Duckburg Gazette

Monday, March 16, 2026

SUMMER!!!

It's about to get HOT!! Ok so this past week was warm (mid to high 80's) but it felt really warm because the lack of breezes. I slept most nights with my windows open and ceiling fan on and wasn't enough some times. But, this week we are about to go into will be a scorcher! Starting early week it will be 90 and then by mid-week it should mid-90's and higher! This is March, right? Where is our Winter we never got and the Spring we are supposed to be in? This is NOT normal at all! The East Coast is getting hammered with a blizzard, that seems normal. As well as parts of the Mid-West, also normal but here, what the heck!! Why are we so off than the rest of the country right now? I know as a country, we are so broken but feels like this side of it is off-kilter a bit. I just want some rain...

Weekly Update:
Recently Panera Bread came out with this new Dubai Chocolate Cookie and I had a thing for a free desert so thought I would try it. First off, it's very small, a little bit bigger than say a Chips Ahoy! brand cookie. It's also a very soft, chewy cookie which is fine but the size is disappointing. Then, there is very little of the pistachio filling inside that you don't even taste or notice it. It was more like a soft bake cookie with some pistachio on top that you could taste but the rest of it, doesn't take anything but chocolate and I really like that pistachio/cream and kataifi pastry filling. That is the key to this Dubai chocolate craze, I mean forget the chocolate just give me that filling please! But the Panera cookie for $4.99 is not worth it, not even if it's half that if they do that 50% offers. Get the better value for the Kitchen Sink cookie when it's 50% or free.

At the movies:
Holding at #1 for a 2nd week is Hoppers with another 28.5 million and only a 37% drop! Movie is close to 100 mil cume and should get there in another couple of days. New at #2 is Remindersof Him with 18.3 mil and could be a fast burn. Also new at #3 is Undertone with 9.3 mil and not much on this one so will likely drop fast. Drop down to #4 is Scream 7 with 8.4 mil extra as it passes the 100 mil mark but likely not go too much further. Rounding off the top is GOAT with 4.7 mil and closer to 100 mil, will get there but will take more time.

Quote of the week:
"Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within." - James Baldwin

Facts & Tips:
Lizards communicated by doing push-ups.

"Do you ever get the feeling that you were meant to do something extraordinary?" - Milo Ventimiglia as Peter Petrelli in the TV series Heroes.

Monday, March 09, 2026

What time is it??

It's that time of year again... Daylight Saving Time! But, the one I don't like where we lose that precious hour of sleep since it generally occurs just after midnight so 12AM is actually 1AM. What is funny is how Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe it... most of Arizona? How do you get most of a state and not all of it, that is odd to me. You know what is interesting, I learned last time we changed that other countries do it too! For example I know that Finland does it but not the same time we do and I thought that was pretty interesting to learn. I know they are more Northern hemisphere so I have to imagine it affects them a lot with longer hours of no sun maybe? But I'm glad to know that the US is not the only place that adopts the time change and honestly, I do not mind it. I'm not sure if it's because I've lived with it all my life, I'm just used to it. I know several people who hate it but why? The sun has already been changed due to the rotation of the planet but maybe they are flat Earthers and don't believe it's round and we just flipped to the other side of the coin? Now THAT is just silly.

Weekly Update:
Ok time for Summer to start? Wait what?? Last week wasn't bad, mid-70's to 80 during the day but the weekend ended in the high 80's and looking at the weather forecast for next week... in the 90's. I hope (and I've said it before) this isn't a pre-cursor to what our Summer will be like and will it start now, earlier than normal and will it last longer? What has happened to our weather because just 2-years ago we were having massive rain fall for months, up through most of May and then it switched to Summer and moderately warm but wasn't a complete scorcher. But then last year, barely any rain and just like this year so far, same. A day here, a day there maybe and only for a few hours instead of days. And the rise in temps so soon from what is usually 60's is now 80's, even at night! This is not normal people, you are all doing it wrong.

At the movies:
Hopping in to take the crown this weekend is Hoppers with a solid 46 million to open for a non-holiday time frame. Overall reviews are good so as we start spring break, hopefully it will hold into week 2. Big drop down to #2 is Scream 7 with 17.3 mil which is an above average 73% loss from week 1. It is only inches away from hitting 100 mil, likely will get that in a day or two but it will crawl after that. New at #3 is The Bride! with 7.3 mil and a very low opening as I'm sure they were expecting a lot more. Dropping down to #4 in week 4 is GOAT with 6.6 mil as it gets closer to 100 mil, may take a couple more weeks. Rounding off the top 5 is Wuthering Heights with an extra 3.8 mil as it may cap out below 100 mil but came close.

Quote of the week:
"Tomorrow is only found in the calendar of fools." - Og Mandino

Facts & Tips:
1/4 of the bones in your body are in your feet.

"Eric Bachman, this is your mom, and you, you are not my baby." - Jimmy O. Yang as Jian-Yang in the TV series Silicon Valley.

Monday, March 02, 2026

I can sort of see...

On Tuesday I had another eye ball injection but this was only for the right eye, the one that had the blood vessel burst. This time the aftermath wasn't as bad as before. They cleaned it out much more than before and applied some ointment as well so though the sunlight was very sensitive to me, at least I could deal with it. Also the next day, I could open my eye without pain but it just felt like pressure on the eye all day. But, it did get two injections (anesthetic and the stuff that is supposed to reduce the veins). Still not an overall fun experience at all and I can only hope that is the end of it but who knows. As a precaution, I did take that day off plus the following two and I think that helped. As soon as I got home (within the hour after getting the injections this time), I napped in the dark and the day after, napped more in the dark. I think that in itself made a big difference compared to last time where I was stuck in a parking lot in the middle of the day trying to figure out how to get home! Ugh eyes... such a necessity and such a pain to take care of something goes wrong.

Weekly Update:
Well... we did it, we hit 90+ degrees this past week and it was still FEBRUARY!! It's supposed to be in the 50's, tops but to be in the 90's?? What is happening here and where did the rain go that we had? I haven't checked the mountains lately but I hope its still cold up there so the snow doesn't melt right away. I've been sleeping with the windows open at night as well and the ceiling fan. The AC did turn on a few times over the last few days, I just want it to be cool, doesn't have to be cold but just not HOT. This weather is not good for us right now because it might mean an even hotter Summer when that time frame hits. We are going to be in trouble but we are kind of already in trouble so... we'll just make it worse. I miss the months of rain we had a couple of years back. Where did that all go?

At the movies:
New at #1 is Scream 7 with a solid 64.1 million but reviews are somewhat mixed. Could it be one too many or just not the best time of year to release this one? Next week will be the big tell on how the hold-over lasts. Drop down to #2 is GOAT with 12 mil extra as it gets closer to 100 mil and another small drop. It could potentially hit the 100 mil mark if it maintains this pace. Drop down to #3 is Wuthering Heights with an extra 6.9 mil and a decent drop. It's not far from the 100 mil mark but it will be a struggle to get there. New at #4 is Twenty One Pilots: More Than We Ever Imagined with 3.7 mil and a low number for under 1000 screens with that per screen average. Rounding off the top 5 up a bit is EPIC: Elvis Presley in Concert with 3.5 mil as it gained 9% at the box office.

Quote of the week:
"Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion." - Martha Graham

Facts & Tips:
Pigs can get sunburn.

"Because I enjoy my own company more." - Emily Hampshire as Stevie Budd in the TV series Schitt's Creek.

Monday, February 23, 2026

RAINNNNnnnnnnn

Wow did we get some massive rain recently and it was spectacular!! The mountains are covered in snow once again and the reservoirs with flowing with water. It was kind of comical though because it was raining hard on Thursday morning through the afternoon and then at almost 3PM, it just stopped like if someone had turned off a faucet. It was expected to stop Thursday afternoon but it was kind of sudden like and it did some major good for us. So now we have some water in the pipeline and the reserves on the mountains when it warms up and melts down. No rain is expected in the next week, in fact it's warming back up to 80 so we'll probably see some melting soon. I hope more rain is coming though and in that same spectacular fashion! It was definitely a relief and just made everything nice and clean for the time being.

Weekly Update:
This past Friday I did another kind of fun thing. I participated in the 2026 Pokémon Go! World Tour as it was held at the Rose Bowl here in Pasadena again, just like last year. The grounds were very wet and some areas flooded or muddy so it felt just a little bit smaller but I think it was due to the rain we just had. But the event was fun and hung out with some friends and got a lot of tasks completed that I had sitting around for well over a year. Caught a lot of fun Pokémon and just everything was cool. I will say the concession prices were VERY steep this year and likely because they know you aren't going any where else to eat. But, what can you do but just not think about it and enjoy the event and have fun. My back after a few hours was kind of sore and I think it was due to all the even ground you walk around on (it was the Rose Bowl itself plus 2 or 3 golf courses next to it. So walking in the golf courses is what was making my back strain itself. I did play a good chunk, about 9:30 AM to about 3:30, close to 4 so I can get on the road and try to avoid some Friday night traffic back.

At the movies:
Gaining a spot at the box office this week is GOAT with another 17 million and not a bad drop from week 2. Slight drop down to #2 is Wuthering Heights with 14.2 mil extra and this will definitely fall short of 100 mil. New at #3 is I Can Only Imagine 2 with 8 mil to open and I can't imagine this going very far at all. Holding ground at #4 is Crime 101 with 5.8 mil and suffered the regular drop and will continue to do so each week. Rounding off the top 5 is Send Help with another 4.5 mil and likely the last we see of this one.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
We have two this week, in at #6 is How to Make a Killing with 3.6 mil for a wide-release so not a good overall number. New at #7 is EPIC: Elvis Presley in Concert with 3.3 mil on limited release but a low per screen average.

Quote of the week:
"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." - Bertrand Russell

Facts & Tips:
A fifteen-year-old boy invented earmuffs in 1873.

"Uh, no, Ponch. When we first met, you had just fallen off a dirtbike." - Larry Wilcox as Officer Jon Baker in the TV series CHiPs.

Monday, February 16, 2026

The week don't stop

Trying to recover from a long week and last weekend is hard when you just jump back into work. I thought I would be well rested but I wasn't and I think that is because I drove all the way back from San Francisco and then I had an event on Wednesday night that didn't end till Thursday morning and I got home just past 2AM. After I had to help some folks get into the parks on a very busy day because of the holiday weekend... I'm tired and I have another busy week ahead of me too with more events on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. When does it become normal again? When do I get to sleep in again is the big question. I miss sleep and most of all I miss doing nothing. Doing nothing is very underrated.

Weekly Update:
We were due for some reason late in the week but it never arrived and that is sad. After driving back from SF, I hit a lot of bugs and was hoping for a wash of some kind but it appears the rain may come at the start of this week (Monday) instead. We just need the water and I just want it to rain a lot so we can enjoy it. I like rain, I want it more often than we currently get it and it kind of saves me money as well. I don't have to worry about watering the the backyard because rain will take care of that or adding more water into the pool... rain! And also it just removes that layer of dirt that is every where from dust and smog so things are kind of clean again. Not to mention the snow on the mountains to help us maintain a longer water supply when it melts. Rain please come soon!

At the movies:
A lot of shake-up at the box office this weekend! New at #1 is Wuthering Heights with a big 34.8 million to open and this one could have some legs on it as well. New at #2 is GOAT with 26 mil and that is a solid number for this time of year. Coming in new at #3 is Crime 101 with 15.1 mil and this one may drop quickly. Drop down to #4 is Send Help with 9 mil extra which is only a 1% drop from the previous week. Rounding off the top 5 is Solo Mio with 6.4 mil and also a small drop but it also opened soft last week.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
In at #7 is Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die for 3.6 mil with a very low per screen average and looks like it was more made for streaming than big screen.

Quote of the week:
"To often we... enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy

Facts & Tips:
Diary cows drink up to 50 gallons of water per day.

"Make ten men feel like hundred." - Diego Luna as Cassian Andor in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.