Monday, February 26, 2018

What the freeze!!!??  So this past week it was FREEZING and not just at night but during the day!  This felt like our true winter weather but ... in late February.  It was nice in that I could wear my jackets because I do have a lot of them but no reason to wear them!  Till now, both days and nights were extremely cold.  Had to run the heater on pretty much nightly and kept the windows all closed most of the time during the day.  But because I work upstairs, and heat rises, on occasion had to crack open a window to get some kind of coolness as it got hot fast.  But wow, during the day it got to be around 50 degrees ... that is so cold for Southern California and at night in the 40's so not that much colder.  If we had rain, that would be interesting as I wonder if anything would ice up or maybe a little hail?  I just don't remember it ever being this cold in February before and hope the trend continues ... as I always say its easier to warm up than to cool down!

 Weekly Update:
I find myself taking very short naps during lunch ... usually two to three 10 minute naps.  Why 10 minutes and not 20 or 30?  Well, I would rather rest for 10, get woken up and take another 10.  I'm afraid if I take a longer one then it might put me in a deeper sleep at that point and I have slept through an alarm before only to realize it any where from a minute to much later it has been going on.  I know it is probably not enough sleep time because you may burn 1 to 2 minutes falling asleep but it feels enough if I get two of them in.  Once I did sleep past that 10 minute time frame so if it had been any longer, could have been dangerous.  I think 10 minutes for me is that sweet spot for a quick nap.

 At the movies:
Wakanda Forever is true for at least another week as "Black Panther" earns top honors with an additional 108.1 million!  Now at 400 mil domestic cume, on track to be over 600 at this pace.  Reviews continue to be strong and word-of-mouth leads the way.  New at #2 is Game Night with 16.6 mil to open, right as expected as well.  A fair number but given what it was up against, it didn't get to collect $200 or scream Yahtzee!  Holding ground at #3 is "Peter Rabbit" with 12.6 mil more as it limps its way trying to reach 100 mil cume, may not make it. New at #4 is Annihilation with 11 mil and just a tad below expectations.  Rounding off the top 5 is "Fifty Shades Freed" with another 6.9 mil and will fall short of 100 mil cume.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week as "Every Day" earning only 3.1 mil and no surprises with that number.

 Quote of the week:
"I believe in being an innovator." - Walt Disney

 Facts & Tips:
South Carolina is home to the first tea farm in the U.S.

 "I like my women like I like my wine, red and full of alcohol." - Wilmer Valderrama as Fez in the TV show "That 70's Show."

posted by McDuck @ 06:53 0 comments

Monday, February 19, 2018

Where is my rain?!  The report said it was suppose to rain on Monday and then through the week.  I think we got maybe 20 minutes and that was it.  How can they call for 3 to 4 days of rain and get it completely wrong that badly??  I can understand if it was one day maybe but then get hardly none but seriously ... that much with nothing ... that is like picking a number between 1 and 100 and you pick 103.  Our science kind of sucks that we can't get something like that right or just a bit more closer to what it will be ... 4 days of rain and reality get 20 minutes ... just so bad!!!  So far off and kind of messes up planning a bit.  Get it right people!  Ridiculous I say!
Weekly Update:
So on Thursday night had a fun little event that I helped out with the 2nd year in a row.  It is Minnie's Moonlight Madness that took placed in Disney's California Adventure.  over 100 teams of 4 tied together went through the park trying to answer clues for points.  As they finished one task, they would get another one and then another.  The event is 2 hours from when they are released into the park and its just utter mayhem and fun. Money raised for the event goes to a local charity too.  I helped at one of the clue stations and the whole theme this year was musicals.  A fun time for a great cause and hanging out with friends and co-workers.

 At the movies:
No surprise here as Black Panther leaps to #1 with a 192 million open, above all expectations.  Despite attempts to sabotage people from seeing the movie from fake claims of assaults to fake reviews, this movie has set a new bar on so many different levels.  On track to potentially reach half a billion domestic, the repeat business will let us know this coming week!  Slight drop in numbers at #2 is "Peter Rabbit" with another 17.3 mil and still hopping along.  Drop down to #3 is "Fifty Shades Freed" earning another 16.9 mil as this one will go limp fast.  Holding on to #4 is "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" with 8 mil as it tries to climb up to 400 mil but may fall short.  Rounding off the top 5 is "The 15:17 to Paris" with 7.7 mil as we watch this one depart the station.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
Two this week with no real surprises here.  Up first at #7 is Early Man with 3.2 mil, well below expectations as it couldn't pull away from the rabbit crowd.  All the way down to #10 is Samson with 2 mil and exactly on predictions for this one.

 Quote of the week:
"Because of a great love, one is courageous." - Lao Tzu

 Facts & Tips:
The shortest professional baseball player was 3 feet, 7 inches tall.

 "When we're kids, before we're taught how to think or what to believe, our hearts tell us there is something else out there. I know what I saw. You tell me what I'm supposed to believe." - Rosario Dawson as Laura Vasquez in "Men in Black II."

posted by McDuck @ 01:36 0 comments

Monday, February 12, 2018

It sure has been a very long week ... cold nights are awesome but no rain is not.  Lot of time working, so much OT actually but I enjoy it.  I mean it keeps me active and busy on top of earning money while doing it.  I realized on my day off all I do mostly is sleep because I am catching up on it!  I did try to do some house stuff like cement work and boy my legs and fingers were so sore.  I used my hand to mix it since it was small amounts of concrete but bending a lot and some lifting, the back of my legs were strained.  I still need to do more but I ran out of materials so will have to figure out how much to get because the area I was working on is about 70% filled or done.

 Weekly Update:
Last Monday night I went to this HBO show premier for "Here and Now," which is coming ... this week I think.  The event was nice and the food was amazing!  Nice big shrimp and a donut station!  The appetizers were so delicious and the Caesar Salad so tasty.  I think it is a little sad that the best thing about the event was the food.  The show, I didn't connect with it at all and in fact found it extremely boring.  Trying to be a drama with some freaky numerology twist but ... just didn't work.  Played on all the current stereotypes of a mixed-marriage family, gay child, Asian doctor and the teen angst with parents who are what you would expect.  It may go a few seasons probably but just wasn't my type of show ... but I did love the food!

 At the movies:
A new #1 finally shows up as Fifty Shades Freed opens to a decent 38.8 million.  Slightly above expectations and the question is will this carry on a bit.  Historically speaking it will not and may suffer a deep drop next week.  Also new at #2 is Peter Rabbit with 25 mil to open and almost on target for that one.  Fair word-of-mouth and could get it to 100 mil.  New at #3 is The 15:17 to Paris with 12.6 mil and just about were it was expected.  Quick burn out on this one.  Drop down to #4 is "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" with another 9.8 mil as this film keeps hacking away trying to get to 400 mil but will come up a bit short.  Rounding off the top 5 is "The Greatest Showman" with another 6.4 mil as it continues its Oscar hunt.

 Quote of the week:
"Do exactly what you would do if you felt secure." - Meister Eckhart

 Facts & Tips:
Before 1859, baseball umpires sat behind home plate in rocking chairs.

 "Uh, uh, uh. So basically what you're saying is, I'm the only person in this room who's not having sex with one of you." - Jodi Long as Judge Marcia Phelps in the TV series "Eli Stone."

posted by McDuck @ 01:31 0 comments

Monday, February 05, 2018

Groundhog Day Edition

 On this past Friday, it was Groundhog Day which Punxsutawney Phil tells us the weather for the next 6 weeks.  By his prediction we will have 6 more weeks of it but I would be happy with just one!!  Or just a weekend of Winter?  I will take a weekend of Winter please, that would be nice.  So if they carry Phil out of his chubby, how does he even have time to see his shadow to react to it?  I mean I don't think there is a light inside that tree stump and if there was, its not natural light ... I think this thing is fake.

 Weekly Update:
You know what is funny ... so the other day I was putting a letter into one of those pull down mailboxes and once I opened it, put the letter in and closed it ... I had the instinct to open it again to see if the letter fell in (despite me hearing it slide).  So then later, I had to drop off a padded envelope, same mailbox and did the same thing.  Still hear it slide down and even drop but I still wanted to re-open to make sure it wasn't there.  I wonder if others do this and looking back I think I do this all the time.  Even when I hear it slide and drop and hit the bottom, I have to check to make sure its gone.  This has to be some kind of weird condition which I have.  Makingsureitsgoneitus?

 At the movies:
Making its way back to #1 is "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" earning another 11 million and now just past 350 mil cume.  Still won't make 400 mil but great numbers for this film.  Drop down to #2 is "Maze Runner: The Death Cure" with 10.2 mil as this race is almost over.  New at #3 is Winchester with 9.3 mil and pretty much expected, in fact a bit higher than thought.  Holding ground at #4 "The Greatest Showman" with another 7.8 mil as it continues its award run.  Rounding off the top 5 is "Hostiles" with 5.5 mil and likely the last we will see of it.

 Quote of the week:
"The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness." - Dalai Lama

 Facts & Tips:
In India, mango leaves are used to celebrate the birth of a boy.

 "Ned... Ryerson. "Needlenose Ned"? "Ned the Head"? C'mon, buddy. Case Western High. I did the whistling belly-button trick at the high school talent show? Bing!  Got the shingles real bad senior year, almost didn't graduate? Bing, again. I dated your sister Mary Pat a couple times until you told me not to anymore? Well?" - Stephen Tobolowsky as Ned in "Groundhog Day."

posted by McDuck @ 04:42 0 comments