Monday, February 27, 2023

You call that rain?!

So, we got rain this past week but I have to say it was EXTREMELY underwhelming.  Forecast reported HEAVY rain for days and what we got was kind of pathetic.  It probably rained a total of a 20 mins here, 20 mins there, a lot of sun coming out, the ground would get wet and then dry up again.  It didn't rain as expected, I mean it did rain but the down pours were just... not there.  We need so much more rain, much more and what we are getting is just simply not enough.  The forecast was probably only 20% of what we were supposed to get.  I did hear other areas got snow and hail which is great but SoCali was expecting so much more that it is getting worrisome.

Weekly Update:
I went to Amazon Fresh again (the grocery store) but I go every week to get bananas there as it's the cheapest I have found for the quality.  I know I have mentioned this before but the ratio of employees to shoppers is about (from my best guess)... 5 to 1.  So for every shopper, there is 5 employees going up and down the aisles with their cards fulfilling orders.  They are so concentrated on their job of picking out items, no one ever says hi or hello to you.  Or even offers to help you.  I know they are doing a job but I guess customer service isn't one of them.  I mean, I've been dozen of times and maybe 2 people acknowledge you... IF there is a greeter at the door they say hi or welcome.  And then you will pass by 10 to 15 other employees then at the very end the person at the register will say hello, maybe.  Store is very clean, A+ there.  Selection is good, also an A.  Pricing is HIGH on most stuff so D- there overall.  Technology, not impressed so a B on that. But customer service big F.

At the movies:
Holding ground at #1 is Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania with another 32.2 million but suffered a tremendous 70% dip.  However, that doesn't take into account that last weekend was a holiday so that will contribute in that difference.  On it's way to 200 mil and should get there within the next 2 weeks.  New at #2 is Cocaine Bear with 23.1 mil to open.  A very solid  number for a non-holiday time frame.  New at #3 is Jesus Revolution with 15.5 mil and this will likely burn out fast however will do very well in the after-markets.  Drop down to #4 is Avatar: The Way of Water  with 4.7 mil and this well will dry up soon, failing to reach that 1 billion milestone it's predecessor did by a huge margin.  Rounding off the top 5 is Puss in Boots: The Last Wish with 4.1 mil extra and this is also running out of steam but still a good overall box office.

Quote of the week:
"The eternal quest of the individual human being is to shatter his loneliness." - Norman Cousins

Facts & Tips:
Folklore states that if you split a double strawberry in half and share it with the opposite sex, you'll soon fall in love.

"I don't know, man, maybe like rabies or whatever. I don't think the motherfucker was gonna grow claws and teeth and shit." - Joe Anderson as Flannery in The Grey.

posted by McDuck @ 01:30 0 comments

Monday, February 20, 2023

All night long...

Monday was a VERY tiring day... I helped and participated in the annual Minnie's Moonlit Madness event at Disney's California Adventure!  I'm part of the Clue Crew, where we develop and make all the clues and tasks the participants have to work though.  My day started at the park at 11AM for some lunch and to check out some areas, the actual event started around 10PM and I got home just after 2:30AM Tuesday.  What is crazy is I worked that same day at 6A but it was fine.  My voice was gone though because it was about 30 degrees that night and I was talking through the event giving directions to tasks and such.  I was tired and I must have walked at least a couple of miles circling the park a few times.  But it looked as if all had a good time, some money was raised for a local Museum and another event done!

Weekly Update:
This whole last week has been so off for me and tiring but I think it's all because of the event on Monday.  Been struggling with this really dry cough but at least my voice eventually came back after a day or two.  But this lingering cough so annoying.  But also my whole week is just off and it feels like I can never keep up... but then again that seems pretty normal for my life anyway.  But where is our RAIN!!  It is so dry still here I had some more nose bleeds going on.  Not as bad as last week but still happening.  But by the end of the week they have stopped... again hadn't had a nose bleed in years so maybe I was do.  We just need our Winter to happen, even if its later, just something... a week of rain, boom, SoCali Winter, done.  But we are bone dry over here people... global warming is real you all!

At the movies:
Crawling into #1 is Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania with a nice 104 million for it's debut.  Far exceeded expectations and showing a nice growth for the franchise.  The big tell though will be the 10-day box office and see how it carries.  Holding ground at #2 is Avatar: The Way of Water  with 6.1 mil more as it continues to drip it's way down but still did a big box office overall.  Drop down to #3 is Magic Mike's Last Dance with 5.5 mil as it will barely break 20 mil by the end of this coming week.  Climbing back up to #3 is Puss in Boots: The Last Wish with 5.3 mil as it also slowly comes to an end and won't hit that 200 mil mark.  Rounding off the top 5 and holding its place is Knock at the Cabin with 3.9 mil more and will finish off under 50 mil.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one as Marlowe comes in at #8 with only 2.7 mil to open and yet had a full wide release.

Quote of the week:
"There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt." - Erma Bombeck

Facts & Tips:
Strawberries taste sweeter at room temperature.

"She's so hot, she's making me sexist... bitch." - Bret McKenzie in Flight of the Conchords TV series.

posted by McDuck @ 00:00 0 comments

Monday, February 13, 2023

Chill out and wait

Go honk yourself!  Drivers out there are getting pretty rude lately and there is no reason for it.  So I was at a light waiting to make a right turn and it goes green but people entered the crosswalk so I waited for them to, well... cross!  It was night and the car behind me honks at me, um, I have to wait for people to cross you idiot.  There was no point in that honking as I knew it was green but I have to wait for pedestrians, it's that thing called the law.  Once the people got to the end of the cross walk, one guy looked at me and gave me a thumbs up as if he knew it wasn't me honking and saying thanks for waiting.  So many drivers lately are just simply rude.

Weekly Update:
It got so cold this past week AND so dry!  It was so dry, I got a bloody nose (after I blew my nose, it started to bleed).  Just because it gets cold doesn't mean moisture, quiet the opposite in fact.  And it's not the moisture in the air being frozen, it just simply does not exist.  But I did get a pretty good nose bleed on Sunday while doing some stuff and had to do the old stuff the tissue in the nostril for a bit to absorb and keep it clean trick.  It worked of course but I left it in the nose for a good 30 or so minutes before taking it out and it was covered.  But hey it at least it stopped it and now every so often when I blow my nose, I see dry blood so it could start up again, just have to be careful.  I can't remember when I had a bloody nose last time, but I can remember where... Vegas.  Las Vegas is generally so dry, I get a nose bleed every time I go within the first day or two.

At the movies:
A new #1 dances into the crown as Magic Mike's Last Dance earns a very low 8.2 million for it's debut.  Not a great number for this franchise but for this time or year, it is fair.  No doubt they were aiming for the female audience thinking they do not like sports (aka Super Bowl Sunday). Climbing back up to #2 is Avatar: The Way of Water with another 6.9 mil as it almost hits the 650 mil mark, maybe another day or two to reach that. Resurfacing at #3 is Titanic - 25 Year Anniversary with 6.4 mil and that is pretty much all profit at this point.  Drop down to #4 is 80 for Brady with 6 mil extra and not a bad drop in dollars.  Rounding off the top 5 and taking a big drop from #1 is Knock at the Cabin with 5.5 mil more and this one is one-and-done.

Quote of the week:
"Treasure your relationships, not your possessions." - Anthony J. D'Angelo

Facts & Tips:
Russia and the United States of America are less than 3 miles apart.

"Five hundred POUNDS of it!  C'mere c'mere c'mere, you're gonna LOVE this! A dash of perchloric acid, a smidgen of cobalt, a hint of hydrogen peroxide, SUPER HEATED TO FIVE HUNDRED KELVIN and... TDAAA! Pretty great, huh?" - Genesis Rodriquez as Honey Lemon in Big Hero 6.

posted by McDuck @ 00:30 0 comments

Monday, February 06, 2023

but is it Winter?

Groundhog Day Edition

Thursday was Groundhog Day and our friend, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and that indicates 6 more weeks of Winter.  What an amazing weather gauge he is and how does he do it? And just how accurate is it?  This coming week we are expecting temperatures in the 80's, just like Summer but what happened to Spring?  Or I guess we "spring" into Summer right away and that is where it came from.  I think either Phil is incorrect or he thought it was his shadow but maybe just a leaf blowing by.  Either way, we are still waiting for Winter in SoCali to occur as we only had a few drops here and there which is usually our Winter, rain.  Cold is just a temperature and doesn't really mean Winter for us (at least not in my book) because you can have several days during the year in the 80's, 90's and 100's but that doesn't make it Summer time when it could be October, November or even December.

Weekly Update:
It's been a busy busy week.  So much stuff going on and of course, little or no time to do them.  A big deadline coming up for an event on the 13th and then other things coming up.  And trying to get back into decluttering some more and that burned up my weekend.  How do people find time to do things when they have so much to do.  Priority is one way but what if everything is due or important equally? Then what?  I had to do a lot of testing too for the event on the 13th and re-testing to ensure everything works right.  And this coming week I have a final meeting on Monday before the event and have to go back to the park on Wednesday to ensure no changes have occurred... I am tired, again.

At the movies:
A new #1 at the box office as Knock at the Cabin earns a fair 14.2 million for its debut.  Unlikely to hold long there but enough for a win.  Also new at #2 is 80 for Brady with 12.5 mil to open.  Not a great number but also fair for this time of year.  Drop down to #3 is Avatar: The Way of Water with 10.8 mil more and will make it's way to 700 mil domestic cume but unlikely it will reach it.  Drop down to #4 is Puss in Boots: The Last Wish with 7.9 mil and slowly slowing down.  Rounding off the top 5 is BTS: Yet to Come in Cinemas with 5.1 mil, not a great number but basically all concert footage so likely will be profitable.

Quote of the week:
"What we really are matters more than what other people think of us." - Jawaharlal Nehru

Facts & Tips:
The 50-star flag was designed for a high school class assignment.

"My cyber services are in high demand, the price is right, I can't refuse." - Bradford Anderson as Damien Spinelli on the TV series General Hospital.

posted by McDuck @ 01:00 0 comments