I ask that we observe a moment of silence for a boy involved in a accident in Disney World.

I have been going to Disney World for may years, and I have yet to be involved in any situation that causes me to question the transportation on grounds.  The operators of all Disney transportation go through rigorous training, and certifications.  Many of the trainings exceed state standards.

During one of the busiest seasons for the Disney resort comes a very tragic story.  In the wooded resort of Fort Wilderness comes the loss of a boy.  Today a 9 year old Florida boy was killed when he was struck by a Disney bus.  It is stated that the boy ran into the side of the Disney bus.  The State Troopers are conducting a homicide investigation currently.  This tragedy brings the bus incident count to 3 within the last 6 months, and the fatality count to 2 within the past year.  Last summer a monorail driver was tragically killed due to a “malfunctioning” track switch.  Disney was fined by OSHA for violations found in that investigation.

Our condolences go out to the family of the boy.

 Why are Floridians better than the rest of the world?  There are some people that go to Disney World more than the people that live in Florida.  Here is a recent finding that I ran into that makes me wonder what makes the Mouse tick…

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Florida residents can now put some more magic in their week with the newest ticket introduced at Walt Disney World Resort – the Disney Weekday Select Pass.

The new pass offers Florida residents more than 180 weekdays of fun at all four Walt Disney World theme parks, along with extras like special Passholder discounts, Passholder-only events and exclusive Passholder newsletters.  All for less than a dollar a day!

Prices are $169 plus tax for guests ages 10 and above; $149 plus tax for guests ages 3-9.

Block-out days apply (Saturdays and Sundays, plus Dec. 19, 2009-Jan. 1, 2010;
March 27-April 7, 2010; June 12-Aug. 19, 2010; Dec. 18, 2010-Jan. 1, 2011) and proof of Florida residency is required.  Passes are non-transferable and valid for one year from date of issuance.

Guests can receive more information and purchase passes online at disneyworld.com/weekday.

I just got a call from a long time friend, and she was telling me that she was going to be leaving her job at Disney.  She was telling me that she is worried that she might be cut because of the economic issues that are going on, and jobs are continually in jeopardy.  I didn’t understand that being Disney World is probably one of the biggest vacation destinations that you could go to.  She explained that the tourism rates have been low, thus causing some employers in Florida to have to tighten their belts.

I know she was there for quite some time, but I guess that if she leaves on good terms she can always go back if she wants.  She told me that she was going to move to the Carolinas.  I asked why, and I was told that everything is a bit cheaper there, and on top of that the North Carolina health insurance, auto insurance, and most insurances are very reasonible.  I thought of moving to the Carolinas at one point in time, but realized that I didn’t want to move my family, or my business.

This will make 2 friends that have left their job at Disney.  Others I know have left Florida in general, but leaving Disney is the amazing thing.

The doctor recently told my wife and I that our little one has a mild case of eczema.  He told us that a lot of things can cause it to act up, and on her heat is one of them.  Being we go to Disney at least once a year this news was not good for us.  So we asked the doctor what the best treatment of eczema would be when you can’t avoid the heat like when we go away to Disney.  He told us to try an over the counter ointment.  He told us to keep putting lotion on her, and try to keep her out of the heat as much as possible.  How do you keep someone out of the heat in Florida?  It’s always hot there, and the wife thinks we should go during the winter months so we don’t have as major of a problem.  Now this means we have to work around her school days, and holidays.

What are your thoughts about the heat in Florida, and things like eczema?

This year we went to Disney World for Easter.  There was a Easter festival in the Disney area so we took the little one since she was missing out on everything that was going on at home.  There were a lot of area businesses there giving away free goodies to the children, and offering services out to the adults.

While waiting for our little one to finish up one of the activities a back doctor offered to give me a back checkup.  I agreed to it thinking that it wouldn’t hurt for me to do this.  He said my back was a bit out, and I should think about seeing someone.  I told him that I had seen doctors several times for a blown disc, and that I just couldn’t afford the time out of work anymore, and the pain had gone away for the most part.

A month or two later I got a call from a medical office in my area asking if my problem was still there, and if I wanted to have a doctor get in touch with me to see if anything could be done.

For some reason it almost seemed like I was a health insurance lead, and everyone wanted to take care of me.

Was it just my luck, or are doctors really starting to care?  Could it be a paycheck that they care about?