Duckburg Gazette

Monday, March 31, 2025

This past week it sure got chilly, both the days and nights remained in the 50's for the most part and never getting above 75 at it's peak. The groundhog was right, it will be a late Winter and supposedly due for some rain early next week but we'll see if that actually happens or not. Our rain this year (compared to last year) is zero! Last year it was raining almost every day through May and now, barely a drop except maybe a couple of days. It has been a very dry year for us and that is not a good thing considering recent events of the fires and losing our reserve water supply for the Summer thanks to the idiot in the White House who knows absolutely nothing about conservation and how water supply even works... and now we will suffer this year for that incompetence. It will only get worse.

Weekly Update:
I just started watching The Rookie starring Nathan Fillion and it's a pretty solid show. Now, I am only up to season 3 and they have completed 6 seasons with news of the 7th coming this year. I do hope it makes it to the covenant 10 season benchmark though. If a standard TV shows make it to 10 seasons then that usually means it can run in syndication year-round which is a good thing. But I have had folks tell me that it jumped the shark mid-way so we'll see if it did. But it also depends on how you view the show. Right now I am watching it as a crime-action drama based on the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) where as I can see lots seeing it as an LAPD show. There will be a lot of technical things I'm sure they get dinged on but again, seeing that as a back-drop and you can't show all the procedural stuff because then it will be drawn out and basically boring. I'm enjoying and binging it now so hope it makes it to 10 or more!

At the movies:
New at #1 is A Working Man, honestly just your typical Jason Statham action film earning a fair 15.2 million and will likely be a quick burn at the box office. Big drop to #2 is Snow White with 14.2 mil and it will still struggle to get to 100 mil at this rate. New at #3 is The Chosen: Last Supper Part 1 with 11.5 mil and not bad being this close to Easter. But look for this one to do better in the after markets. New at #4 is The Woman in the Yard with 9.5 mil and another quick burn out at the box office. New at #5 is Death of a Unicorn with 5.8 mil and not that impressive at all and will also burn out of the box office quickly.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one really and not even a new film but re-release is Princess Mononoke at #6 with 4 mil and also a decent per screen average considering it only (re)released to just over 300 screens.

"Where there is great love, there are always wishes." - Willa Cather

Facts & Tips:
Snails have teeth.

"She searches for you." - Idris Elba as Heimdell in Thor.

Monday, March 24, 2025

Nuts!

I've been seeing a lot of Uber Eats ads on TV and the whole premise is get your food via Uber Eats on game day! So, ok... why are you ordering food on game day and just before the game? If you are planning on watching the game by yourself or have friends over, wouldn't you pre-plan that and have all kinds of chips, snacks, and hot foods before guest arrive and the game itself? Sure I understand if it's last minute but how last minute does it have to be to need Uber Eats? I usually plan ahead and have things ready to pick-up way in advance or order it an hour ahead and just go pick it up. Or, get foods that can be reheated or put into a warmer... the upcharges are insane for these services when if you just take a moment to plan, will save you a lot!

Weekly Update:
I like to get the Kirkland organic pine nut hummus. It's a big tub that will last a long time and the taste, texture and pine nuts are perfect. What is a bit odd is the oil and pine nuts are all mixed on the top center. Now, are we supposed to mix this before eating? Every time I eat hummus, I just dip right in and start eating but are these supposed to be mixed first? All the different hummus' I've opened and had have all been dig in and start! And usually with the Kirkland brand I enjoy the oils and nuts at the start but then they are gone less than half-way through. I guess I'll try and mix it and see but, wish it came pre-mixed because I just want to eat it!

At the movies:
New at #1 this week is Snow White with a solid 43 million to open. However, this is lower than expectations and it may struggle to hit 100 mil. Not all movies were designed to be remade to real life. Moving up to #2 is Black Bag with 4.4 mil but still had a sizeable drop from week two. Also rising up another slot to #3 is Captain America: Brave New World with 4.1 mil as it closes the gap to 200 mil mark. Drop down to #4 is Mickey 17 with 3.9 mil and slowly wrapping itself up. Rounding off the top 5 coming from #1 last week is Novocaine with 3.8 mil as this one is one-and-done.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
One this week at #6 is The Alto Knights with 3.2 mill and this one is out before it even got in.

Quote of the week:
"Success is the sum of small efforts - repeated day in and day out." - Robert Collier

Facts & Tips:
Ants don't have lungs.

"To all my love slaves out there; Thunderlips is here. In the flesh, baby. The ultimate mate versus... the ultimate meatball. Ha, ha, ha." - Hulk Hogan as Thunderlips in Rocky III.

Monday, March 17, 2025

2 points

On Sunday a friend invited me to a Clippers game, this was actually a make-up game from January that was cancelled due to the fires. I was more excited to see the new Inuit Dome which was just built and this is the Clippers inaugural season there. The game was a blow-out as the Clippers (8th place in the West) beat the Charlotte Hornets (14th place in the East) 123 - 88, a complete blow-out. But the whole experience was the stadium itself and how high-tech everything was. The stadium itself was pretty amazing and inside they had a 360 degree screen that shows on the outside as well as the inside. So depending on where you sit, you will see one of the two more-or-less as seen in the picture (not taken by me). When going to the game, you have to download the Inuit Dome app or you are simply not getting in. They use face ID technology and that is how you enter the stadium, the food areas and even the suite we had. I didn't have to pull my phone out whatsoever except to take pictures. It was pretty crazy, creepy and amazing all at once!

Weekly Update:
On Thursday/Friday we had what is known as the "blood moon" in which the moon looks red. I didn't see the actual red part (occurred around 1AM) but I did see when the moon started to get it's shadow before the red. It was kind of cool and interesting to see just that phase of it. The moon was super bright when the night started and then it slowly progressed with like if you took your finger and slowly slid it across the moon. The side that was dark was completely pitch black despite the light side being bright like a flashlight. I didn't want to stay up to see the whole thing because it was still several hours away and I still had to be up early the next day but pretty fascinating that occurred. I believe this event comes about once a year or every other year depending on the cycle so maybe I'll catch it next year or the year after.

At the movies:

New at #1 is Novocaine with a fair 8.7 million to open. Not a great number but this time of year is a lull between the end of award season and pre-Summer launch. Drop down to #2 is Mickey 17 with another 7.5 mil and won't make it any where close to 100 mil but could be an early contender for next year award-season. New at #3 is Black Bag with 7.5 mil and could be a quick burn and gone. Holding on to #4 is Captain America: Brave New World with 5.5 mil as it slowly approaches the 200 mil mark and could still get there. New at #5 and rounding things off is The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie with 3.2 mil and this will disappear pretty quickly.

New movies that did not make the top 5:

Just one this week coming in at #6, The Last Supper with only 2.8 mil and last indeed.

Quote of the week:
"Try to keep your soul young and quivering right up to old age." - George Sand

Facts & Tips:
Octopuses don't actually have tentacles.

"Oh, man! Telling the truth is so freeing and it's so forgiving because I forgive myself for not telling you this years ago." - Cree Summer as Winifred 'Freddie' Brooks in the TV series A Different World.

Monday, March 10, 2025

More sleep please!

Daylight Saving Time

Another spring forward and lose an hour of sleep. Not my favorite but oh well... at least when it happens currently, I have the day off so it doesn't mess with my work schedule and I have a day to recovery or readjust. I know a lot of people who hate it but even if we don't do it, the daylight and everything will still be different than Fall/Winter because of the the axis of the Earth and how we rotate and face the sun. It might be not as sunny or not as dark if we didn't do it but probably not a big difference. I personally do not mind it at all, I guess having had it all my life I just simply got used to it. But I will always enjoy "falling back" and hour and complain about "spring forward" an hour. I just like my rest and sleep over anything else!

Weekly Update:
This past weekend I was able to do some cleaning and clearing! I sorted a bunch of things and gave-away few things and got some room back but... it is still like .00000001% of what I need to do! However, at least it was a positive in that it reduced some space. Now if I can do this every weekend, I think I will have some room back in 20-years! Clutter does collect up fast if you don't pay attention to it and to be fair, I don't. But I do get excited when I am able to clear any little space. Whether it be selling something on e-Bay no matter how small to giving something away that I don't need or use but someone else will use it or needs it. I like doing the latter more but then again it is a nice bonus to get some random money for something from a stranger. But I shall continue the quest!

At the movies:
New at #1 is Mickey 17 for a decent 19.1 million for the post-award season. Not a great number but the film had a wide-release when it possibly should have been more limited release. Drop down to #2 is Captain America: Brave New World with another 8.5 mil as it slowly approaches the 200 mil mark. Down to #3 is Last Breath with 4.2 mil and will continue to fade out. Following suite, down to #4 is The Monkey with 3.9 mil extra and will also fade out. Rounding off the top 5 is Paddington in Peru with 3.9 mil and overall did fair at the box office.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
Two this week... in at #9 is Rule Breakers with 1.6 mil and this was a wide-release so it's per screen average was very low and it will struggle to hold screens much longer. At #10 is In the Lost Lands with 1 mil and though it had less screens, it was still considered a wide-release and did not perform that well.

Quote of the week:
"Respect is what we owe; love, what we give." - Philip James Bailey

Facts & Tips:
The world's oldest cat lived to 38 years and three days old.

"All my life men like you have sneered at me, and all my life I've been knocking men like you into the dust." - Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth in the series Game of Thrones.

Monday, March 03, 2025

Another dry spell

Some rain was supposed to come our way this past weekend but instead, dryness again. The temps did drop though from the 80's to low 60's during the day but we need some sky waters! Our riverbeds are completely dry again and with our reserve waters being dumped by the idiot running this country right now, he has left California in desperate times to replenish that supply for our famers this Summer. There looks to be some snow left on the mountains so that is a good sign but we still need so much more as this has been an extremely dry Winter compared to the last couple of years. Last year was great with having rain fall almost through May! We need several more years of that kind of rain to get us out of the drought but this year has basically put us further into the negative right now.

Weekly Update:
This past week we have seen a lot of talent pass and for very unusual causes. Early in the week actress Michelle Trachtenberg passed at 39 which is very young but they believe to be complications from a liver transplant she had earlier. Then almost the next day, Gene Hackman and his wife (along with their dog) were all found dead with reasons unknown at this time. Some think possibly gas but too early to speculate. Then toward the end of the week was David Johansen who was both a singer and actor. He had been battling stage 4 cancer and a brain tumor for years.

At the movies:
Hanging on to #1 for a 3rd week-in-a-row is Captain America: Brave New World with another 15 mil as it approaches 200 mil mark and should get there with it's current course. New at #2 is Last Breath with 7.8 mil and there is some good buzz around this film but this is also a lull time frame for movies as we conclude the award season tonight. Drop down to #3 is The Monkey with an extra 6.4 mil and not a bad drop from last week's opening. Also down a notch to #4 is Paddington in Peru with 4.5 mil extra and should be wrapping up it's run soon. Rounding off the top 5 is Dog Man with 4.2 mil more and also should be wrapping up at the box office too.

Quote of the week:
"Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all." - Nelson Mandela

Facts & Tips:
the fear of long words is called hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.

"It's Friday night and you're doing homework." - Aubrey Anderson-Emmons as Lily Tucker-Pritchett in the TV series Modern Family.