Great Wall, Pandas, and Mcdonald's

 Heading to work today, my wife calls.  There is an accident where I am heading.  It is a car on fire and it is blocking 3 lanes.  Great!  As I am thinking about where I should get off, red lights caught my attention.  Too late!  I started towards the rightmost lane.  That was the exit for the road they told everyone to go to.  Well, it wasn't moving.  I look to the left and it is the only lane actually moving.  By the time I got to where the accident was, there was nothing there.  They had cleaned it up and disappeared.  Almost like that movie IROBOT.  

 My children are getting ready to go back.  I can't wait.  I know they get bored sitting around the house.  They really don't go out much.  I wish we had a place for them to go during the summer where they could play and do things.  Knowing my children, they would sit in the corner.  One wouldn't even leave the house.  I am hoping she goes back to school this year.  We'll have to wait and see.  Although she is progressing in some areas, she still hates leaving the house.  

 We had a slightly cooler weekend.  I know the chickens and rabbits were happy.  I was still humid out there.  I did some work and came back inside drenched.  It was not raining, yet.  We did get a shower or two.  I was minimal.  I am glad of.  I am trying to move dirt that the rain has washed away.  I think I am making progress.  I know I have a drain pipe to repair.  Once things cool down, we are redoing the chickens.  I don't think the Guinea's will like it.  They love their freedom.  

 My daughter and I are still learning guitar.  I like doing it.  My fingers do not hurt as much.  I feel that I am getting the chords.  Do I hear songs? No!  I sort of hear different notes. It is also interesting watching others play it in videos. When they use chords, I can tell the chords.  They do pick a lot.  That is a difficult process, but fun to try.  It does take practicing everyday.  Some days I am just too tired.  I just wish I could get my daughter to move her fingers.  She wants me to do it.  

 I love this movie.  It has a great story, actors and effects.  It does not surprise me.  Dan O’bannon was a writer.  This guy helped create Alien and Return of the Living Dead.  One thing I noticed was this movie is still relevant.  They could easily continue this story. A corrupt president could restart the program.  They could dream up not so futuristic tech to add to the copter.  They could have an actor like Austin Butler play a grown up version of Roy Scheider’s girlfriend’s son.  On top of that, AI could be programmed for surveillance and attacks.  One that is programmed to go after the government’s enemies and people not of the same color of the president.  Practical effects are a must.  Do not have an AI powered copter.  Stealth already did that.  It was lame!  They also need a few modified copters for better dog fights!  

 I think one of the coolest signatures I got was from Thomas Harris.  He is the author of Silence of the Lambs.  I wrote him after reading the book.  I asked what Lector would do next.  I even asked for an autograph ed picture.  He said he did not have pictures, but drew a picture of what he looked like.  In addition to that, I wrote John Douglas from the FBI.  He as a consultant to Thomas Harris.  I was inquiring about books on serial killers.  He responded.  He suggested a book and signed the letter.  I also got Jack Nicholson’s autograph.  It took over a year to get.  

 When I was younger, I used to write actors, authors, and cartoonists that I like.  Sometimes, I would be successful.  Sometimes, I would get an auto pen signature.  I never payed for them.  I did send a self addressed stamped envelope.  Nowadays, you can attend a convention and pay for that privilege.  In some ways I get it.  You can talk to them directly.  You see them do it. At the prices they charge, what other value does it have?  I could not spend that kind of money for one signature.  I really wouldn’t know what to say that a million others have already said.  I do like that it gives actors that do not always make the big bucks a chance to make money.  It also lets fans see a person that might have been in a bunch of their favorite movies but not the main star.  Those actors are more impressive to me.  They stand out, even if you don’t know their name!  If you had a chance to meet someone like this, w...

 It looks like Spiderman is going to have a great weekend!  Its preview beat out an Avenger's movie for top preview showing.  I want to see it.  I may wait.  I think there will be a lot of people getting out of the heat to see this or the Odyssey.  I'm glad to see the box office looking good, but this is only two movies.  We need more movies being released.  I wouldn't count on Paramount WB to do that.  If they do merge, it will be a massacre on half the employees.  

 We lucked out.  We almost had a Sony Spiderman movie.  They wanted to have Spiderman up against their Sinister Six.  We are talking about the failure spiderverse movies Sony tried to make.  Luckily, it was shot down.  Are they really trying to bring down what they have with this incarnation of Spiderman?  Sometimes, it makes me wonder about producers.  All they can see is money, but not the best way to get there.  Anything they come up with is "gold"!  I love movies, but I am glad I do not work in a system like that.  Producers are the worst for going after the golden goose.  When they cut it open, they wonder where the gold is.  If they villains were attracting people, why did their movies fail?  Now they want a Spiderman movie to prompt them up.  What would that lead to?  A Suicide Squad movie with Spiderman villains?  Uh-oh, I might have just given a producer an idea for a movie.  

 So, you might have seen ads being added or not.  I can't really tell.  I have been doing this for years and only have $9.  They won't even pay out till you hit $100.  At my rate, I will not hit that before I die. I would ask you as a reader, if you are paying attention, could you click on an ad? I want to see if I am even doing this stuff correctly.  If not, it's okay.  I like doing this.  

 I hate watching commercials.  Over half are drug commercials.  They are selling the hip new drug.  One that will probably have to be taken for the rest f the person’s life.  The commercials go out of their way to show how happy people are taking it.  Of course, then you get a whole paragraph of what could go wrong, even death. But, happy times!  At least for the executive s that get bonuses from sales!  That reminds me I have to read Brave New World!  

 This is the week the new Spider-Man comes out.  I want to see it, but it will have to wait.  Crunch time is hitting at work.  We have to finish by the first week of August.  I’m ready for the fall.  It has been warmer than usual with little ran this year. I’m just glad we have not has fires.  

 I woke up this morning and looked at the back yard.  Turkey buzzards were lining our fence posts.  Do they know something we do not know?   I went out to feed the animals.  None had died.  Unless they can smell the waste of the chickens.  I can't.  If it is grouped in a hot building, you would smell it.  My wife said they if they start flying into the windows and start attacking, we need to hide.  Maybe they smell my neighbor.  She seems to be on death's bed.  She likes to come out and shoot into the air to scare them off.  

 I read this weekend that the upcoming Onslaught is a spiritual sequel to The Guest.  The Guest was a great movie with Dan Stevens. He plays a soldier coming back from Iraq to visit the family of a fallen buddy.  He is not exactly who he says he is.  Now, we have Onslaught.  It’s about super killing soldiers let loose on a town.  An ex military person has to protect her daughter.  Dan Steven’s plays a different character in this movie.  

 Yesterday, I was looking out at our backyard.  On the fence I sight a hawk.  That is bad.  If they get hungry, they could grab a chicken.  I grabbed my BB Gun and went out.  He didn't like me coming out and flew off.  This is getting me concerned.  It was hot and humid.  Since I was out with my gun, I decided to double down on the heat.  I went into one of the buildings and started kicking things in the corners.  Sure enough, rats started to scurry.  I aimed and took shots.  I do think I hit one of them.  It's hard to tell.  Sometimes, it feels like shooting fish in a barrel.  Most of the time, they are too quick.  After I had exhausted my bb's, I went to check on the rabbits and another area where the mice and rats like to hide.  I saw nothing.  But, then I saw one of the rabbits laying on its side.  I opened the cage and it was stiff.  I guess the heat got to it.  Now, we are...

 I can't say I watch many streamer made movies.  They just look too clean for me.  They use particular actors, the dialogue usually sucks and the backgrounds all look AI to me.  They are probably using AI to write scripts also.  Even if they can get a great director, they will not guarantee it will play on a movie screen.  I'm glad to see scrutiny for the WB/Paramount deal.  If Netflix does get a second chance, I hope they will keep their promise to play movies in theaters.  They really have to cut back on the AI.  I am not really looking forward to any upcoming movies.  I miss the older days of movies.  I do not miss the A list actor movie projects that they through lots of money at.  I really wish they would stop trying to turn games into movies or toys into movies.  In the end, it's just one big commercial.