Warm but not hot
We ended this week with a bit of warm weather again. It didn't reach the 90's or even 100's thank goodness but it did get into the 80's and even was warm early morning. I went out on Saturday around 830-9 and it felt very warm for that time of day. Fortunately I ended up not doing anything else for the ay so I just laid low and try to keep my space cool. I did have to turn on the house fan and the ceiling fan but no AC which was good. The nights did drop down into the 60's so that felt nice and even had to get under the covers. The thing that gets me is we are in November and it should be way cooler. Our highs should be mid-70's tops but being in a range of 10 to 12 degrees warmer isn't and shouldn't be normal. I don't know what is going on (I mean we do but we are ignoring all the scientific facts about it). Well it get warmer and warmer each year? I sure hope not!
Weekly Update:
God to dog-sit my friend's dog this weekend (well, Wednesday through Sunday) and he's been here before. He is such a good boy and cute puppy too (he's at least 5 but will always be a puppy). His name is Miso and he is so well behaved here. My friend says he barks at delivery trucks and other things, goes crazy when cars go by but... I have not seen any of it. I'm questioning if he even barks at all because I've never heard him bark. I've dog sat for him before through the course of this year, he was with me for about 2-weeks in August and during that time, not a single peep. He barely snores when he's asleep...is there an adjustable volume setting on him that I don't know about? So, I don't know what my friend is talking about, he's so calm and quiet that most of the time I don't even know where he is! He's definitely a "clinger" dog and always has to be where I am but aside from that, he's sleeping or resting some where that if I get up, he knows and he gets up to follow me. Silly Miso.
At the movies:
Shake up at the box office this weekend! New at #1 is Godzilla Minus Zero with 31.6 million, a bit below expectations given the popularity its predecessor received but it could have decent staying power. New at #2 is The Cat in the Hat with 20.5 mil and that is a fair number for this time of year. Also new at #3 is Drummer Boy with 9.3 mil and also a fair number. Drop down to #4 is You Can See Everything with 8.8 mil which is only a 23% drop and still doing very well at the box office. New and rounding off the top 5 is Ramayana: Rise of a Legend with 8.6 mil and likely to drop out fast.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
A couple this week starting at #8, Wild Horse Nine with 6 mil on a low wide- release pattern. Right behind it at #9 was Stray Kids World Tour 'RUN IT' Live Viewing with 3.7 mil on just over 900 locations and this was a one-show event so with that in mind, very solid number with practically zero cost.
Quote of the week:
"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein
Facts & Tips:
Brain waves can be used to power an electric train.
"I think movies are getting dumber, actually. Where it used to be 50/50, now it's 3% good, 97% stupid." - Ridley Scott on the state of modern cinema.
Thunder strike!
We recently had some crazy weather in the southland and so unexpected. Up till recently it has been unseasonable hot which could be due to the Super El Nino or just global warming as a whole or both! The global warming could be causing the Super El Nino but whatever it is, it needs to stop! We were part of the outskirts of a very weak hurricane which brought us some great rain for a few hours (instead of the days it was supposed to) and it also helped the 105 degree temps drop down to almost 70! It was so nice! But then this week, on maybe Thursday or Friday night, a freak thunderstorm happened. I didn't see lightning myself but I wasn't looking outside. However, I could hear the thundering going on and that lasted a solid 30+ minutes but what was nice is it brought a huge down pour of rain in that 30 minute window! I could hear it hitting the windows which means it was being blown around otherwise it would just go straight down and not diagonally or side-ways hitting the windows. But, it was a nice relief because after the short hurricane we had, the temps were starting to rise back up int the 80's to 90's again. This, whatever that was, brought it back down again and I, for one, are relieved. Will it stay this way? I don't know but I just want the 100+ degree weather to be over already.
Weekly Update:
I like making Dutch Oven bread, nothing beats fresh, home-made bread. Cutting it when it's still warm and slab some butter on it, the best. I have this one recipe I use that is pretty simple and it only takes time. One thing I can't figure out is how to make it more fluffy or bigger in volume. The bread comes out good and fine but smaller than I expect instead of a higher, airier loaf (like the picture which is not my loaf). I've used all brand new ingredients but still comes out the same so not sure what I am missing or doing wrong if anything. I wonder if I try to make a sourdough, will it come out differently? I haven't tried sour dough and not sure if I want to. I've tried the machine bread which is OK, good for like a thick grilled cheese sandwich. And I make the Dutch Oven bread which is my favorite. I've also made the pre-made loafs which are the easiest of course and you just bake them. I guess I need to experiment some more to see how to get the results I want.
At the movies:
New at #1 this week is Clayface with a decent 24 million to open. Very good number for this time of year as we go into both holiday and award season. Holding at #2 with a very small drop at the box office is You Can See Everything with another 19.5 mil as it continues to do very well for a documentary. New at #3 is Wildwood with 11.8 mil and not a bad number for this one either. Big drop down to #4 is Street Fighter with 8.6 mil and this is not surprising at all. New and rounding off the top 5 is Wicker with 5.8 mil and fair numbers for an indie film.
Quote of the week:
"A warm smile is the universal language of kindness." - William Arthur Ward
Facts & Tips:
A human brain weighs about three pounds.
"um... well, for starters, I highly doubt it intimidated the bag guys. I mean, "Look out! Here comes Stripesy!" - Brec Bassinger as Courtney Whitmore in the TV series Stargirl.
Top or bottom?
Which do you prefer, top or bottom? The other day I got an blueberry muffin from Panera and I cut in half horizontally so I could put butter on both ends and warm it up... then I thought which end tastes better, the top or the bottom? I guess a lot like the top which is why they actually sell muffin tops and no muffin bottoms but let's compare the two. The bottom is definitely more dense in a muffin but then that is how a muffin starts off as, a batter in the bottom of a cupcake/muffin tray and then the rises to the top as it bakes. If you like dense pastry but also the bottom will have more of what the muffin contains like blueberries or chocolate chips for example. But the top is more airy and softer in general because as it bakes it rises up out of the tray. But also it may have less of what the cupcake contained (i.e. blueberries). But do you prefer the dense or the airy? If it's warmed up and buttered, I go with the top. If I wanted more filling, I might prefer the bottom instead.
Weekly Update:
I can't remember when, last year or the year before an 85 Degree Bakery that was near my house had closed. It was a pretty big location and it was great but they closed the location probably due to rent is my guess. So, I was sad as the only place now was Paris Baguette which is fine but I feel like they are at least 20 to 40% more expensive on almost everything in comparison. The closest 85 was one city over and kind of not really worth the drive to get some pastry. Earlier this week, I discovered one had opened up near me in the opposite direction! It is a bit hidden but as I was driving in the shopping center, I saw that big white 85 on the side of building and couldn't believe it. The location is a lot smaller but big enough for what they need and now I don't have to drive far for some good French-Vietnamese pastries! So glad one is open again near me.
At the movies:
Continue to have new #1's at the box office and this week is no exception. New at #1 is Street Fighter with a fair 31 million to open. Word-of-mouth is fairly mixed on this so week 2 will be the big tell if it drops 30% or 60% New at #2 is You Can See Everything, the documentary from A24 opening to 15 mil and a solid number for a documentary. Drop don to #3 is Other Mommy with 8.4 mil and that is a 70% drop which is above average! New at #4 is Whalefall with 8 mil and this one fell before it started. New and rounding off the top 5 is Sense and Sensibility with 7.3 mil and not bad for period piece films.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week at #9, Jailer 2 earning 3.2 mil but also under 500 screens. Still not a great per screen average and will be out sooner than later.
Quote of the week:
"There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved." - George Sand
Facts & Tips:
The average smell weighs 760 nanograms.
"Ah. Well... I attended Juilliard... I'm a graduate of the Harvard business school. I travel quite extensively. I lived through the Black Plague and had a pretty good time during that. I've seen the Exorcist about a hundred and sixty-seven times, and it keeps getting funnier every single time I see it... not to mention the fact that you're talking to a dead guy... now what do you think? You think I'm qualified?" - Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice in Beetlejuice.
RAIN!!
We finally got some rain at the end of the week thanks to hurricane Rachel that started off the coast of Mexico in the Pacific but by the time it made land, it was just a tropical storm but it was enough to clear out the heat and give us some rain for a day or two. It was heaviest late at night but most of the day Sunday, just cloudy... we need a heck of a lot more though, this isn't nearly enough but at least the air is crisp again and things outside feel a little bit cleaner. Days, weeks, months of dust are washed away and just feels nice again for now. What is sad is the forecast shows the heat coming back into the 90's and it's already mid-October, why??? This is just silly weather and it needs to change back to what it used to be!
Weekly Update:
The sleepless nights continue for me but in fact, have gotten worse. On average, I slept around 2 1/2 hours at night each night. One night I slept about 5 hours but that is just not enough sleep and I can feel it. I'm so tired but I just can't sleep and I don't know why. My brain won't turn off and I can hear the ceiling fan spinning, the sprinklers outside going off (which was helpful actually as I could tell one of them was broken by the noise it was making), the dang Tesla cars humming non-stop... man those are the most annoying. But, I can hear it all in the dark and I know that isn't what is keeping me up but it is what I observe while awake. I have tried doing naps during my lunch but every day (so far) something was going on that kept me from even taking one! Its simply just amazing actually. Well, as they say, I'll sleep when I'm dead.
At the movies:
New at #1 is Other Mommy with a decent 27.5 million for the pre-award season. Not a lot on this film so it should have a normal run drop rate. Drop down to #2 is Verity with 11.5 mil and that is a sizeable 64% drop. Following down to #3 is Resident Evil with 8.4 mil with a small drop and did pretty well overall. Down to #4 is Heart of the Beast with 7.1 mil and will fade out soon. New at #5 is The Social Reckoning with only 5.5 mil and also not a lot on this one, should drop out fast.
New movies that did not make top 5:
Just one this week at #9 is Angel and the Badman with 2.1 mil on a wide release. Did less than $1k per screen which is very poor.
Quote of the week:
"Love has no age, no limit, and no death." - John Galsworthy
Facts & Tips:
Mosquitoes have 47 teeth.
"We no get money yet. Price now 100 million. You pay now, or tomorrow Simple Jack die!" - Reggie Lee as Byong in Tropic Thunder.
