Duckburg Gazette

Monday, July 13, 2026

Rewards please

It is starting to get hot now... dang and here I thought we might catch a break with the weather this Summer, I was being foolish. This week we did hit 90's but mostly in the low 80's which is OK. Nights still stayed in the 60's so that was good. This coming week though it looks like some mid-90's are expected so is this when it begins? I need to figure out how to stay cool without turning on the AC all day and raising my electric bill. That is the most costly utility we have here. Natural gas is our least expensive and I wish all of the utilities can be like that! Water is kind of in the middle but it is actually not terrible since it is paid quarterly so if you break out a bill by 3-months it's on the lower end. But electricity, we need more solar or something and that also makes more sense given where we live plus it would reduce our carbon footprint and lower emissions!

Weekly Update:
It's interesting how a lot of food places (fast and not fast-food) have loyalty programs and some do not. But now, the ones who do have loyalty programs usually do not have special offers or daily offers and I think that has become a deciding factor on where to eat in today's economy. Getting "points" to buy food at some place isn't enough anymore and they want a get this free when you buy this AND still get the points for the cash you paid. I know I look for those and that often makes my decision for me. There are a lot now that what you earned expired and those are not favorable. Why expire? Now, you are not entitled to those points because you didn't pay for them directly, they were given as a bonus but they shouldn't expire because when I think I earned points and find out they are gone... I will close that app and go some place else at that point. So what do we want... in this order I think: special offer to spend there, points when I do spend and for those points to ever expire and build up to use them for something later.

At the movies:
As we roll into Summer, the rotation at the #1 spot will see a lot of changes... new at #1 is Moana (live action) with a disappointing 43 million. Expectations were much higher but just didn't hit the spot. Drop down to #2 is Minions & Monsters with 20.5 mil as it crosses the 100 mil mark. Holding on to #3 is Toy Story 5 with 18.5 mil more as it crosses the 400 mil mark! New at #4 is Evil Dead Burn with 13.7 mil and this will burn out quickly. Rounding off the top 5 is Young Washington with 6.4 mil as this one wraps up it's story.

Quote of the week:
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." - Theodore Roosevelt

Facts & Tips:
The San Francisco cable cars are the only mobile national monument.

"Mr. President, you got bigger problems than losing me. You just lost my vote!" - Annette Bening as Sydney Ellen Wade in The American President.

Monday, July 06, 2026

It's getting hot in here...

4th of July Edition

The fireworks were heavy over the weekend but of course, it was 4th of July on Saturday. On top of this date celebrated every year, it was also the 250th birthday of this country but it also feels like the death of this country as well especially when you see 1776 - 2026 every where... it had a good run I guess but how everything is, we are in utter turmoil. But aside from that chaos and uncertainty, the fireworks were plenty on Friday and Saturday but of course all I could think of were the animals. I wish there was away to see the colors of a firework without the sounds, that would be pretty cool. I guess that is where drone technology could come in handy but I'm sure it's not price prohibitive yet. Also it's hard to change such a long tradition but we need more integration to show what it can do and maybe over (a short) time, it will become the new traditional and norm. Then, people and their pets (plus all other animals) can enjoy it as much as people do.

Weekly Update:
It got HOT! Not sure who turned on the switch but towards the end of the week it got into the 80's which I know isn't that bad but also started to get a bit humid. I'm sure it's not like Florida humid but humid enough! I was installing a TV mount in the guest bedroom and had the ceiling fan on with the house fan going and the window open and it wasn't a hard job to do but toward the end, I was sweating. I could feel the air being a bit heavier too so all of that just added to my dripping some drops of sweat that day. On the bright side though I got the mount up all by myself and it looks and works great. Now, I just need to figure out how to hid the power cord coming down the wall. But looking at the forecast for this week, looks like we are going to get a mild heatwave. I just need some breezes to keep it cool!

At the movies:
New at #1 is Minions & Monsters with a 5-day holiday weekend of 61.4 million. Not a bad number but also, below expectations a bit. Week #2 will be a big dip with no holiday to bump it. Drop to #2 is Toy Story 5 with 31 mil as it continues to be on track for 400 mil domestic cume. New at #3 is Young Washington with 20.8 mil and that is a pretty solid number for faith-based company Angel. Big drop to #4 is Supergirl with 9.6 mil and this film won't reach 100 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is Disclosure Day with 6 mil as it finally reaches 100 and this will one is down and out after this weekend.

Quote of the week:
"A people free to choose will always choose peace." - Ronald Reagan

Facts & Tips:
Alaska has the highest percentage of people who walk to work.

"The more they look at me, the less they look at you." - Gigi Edgley as Chiana in the TV series Farscape.

Monday, June 29, 2026

Hammer hammer, bang bang

It went from cool to chilly in a week! It is actually getting cooler or colder here! What a nice change of weather and with this comes lower utilities costs. If I have to use the heater for the house, natural gas is a fraction of electricity but as I've always said, it's easier to warm up than cool down. The rest of the week looks to be cool weather as well so I hope it maintains this level and doesn't spike high any time soon. I thought at one point during a day I smelled burning wood like a fireplace going, was it cold enough to light a fireplace fire? I hope so, that would be cool, pun intended. Now, where is some rain?

Weekly Update:
What a crazy week it has been. After almost a week of no activity on the bathroom remodel, this past Monday they did the hot mop for the shower and then 24-hours later they cemented up the shower and tub area all the way up to the wall. It was pretty fast paced once that step was done and I know that type of work has to be outsourced since it requires specialty equipment. They came with this big unit on the bed of their truck and it pretty much smells like tar which they then apply it to the basin of your shower and it's the sealant that should last decades. But I can see where that would stop work as you have to wait for that to be done (and properly) before you can then seal the rest of the bathroom up. I'm glad I have a guest room to stay in because they run a fan almost 24/7 in there and I wouldn't be able to sleep with that going on.

At the movies:
Holding ground at #1 with a decent 56% drop is Toy Story 5 with another 70 million and now just inches away from 300 mil domestic cume. No doubt will hit that by noon tomorrow and start making its way to 400! New at #2 is Supergirl with 38 mil to open, a very low opening for a superhero movie let alone DC. Word-of-mouth is mixed on this film but at this rate it will be a hard crawl to 100 (if at all). In it's 7th week is Obsession with another 9.8 mil, only a 27% drop and still going strong. New at #4 is Jackass: Best and Last at 8.4 mil, for it's finale not a great number as all previous films in this franchise opened to over 20+ I think after 5 of these, we are done and hope this is truly the last. Rounding off the top 5 is Disclosure Day with 8.1 mil and does look like it will hit 100 mil but may not be for another week.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week at #9, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War - The Calamity with 1.9 mil on just under 1,000 screens. The title is longer than the run it will have at the theatre.

Quote of the week:
"When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

Facts & Tips:
Broccoli is the only vegetable that is also a flower.

"Not to brag, but I predicted this on Twitter three days ago. I'm a prophet." - Yara Shahidi as Zoey Johnson on the TV series Black-ish.

Monday, June 22, 2026

MOVE IN!

Move it or lose it!

I did a bunch of errands this week and I noticed at a few stores that why do people stop right as they enter the store? The entrance is not a big area like Trader Joe's and when you enter and stop with a shopping cart, you block 1/3 to 1/2 of the entrance. Move in! Just another 5 or 6 feet and that will give people plenty of room to enter behind you and exit. Now Costco, much bigger entrances but still if you stop in the entrance, still annoying but at least way easier to walk around. But places like Trader Joe's, you can't because you have wall on one side and likely people existing on the other side. These are the kinds of people who are just oblivious of their surroundings and likely have a more self-centered attitude. I know I am always (at least) trying to be aware of my surroundings and not inconvenience people. If I have to stop and do something on my phone (for example), I'll try to go a clear aisle or corner of the place to be out of the way as much as I can or not block or be something that blocks everything. Just be aware people.

Weekly Update:
Summer has officially started, June 21st is the Summer Solstice, first day of Summer and what they say is the longest day of the year (of daylight). I didn't really notice the daylight part and the Summer can be like this every day if it doesn't hit above 80 degrees during the day and the nights remain a very chill 60, I can live with that! But, I guess this is what it was kind of like last year when the weather was decent at the start but come mid to later it got HOT. But where is all the rain we used to have? This is the 2nd year in-a-row I believe were we had almost zero rain fall and we need it as we still haven't really recovered from the 90's! At least if the weather remains cool, that will help preserve our water a bit but we know that won't happen all Summer. We didn't have any "May Showers" and June wasn't that "Gloomy" so, on to July and whatever that brings, heat?

At the movies:
New at #1 and no surprise here is Toy Story 5 with a big 160 million to open. No doubt it will get to 200 mil by week's end and where it goes, who knows as the Summer is just barely starting! Big drop to #2 is Disclosure Day with another 17 mil as it looks like it will reach the 100 mil mark but how long will it take? Holding ground at #3 is Obsession with another 14.2 mil as it breaks the 200 mil mark! Also holding is Backrooms with 7.3 mil and still potential hitting 200 mil for this little movie that could. Rounding off the top 5 with a big drop is Scary Movie with 6.7 mil and will get to 100 mil by end of next week. That is pretty solid for this film overall.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
Coming in at #8 is Leviticus with 2.7 mil and a very low per screen average for a semi-wide release. New at #9 is The Death of Robin Hood with 2.6 mil and even lower per screen on a wide-release which will likely drop fast.

Quote of the week:
"Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success." - Edward Everett Hale

Facts & Tips:
Children tend to grow faster in the spring.

"Rebecca Woods. She was the most beautiful freshman on campus." - William Ragsdale as Herman Brooks in the TV series Herman's Head.

Monday, June 15, 2026

BOOM!

A lot going on this past week! On Monday, I started remodeling my master bathroom (well, not ME but hired someone to do it). A lot of noise and stuff coming out of it and it's completely gutted except my bathtub which will be kept in the long run. The house is exactly 30-years old and behind the shower area they found some mold (not a lot) which is kind of surprising consider the age of the house and the water leaks that may have occurred so not bad. But this past week was basically all demolition, electrical (which only took part of a day) and then the mold treatment. Not sure what is next but the entire time was estimated at 3-weeks and we are now 1 week down. I guess once they start with the tiles it will be speeding up at that point. The whole ordeal is pretty stressful and I'm not even doing the work! Hopefully it will be amazing when it is all said and done! (Picture not mine but I'm sure it looked like that at one point).

Weekly Update:
Have you ever noticed how much time you spend at a gas station getting as in your lifetime? I am sure there is a study out there but growing up I drove a lot and when I worked in Los Angeles, on average I drove close to 100 miles a day. All pumps are not created equal so some are faster or slower than others. Once I timed myself on a regular basis at the Costco gas pump and I was about 2 minutes once I get out of the car, pump the gas and get my receipt for a full tank. But that is when I was timing it and trying to break a record but before and since them, I kind of take my time but also move briskly. But back in the LA-days, I would probably estimate getting gas every 4-days at best, and figure say minimum 5 minutes per visit so in a year that would be approximately 7 hours and roughly 30 mins. Not an exact number but a fair rough estimate I would say... so just something that made me think.

At the movies:
New at #1 with a disappointing opening is Disclosure Day earning only 44 million. As we are now in the Summer season, expectations were much higher on this film and it just simply fell short. This will struggle to get close to 200 mil if at all given the number of big releases yet to come. Coming back up into the #2 spot is Obsession with 19 mil extra and very close to 200 mil for this little movie that could. Drop down to #3 is Scary Movie with a very sizeable 73% change and earning 14.5 mil, should still get to 100 mil when it is said and done though. Slipping down to #4 is Backrooms with 11.3 mil extra as it is now in striking distance to 300 mil. It continues to out-perform and impress at the box office. Rounding off the top 5 is Masters of the Universe with 8.7 mil and a huge 71% drop, this film won't make the 100 mil mark or come close.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
A couple this week starting at #8 is The Furious with 2.8 mil but on a semi-wide release pattern so a fair, but not great number. Right behind that at #9 is Stop! That! Train! with 2 mil and same release pattern.

Quote of the week:
"Don't watch the clock: do what it does. Keep going." - Sam Levenson

Fact & Tips:
A jellyfish is approximately 95% water.

"Sire, I failed you today. There's no excuse. You have my resignation." - Stephen Henderson as Thufir Hawat in Dune (2021).