Pika-CHU!
Weekly Update:
Toward the end of this week we started to warm up a bit but what was interesting is we saw several days of overcast. Not sure where that came from but I'll take it as it kept our general temperatures low (like high 70's) and the nights still remained in the 60's. Now this is a Summer I can get behind but, the forecast for next week looks like it will start to warm up (in the 80's) and possibly hit 90 a day. The nights still look good though and should remain in the 60's but honestly, as long as we continue to get some breezes, it is all good. Some people may mistake the overcast with smog, honestly some could be mixed in but for the most part it was just overcast. If it was smog the air would feel kind of "heavy" and have an sort of industrial odor like smokiness. But it wasn't there so that is good but I'm sure there was some smog to a certain degree or however you measure that kind of thing.
At the movies:
Holding at #1 for a 2nd week is Weapons with another 25 million and now just a short distance of hitting 100 mil cume. Likely well get that with one more weekend but after that will drop down fast. Also holding at #2 is Freakier Friday with an extra 14.5 mil and looks like it will definitely come up short of 100 mil. New at #3 is Nobody 2 with 9.3 mil, not a great number for this film. Drop down to #4 is The Fantastic Four: First Steps with 8.8 mil as it quickly wraps up the Summer and being short of 300 mil. Also dropping down a notch to #5 is The Bad Guys 2 with 7.5 mil and will wrap up there pretty much.
Quote of the week:
"It's the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter." - Marlene Dietrich
Facts & Tips:
Maine is the U.S. state closest to Africa.
"We got this job on 65th and Third. This big freakin'
ballbreaker of a job, right, and we got the area roped off so that some schmuck
don't walk through there and take a wrecking ball between the eyes. All of a
sudden this woman, you know with the big dark glasses and the Bloomingdale
bags, she starts walking right through the ropes and I yell down at her,
"Hey! You can't go there ya stupid bitch." And suddenly, this big
steam fittin' bursts and this enormous God damn crane crashes right down on her
legs. And she's screaming, "My Legs! My Legs!" And I say, "No
shit, your legs, you got a two-thousand-pound goddamn crane on 'em." Now ,
do you know how in an emergency you can get like superhuman strength? I reach
down and I lift up this crane and Ernesto was able to slide her out from under,
and the doctors were able to save her legs. So the moral is: don't walk where
you're not supposed to walk because there may not be someone with superhuman
strength to save your little ass. And don't do drugs. That's it!" - Robert Costanzo as Sal Morelli in City Slickers.
A night at the bowl
Saturday night I was invited to see the first Jurassic Park at the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Philharmonic doing the music! It was a pretty awesome experience and the night was perfect weather. We were seated third row from the front so we couldn't see the big screen, just various small monitors but being that up close for the music, the movie didn't really matter! Also, the food was amazing and just the whole experience was pretty awesome, now I want to see all my movies with live music. But for the food, I started with a radicchio salad that had figs and some cheese that looked like a slice of brie but it just melted in your mouth. For the main course it was a roasted chicken and the crispy skin was mouth-watering. Ended with a cornmeal strawberry shortcake and then later with a combo of cheese and light caramel popcorn. The whole experience was fantastic and definitely something I wouldn't mind doing again. Also, I haven't been to the bowl in at least 10-years and last time I was really far up compared to this time. What a night!
Weekly Update:
So the nights still remain nice but the days have definitely warmed up this past week. The forecast for next week does look cooler but by only a few degrees however I will take it! What is more interesting (in a weird sense) is how humid it has gotten which is not normal for us. Despite having cooler temps, it felt warmer due to the humidity which is something I am not accustomed to. Like getting out of the shower and already starting to feel a bit of sweat and stickiness? What is up with that? We are not made or built for that kind of weather and I hope it was just a fluke or a limited time thing or something. We should have hit our peak Summer heat but we have been fortunate (so far) that it hasn't been that bad (yet). I can only hope this was the worse of it but I have a feeling, nope, it will not be. I guess time will tell!
At the movies:
New at #1 this week is Weapons with a solid 42.5 million. As we come to the end of Summer, horror tends to do well during this time. 2nd weekend will be a big tell on how this movie will hold up and do. New at #2 is Freakier Friday with 29 mil and not a bad number but not great. A little below expectations but they weren't that high to begin with. Drop down to #3 is The Fantastic Four: First Steps with 15.5 mil more and this will stay in the 300 mil range. Also dropping down to #4 is The Bad Guys 2 with 10.4 mil extra and this is unlikely to hit the 100 mil mark. Rounding off top 5 and also dropping is The Naked Gun with 8.4 mil and also not going to hit 100 mil despite it's promotions and mostly positive reviews.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week coming in dead last (barely) at #10 is Sketch with 2.5 mil on a wide-release pattern. Per screen average is very low and will be losing those screens fast.
Quote of the week:
"No legacy is so rich as honestly." - William Shakespeare
Facts & Tips:
"I am" is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.
"I'm sorry but first class is overbooked, but there is plenty of room to stretch out in coach which is only half-full. For the convenience we would like to offer you this travel voucher which is good on any date for any South Pacific Airlines flight." - Julianna Margulies as Claire Miller on Snakes on a Plane.
Parking is hard.
Weekly Update:
Been driving to an office this past week and I've noticed this one car (a Tesla of course) backing up into a parking spot that clearly has a sign that says "No Backing Up Parking" and you know these cars have rear-view cameras. But for the 3 or 4 days I was parking there, every single day it was backed-up into the no back up spot... are these garages not parking enforced, which clearly that is the case. I also wonder what makes the difference if a car is backed up or not too? Not all the spaces in the garage have that sign, only specific ones that are on a railing vs a concrete wall, does the railing make the difference? If cars back-up to far does it risk damaging the railing were as a wall would damage the car instead? I am not sure what the big difference is but the sign is there and there is a little civic code on it as well. So this driver is just a jerk but I find most Tesla drivers are (yes, I am generalizing but it's kind of true).
At the movies:
Holding on to #1 for a 2nd weekend is The Fantastic Four: First Steps with an extra 40 million and now just inches from 200 mil cume. Sizeable drop from week 1 but still enough to keep it #1. New at #2 is The Bad Guys 2 with 22 mil for it's debut and a fair number as we come to the end of the Summer season soon. Also new at #3 is The Naked Gun with 17 mil and this is a very below expectations number despite the amount of promotion the two main leads have been doing. Hanging to #4 is Superman with 13.9 mil as it now crosses the 300 mil mark but likely not go much further. Rounding off the top 5 is Jurassic World: Rebirth with 8.7 mil and also past the 300 mil mark and will end there.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week coming in at #6 is Together with 6.8 mil and not a bad number for this type of film during this time of year. Probably should have waited till next month.
Quote of the week:
"If we open a quarrel between past and present, we shall find that we have lost the future." - Winston Churchill
Facts & Tips:
Ants take rest for around 8 minutes in 12-hour period.
"You want the truth? You can't handle the truth. No truth-handler, you. Bah! I deride your truth-handling abilities!" - Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob in the TV series The Simpsons.
yum yum dim sum
Weekly Update:
Lately there have been quiet a few visitors coming to So Cali and with more still to come! I've been pretty busy hanging out, picking folks up, dropping others off and then just the normal day-to-day stuff, I'm tired. But recently it was a co-worker and his wife but then over-lapping that was my neighbor's family and then on top of that another friend from Florida and their family. But wait, there is more! So in a couple of weeks another co-worker from Florida will arrive and the day they leave, another co-worker arrives! Then in September another co-worker arrives and then later on in that month, another friend. So far, I have an break in October but then in November, another co-worker is visiting (who I haven't in person yet). I wonder if anyone will plan something for December! It is a revolving door of visitors here!
At the movies:
New at #1 this weekend is The Fantastic Four: First Steps with a solid 118 million to open. Word-of-mouth is fair on this one and 2nd week will definitely tell us more. Drop down to #2 is Superman with 24.9 mil as it quickly approaches 300 mil for domestic cume and should get it end of this week. Holding ground at #3 is Jurassic World: Rebirth with 13 mil as it just barely crosses the 300 mil mark. Hanging on to #4 is F1: The Movie as it earns 6.2 mil extra and continues to race along for another week. Rounding off the top 5 is Smurfs with 5.4 mil and this will probably vanish after this week.
Quote of the week:
"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock." - Will Rogers
Facts & Tips:
The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
In '89, our leadership knew that American submarines were
testing the limits of Chinese territorial waters. We laid mines all along the
coast. Figuring if one of our subs hit a mine, it would be forced to surface
and America would be forced to admit they violated Chinese waters. We'd hold
your crew for a few weeks as a show of outrage But really we would be tearing
your submarine apart and stealing all the technology. In fairness, it's a good
plan. Except we didn't account for the weather. One bad storm, and over 50
mines broke free and drifted out into the open ocean directly towards your war
games. One of those mines sank the "Tampa." And if the currents had
been stronger, they would have drifted toward your fleet and started World War
III. We got lucky in '89, Magic. Let's hope that never happens again. - Kelvin Yee Han as Liu Wei in Quantum Leap (2023).
Which half??
On Saturday I went to the OC Fair! I have not been since pre-Covid and even longer before that. I just lost interest in going but I had some friends from out-of-town in and thought it might be fun to go again. It was fun but everything was still expensive. I guess you kind of expect that when going to something like this. They have the regular stuff you see at the fair; rides, games, animals and of course the food. I would never trust going on a ride at the fair. Those rickety things and you can hear the screeching and metal sounds when they are going or being idle! Nope, no thank you! Games are ok, designed for you to lose more money than what you can get in prizes and I honestly do not need anymore things. Animals are fun to see but I didn't see a lot of them. The ones I did see, they kept repeating in each barn. Goats in one and goats in another and the more goats... ok, I saw the goats already so why am I seeing them again? Now the foods... prices were crazy but they are still good. Always have to get the funnel cake and I felt like they were almost double the thickness since I last went. This felt like the best value to me, worst value with the brisket sandwich. It was just over $20 for a regular sized sandwich. It was good but come on, make it a combo for that price. Overall had a fun time but just have to be prepared to spend a lot of money. Definitely something you only do once a year or maybe every other year unless they lower some pricing. Maybe $10 a ticket instead of $15 if you order in advance and $15 at the window. Parking maybe start at $10 (instead of $15) and go up from there. Just make some element a bit less so the other stuff feels better.
Do you typically get a bagel, cut it in half and toast it or at least cut in half, maybe put a spread or just butter on it and enjoy? And then did you think oh, I got an everything bagel or an asiago bagel to then realize wait... I got one everything (or asiago) and one plain bagel? When you cut it in half, all the seasoning or toppings is just on one side. Why is that, why don't they put the seasoning on both ends? Not a huge deal but I get a bagel for the seasoning (unless of course it's plain then it doesn't matter) but if I eat the half with the everything seasoning on it, then the next bagel half is plain. Same with a jalapeno bagel or the asiago one... I now feel like I am paying full price for half a bagel (at least the kind I wanted) so in theory I am getting one plain and one whatever the topping is. Now there is another interesting thing, toppings... with bagels they don't say toppings, just say what it is. I guess if they say a topped everything bagel that would be different but, they don't. I think bagels should be 75% less expensive now if you get one with a topping, just saying.
At the movies:
Keeping it's spot at #1 for a 2nd weekend is Superman with another 57.3 million and now over 200 mil. On a steady track to hit 300 mil in no time. Also holding on to #2 is Jurassic World Rebirth with 23.4 mil extra and closing in on 300 mil, should be there probably by end of next weekend. New at #3 is I Know What You Did Last Summer with 13 mil and not a great number, will probably fade out quickly. Also new at #4 is Smurfs with only 11 mil and this franchise seems to be tapped out. Holding at #5 is F1 The Movie with another 9.6 mil and quickly coming to the finish line under 200 mil.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week at #7 is Eddington earning only 4.3 mil and on a wide release pattern.
Quote of the week:
"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." - Confucius
Facts & Tips:
Hot water will turn into ice faster than cold water.
"It is the labor that makes us who we are, not the fruit that it yields." - Abraham Benrubi as Arlo in the TV series Once Upon a Time.
