Duckburg Gazette: May 2023

Monday, May 29, 2023

Weather signs ahead

Did I beat a sore throat this week? Earlier in the week I had a bunch of stuff going on and had massive lack of sleep! I think with that mixed with this crazy cold weather we have had, my throat was starting to get sore on Tuesday. I tried to eat warm things and drink some tea, started taking my Tylenol like I do also been taking this Airborne gummies that help with immunity. So I went to sleep with my throat not so great but woke up the next day like nothing was there! I was still on lack of sleep though but I feel as if I conquered the pending throat of sore and vanquished it only to fight and do battle another day. But, that is a story for another time (when it happens again or something).

Weekly Update:
Ok, what happened this week other than not getting much sleep (which is the usual for me)... hmmm, other than working, I guess not a whole lot. Oh there was maybe three times this week I almost turned on the HEAT!! We are in May and I almost had to turn on the heater for the house... I like the cold but just am not prepared for it. What will happen when it heats up to 90 or even triple digits, will I just completely melt away now that my body has gotten to these cold temps?? June Gloom and April Showers... why do people keep saying these things when it's clearly MAY! Where did they get their calendars from and these are clearly not the cases anymore.

At the movies:
Swimming its way to #1 is the live-action The Little Mermaid with a holiday gross of 95.5 million. Just under the low end of expectations, Disney needed a win this weekend but unfortunately this wasn't it. Still a good box office but the hope was at least triple digits and no doubt will suffer a big 2nd week loss. Coming in 2nd place for it's 2nd week is Fast X with 23 mil extra as it just passes the 100 mil mark. This film continues to under perform and a good sign this franchise is done. Holding ground at #3 is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 with 19.9 mil more and JUST shy of 300 mil, should get that some time tomorrow. After 8 weeks, holding ground at #4 is The Super Mario Bros. Movie with 6.3 mil and will finish off in the high 500s for domestic box office. Rounding off the top 5 is The Machine with only 4.9 mil for its debut and will quickly disappear.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
Have a few this week, I guess everyone was trying to counter-program against Mermaid when they didn't need to. New at #6 is About My Father with 4.3 mil to open and this will be down and out in no time. Right behind it at #7 is Kandahar with 2.4 mil and will be lucky to hold any screens for week 2. Last but not least at #8, You Hurt My Feelings with 1.4 mil for its debut but this one was on fewer screens (912 to be exact) and I can see that being cut-in-half by Thursday.

Quote of the week:
"Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers." - Voltaire

Facts & Tips:
Adults laugh only about 15 to 100 times a day, while preschoolers laugh an average of 300 times a day.

"What he did, what he's done, is not your fault. You don't have to pay for his mistakes." - Jason George as Justin Russell in Breaking In.

Monday, May 22, 2023

Hi-chew? yes please!

Hi-Chew? Where have these been all my life?!? Ok, I have heard of them and I have seen them in the stores but never really tried one before till just this past week and they are good! It's almost like I am eating mochi, are they mochi? It does say contain soybean but all I have are tiny individually wrapped ones so not sure what the actual ingredients are... so are they made of rice turned to mochi? I will have to do some research but they are yummy! Not too sweet, tiny so I can have one and tasty! The flavors I had were mango and green apple. Both sweet but as mentioned, not overly or even too sweet, really just right for me. Next time I see these in a store, I will have to pick some up and try some other flavors!

Weekly Update:
Welcome to Florida... as long as you are a heterosexual Caucasian. The state of Florida is like traveling back in time... gays are not allowed, Hispanic descent is frowned upon and being African-America is not being American. Recently the state has moved to prevent those being LGBTQ from receiving medical treatment in that doctor's now have the right to refuse care. They have anti-immigration legislative which is forcing works out of the state and now the NCAAP has issued travel warnings to the state. These are the kind of warnings that are issued to places like Afghanistan, Beirut and Jerusalem but now Florida? Someone needs to start a coup or something just for that state and retake humanity... decency or how about just American. This country is founded on the belief of equality and yet, Florida is the exception? Don't go there!

At the movies:
Speeding up to #1 for its debut is Fast X earning a fair 67.5 million. A good number but not great for this franchise as I'm sure the studio was aiming towards a triple digit opening weekend. This film may have a quick burn-out. Slight drop down to #2 is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 with 31.9 mil extra as it quickly approaches the 300 mark and should get there quite possibly by the end of next week! Also a slight drop to #3 is The Super Mario Bros. Movie with 9.8 mil and won't reach the 600 mil mark for domestic box office but it had a very amazing run! Following the drop to #4 is Book Club: The Next Chapter with 3 mil extra and will tap out soon. And rounding off the top 5 is Evil Dead Rise with 2.4 mil as this small horror film did well overall.

Quote of the week:
"Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom." - Francis Bacon

Facts & Tips:
Women's hearts typically beat faster than men's hearts.

"Scum recognizes scum. I'm scum. And I've survived this long by recognizing the same." - Damion Poitier as Goldface in the TV series The Flash.

Monday, May 15, 2023

Pick a side!!!

I was at Costco on Saturday and I have no idea what was going on but stupid people do not know how to drive!!! In one parking lot, three different cars in three different areas were driving down the middle of the road instead of on their side. Everything is clearly a 2-way street and they go down the middle when there are cars clearly coming towards them! WHAT THE HECK?!?! What is wrong with these people and of course 2 of the 3 happened to be trucks of some form or fashion (or SUV type). You already take up enough of the road, you have to take up more? LEARN to DRIVE you idiots! I don't know what these people were thinking or doing in their car but Costco is not only a busy parking lot to begin with for a Saturday, you cause accidents and jams if you don't know how to drive. Granted there are no lines in the road, never seen any in a parking lot dividing the lane but do we need one now??

Weekly Update:
Yep... Winter is over, well, it feels that way anyway. This week the temps did hit 80 and that was enough for me to feel it. No wind, direct heat and I guess my body just got used to all the 50 to 60 degree temps, anything over that is just warm to hot! It was only hot for a little bit, maybe a few hours in the day but enough to not want to do anything except veg and try to remain cool. Luckily I haven't needed to turn on the AC yet, just the house fan and some ceiling fans but I feel the AC will be needed pretty soon as we quickly move through May and it will be June before we realize it! So now what remains is how hot will it get and how long will it last. Our Winter wasn't very wintery so I feel like our Summer will be a scorcher.

At the movies:
Maintaining the lead for it's 2nd week is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 with another 60.5 million and a very low drop! Now just over 200 mil domestic, on it's way to a quick 300! Also holding it's place at #2 is The Super Mario Bros. Movie with 13 mil more and also a below-average drop of only 30% from the previous week. This film has surpassed the 500 mil mark and will struggle to hit 600 but reachable. New at #3 is Book Club: The Next Chapter with 6.5 mil to open and a fair number. Obviously were trying to capitalize on Mother's Day but so were every other entertainment venue out there. Drop down to #4 is Evil Dead Rise with 3.7 mil as it this one quickly wraps up it's run soon. Drop down to #5 is Are you there, God? It's Me Margaret earning 2.5 mil more and may be the last we see of it.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week as Hypnotic comes in at #6 with 2.4 mil to open. Not a very good number with such a wide release and will soon be gone.

Quote of the week:
"Mother is the name for god in the lips and hearts of little children." - William Makepeace Thackeray

Facts & Tips:
Your skull is made up of 29 different bones.

"I am no royal." - Zhu Zhu as Kokachin in the TV series Marco Polo.

Monday, May 08, 2023

The long weekend

Sick puppy alert! Poor Orion was sick this past weekend and not sure with what or why. He recently turned 14, 14!!!! and does have trouble getting around a bit but overall healthy. Not sure what happened but came down the stairs Sunday morning and saw poop all over. He likes to sleep downstairs on the couch, that is his spot and hates when anyone else is on it even though there is PLENTY of room, it is all his. Hopefully it was a momentary illness of some kind and has passed, the doodie was solid at least but a lot of cleaning up to do. Poor puppers, hope whatever it was is now out of his system and semi-back to normal for him. (Image is a stock photo and not of Orion).

Weekly Update:
Spent more time at Disneyland this week and it heated up a bit but not too bad. I had a craving for some shawarma but at the time I went they only had the plant-based breakfast shawarma instead of the regular lunch/dinner version (not till 11AM). I wasn't sure if I was going to be around till then so I guess I'll get it another time. I did end up staying till almost noon but I didn't want to bring that back with me in the car when I still had errands to run. I should be back in the park again soon so, knowing the regular one isn't available till 11AM, I can adjust accordioning. They are good at the park, not sure what it is but I do like them and they are very close to a gyro. I wonder what makes them technically different, maybe region in which they originate from? But, I like them both... one of each please!

At the movies:
No surprise at #1 this weekend as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 takes the crown for its debut. A hefty 114 million to open but just a tad lighter than most anticipated. 2nd week will be a huge tell on this films successfulness. Slight drop down to #2 is The Super Mario Bros. Movie with another 18.6 mil as it now passes the 500 mil cume mark. Still a lot of legs left in this film and will be fun to watch where it will end up. Dip down to #3 is Evil Dead Rise with an extra 5.7 mil as this slowly tapers off. Following the course, at #4 is Are you there, God? It's Me Margaret with 3.4 mil and this film has gotten some decent word-of-mouth. Rounding off the top 5 and new is Love Again with 2.4 mil for its debut and will likely disappear in no time.

Quote of the week:
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh

Facts & Tips:
It takes an interaction of 72 muscles to produce human speech.

"I, Craig, take you, Christina, to be my wife, my best friend and my first mate. Through sickness and health, clear skies and squalls." - Geoff Stults as Craig in Wedding Crashers.

Monday, May 01, 2023

Disneyland or bust!

Need sleep, now... I had a rough week of very little sleep and the one day I did have off, I still woke up at my normal time. WHY!!! I was out most nights but got back not too late, I guess when I did get home I was wired with energy that it made it way harder to fall asleep. I'm not sure when I fell asleep each night but I did wake up extremely tired and my regular caffeine hit of diet soda wasn't helping too much. Hopefully the rest will catch up but then I am wondering, did I ever catch up from the last time I was so tired... maybe I didn't.

Weekly Update:
Made several visits to Disneyland this past week, had a few friends in town so hung out with them when I could. The nights were pretty chilly too but the days were cool too. It was supposed to warm up but it stayed cool (or cold at times) so this weather we are having is very wonky. But it was still overall nice weather for me and got to use my jackets again! And, I finally saw the Wondrous show but not in it's full effect (no fireworks). I caught it on Small World and it was pretty cool, I would have to imagine it being better on Small World than the actual castle with no fireworks. Since Small World is flat and wide, it makes it like a projection screen which is perfect for this show. I do want to try and catch it with fireworks some day but for now, it was nice.

At the movies:
A strong hold on #1 for the 4th week-in-a-row is The Super Mario Bros. Movie with another 40 million extra and now very close to 500 mil domestic. It should get there by the end of the week and just in time as Chris Pratt will de-throne Chris Pratt from Mario to Guardians! Holding at a distant #2 is Evil Dead Rise with another 12.2 mil as it climbs out but not much further. New at #3 is Are you there, God? It's Me Margaret with 6.8 mil and an odd time to release a film of this nature. Still at #4 is John Wick: Chapter 4 with 5 mil more as it slowly winds down but had a good run. Rounding off the top 5 is the re-release of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1997) earning 4.7 mil. It may continue to play at some theatres a bit longer but mostly just a one-time thing.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
We have two this week! Coming in at #8 is PS-2 with 3.6 mil but only on about 600 runs. The per screen average was very low so this will be out in no time. Showing up at #10 is Sisu with 3.5 mil and this was on 1000 screens and also will be out before it was in.

Quote of the week:
"People change and forget to tell each other." - Lillian Hellman

Facts & Tips:
At the deepest point in the ocean, the water pressure is equivalent to having about 50 jumbo jets piled on top of you.

"Don't call me 'Bones'." - Emily Deschanel as Dr. Temperance Brennan in the TV series Bones.

Duckburg Gazette