Christmas Surprise

 This year, my daughters are getting a gift they know nothing about.  I cannot wait till they see what they will be doing.  Currently, they believe it's a road trip.  It will be so much nicer.  I just hope we see some real reactions.  They have shown that there might be some.  I know one daughter will just smile and wonder what is going on.  

Freezing in Florida

 Last night, I had to go out and cover my avocado plant.  We had a freeze warning.  That try has been growing for at least 3 years, and I do not want to lose it.  It would be great if it were big enough to stand a slight freeze, but I do not want to chance it.  At least I do not need to worry about the dormancy of our lawn.  If we had an HOA, they'd demand green lawns.  Nature be damned!  Karens think money grows on trees and winter will not brown lawns!  

Avatar 3 is Coming

 I can't wait for the third Avatar.  It looks really good.  If you believe it will fail, just look at how much the first two did.  This one looks to ramp up the tension by adding an additional group to fight the Sullys.  I learned this long ago with James Cameron: never think his movies will fail.  I did that with Titanic, and I ran a movie theater.  Guess what? I was wrong and lost out on commissions.  Get your tickets!  See it in IMAX!  This is the best format to view it in!  I wish we had an IMAX theater near here.  The closest theater is in Orlando.  It is located in our tourist corridor.  There are other venues with IMAX name, but the theaters lack the screen sizes that IMAX demands to be seen in.  

Storage Hell

 I was driving into work yesterday and noticed all these storage companies.  I remember when I was younger, and a building was going up.  I would wonder if it was an eating place or a store of interest.  Nowadays, it's a storage company.  People need to declutter their lives.  I had to use one once.  I will never, I hope, do it again.  Currently, I want to go through our belongings and donate as much as possible.  If not donate, hopefully sell.  Most is not worth much.  We do have some "collectables," but unfortunately, collectables are just a term to get people to buy. As I look back, there are some trends I wish I had avoided.  Beanie Babies, Baseball Cards, Comics!  It was at a time when they were cheaper, but they had little value.  Most of my baseball cards were from mass-produced eras, or the players were steroid addicts.  It's truly a shame that people buy so much unnecessary junk that they need these units.   Wake up, people! You can not take it with you when you die, and your family is most likely to trash it. Save your money and do things to make memories.  Take lots of pictures.  Stay away from anything that is trending.  It is a scam created by marketers!   

Turning on the Heat

 I woke up this morning and turned on the heat.  Well, actually, I woke up around 12 and turned on the heat.  It was set for 69.  It never dropped below that.  At 3, I woke up and nudged it up to 70.  That will be comfortable enough for me.  Any more and it starts getting too hot.  I really don't even like using the heat in my car.  

A New War Down South

 It looks like America is going after South America.  He's starting with Venezuela.  He says it's because of drugs, but if so, why pardon drug dealers?  Now he's even threatening Columbia because they were mean to him.  Will his son take control of all that coke?  They'll probably have a party at mar lago after they get the drugs.  If you think he is going after Venezuela because of drugs, then you need to turn of Fox news.  It's all about the oil.  It will be a war to give the oil rights to corporations.  I'm glad my kids will not be risking their lives for corporate domination.  All countries south of America should be wary of trump.  

Go Fund Me! Legal Scam

 Don't worry, I am not starting a Go Fund Me.  I just saw a story that makes me hate this service.  A girl up north was fired for insulting a black couple.  Now she has a Go Fund Me that is actually making money.  Just goes to show you racists will take care of their own.  I have never liked Go Fund Me.  It's a scam.  Actors who have "fallen on bad times" start them all the time.  They would never give to people in need.  They want you to fund their lavish lifestyles.  We tried doing one for adoptions, but they said we could not do one for adoptions.  Do you know the cost involved in adoption, especially overseas?   The red tape both countries have costs money.  Kim K can sell her garbage as a fund raiser for herself.  Unless you know a lot about the people doing one, do not give to them.  Especially actors/musicians, etc!  They have made more in their short lifetime than you will ever make.  If they pissed it away, oh well!  

Affordability, Yeah Right!

 Now Big Brother is trying to make Americans believe that he has made everything affordable.  I don't feel that way.  Costs just keep going up.  Going out to eat is a luxury.  Fast food is available at rates of $10 and over.  That is not affordable.  Bring a family and you're looking at $60+ to eat at McDonald's.  Don't even get me started about electricity.  I live in a state where the ruling party rubber stamps all increase requests.  They are even asking for more money in a season without hurricanes.  Our government is not making it cheaper.  They are phasing out renewables so that we can burn more oil and coal.  Instead of looking into the future, we are going in reverse.  Healthcare in this country is a joke.  Republicans feel that we should get the care we can afford.  If you can't afford it, sorry.  Just like education.  Only the rich will get the best.  The rest of us can get training to do menial jobs.  The government is even taking away loans for education.  Republicans want us to be dumb, Fox absorbing humans.  

Verses in General

 I wish Hollywood would go back to original storytelling and stop trying to create some kind of universe.  If the story warrants exploring other areas, then that's fine.  But they are writing all kinds of spin-offs before the first story even comes out. Universals Monsterverse was a stupid idea.  Like all these villains would come together to fight a bigger villain.  Plus, it takes the horror out of the story and turns it into some kind of dumb comic book gathering. Then, you have studios trying for the next Harry Potter.  That has given us lots of crappy films. Not even the kids it is geared towards want to see them. How does Warner Bros. compete with itself?  A streaming series of the same movies.  Now with actors that look like poor replicas of the originals. They have to milk the property for every dime.  Surprisingly, the writer is not creating stories within the books or a prequel.  They did try it with movies.  But it sucked.       

Flesh Eating Bacteria

 It looks like Florida has a new surprise in store for visitors.  Flesh-eating bacteria are on the rise.  This is at a time when waterways are cooling down.  I suppose it doesn't help when Tallahassee allows companies to discharge wastewater into our rivers and oceans.  If you come here, be careful.  Do not go into water with cuts or scratches.  If your skin starts to turn red or fevers begin to occur, go to the hospital.  It happened to my daughter.  She had a break in her skin.  She thought the salt water would help it.  It did not.  She ended up in the hospital.  This is the second time this has happened to her.  The first time was a freshwater swimming area.  Stick to chlorinated pools.  

Nice Cool Day

 Woke up this morning and had to put on a light jacket.  Some in Florida will probably break out their winter wear.  It's only in the 50's.  It will not stay that way.  Florida always warms back up.  Enjoy the cold when you can get it.  

Five Nights at Freddy's 2

 Wow!  I thought this movie was going to bomb.  From what I found out, the creator of the video game was also the screenwriter.  Frankly, it did not look that good.  I suppose the game's fans came out in droves.  I think that is great.  I need a movie with a story that makes you care about the characters.  This just looks like a movie where people enter an old building, and things jump out at them.  If that's your cup of tea, enjoy.  I'll wait for streaming.  I'm a Matthew Lillard fan.  I still look forward to it for that reason, no matter what Tarantino says.  Paul Dano is also a great actor.  See Prisoners, and There Will Be Blood, if you want to see his performance.  

Affordable Housing? (Pump-and-Dump Scheme)

 I saw one reason why affordable housing is such an issue.  It's from a pump-and-dump scheme.  If you saw the movie The Wolf of Wall Street, you know what pump and dump is.  If not, it occurs when a broker buys a large quantity of a penny stock.  Then, they encourage others to buy because of some future event that will increase the value tenfold.  Once it hits a level, the broker sells off their share.  That is what is going on in the Housing/Renter market.  Companies like BlackRock are buying up groups of houses for around $300,000.  Then they sell it to themselves for a value of $700,000 a piece.  This causes the values of houses to artificially increase.  At this point, they can sell them at a gain or rent them out.  Since the values of the houses are so high, they can set the rent values even higher.  Unfortunately, this is all legal.  These companies own the politicians.  As long as a politician is paid, they will not bite the hand that feeds them.  Those in America do have the right to vote.  Just remember what the rich are doing to you.  It's not the poor and immigrants.  They want you to believe it is.    

The Rain Continues

I'm shocked.  The rain has continued.  I love it.  In Florida, when summer ends, the state enters its dry season.  Every bit of rain helps.  Especially when you have as many homeowners' associations as Florida does.   They require everyone to have green lawns, even in the winter.  Then, water control districts have to reduce watering.  You'd think the government would make it so HOAs cannot enforce ridiculous rules, such as requiring green lawns all year long.  However, many people profit from it.  

Rain in Florida

 Running around yesterday was a game of hit and miss.  One minute it would be raining and then it would stop.  The rain really did not last for a long period of time.  At one point, I was picking up my daughters.  We walked out and it began to pour.  Someone asked if I needs an umbrella.  I said no, we’ll wait a minute.  Sure enough, the rain stopped.  It’s Florida.  

Amazing Weather

 Florida is having some of its best weather.  Not all will agree with me.  Just as warmth and humidity were sneaking back, we got rain and a decline in temperatures.  I love this.  I hate our usual weather.  December tends to be warm.  Maybe not humid, but definitely warm.  Air conditioning runs all the time.  For the last couple of weeks, we have not needed it.  I also think our farm dog is enjoying this.  He likes cold weather.  The chickens are another story.  We see a decline in eggs.  In a couple of months, it will pick up again.  

Better Call Saul

 If you haven't watched Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad, you should check them out.  They are probably the best shows ever created.  I recall that when Breaking Bad premiered, I wasn't sure what to make of it.  The father of Malcolm in the Middle in a drug show.  Once you start watching, you get hooked.  There are some amazing performances. It really has to be seen to be believed! It is not a comedy.   

Carry Your Papers!

 The US has gone crazy.  Our Gestapo, ICE, is now pulling all citizens and arresting them if they refuse to show their papers.  This is disgusting and scary.  Kids are going missing.  Families are being torn apart.  Politicians stand by and do nothing.  Now, our "supreme court" is siding with anything our corrupt government wants.  If you live in the US, carry your papers or you might disappear.  Even papers may not protect you.  Your politicians are worthless and will do nothing to help.   

Crazy Chickens

 I'm sitting in my office at home.  All I can hear is the sound of chickens squawking. I think they are trying to encourage me to feed them.  I know when I go out, it will be like Ace Ventura and the animals flocking to him.  I do know they will squawk before laying an egg.  The roosters are non-stop with their calls!  

Burning Down the House

 I'm sitting here in my house, and I start to smell smoke.  I start running around looking for a source.  Nothing can be found.  I look out towards the lake.  Smoke is coming up from the trees in front of the lake.  Our neighbor is burning again.  I do not know what they are burning.  Maybe they are clearing a path to the lake.  I believe some of that soil is swamp land.  Maybe they will build a walkway over it.  It would be nice if they would give us access, but we do not even know them.  I do wish they would stop burning trees.  I feel like I live in a campsite.  

Tag Line Ideas

 When I was in college, I took classes in scriptwriting.  In one class, our professor had us read this book about selling ideas to Hollywood.  I tried.  I never got a reply.  In the end, I think it was a scam, similar to the "How to Make Money Through the Mail" scam.  You run an ad and say If you want to learn how to make money just like I did, send me $1.  You send it, and they reply that you set up an ad and do the same as them.  It is illegal, and the post office will get you for this.  Often, these ideas are easy to come up with but awfully generic in Hollywood.  That is one reason sequels are so bad.  They replay the original and make slight adjustments. The rule of thumb in Hollywood is to keep making it until it stops making money.  Additionally, they will always copy something successful.  Or if they perceive they will be missing out, they may even compete with the same idea.  I remember when we had 2 Christopher Columbus movies.  Really, I didn't think we even needed one.  Be cautious of books or services that charge you money to sell your ideas to Hollywood.  Very few people see these things because of gatekeepers.  They may even steal any idea you have.  I have seen a lot of that.  

Weekend at Bernie's 3 Idea

 Bernie is alive and runs for president.  His people have radical ideas he freely implements.  If he ever died, they know all their changes would end.  Bernie dies and his Secretary of State and Head of DOJ carry his body around to fool the public, while dodging politicians and the media.  This seems plausible.  Wonder if we'll see this one in real time!

The Body is Missing

 I placed the rat's body in a bag and threw it in our Gator.  Eventually, I would have driven it down to the trash bin.  Unfortunately, our road can not take really heavy trucks.  It breaks up the concrete.  When I got home, I found the bag sitting on the back seat.  It was open, not torn open.  I know the cat or certain other predators did not get to it.  Whatever it was, it took the body.  There were some hairs and maybe residue left.  I'm guessing whatever got to it will not enjoy their meal.  It may even kill them, unless the poison did not kill the rat.  

Nightcrawler Sequel Idea

 Have you seen the movie Nightcrawler?  If you have not, you should.  Jake Gyllenhaal plays a guy who wants to get into filming accidents to make money.  He wants to be the best at it.  By the end, he seems to have mastered it.  I could see his character becoming bored and moving on to another endeavor.   Possibly an Internet Influencer or a poster looking for views for cash.  He may even see where a person did a found footage movie, like " The Blair Witch Project.  He would use unscrupulous methods to achieve his goals.  

GOAT (Space Jam 3?)

I saw a preview for GOAT the other day.  It resembles Space Jam without live-action elements.  They use the same crazy opponents as Space Jam.  It also features a large basketball.  Did he allow lesser players to voice characters? I didn't watch Space Jam 2, and I will not be watching GOAT.  Just another movie to sell basketball and shoes.  Will this be a Hollywood trend?  Every 10 years or so, they produce a basketball-themed animated film? 

Conquering the Smell

 Once I removed the rat's body, I replaced it with pet odor powder.  You could still smell it.  Later in the day, the smell was gone.  As for the one in the wall, the odor lingers.  The air freshener may need to be replaced.  I think it is going way.  I hope so!

Stranger Things Returns

 I tried to watch the new season of Stranger Things.  I could not continue.  I think the biggest problem is the time jump.  Even if it is not a big one, the kids are adults playing high schoolers.  It seems like only a little time has passed.  I hope the best for the series, but I am tired of waiting for streamers to continue shows and movies.  There is a time table when people lose interest in the subject. I still haven't finished Cobra Kai.  Word of advice for streamers: continue things within a year or risk losing your audience. If I watch it, I'll be surprised. Also, I hate how they are milking the season. They should just release an episode a week or every other week.     

Texas Chainsaw Massacre Sequel Idea

 I will never be a part of Hollywood. So I might as well share ideas that I think would be great. Maybe someone will see it, make it, and pay me for the idea.  I won't count on it.  One can dream!  My thought would be a prequel.  With that, I mean to Tobe Hooper's original.  Leatherface would not be called Leatherface.  He would not be a wrestler with a steroid rage.  He would be the simple hulk that hides behind a mask, childlike, but dangerous.  The character of Chop Top would make an appearance.  This would be during his service in Vietnam.  The movie would be called The Machine Gun Massacre.  It would follow a group of ex-Viet Nam soldiers, who hold up a rural Texas bank.  In the process, something goes wrong.  Fleeing, they go to a pre-determined abandoned house.  One that is located near the house of the Chainsaw Massacre.  The cars they use to get away should match the ones in the back of the house from the original movie.  Nubbins would still be alive.  Maybe they could have other family members.  Of course, Chop Top would be there in a flash back.  He would set up the idea of a robbery and where to lay low.  I would use men who look like they have seen war, not actors with fresh faces.  

Cool Weather

 Florida got some more cold weather.  Nicer than what we’re used to.  I can feel the need for air conditioning soon.  Unfortunate side effect of living in Florida.  We have another cold front approaching.  I know our dog loves ut!  

Another Rat Bites the Dust

 I went downstairs and noticed a familiar smell.  I closed the bedroom door so the smell would not get in the room.  This morning I pulled out the ladder, put on the gloves, and searched for the body.  I pushed in the first tile and looked.  It did not smell any worse.  No body in sight.  I moved over and looked again.  This time I found it.  I saw his brown fur.  I went over and bagged it.  Then, I checked for others.  Nothing.  I checked an area where poison had been added.  It was still there.  No new rats, I guess.  The air freshener upstairs is still doing its job.  You can smell a faint odor of the rat.  

Censoring the Oldies

 After meeting Kieth Coogan, I went home and turned on Adventures in Babysitting for my daughter.  It was on Disney+.  Halfway through, I notice that the dialogue is not what I remember.  The character of Brad tells his sister that “Thor is a homo!”  On Disney’s version, it became “Thor is a weirdo!”  There were other slight changes.  It reminded me of when TNT censored Die Hard 2.  John McClane’s catch phrase was altered to “Yippee Ki Ye Mr. Falcon!”  I guess if you watch Disney+, older movies will be sanitized for today’s audiences!  I don’t not want a corporation sanitizing what I watch!  

Cruising Out the Tunes

 I hope everyone got what they wanted from Black Friday.  I got rest.  No sales out there.  Today, I got two pair of pants for  $4.30.  Then my daughter and I went to the mall.  Kieth Coogan from Adventures in Babysitting was doing signings for a new store.  I knew that I could not afford to pay for a signature, but I thought it would be fun for my daughter to meet an actor.  She loves Bon Jovi.  Everyone she meets she asks if they know Living on a Prayer.  Before they can answer, she will start singing. He was gracious enough to entertain her by singing along.  He did offer to sell us some things for $50.  She even said she had the money. Of course, she did not.  She was happy.  She said she crushed it out with him!  

Black Friday

 Seems like Black Friday is a did this year.  I’ve looked at the sales.  It’s pitiful.  I guess if they took the tariffs off the pricing it would be better.  Oh well!  Who needs all this junk.  When you hit a certain point in your life, you run out of things to clutter the house.  I am looking to downsize.  

Thanksgiving 2025

 Another turkey day.  Just our little family this year.  No visitors.  Might have to watch a movie later on.  At least I will not be working at a theater.  Those days are gone.  Plus, event pictures have slowed down or the quality has gone down. I know my family will be napping later today!