The Tractor Ride

On a recent trip to Disneyland, Z and I decided to try all the rides in the new Cars-themed part of California Adventures. This is where I found the most entertaining ride in the entire park: Mater's Junkyard Jamboree. This might be my new favorite.

The basic concept is that the tractos pull little trailers with room for a couple of people. They move on interlocking circular tracks, describing something like a figure eight. Disneyland describes the ride like this: "Board a trailer pulled by an adorable little tractor and swing in time to lively music." Sounds pretty tame, right? What they fail to warn you is that the trailers swing with quite a lot of force, and the seat is a simple bench and lap bar, so there is absolutely nothing to stop the occupant from sliding across and whacking into the far side with each turn.

Now consider that the majority of the people on this ride are adults riding with small children. "Swinging in time to lively music" immediately becomes "Desperately trying not to squash your progeny."

The fact that I find this hilariously entertaining to watch probably means that I am a terrible person.

Disneyland

We go to Disneyland a lot. We're fairly local, and friends and family from out of state inevitably want to go so we end up buying season passes. Visiting Disneyland several times a year gives you a very different perspective on the place. You start looking for weird little details, seeking out Hidden Mickeys, and making up bizarre games. My favorite is Stroller Safari, wherein you watch for unusual/expensive/international strollers. (My stroller knowledge is based almost entirely off of writing for work and also a mild obsession with this study.)

I often see small children looking concerned about getting on rides. My mother has always been good at allaying their fears.

I, on the other hand, can just barely manage to contain my desire to terrify them.

Bee Hives versus Wasp Hives

I have a big problem with the general public's perception of bee hives, and Winnie the Pooh is actively promoting this misinformation. Thanks to cartoons and whimsical garden sculptures, most people people see this:

...and think it is inhabited by these:

When actually most honey bees build their homes in existing holes, like in hollow trees or in the ground, or that whole in the wall of your shed. A classic oval-shaped hive with rings is much more likely to be home to these little bastards:

Seriously, fuck wasps. Those fucking beasts don't die when they sting you, and they will sting you. Not because you got too close to their nest, not because they got scared while you were close by, just because you were there and they were in the mood.

My anti-wasp prejudice and proper wasp hive recognition abilities don't really go over well with most of my family, especially on the Winnie the Pooh ride at Disneyland...