Monday, November 28, 2022

Thanksgiving Edition

This past Thursday was Thanksgiving and it used to be a fun and memorable (in a good way) time.  But honestly, this year I have zero to be thankful for so it is not fun but very memorable in a very negative way.  All of 2022 has probably been the worst year of my life and I don't see 2023 being any better to be honest as we quickly head over into it. What would make this Thanksgiving complete is a nice big old burnt turkey and mashed potatoes (also burned) then I can 1000% claim this to be worst year ever in history of my life.  But also no invites any where so I will just make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead... WAIT, forgot, I don't have bread!  Well, I guess it's all par for the course as they say.

Weekly Update:
Do you ever tell yourself that you will never go to someplace again because of xyz reason?  It can be a sever impact or a reason to your life or something very trivial but how often do you keep that promise or your word?  I can honestly say I have kept mine for all the places I said I would never go to again (thus so far in my life) or the more common patronize like a restaurant or location due to poor or bad service and your concerns simply fell on deaf ears.  There is a kind of advantage to that though because say it's a destination like a state or country, if you never go again you will have saved yourself that much time and money for not visiting.  Suppose those resources can be better allocated to a different place but right now why go any where and just stay at home and do nothing?  It's cheap, easy and you know the layout already.  Yeah, that sounds good right now, go no where and do nothing.

At the movies:
Third straight week, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever continues to reign supreme at the box office with an extra 45.9 million, a below-average drop of only 31% and just shy of 350 mil cume for domestic.  No doubt will get that in the 1st Monday matinee shows and onward to 400!  New at #2 is Strange World with 11.9 mil (18.6 if you include Thanksgiving) and a fair opening with a weak per screen average.  Also new at #3 is Devotion with 6 mil (9 mil) and this will do better in the after-markets. Dropping down to #4 is The Menu with another 5.2 mil and not a bad overall run for this specialty film. Rounding off the top 5 is Black Adam with 3.4 mil extra and this one is quickly tapping out.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week as Bones and All opens at #7 with 2.2 mil (3.7 mil) and all bones, nothing all.

Quote of the week:
"One that would have the fruit must climb the tree." - Thomas Fuller

Facts & Tips:
A species of moth has the best hearing in the world.

"It's bigger than our apartment on 72nd." - Mireille Enos as Karin Lane in World War Z.

posted by McDuck @ 02:00 0 comments

Monday, November 21, 2022

Heat in the AM, AC in the PM??

Up and down, up and down... the weather makes no sense anymore and there are no more seasons here (sad face).  So the weather has been very polarizing (no pun intended) in that in the morning, it is 50 degrees and the heater goes on automatically.  Then it jumps up to 80 in the afternoon and the AC could trigger!  I'm glad I have a Nest so I can control it from my phone and not run up and down the stairs all the time.  I don't understand these settings and I've tried to adjust them but then I guess it's different for each hour, to each day, to each week to each month of the year.  I just want a blanket setting and if there is one, I haven't found it yet.  But again, glad I have control from my phone.  I wish my whole house was automated like this where I can control the lights, garage, doors even (windows) through my phone or an app.  I have heard of things like this but also not sure if there is one that can control it all or if it's separate devices and apps.  That seems like too much if it is.

Weekly Update:
So I have some calluses on my feet, I'm sure most people do and I am trying this new lotion to see if it helps softens them up.  I did the pads and that thing that sort of sands them down but so far they don't really seem too effective.  Hopefully this lotion helps, if not get rid of them but softens them a little.  I did try one pad and that helped for when walking around a lot but not really heal them, just prevented soreness and making them worse.  So, I hope this new lotion does the trick or at least a little bit and I can combo it with the pads to prevent further harm to me feet (picture is not my feet, random google image).  I've also heard that bath salts and soaking in water helps but then... I have to get a bucket of water to put my feet in and that feels like wasting water.

At the movies:
No big surprise as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever keeps the box office crown for week #2 with another 67.3 million.  It is a sizeable drop (over 60%) but now it is very close to 300 mil domestic cume and should get that by the end of this week.  New at #2 is The Menu with a distant 9 mil to open and we are in full swing for award-season.  Also new at #3 is The Chosen Season 3 with 8.2 mil and this was more of an event than a film run so holdovers won't be strong.  Big drop to #4 is Black Adam with 4.5 mil more as it quickly fades out.  Rounding off the top 5 is Ticket to Paradise with another 3.2 mil and also fading out.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
Two this week but one was in limited runs.  At #6, She Said with 2.3 mil to open and this may do better on streaming.  And new at #9 with a very limited run is Drishyam 2 with 1 mil, if it had a good per screen average it would mean something but unfortunately... it did not.

Quote of the week:
"Wise sayings often fall on barren ground, but a kind word is never thrown away." - Arthur Helps

Facts & Tips:
The longest alphabet has 74 letters.

"um traffic was so bad all the way from Philly, I thought I missed you." - Emma Fitzpatrick as Hannah in Before We Go.

posted by McDuck @ 00:30 0 comments

Monday, November 14, 2022

brrrrr it's cold here!

Well... the rain came and went which is sad with no forecast of us having anymore for now.  But, it is freezing which is nice as it finally feels like winter!!  I would say now the hottest it has gotten is maybe low 70's but the average seems to be just high 60's.  I love this weather because there is a nice crispness in the air all the time due to the cold.  It feels fresh and like the winters I grew up with in SoCali. Maybe I can use the fireplace but honestly I do not get a lot of heat from that and it just looks nice but at the same time uses up gas as it's not a traditional wood burning one.  I guess on that plus side I don't have to worry about cleaning it all the time and the soot and ash it creates each time.  So it's a clean fire?  I have started running the heat a couple of times at night which feels odd since just like a week or two ago I was running the AC!  BUT, my electric bill should drastically drop as long as it stays cold!

Weekly Update:
I've had to do some errands that took me all over town and noticed that traffic seems to be fully back since early 2020.  Roads, freeways, side-streets and parking lots all crazy with cars again.  It was so nice during lockdown when there was hardly any cars and going from point A to B would take 5 minutes is now taking back up to 50 minutes.  It was nice while it lasted I suppose but now more gas will be used due to traffic, more smog produced and more headaches for everyone.  I thought we figured out how to work from home yet everyone is back to commuting.  Have we learned nothing on how to save energy and the planet with using less resources and saving?  I guess we haven't... we are a very sad and disappointing species.

At the movies:
Long live the king... taking the weekend by storm (but no big surprise) is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever earning a hefty 180 million.  Slightly below expectations but a huge number all the same.  It will be interesting to see the drop-off from week 1 to 2 and how that will play for the rest of the year.  At a very distant #2 is Black Adam with 8.6 mil more as it hits the 150 mil mark and quickly losing steam.  Holding ground at #3 is Ticket to Paradise with another 6.1 mil and doing fairly well for this little film.  Coming back up in the charts at #4 is Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile with 3.2 mil but not making a whole lot of green.  Rounding off the top 5 and another one going back up in the ranks is Smile with 2.3 mil extra as it now just hit the 100 mil cume mark for domestic box office.

Quote of the week:
"The way to get things done is not to mind who gets the credit for doing them." - Benjamin Lowett

Facts & Tips:
A man once ate an entire airplane- it took him 2 years.

"Brave is going where no man has gone before." - Helen McCrory as Polly Gray in the series Peaky Blinders.

posted by McDuck @ 01:30 0 comments

Monday, November 07, 2022

Winter is here!!!

Wow talk about massive shift in weather change!  The cold has arrived but will it stay?  I hope so because we need a winter and we got a night of rain which was great.  More rain is due this coming week but I hope this is a sign of a "wet" Winter.  Our winter-season is generally just rain but the last couple of years have been very dry with little or no rain.  So with rain coming this early, I hope it just simply continues for the rest of the season. I miss our winter's in SoCali which is just simply rain but man... we have been so dry for at least a decade if not longer... please rain dancers, do your thing this year so we can just refill our reservoirs back up! Oh but this would also mean snow on the mountains which will turn into an additional water supply in the spring and summer.  See, rain is so important to us in many many ways!

Weekly Update:
I visited the parks (Disneyland, California Adventure) a couple of times this past week.  It was packed!  I definitely didn't feel comfortable and I forgot to bring my mask with me but tried to avoid as many people as I could.  I heard China is super strict right now as they are trying to eliminate Covid and all variants completely where as here, we seem to think it's all fine now.  I am fine with no masks but we should still have capacity restrictions for safety of not just either but the cast who work there and almost have to interact with so many people directly and face-to-face.  But since I have been back been take some precautions just in case with some vitamin C and Tylenol plus the fact it's been freezing here as well which could lower my immune system a bit.

At the movies:
After a 3rd week at #1 (and final week at this spot), Black Adam earns an extra 18.5 million and as reached just over 130 mil cume domestic.  After this week it will significantly drop but it had a fair run while it lasted. New at #2 is One Piece Film: Red earning 9.5 mil, these random anime showing up make a fair splash at the box office and then disappear quickly.  But the thing is, it doesn't matter and it's just extra money for them as these are more-or-less re-releases from Japan dubbed in English or subtitled. Slight drop to #3 is Ticket to Paradise with 8.5 as this quickly wraps up as well.  Holding ground at #4 is Smile with 4 mil and JUST shy of 100 mil cume.  It should get that by tomorrow end-of-day.  Drop down to #5 is Prey for the Devil with 3.9 mil more and wraps up this little film that came and went.

Quote of the week:
I don't want to be interesting.  I want to be good" - Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Facts & Tips:
Eleveness is a break for light refreshments taken at 11AM in England

"Can we stop calling it 'walking through a door' because for me I feel it's more like sliding past a drape." - Max Greenfield as Schmidt in the TV series New Girl.

posted by McDuck @ 01:30 0 comments