney World) had a heart condition. An autopsy showed that Jeffery Reeb had an enlarged and weakened heart. Since visitors with high blood pressure, heart, back and neck problems are asked not to ride, I don’t think Disney will be getting sued over this one.

I just heard on the news that a man died yesterday after riding on Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park. This is without a doubt, one of our favorite rides at any theme park. Even my son, who is normally scared of larger coasters, goes on Expedition Everest. It’s not a wild ride, but it’s unique in that it goes backwards inside of the fake mountain at one point, with the track shifting behind you so that you go forward in another direction. At the end, you go down an 80 foot hill.

The name, Jeffery Reed, was 44 and I’m assuming in good health, as visitors with high blood pressure, heart, back and neck problems are asked not to ride. When the ride ended, he was no longer conscious, but he was alert during the photograph portion of the ride, which is done just before the 80 foot drop.

Disney officials verified that the ride is working properly, but it will remain closed. This is the most recent death at Disney since a small child died after riding Mission: Space at Epcot.

When Jim got up for work this morning, it was a whopping 35 degrees out. There was frost on the roof of our house, and on the top of his car. By the time I left to drive the kids to school, an hour later, the frost was gone, and it had warmed up to a whole 45 degrees. It’s mornings like that when I’m so happy to have a garage to park in. My truck was relatively toasty when we got in it this morning, and I didn’t even need to turn the heat on. When we lived at our other house, we had a one car garage that never held a car. Mornings like this required running out to turn the car on, and then letting it warm up in the driveway for a few minutes before leaving.

Hala Harper of Bradenton, FL is attempting to bring a little big of green to the desert of Iraq. She’s collecting money (and has so far raised $21,000) to send more than 400 Christmas trees overseas. I don’t know how to say this without sounding like a total Christmas hating bitch, so I’ll just say it. Wouldn’t that money be put to better use on something that’s not going to turn brown and die within weeks? What about making care packages of things the troops can use? What about buying body armor, since our military apparently doesn’t have the money to supply every soldier with it?

It just seems a little frivolous & wasteful to me that $21,000 is being spent on trees that will be dead in a matter of weeks.

What do you think? Am I a cold, unfeeling monster? Or just practical?

I thought we had it rough in Florida, but I was proven wrong this weekend.

I’ve been lamenting about the time change, and bitching about how the sun is already setting at 5:30, and it’s completely dark by 6pm. Little did I know how good we have it during the winter! Here on the gulf coast, we’re at the far western side of the eastern time zone. We get maximum daylight during the winter months.

While in Las Vegas this weekend, I couldn’t help but notice how dark it got in the afternoon. By 4:30, it was effectively night time. That may work great in a city like Vegas, which looks better in the dark, but I don’t know how I’d deal with it if I lived there!

I’ve always wanted to go to St. Augustine. Friends tell me that I HAVE to plan a long weekend there at a bed and breakfast, and that I’d just love the shops and the historical sites, the old homes, and the great restaurants. Looks like November is a great time to go too - not only will it not be as hot out, but I just found out about some special St. Augustine events taking place next month! Uptown Saturday Night takes place from 5pm until 9pm on the last Saturday of the month in October and November. I just missed the October 27th event, but there’s another one on November 24th. And hey, that’s Jim’s birthday - wonder what he’d think of a surprise weekend away for his birthday?

At any rate, the event is right up my alley - street music, and dealers lining the sidewalks with the wares…it’s a regular street party with style! Book stores have readings, authors do signings, and there are workshops to attend on how to shop for antiques. You’ll find free parking at the Mission of Nombre de Dios and shops participating in Uptown Saturday Night offer free wine and refreshments as well.

Doesn’t it sound like a great night out?

I came across this great photo of two manatees kissing today. Well, the caption says that they’re kissing, but I don’t even know that manatees have lips. The photo was taken at Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park, which is just north of Tampa Bay, in Citrus County. We’ve not been there since July of last year, when it was hotter than blazes outside. Now that the weather is cooling down, it’s a great time to go to the park. It’s an even better time to get into the water and swim with the manatees, if you can stand the cold water of the springs! (I think I’d need a wet suit!) You can rent pontoon boats all around the area, and gently navigate your boat toward the springs. The manatees are slow moving and extremely gentle, so if you see any, be respectful and kind. It’s a once in a lifetime experience!

I’m married, so I haven’t had to think about dating for a long, long time, but I’m always being asked by one of my husband’s single friends if I “know a honey” I can hook him up with. Of course, being that I’m married, and so are most of my friends, I don’t know many single girls to set this guy up with. He lives not to far from us though, here in Florida, so maybe the next time he asks me about it, I’ll just send him to this Florida dating site. You can narrow down your search to find only singles in Florida and view profiles and pictures for free!

For the first time in years, I’m not pulling for the University of Florida Gators. Oh sure, I still love them, and support them, but there’s a new star in town, baby! The University of South Florida Bulls, out of Tampa, are kicking ass and taking names. They’re currently ranked #2, and their football program is only 10 years old. It’s amazing!

We have friends who moved to Tennessee over a year ago, and put their home here on the market. They purchased their dream home in Tennessee, and expected that they would be there for years to come. Sadly, they just put that dream home up on the market, and they’ll be downsizing, because the home they own in Tampa still hasn’t sold. I believe they did a refinance on their Tampa home to buy the Tennessee home, and they’re out of options now.

If one good thing has come out of the real estate mess in Florida, it’s that mortgage loans are tougher to get than ever. Lenders don’t want to make the same mistake twice…especially after they’ve seen all of the foreclosures in the past year. It pains me to see people defaulting on their loans and other bills and being forced into debt consolidation because a lender sold them on buying too much house. We got approved for MUCH more house than we ended up with, and after we ran the numbers, we knew it wasn’t possible to buy a more expensive home. Unless we wanted to give up food!

I hope that other homeowners don’t have to make the tough choice our friends did.

We’ve got plans to go to Busch Gardens this weekend with friends. I can’t even remember the last time we went to the park, despite having season passes. I know it was before Sheikra went floorless. Speaking of Sheikra, my 11 year old can’t wait to ride it, and she’s trying to convince me to do the same. No way, man! I’m trying to convince my 10 year old to join me on Montu, but she wants to try Gwazi. That’s the wooden coaster that gives me a beating every time I ride it. It has to be the roughest coaster I’ve EVER been on. No thanks! I prefer Montu - smooth ride, nice loops, and dangling feet!

Before you make plans to go over to Ikea in November to shop, make sure your finances can handle it! 0% credit cards that offer a 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers are a great way to buy things you need now, but pay later. For disciplined consumers, it’s free money, in a way. You can shop to your heart’s content, and pay off your balance in a few months, without paying a nickel of interest. When the card is paid off, you can close it, and begin the process all over again! This strategy has worked well for us over the years.

Florida fans of Ikea will be able to get their fix on November 14th, when the Swedish retailer opens their first Florida location. The store will be near the Mall of Millenia off I-4, which means it’s easily accessible from Tampa. (Tampa residents won’t have their own store until 2009!)

Apparently, Ikea store openings are a big deal. It’s expected that Ikea fans will start camping out days in advance to get in on all of the grand opening freebies offered. I’ve only been to Ikea once, and I liked it, but not enough to camp out to go inside first. I’ll happily wait a few days until the grand opening traffic dies down, and then make a visit.

With University of South Florida football exploding, it’s only a matter of time before fans can come up with great sports trivia questions about the team and players. I’m great with trivia, but not so good with the sports category. In fact, when I play trivial pursuit, I leave that category until the very end, and collect all of my other colored pie wedges first. My husband on the other hand, knows all sorts of useless bits of sports trivia, like who won the Super Bowl in 1976, or who the first golfer to win the Masters Tournament was. He’d do great at TriviaFix, which is a sports trivia website full of questions from sports nuts like him. You can even organize trivia teams and complete in online competition…and you can win monthly prizes! I’ve seen a lot of trivia websites, but not any that are specifically just for sports junkies. You can even chose your sport, so if you’re a rabid football fan, but not up on baseball, you won’t be bored by seeing question after question about baseball.

Jim does so well with his fantasy football and the other sports things he’s involved in online…I should get him hooked on TriviaFix so that he can be rewarded for his useless knowledge!

The big news in Florida sports this week? I’ll give you a hint - it’s doesn’t involve any of our professional sports teams.

In fact, it involves a university, that up to a few years ago, didn’t even HAVE a football program. The University of South Florida Bulls are having a fabulous season, and when they play the West Virginia Mountaineers (#5) this weekend, it will be the first time we’ve had such a highly ranked opponent here in Tampa. USF is ranked #18 currently, and the game will be a sell out, with the last of the tickets becoming available tomorrow afternoon at 5pm. (Students can line up south of the Sun Dome starting at noon on Thursday.)