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.
bed news, bad weather
Someone turned on the heat and broke the switch so now it's left on HOT! As we go into Fall, our weather here as jumped substantially. End of this week and into next week, we will have several days of 100+ degree weather when normally we should be back in the 70's. I guess this is part of the Super El Nino that is occurring as we sit in that window of extreme heat and dryness while above and below is will expecting flooding. I don't know if there is a temperature change and it could be a warm rain for them instead of a cold rain which is what we are used to here. I wouldn't mind warm rain as long as its rain because this extreme heat is extending our fire season by a LOT. It did get pretty windy on Saturday mid-day which is what I typically associate with El Nino weather but the heat and dryness is new (to me). I just want normal weather again but I fear that may be over with how global warming has changed our patterns so drastically.
Weekly Update:
I do believe in Karma and how good deeds get rewarded in some fashion back to you and bad ones will eventually bite you at some point. But I'm not sure what I did to get (what I feel) is bad karma or simply bad luck and news. From personal bad news which felt like a load of bricks just hits you to work bad news, it just seems to pile on and on nearly all at once. How does it do that and why? Like does one part of the universe tell the other, hey I am going to make this happen so you should do this so we can sandwich them in-between? But yeah, when stuff like this starts, it really does pile on or so it feels like and you just have to wonder... why and will it ever get better? I seem to have had consistent bad news and luck for like the past decade with very few good moments here and there, where's the balance? Or hey, why can't all the bad not show up at all? I feel like I am not at my peak due to lack of rest and sleep but I still manage to do what I need to do... I bet I could do so much more if I was more rested or so I think. When or will this bad news streak ever end? The saying is true though, when it rains, it pours and that is what it feels like is going on for me.
At the movies:
New week, new #1 as Verity takes the box office crown with 32.6 million to open. Solid number for this time of year since it's usually a lull between seasons. Holding at #2 is Resident Evil with an extra 12.5 mil as it does well overall at the box office. Also holding at #3 is Heart of the Beast with 11 mil and a fairly small drop, but won't go too much further. Holding at #4 is Primetime with 8 mil with a sizeable drop but not enough to lose its ranking. New at #5 is Digger with a very disappointing 8 mil to open and will fade out very fast.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
Only 1 this week at #8, Drishyam: The Conclusion on a limited run and earning 2.7 mil with only a $5k per screen average.
Quote of the week:
"No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world." - Robin Williams
Facts & Tips:
Cats can hear ultrasound."Whoa. Is my hair out?" - James Woods as the voice of Hades in
Hercules.
Still noisy!
Apparently this year we are due for a SUPER El Nino and what does that mean? Some of the strongest wind currents will sweep across the globe and cause potential catastrophic damage. The damage can range from massive heat waves and dryness in some areas while other areas will get mass rain and flooding. I'm not sure when it starts of if it has started but there is like a belt across the wide-axis on the Earth that it will flow I think West to East. In my area it is hard to tell if it will be a lot of rain or heat but one thing we have gotten recently was a heat wave and more humidity which is not normal. The coming week also shows increased temperatures again, could be up to 100 again which will be so miserable. But will this mean another big year of dryness when we have already been in a 20 to 30 year drought. Climate change is only getting worse and worse each year... El Nino is a reminder of that.
Weekly Update:
Ever noticed that the hum of a Tesla car is actually quite load? My neighbors have 2 of them and one regular car, after they start the regular car, I don't really hear it but then while the Tesla's are sitting idle, they keep humming and it's kind of annoying. I wonder if that is similar to like the white noise from electronics that after a period of time, kind of gets to you. I just want them to turn off their car if they aren't going anywhere, why keep it going? Doesn't that use up some kind of power even if idle? In doing some surface research I guess this is a thing as they sell noise kits or mention ways to reverse the sound so they know they are noisy? So they do not add to regular pollution but just general noise pollution, that still can't be good for something, right? I wonder if it affects things like animals and maybe babies with developing senses. There has to be a study out there for it but yeah, turn off the car till you are going to leave especially in your own drive-way. I don't believe these cars need to "warm-up" the engine and even if they do, we are in Southern California! It's not that cold!
At the movies:
Big shake up at the box office this weekend! New but not-so-new at #1 is Avengers: Endgame Encore for 26 million as it sets up for the new Marvel film later this year which will no doubt be huge. This 26 mil is all profit since next to no marketing was needed. Drop down to #2 is Resident Evil with 23 mil as it breaks the 100 mil mark. New at #3 is Heart of the Beast with 20 mil and good word-of-mouth so may carry it further. New at #4 is Primetime which has mediocre responses and unsure how far this will go. New and rounding off the top 5 is Forgotten Island with 12.8 mil and may drop out fairly quickly.
Quote of the week:
"There is nothing on this Earth more to be prized than true friendship." - Thomas Aquinas
Facts & Tips:
Giraffes have no vocal cords.
"Your men don't want you to defy the gods. But the gods say only you make it home." - James Remar as Tiresias in The Odyssey
Cooling times...
Now this is Southern California weather! Finally the nights are nice and cool, almost cold again. Sleeping with the windows open, I don't need to run the house fan anymore and the ceiling fan I tend to turn off just before bed or some time in the middle of the night because it's too cold! And using the sheets and blankets again... this is how it should be. The days are ok, not hot, maybe a little warm but the breezes are what makes the difference between nice and HELL! The breezes are back and hopefully here to stay. I might get to a point where I will close the windows at night because it will get too cold but not there just yet. I just hope it maintains this way from now on till next Summer. Low 80's during the day and in the 60's at night, just as it should be. Welcome back SoCali weather, where have you been and we missed you.
Weekly Update:
I discovered recently that Gold Peak Ice Tea has a zero sugar version! I went to Wendy's and they had one of the Freestyle machines and there it was, Gold Peak Zero Sugar! I love Gold Peak tea, has a good flavor and always get it iced or very cold but can't drink it due to the sugars. But the zero sugar version tasted just as good and so happy they have it! Now I just need to find it at the store but hopefully it's not crazy expensive as the cost of everything is going up. But I should go to Wendy's more often to just get a large drink, have one there and refill it before I leave to drink more later. But however I get it, I'm just glad it exists now as all my options have been either Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi which are both good but something about Gold Peak just hits the spot when I'm thirty. Not sure if the zero sugar is caffeine free or not but I will assume it is not so will have to be careful what time of day I drink it when I have to be up early the next day.
At the movies:
Another new movie at #1, coming in with a solid 60 million to open is Resident Evil and a strong opening for this time of year. Word-of-mouth is good on this film and should carry it past 100 mil. Down to #2 is Practical Magic 2 with 12.2 mil as it drops close to 60% and may fall short of hitting 100 mil. In at #3 is Spider-Man: Brand New Day with 6.5 mil as it is close to 950 mil cume. Holding at #4 is The Odyssey with 4.9 mil as it slowly winds down. Rounding off the top 5 is Coyote vs. Acme with 4.5 mil and this one is almost tapped out.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
Several this week starting at #7 is Daniel and the Fiery Furnace with 3.1 mil on a wide-release pattern and a very poor per screen average. New at #8 is The Transformers: The Movie 40th Anniversary with 3.1 mil and this was a limited showing and still turned out 3 mil which is almost all profit. Finally at #9 is The Weight with 2.3 mil as it goes out on a semi-wide release but still a very poor per screen average.
Quote of the day:
"We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses." - Carl Jung
Facts & Tips:
Elephants are capable of swimming 20 miles per day.
"I grew up thinking of snow as a luxury you visit." - Director John Landis
