Duckburg Gazette

HI-HOoooooooo

What a busy weekend it was for me, well actually just Saturday was pretty crazy.  Even if the rest of the week had nothing, Saturday sure filled up my weeks worth of stuff to do... but let's start with Wednesday first.  I finished my jury duty!!!  It's finally over and we finished about 3 weeks earlier than expected.  I do appreciate the whole process but there are some things I wish would change or be provided.  I wonder if they do juror surveys because I would definitely provide feedback there.  But back to Saturday... so I volunteered to help test some clues and such for Disney Studio as they are doing their own version of Minnie's Moonlit Madness this coming Saturday.  I think they are calling it Mickey's Morning Mayhem or something like that?  I had to drive up there and started testing by 10A (left the house at 8) and was there till at least 2P.  Then drive back to my area for a friend's 60th birthday party at 4.  It did take me over 2 hours to get home in traffic so time wise it worked out.  Then I had to get to our game night at Round Table Pizza that started at 5 but I didn't show up till closer to 7.  After all that I was so tired more so from the driving and the testing as I had to walk around a lot for that.

Weekly Update:
Gyro's!!!  Costco had Daphne's gyro meat on sale and since all of the Daphne's near me have closed, I had to try it.  It's more than I expected and I would say after buying the meat, some pita/flat bread and I opted to buy made tzatziki because I've never made it myself before... I think my pricing averages out about $1.50 per gyro give or take.  Not bad at all and they are really delicious to boot.  And I'm not really sure if making my own tzatziki sauce would be that much cheaper after buying all the ingredients for so I am happy with the pre-made stuff.  I will say I did keep my gyro pretty basic but honestly that is the way I like them... just the meat and the sauce wrapped up in the bread.  Not a fan of onions and don't care too much for tomatoes in it.  Also fries, some put fries in it and it's ok but really starts to muddle the flavors together  you lose the meat.  I could see about adding maybe feta cheese but not necessary.  Overall great value and some delicious food.

At the movies:
New at #1 is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes with a big 56.5 million to open.  Very solid number considering non-holiday and off-season with good word-of-mouth.  Easily an 100 mil film but how far will it carry into that will be a big tell next week.  Drop down to #2 is The Fall Guy with 13.7 mil and unfortunately despite it's mass promotion, doesn't look like it will reach the 100 mil mark.  Holding at #3 is Challengers with 4.7 mil and this one will start to fade out as new titles are released.  Also holding ground at #4 is Tarot with 3.5 mil and will disappear sooner than later.  Still in the picture at #5 is Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire with 2.5 and SO close to 200 mil... at least another week or two and it should get there.

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

Facts & Tips:
10M bricks were used to build the Empire State Building.

"Look, if you want to torture me, spank me, lick me, do it. But if this poetry shit continues, shoot me now, please." - Lori Petty as Tank Girl in Tank Girl.

posted by McDuck @ 01:00 0 comments

Was it hot?

I was not looking forward to the predicted weather this week as it said we were going up into the 80's and sunny, I thought that mean Spring was over and into Summer we go.  But, in fact it was very much the opposite!  Or should I say it didn't move at all, we stayed in the 60's, maybe hit low 70's and got some light rain here and there, just enough to cover the ground.  Also it was pretty cloudy a couple of days which was nice because it helped keep it cold.  I am not sure how come our weather forecast has been so off this week as it's generally pretty accurate, did someone forget to replace the batteries on all the weather machines?  Or feed the hamster that turns the wheel to generate the power or something?  So let's see how this next week goes... right now it's calling for high 70's with cloudy days.  Let's see if that happens!

Weekly Update:
I was at Costco again this week and I started to wonder, why would you back-up into a parking spot there?  For the most part, the spaces between the cars on the rows is very narrow where you can't event fit a shopping cart in between, let alone one of those bigger orange carts. So as I was parked, I just noticed the car in front of me in the next aisle did exactly that but that means when they load up their car (assuming the fill the trunk up first as most do), they will have to carry the items from the front of the car to the back.  The space between the cars is pretty narrow as well that you would likely scrape cars bringing a cart through!  I know there is one aisle in the Costco parking lot that does have that space but most of time it's filled with empty carts!

At the movies:
New at #1 is The Fall Guy with an 28.5 million dollar opening.  For this time of year, it's a decent number however for the big push on this film, a bit under expectations.  Week two will be the big tell on how this film will do in the long run. Re-releasing at #2 is Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace with 8.1 mil. Good number for a movie that originally came out in 1999 to less than stellar reviews. Drop down to #3 is Challengers with another 7.6 mil and not a bad drop percentage-wise.  New at #4 is Tarot with 6.5 mil and looks like a throw-away film to clear up the slate for summer.  Rounding off the top 5 is Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire with 4.5 mil and still on track to hit 200 mil before it's said and gone.

Quote of the week:
"Friends are the siblings God never gave us." - Mencius

Facts & Tips:
In the state of Arizona, it is illegal for donkeys to sleep in bathtubs.

"Letty grew up just down the street. She was into cars since she was like ten years old. Dom always had her attention. Then she turned sixteen..." - Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto in The Fast and the Furious.

posted by McDuck @ 00:00 0 comments

Sleepy tired, again

This week has been nothing short of draining! I think between work, other work and jury duty, I have been so tired.  Oh and I had visitors the last two weekends too!  So played host a little bit since they were from out of town. I think with all of that combined, I am just drained!  This past week I still woke up about 6AM with no alarm on and I just laid in bed till 9 or 10AM doing nothing.  I did want to sleep more but couldn't. There is a chance my trial I am serving on could be over this coming week so I hope that is true then I can try and get back into my normal schedule grove again.  Funny how a disruption can throw everything out of whack but then again, I guess that is why it's called a disruption.  I wouldn't mind a weekend vacation of just sleeping in a hotel room the entire time and have food brought to me... that actually sounds pretty good right about now.

Weekly Update:

I've been trying to eat more salads and price shopping on places who make them and are good.  I know I can make them myself for way less but my biggest problem is one head of lettuce can last me about 5-days worth of salads.  But by the time the 5th day is around, the lettuce isn't as crisp or even welted by then and not nearly as good.  So been shopping around and this is what I've come up with so far...

• Subway: $8.99, decent size and very tasty!  I would say overall good value but the lettuce is mostly shredded since it's the same they put on the sandwiches which isn't terrible but not used to it for a salad.
• Pieology: $9.45, fair, not the best salad I've had and they now charge an $1.00 for dressing so a very incomplete meal.  For a complete salad then it starts at $10.45
• Panera: $12.45 (around) and excellent.  Price to portion size is fair and if it was say $10.99 then I would get it all the time from there.
• Red Robin: $14.99 but a hefty portion size.  Overall delicious and on par with a burger in terms of price to quantity ratio.  Now if this was a $12 salad I would definitely go more often!
  
• Costco: $6.99 and BEST value for price to quantity.  The chicken in their salads are huge chunks and I wanted to get one the other day but they were out!

At the movies:
Some shaking up at the box office this week!  New at #1 is Challengers with a fair 15 million to open.  Not a bad number for an April release as we are post-Easter and pre-Summer right now.  New at #2 is Unsung Hero with 7.8 mil and only half of the #1 spot, this may be a fast burn out.  Holding to #3 is Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire with 7.2 mil extra and now shy of 200 mil cume, likely to possibly get there in the next 10-14 days.  Big drop down to #4 is Civil War with 7 mil and is quickly and quietly burning out.  Drop down to #5 is Abigail with 5.3 mil and this one will disappear pretty soon as well.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
Only one this week at #10 is Boy Kills World with 1.7 mil to open and it was also on a wide release pattern to.

Quote of the week:
"There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in." - Graham Greene

Facts & Tips:
A group of flamingos is called a flamboyance.

"No matter how crazed and bent out of shape I ever got, you were always there for me and I'll never forget it.  You really are my best friend." - Jason Priestly as Brandon Walsh in the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210.

posted by McDuck @ 00:00 0 comments

Cold... again?

Our temps here in SoCali are dropping again but nothing to extreme.  I thought we usually are a bit warmer and more rain in April (you know that whole April Showers bit)?  But last week we hit in the 70's during the day which seemed pretty normal but this week it is showing to be in the 60's but then at night, low 50's... that is pretty cold.  Also it's been breezy lately which I like but that makes it even colder by at least 5 to 10 degrees more.  I'm glad I bought a big box of hot chocolate off of Amazon (sugar free of course) and some whipped cream from Costco, though I may need more soon.  That stuff lasts forever in the fridge (well, a very very long time).  I did use up my marshmallows but you know what, I am not a big fan of that in hot chocolate because they don't melt... they are weird little floating things.

Weekly Update:
So completed two weeks of this trial for jury duty and starting week three... and I noticed something after the 2nd week, my eyes are hurting!  They crank on the AC (probably to keep us awake and alert) but it's extremely dry in the room.  And, we have to look at these low-res (definitely not high definition) screen in the front of the room as they show us evidence usually emails and letters so we are trying to read all these letters and with the dryness in the room, my eyes are straining. I noticed it when I got got back to work on Thursday last week and was looking at my computer screen, the entire day it was so blurry and hurting trying to read it.  The following days it was back to normal but is this going to happen again come Monday and after this week of jury duty?  I'm not sure how to prevent this, my eyes don't feel dry but I know they are suffering from the side-effects of having dry eyes.  I'm tired.

At the movies:
Holding on to the #1 spot for a 2nd week is Civil War with 11.1 million and so far getting decent word-of-mouth.  Unlikely will hit 100 but still good numbers for this time of year between Easter and Summer.  New at #2 is Abigail with 10.2 mil and really not a whole lot on this film, could be a fast burn out.  Slight dip to #3 is Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire with 9.5 mil and could still possibly reach 200 if it stays on this course. New at #4 is The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare with only 9 mil to open.  Not a good number at all for this film, almost kind of fits in line with League of Extraordinary Gentleman, may become just a cult following movie.  New at #5 is Spy x Family Code: White with 4.9 mil and another one that will probably burn out fast from the box office.

Quote of the week:
"Better remain silent, better not even think, if you are not prepared to act." - Annie Besant.

Facts & Tips:
A cat's nose is ridged with a unique pattern, just like a human fingerprint.

"In Virginia, high school football is a way of life, it's bigger than Christmas day. My daddy coached in Alexandria. He worked so hard my momma left him, but I stayed with coach, he needed me on that field." - Hayden Panettiere as Sheryl Yoast in Remember the Titans.

posted by McDuck @ 00:30 0 comments

Hot, hot, cold

This week has been a crazy up and down rollercoaster of weather!  Had some rain, it was cold, super window, then it got very warm for 2 to 3 days straight in the 80's.  But it felt like it was even hotter and was so tempted to turn on the AC but told myself, don't need it!  BUT, then at the end of the week the temps dropped nearly 20 degrees again!  I'm not sure what next week is going to be like but this weather is so dramatic lately going all the way up, dropping all the way down.  Some rain, dry as ever... what is going on around here??  I wonder what this means for this Summer... I fear it will be extremely hotter this year than before but I hope I am wrong.  Just a crazy time we live in with all the climate challenges going on and over half the planet not believing in it when it is literally slapping them in the face... wake the frak up people!

Weekly Update:
I don't understand Krazy Glue (aka super glue) after you use it once.  It always seems I get one use out of an entire tube because once I break the seal and open it, use it, then close it to hopefully use it again, it hardens up to be never used again!  If it be any time over a month from when you first use it, feels like the tube of the remaining glue is no longer there anymore!  Where did it go, or did the rest just harden up and that's it?  It never seems to fail though, I usually only get the one use out of an entire tube of Krazy Glue... I sometimes will by more generic super glue but same results!  If it's the liquid or the gel, they always seem to be one-use-wonders for me.  I don't get it...  yet my modeling glue for miniatures and stuff lasts for decades!!  Both the liquid and gel kind so what is the deal glue companies??

At the movies:
New at #1 is Civil War with a hefty 25.7 million to open. For indie studio A24, this is actually their biggest opening in their 12-year history as a studio.  Having a much broader, big budget film I guess does translate to a bigger box office.  Drop down to #2 is Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire with 15.5 mil as it starts a slow climb to 200 mil, uncertain if it will make it there but it will get very close.  Holding at #3 is Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire with 5.8 mil and now just inches away from 100 mil!  It should get there in a day or two but a bit of a struggle compared to the previous release.  Small jump up to #4 is Kung Fu Panda 4 with 5.5 mil as it also crawls its way to 200 mil, could still make it!  Rounding off the top 5 is Dune: Part Two after 7 weeks in the box office with 4.3 mil and actually close to 300 mil but also might fall shy of that benchmark.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
A couple this week... at #8 is The Long Game with 1.4 mil.  This is just over 1000 screens and a very poor per screen average at that.  This is likely just an indie studio's hope but, didn't work.  At #10 on about 800 screens is SUGA with 990k and even worse per-screen average and likely another hope and wish.

Quote of the week:
"God loves each of us if there were only one of us." - Saint Augustine

Facts & Tips:
Snakes can see even with their eyes closed.

"Yes. All men must die, but we are not men." - Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in the series Game of Thrones.

posted by McDuck @ 00:00 0 comments