I have had the ant farm for a while. I don’t think it is a healthy environment any more for the ants. They are starting to die and it looks like mold or some fungus has started to form on them. The ants have created a cemetery in the corner and they pile up the dead bodies there. The instructions say to remove the dead ants from the ant farm but I don’t see how you can do that without tearing up their other tunnels. There are a few live ones left but I don’t think they are going to be around for much longer. It was fun while it lasted.

This drink is another cruise line staple. I have to admit this isn’t my favorite drink. This recipe is a variation of the standard Yellow Bird. It has more alcohol which is good. On the downside it still uses Galliano which I do not enjoy. If you don’t know what Galliano is go to any bar and look for the tall bottle with the yellow liquid. All bars have it but rarely use it. More often than not it is covered in dust.

Here is the recipe:

1 oz of Meyers Dark Rum

1 oz of White Rum

1/4 oz Galliano

1 1/4 oz Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

1/2 oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

Place ingredients in a shaker. Fill glass with crushed ice. Strain into the glass.

Eastern State Penitentiary is the home of Terror Behind the Walls.  A haunted maze in a reportedly haunted prison.  If the fake ghosts don’t scare you the real ones will.  If I lived in the area I would check it out. 

Oddly enough alcohol and poisonous snakes are not a good match.  Even if it wasn’t a poisonous snake this isn’t a good idea. 

Wilkinson, 23, had downed a six-pack and his ex-girlfriend asked him for a beer. He handed her one, not realizing the snake was also in his hand.

“She said, ‘Get that thing out of my face,’” Wilkinson said. “I told her it was a nice snake. ‘Nothing can happen. Watch.’”

So he stuck the snake in his mouth.

“It got a hold of my tongue,” he said.

Full Story

Live long and prosper.  Failing that you can always have a Star Trek funeral. 

Eternal Image, a Michigan-based funerary products company, today announced a deal to make products for Star Trek-themed funerals. The first two products will be Trek themed casket and an urn. As you might of guessed, the casket will be a replica of the famous ‘photon torpedo’ casket first used for Spock’s funeral in Star Trek II

Full Story

I am not a big fan of Halloween masks.  I had a few Halloween costumes as a kid that involved masks and I remember they all had poor visibility, were uncomfortable and above all were hot.  I am sure this mask is no different.  That being said I think this mask has a high scare factor and would be great for scaring the neighborhood kids.   The Saw Pig Mask isn’t available yet but should be out in time for Halloween. 

If you love the cooter you won’t want to miss the Great American Cooter Fest. The festivities begin on 10/26 with Sunny Cooter’s Music on the Square. On 10/27 you have the The Great American Cooter Blast. The athlete in the group won’t want to miss the The Cooter Triathlon on 10/28. If you find yourself in Inverness, FL on those dates make sure to stop on by for the cooterrific event.

Check out the calendar for more details.

Making fun of the Oregon Duck can be dangerous. That is what the Houston Cougar found out when he mimicked one of the ducks signature moves.

I want a Dark Lord of the Sith to wake me up every morning.  If you do too you can buy the clock at The Star Wars Shop. Now you can wake up on the dark side every morning.

The Haunted Mansion at WDW has opened again with some all new features.  Theme Park Rangers has a detailed list of the renovations and upgrades.

* A new room that is a collection of upside-down staircases with ghostly footprints. It’s a fascinating, distinctive look, the kind of presentation that puts you on the edge of your doom buggy to get a better view.

* New images in the hallway of portraits. (The originals are now in the loading area).

* Floating Leota is definitely more spooky — and more colorful. The woman’s head in the crystal ball is no longer fixed; it floats and circles above the table.

* The attic has added detail the story of Constance the black widow bride. The devil is in the details, according to Imagineer Kathy Rogers, who took a spin with me Wednesday. You glide through her belongings and wedding presents, you can see how she married up as the years went by. The bride’s “physical” location has moved from the right side to the left side, and a weapon has been added to her arsenal. (One detail to look for is the bride’s pearl necklaces — one for each husband, each strand getting bigger.)

* The wallpaper with a spooky eye motif is more dominant than before, and some of those eyes glow/blink.

* The sound of the mansion is improved, from the near-echo-chamber effect of our ghost host to the “little Leota” at the end.