Monday, June 24, 2019

Our nice cloud covered continued to stick around, I thought I even felt a little drizzle here and there a couple of times.  Still no full fledged rain even though the forecast did call for some, lies!  But again most of the day had clouds like last week and then later broke up and very sunny in fact.  Yet it still remained cool which was nice but not as cold as the previous week.  I had the window open a couple of times at night.  Did get chilly but not cold so again, nice!  Still wondering how long this will last and hope it continues ... I can live with this!  You know it is close to San Francisco weather but now I wonder if they are way colder up there if we are colder down here?  That would be kind of nice actually we started getting their weather year round because it is generally nice and cool!

 Weekly Update:
This past Friday I made a trip back to ... Batuu!  The new land at Disneyland for Star Wars Galaxy Edge.  This was my third trip there as the first time was to test the new ride, 2nd time was a preview and this one was sort of  a fluke and ended up going again.  But this time I was determined to the light-saber experience at Savi's and now I have a light-saber.  These are crazy because they are completely metal.  The technology inside this thing is pretty intense and you can change the color of the blade (which also detaches) but they were out of extra crystals.  So will have to go back and get them at a later time.  It is truly an amazing and immersed place!

 At the movies:
No surprise at the box office as Toy Story 4 takes the crown with 118 million to open.  Overall on target but among industry projections it under performed. The big tell will be this coming weekend and how much of a drop it suffers.  In at #2 is Child's Play with 14.1 mil and also right on expectations.  Not a lot on this film so could be left outside in the rain.  Drop down to #3 is "Aladdin" with another 12.2 mil as it continues to slowly reach 300 mil cume but should get it without problem.  Bigger drop to #4 is "Men in Black International" with 10.8 mil as it quickly goes down.  Rounding off the top 5 is "The Secret Life of Pets 2" with 10.3 mil as it surpasses the 100 mil cume mark.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week as Anna comes in at #11 with only 3.5 mil to open.  Oddly enough not surprising.

Quote of the week:
"That which does not kill us makes us stronger." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Facts & Tips:
One ounce of gold can be stretched into a thin wire measuring 50 miles.

"I want to apologize. I'm not even confident on which end that came out of." - Melissa McCarthy as Megan in "Bridesmaids."

posted by McDuck @ 01:51 0 comments

Monday, June 17, 2019

Still cool with a side of extra clouds!  The weather continues to baffle me but I am not complaining.  Lot of heavy clouds this week but not a drop of rain that I am aware of.  It does clear up later in the day but it is very unseasonably cold ... I still think a big heat wave will hit us and be in the 100's for days if not weeks!  How long can our luck hold out?!  If this is our Summer, I would be so lucky and it could translate to an a nice super cold Winter which is what I like.  The Summer has only just begun though so time will tell.

 Weekly Update:
So I discovered a fire sprinkler in the house that looked like some rust was on it and part of the ceiling around it was peeling, a leak?  Had to call a company out to check on it because it is extremely specialized.  Turns out there was a hair-line crack in the metal coupling so it had to be replaced along with the rusted sprinkler and that was a big chunk of change!  Then I was wondering, are they worth having because if there was a fire then everything would get damaged by the water in this case.  It really is a no win situation in this scenario to be honest.  If not the fire then the water.  If not the water from the sprinkler, then probably the water from the fire department.
At the movies:
Soft weekend as it is Father's Day today but no one taking pops to the movies.  New at #1 is Men in Black International with 28.5 million to open.  Below expectations but at the same time nothing surprising.  Down to #2 is "The Secret Life of Pets 2" with another 23.8 mil and just shy of 100 mil cume.  Down to #3 is "Aladdin" with an extra 16.7 mil as it gets a bit closer to 300 mil cume.  Big drop to #4 is "Dark Phoenix" with 9 mil more as it now hits 50 mil domestic cume.  Rounding off the top 5 is "Rocketman" with another 8.8 mil.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
Two this week as Shaft comes in at #6 with only 8.3 mil and below all expectations.  Expanding wide was Late Night at #9 with 5.1 mil and everyone went to sleep already.

Quote of the week:
"To find out what one is fitted to do, and to secure an opportunity to do it, is the key to happiness." - John Dewey

Facts & Tips:
The first typewriter was called the "literary piano."

"These are the rules. Everybody fights, nobody quits.  If you don't do your job I'll kill you myself.  Welcome to the Roughnecks!" - Casper Van Dien as Johnny Rico in "Starship Troopers."

posted by McDuck @ 01:48 0 comments

Monday, June 10, 2019

Heating up ahead!  Future temps show us about to hit the 90s?!  We go from 60 to 90's in just a day or two?  This coming week it is supposed to get a bit hotter as well.  Is this the turning point that was supposed to occur over a month ago?  I was hoping for more of a gradual change then just an instant 30 degree spike.  Usually with these drastic changes, may cause the earth to shake below us!  Hope that doesn't happen either!  Our weather ... just so uncommon and unpredictable these days.  Some slight consistency would be nice, just one and while please.

 Weekly Update:
The other day I was at Costco going up the down the aisles, seeing if I can spot anything I might need that is on sale.  I turn the corner to one aisle and this lady starts a facetime conversation with someone but with no headset or earphones of any kind.  Of course they are yelling into the phone and everyone can hear their conversation at least with 50 feet because it echoes so much in there between the hard floors and concrete walls.  But even if it wasn't there, why would you do that with all those people around and not only disturb them but then have everyone listen to your conversation because it is so loud you can't avoid it!

 At the movies:
Big surprises at the box offices in terms of grosses ... the Summer is not hitting it off with a bang.  New at #1 is The Secret Life of Pets 2 with a sad opening of 47.1 million.  Falling way short from its predecessor by nearly half!  Unsure how this will carry through in the next couple of weeks.  New at #2 is Dark Phoenix with only 33 mil, well below all expectations.  This is the second film under the new Disney-Fox regime and so far not doing well.  This film will struggle to reach 100 mil cume.  Another drop to #3 is "Aladdin" with 24.5 mil but now has hit the 200 mil mark which is good.  But the magic of the lamp may be all out now.  Bigger drop to #4 is "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" with 15.5 mil and it also struggles to reach 100 mil cume.  Rounding off the top 5 is "Rocketman" with another 14 mil.

 Quote of the week:
"If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun." - Katharine Hepburn

 Facts & Tips:
The only cactus plantation in the world is in Mississippi.

 "Wait, I need to smell him ... " - Leslie Mann as Scarlett O'Donnell in "17 Again."

posted by McDuck @ 00:32 0 comments

Monday, June 03, 2019

Another very cold and cloudy week. Thought some rain may come our way, we did get some but it lasted very briefly.  When I say briefly, talking a few minutes (or so it feels like).  But if anything, it still remains cool to cold and I like it.  I like to bundle up and warm up in the covers.  Now if I can just spend more time in the covers, that would be most excellent!  Now, bring the rain please so it will make it complete for the cloudy weather, cold weather and under the covers.  Oh wait, this is our Winter!  So we are more than halfway there to this.

 Weekly Update:
So, I discovered the light-sabers from the new Disneyland land are AMAZING.  I am not one for these kind of things but after holding one and feeling it, I kind of want one now.  They are all metal and have such a weight that it feels like an actual weapon.  The technology behind it and in it is nothing I have seen before.  The changing of the crystal and it changes the color of the blade.  The blade being detachable so you can just have the hilt.  And if you try to use it without the blade it makes a short-out sound.  How the light of the blade moves up and down depending if you turn it on or off.  The overall quality is just nothing I have seen before in other light-sabers before.

 At the movies:
A big roar at the box office as Godzilla: King of the Monsters takes the crown at #1 with a 49 million opening.  Short of expectations but still a good number overall to carry it a few more weeks.  Big drop to #2 is "Aladdin" with 42.3 mil and closing in at 200 mil cume, should get that for next week.  New at #3 is Rocketman with 25 mil to open, below expectations but a worthy film for a possible award contender this year.  New at #4 is Ma with 18.3 mil to open and almost right on target.  Rounding off the top 5 is "John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum" with another 11.1 mil as it slowly wraps up its Summer.

 Quote of the week:
"Words are but pictures of our thoughts." - John Dryden

 Facts & Tips:
You are always looking at your nose; your brain just chooses to ignore it.

 "What a piece of junk!" - Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope."

posted by McDuck @ 04:05 0 comments