Guinness World Records

I've been told a time or two that I can be quite the random individual. Eating hearts of palm out of the can, then wondering where on earth the delicacy comes from (I know, the heart of a palm, but more specifically), then my train of thought is up and away, out of my control. Outside of work, if I had a dollar for every time I clearly explained my thought process, I would have no dollars.

Anyways, the other day I was randomly remembering how much I loved to read The Guinness Book of World Records when I was a kid. Sometimes my friends and I would try to see if we could build the world's longest chain out of those white flowers that grow in clover. Then, of course, we would lose interest. By some odd coincidence (having not thought about this book for a long time), the Bachelor took a date to the Guinness World Records museum last night.

In my quest to rediscover this long lost hobby, I was pleasantly surprised at how interactive this world of record-breaking has become! On their website, you can register to set a record, invite a judge to your record-breaking event, search their archive of records, etc. I had to pick my jaw up off of the floor as I started to browse the outlandish records. My interest in mental health and the social worker in me immediately kicked in as I wondered what leads people to perfect such odd crafts. I had to share some.

As of January 2010, Niek Vermeulen of the Netherlands has collected 6,016 airline sickness bags from 1,142 different airlines from more than 160 countries. He has accumulated them since the 1970s.

In September 2004, Ilker Yilmaz of Turkey squirted milk from his eye a distance of 9 feet 2 inches.

In April 2009, Fan Weipeng of China broke 102 glass bowls with one finger in one minute.

In 2007, Ashrita Furman of the United States hopped one mile on a pogo stick while juggling three balls in 23 minutes 28 seconds.

Ahem... In 2004, the longest ears on a dog measured 13.5 inches and 13.75 inches and belonged to Tigger, a bloodhound! I, of course, went to measure Jack's. His measure about 8 inches apiece.

In 2010, Zach Wong of Canada played Guitar Hero for 50 hours 3 minutes straight.

In 2008, Ashrita Furman (of pogo stick juggling fame) traveled a distance of 5,472 feet 9 inches while balancing a pool cue on his chin.

In June 2010, James Thompson of the United States supported 407.8 pounds while skipping rope 10 times.

In 2011, Alastair Galpin of New Zealand put 13 gloves on one hand in one minute.

Anyone looking for a new hobby? The next time you need a five-minute break, I invite you to Google image search "Guinness World Records." It's a crazy world out there and it appears this culture of record-setters has left no stone unturned. What will they think of next?

[photo source: Wikipedia]