2010 March 18 Thursday
We went to Perkins for lunch, since we had a coupon for half off one entrée. I had a breakfast - bacon, eggs, pancakes, potatoes - and Linda had a salad and chicken potpie. Then we went to Starbucks at Celebration (again), I spent my two hours on the computer (again) while Linda read her book (again), and we went for a walk (again). However, we did a different walk from yesterday - around lake 1 and some of the condo area. Home for a light supper and watched a PBS special with Chet Atkins and friends.

WEATHER: High 68, low 48. Cloudy all day for second day in a row, cool and winds of 15 to 20 mph. Last night, the weatherman said this winter will now go on record as the coldest winter EVER in Orlando. That’s not hard to believe, with the daily temperatures consistently running 5 to 12 degrees below the normal 80.

FL NEWS: (1) “TILLY, TRAINERS REDO ROUTINES”
Three times a day, just as they always have, SeaWorld Orlando’s killer-whale trainers brush Tilikum’s teeth. But they no longer stand right next to the animal with a water pick. Instead, trainers have built a 2-foot extension that allows them to work farther from the 6-ton orca’s jaws. The jury-rigged toothbrush is one small example of the many adjustments SeaWorld has made in the 3.5 weeks since Tilikum grabbed a veteran trainer by her ponytail and drowned her in front of park guests. Some of the adjustments have required Tilikum to learn new behaviors. With trainers no longer allowed close to him, they have devised a new method of taking a blood sample, which required him to learn new behavior. Tilikum learned the new process in only about two weeks, a sign that the orca remains engaged. He has long enjoyed interactions with his trainers - having his pectoral fin rubbed, for instance - that are no longer possible. So trainers have taken to spraying salt water from a high-pressure hose to simulate a massage.
(2) “SEAWORLD JOINS FAMILY FIGHT AGAINST RELEASING IMAGES”
On Thursday, SeaWorld joined the family of killer-whale trainer Dawn Brancheau to keep photos and video related to her death out of the public eye. The items were turned over to the Sheriff’s Office after the incident. A judge granted the theme park’s request to join a motion by the family to prevent the Sheriff’s Office and the local medical examiner from releasing images related to the attack that killed the trainer. SeaWorld said it has an interest because it is the exclusive owner of all rights in and to the videos and will be directly affected by the outcome of the litigation. Among the videos is one from a camera in a window in the orca tank that captured underwater views. It doesn’t show Brancheau until after she enters the water, but it does depict her drowning and her lifeless body.