X-MEN: APOCALYPSE, PG-13 ( 2 hr & 23 min )

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where:  CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Thursday, May 26th, 2016
show:  7:55 p.m. 3-D
costs:  $15.00 Ticket + $$6.05 small Buttered Popcorn + $2.20 ( $2.00-Off discount offer on my movie watcher e-mail reward coupon ) small Powerade Mountain Berry Blast + $4.15 Beef Jerky = $27.40
auditorium:  1
seat:  4th row from the front, 7th column from the right

2nd time

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where:  CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when:  Sunday, May 29th, 2016
show:  7:15 p.m. 2-D
costs:  $8.00 Ticket + $6.05 small Buttered Popcorn + $2.20 ( $2.00-Off discount offer on my movie watcher e-mail reward coupon ) small Powerade Mountain Berry Blast + $4.15 Beef Jerky = $20.40
auditorium:  7
seat:  4th row from the front, 8ht column from the left

synopsis/overview:  An ancient, godlike mutant, Apocalypse ( Oscar Isaac ), is awakened from his long-dormant state and proceeds to recruit four enhanced mutants to help him destroy the world and create a new one from its ashes. The X-Men stand oppose to him and his nefarious plan.

noteworthy scenes:  1.) Sabotage; 2.) School men's room; 3.) Cage fight; 4.) "Favorite tree"; 5.) Secret tunnel; 6.) Earthquake; 7.) "She looks amazing"; 8.) Arrow; 9.) Shoplifter; 10.) "Yes, I looked her up once--twice"; 11.) "Does he have a husband"; 12.) The 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse; 13.) TV; 14.) "Caliban ( Tomas Lemarquis ) knows everything"; 15.) Ruby lens eyeglasses; 16.) "Not blue ... I'm blue"; 17.) "What do you want"; 18.) Prison break; 19.) "I want to give you something"; 20.) "Who do f-ck are you"; 21.) Auschwitz Concentration Camp; 22.) "'Sure you weren't watching this"; 23.) "The CIA would kill for this"; 24.) "Now, we'll take everything from them"; 25.) "The Answer"; 26.) "No more weapons"; 27.) "All will be revealed, my child"; 28.) Blast rescue; 29.) "Alex ( Lucas Till ) was closest to the blast"; 30.) Abduction; 31.) "Whatever good you saw in me, Charles ( James McAvoy ), I buried it with my family"; 32.) "Is that gonna happen to us"; 33.) "He's my father"; 34.) Amplified message; 35.) Weapon-X; 36.) "That's the last we'll see of that guy"; 37.) "Center of the Universe"; 38.) Warplane; 39.) "A gift from the past"; 40.) The X-Men; 41.) "To be everywhere, to be everyone"; 42.) "You have more family than you know"; 43.) "We're still connected"; 44.) Quicksilver vs. Apocalypse; 45.) Disguise; 46.) "You want to feel what I feel"; 47.) X-shaped barrier; 48.) "You will never win"; 49.) "Unleash your power"; 50.) "All is revealed"; 51.) Beach; 52.) The rebuilding; 53.) "Me, too"; 54.) "You can ... do anything"; 55.) Sentinels; and 56.) Bonus Scene after the Ending Credits.

favorite scene:  I liked the scene wherein Quicksilver ( Evan Peters ) was beating the crap out of Apocalypse.

audience reaction:  Both groups of audiences liked this movie but neither one gave it a "Hands Clapper" ending.

recommendation:  I liked this movie. Go see it if you a Marvel Comics fan in particular or if you like superhero movies in general.

spoiler alert!  Those hewn stones slid down very smoothly as they went crashing through barriers and posts when, in reality, debris would have accumulated in front of each hewn stone and would have eventually slowed them down or even stopped them altogether. The flashlight which Moira ( Rose Byrne ) used in the tunnel is not right for the period: It didn't cast a yellow light with a dark area in the center, and it shone too brightly. It was wrong that Apocalypse referred to himself as, Elohim. Elohim is plural, El is singular. Quicksilver moved those people so fast that each moment he stopped just as quickly would have been enough to kill each rescued person; no human /mutant body's internal organs would have been able to withstand such G-Forces especially at Terminal Velocity! If Quicksilver could move that fast, he would burst into flames from the intense frictional heat that his body's movements would generate. The old sunken ship's funnel should have been filled with sand and mud. The bridge was shaking and being ripped in half but the people on the bridge ran away without falling down---Didn't this movie's director and/or CGI team read my HARRY POTTER blog which had a similar "shaky bridge" scene? Mystique ( Jennifer Lawrence ) should have been easily able to get out of Apocalypse's one-handed stranglehold.

fyi:  The scene with Magneto ( Michael Fassbender ) and the police officers could have been made funny had I been the one tasked with writing that particular scene: I would have had some cops with partial dentures ( i.e., crowns and bridges ) included in the group! Ha, ha, ha.

Psylocke ( Olivia Munn ) looks hot in this movie--ahem!

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR was more entertaining.

word of advice:  Supernatural powers can either be blessings or curses.

tidbits:  I ate my popcorn at the start of the movie. Then, I decided to switch to eating my bag of beef jerky. But I decided to finish my popcorn first. It was then that my bag of beef jerky fell to the floor and spilled all over! What a waste of food that was!

2nd tidbits:  I bought the same exact things at the concessions counter because I was determined to finish a whole bag of beef jerky first before I dig into my bag of popcorn---Mission accomplished! 

After the movie, I decided to jog back to my car which I parked approximately 75 yards/meters away. I did this because I needed to know how my unbraced bad left knee and my bad left foot would hold up to the stress. They seemed to handle the pavement pounding well enough. I haven't jogged/hiked on a regular basis for the last 13 months since I slipped down an embankment when I went trail-hiking at a local park and strained my already bad left knee; and my left foot's instep pained me for the better part of last month and well into this month. I'll try a little bit of hiking and jogging in the next few days and see how that goes.

Please enjoy your Memorial Day Celebration responsibly!

*

THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY, PG-13 ( 1 hr & 48 min )

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I went to see this on Saturday, May 21st, 2016, in Pleasant Hill, CA, at the CENTURY 16 DOWNTOWN PLEASANT HILL & X-D, for the 10:10 p.m. show in auditorium 16, 3rd row from the front, 4th column from the right. The price of admission was $12.00. And I bought a $4.85 medium Powerade Mountain Berry Blast and a $3.00 Box of M & M Candies ( $2.00-Off Promotional Offer on my movie watcher e-mail reward coupon ) at the concessions counter.

I found this on the Internet. I chose the red "box" of candies. Don't ask me why they call this container a box 'cause I simply am at a lost for an explanation. A canister or a tub would have been a better description for this kind of candy holder. They're tying-in this candy with the upcoming X-Men movie.

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Quickie Review: A young Hindu ( Dev Patel ), with no college degree, astounds professors with his prodigious command of complex mathematics. Based on a true story of Srinivasa Ramanujan.

The audience liked this movie. I liked this movie, too. Go see this movie if you like movies about real life legends.

Based on what I read on-line on Srinivasa Ramanujan, Mathematics was his one all-consuming passion. He failed in college twice because he couldn't--or wouldn't--study for  his other classes. And a doctor who reviewed his old medical records suggested that he most likely died of liver disease, not tuberculosis.

The movie says that he was a devote Brahmin who communicated with the goddess, Namagiri Thayar, who helped him become immensely proficient in Math.

Interestingly, Hindu students who want to do well in Math also offer up a ( stotra ) chant to Goddess Namagiri Thayar. This is the chant:

Namagiri Thayar Stotram for proficiency in Mathematics

Translated by

P.R.Ramachander

(This prayer is addressed to Goddess Namagiri,  The goddess  in the Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple  in Namakkal in Tamil Nadu.   The mathematiocal genius  Dr.Srinivasa Ramanujam belonged to this place and considered  that his knowledge of Mathematics  was due to the grace of this goddess. He was fond of chanting the following stotra. Devotees believe that  chanting this stotra would make you strong in Mathematics. The original stotra in Tamil is available in

http://www.harshan.in/Tamilnadu%20Temples/vharshan_temple_NamakkalNarasimharTemple.htm  . The audio can be heard in

http://kingofjungles.blogspot.in/2012/12/namagiri-stotra-video-srinivasa.html )

Namagiri Thayar Stotram:

Sri Vidya Mantra Ratna Prakatidha Vibhavaa

Sri Subalaapoorna Kaama, sarveshaprathidhaa

Sakala suranoothaa Sarvasaamraajyathaathri

Lakshmi Sri Veda Garba Vidhurathu Mathisaa Vishwa Kalyaanabhooma

Vishwa Kshemaatham Yoga Vimala Gunavathi Vishnu Vakshathalastha

(- Courtesy - Krishna Kumar,)

English translation:

Salutations  to the  goddess  who  is blessed  as one who proclaims  the gem like  Sri Vidhya Manthra,

Who fulfils the desire of power, Who is considered as all the Gods,

Who is praised  by all devas, who  is the queen of all  empires,

Who is Lakshmi , Who has within her all Vedas, who is learned and intelligent ,

Who wishes for the good  of the universe, Who  is the pure one who wishes for welfare  of  the world,

Who is one who has all the good in her and Who stays on the chest of Vishnu.

( source ) http://stotrarathna.blogspot.com/2013/03/namagiri-thayar-stotram-for-proficiency.html?m=1

I found this on the Internet.

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Since I was initiated into Kriya Yoga in the presence of the Hindu god Shiva's Avatar, I believe that qualifies me to use this chant. I already do 8 mantras a day, everyday. I can add this on to my daily routine if I want to do better in Math.

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Saturday, May 21st, 2016, was a special day for a niece of mine, Mai-Mai. She had just turned 18 and my brother and his wife helped her celebrate by giving her a cotillion party at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Concord, CA. It was a formal affair so I had to wear a suit and tie.

I literally had to pull myself out of bed just to attend this party. On my way to Concord, I had to make a couple of stops in Benicia, CA, first. Since I had to get 3 gallons of gas at the Chevron Gas Station and since I had to buy a $25.00 Macy's gift card at the nearby Safeway Supermarket. I don't really know why I didn't take care of these 2 things the night before.

I arrived at the venue around 7:10 p.m. The party was scheduled from 6:00 p.m. through 11:00 p.m. When my brother saw me, he said, "You're late! You missed Mai-Mai's speech."

Since most of the guests were Pilipinos, I responded, I thought that we were on "Pilipino Time".

We laughed.

I arrived just in time for dinner, though---Woo Hoo---Yes! I had a plateful of food. I forgot to have some salad. And I ate a little piece of New York Cheesecake and a little piece of Chocolate Cake. Once I ran out of water I helped myself to some herbal tea and a cup of decaffeinated coffee with half-and-half. And I improvised a bit with the half-and-half, watering it down with water and adding some sugar to it so that I could use it to wash down the cake pieces.

This is the table where I was seated at with my brother, my sister and their respective families. And that's my food plate, front and center!

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I met and greeted with some cousins and nephews and nieces whom I haven't seen in quite a while.

While we ate, we got to watch pictures of Mai-Mai through the years and we also saw video clips of well-wishers who couldn't attend the party. There were about 6 or 7 sets of pictures and videos shown on the screen. In a couple of them, I caught a glimpse of my late brother-in-law posing for a group shot. And that brought back memories. My brother-in-law, Richard, died of a heart attack at this particular hotel 14 1/4th months ago, if you recall what I posted in March of 2015. I still miss him. His death was the main reason why I didn't want to attend the party at this venue in the first place. But I showed up for my brother's sake.

After dinner was over, Mai-Mai's little brother, Isaac, who's 5-years old, treated us to a videoke song. Everyone had a good laugh at his precociousness.

Then, it was Mai-Mai's turn to do a waltz with her date ... who kept stepping on her red dress.

My niece and her clumsy date.

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After that, 18 chosen males had to present her with a flower and dance with her. I had declined this honor beforehand because of my bad left knee.

With my nephew, Alvin

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With her step-brother, Joshua, a US Marine

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With her step-brother, Patrick

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With her half-brother, Isaac

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With her step-dad, my younger brother

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And posing with all of her dance partners.

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( At this point, my digital camera's batteries were both drained of power; and I didn't bring an extra set of AA batteries with me. )

And, then, it was the 18 chosen females' turn to each give her a speech.

Finally, the dance floor was opened to everyone else who wanted to dance. While some people were dancing, I stepped out to take 3 photo booth shots of myself and to sign the guestbook.

I couldn't find my brother when I got back inside the hall. So, I just told my sister that I was leaving ( since I had about 20 minutes left before the start of the movie ).

And This Is The First Time That I Went To See A Movie Dressed In A ( pinstripe ) Suite And Tie! The funny thing about this is that "back in the good ol' days" people actually dressed formally just to go see a movie! I felt special as I was the only one dressed dapperly.

But when I exited the auditorium, I saw another man in the hallway dressed in a suit and tie, too! Humph, copycat ....



*

MONEY MONSTER, R ( 1 hr & 38 min )

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I went to see this today, Tuesday, May 17th, 2016, here in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO, for the 9:50 p.m. show in auditorium 11, 4th row from the front, 9th column from the left. The price of admission was $6.25 ( All-Day Bargain Tuesday ). And I bought a $1.00 medium upgrade on a free small Buttered Popcorn ( free offer on my movie watcher e-mail reward coupon ) and a $4.85 medium Powerade Mountain Berry Blast at the concessions counter.

Quickie Review:  A desperate investor ( Jack O'Connell ), who lost his money on bad advice, holds a TV financial adviser, Lee Gates ( George Clooney ), hostage during a live broadcast to try and expose a world-wide money conspiracy.

The audience of about a dozen people liked this Suspense/Thriller. One lady even said at the end, "That was good." I liked this movie, too. Go see this movie if you like Suspense/Thrillers and you hate Wall Street-type of shady people.

High-frequency trading is real. I first came across an investment newsletter article on the subject about 3 years ago. There is a huge computer somewhere in the United States ( not in Chicago or New York ) that automatically buys and sells stocks milliseconds faster than other computers! If I remember correctly, to be granted the privilege of using such a computer, one has to first shell-out millions of dollars in fees! And it's a small price to pay to be granted profits no matter what the stock market does.

If you think of the stock market, it really seems just like one big "Pyramid Scheme". If you're 1st in, you profit the most; if you're 1st out, you lose the least.

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I saw this movie ...

PG-13,   1 hr & 33 min

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on Thursday of last week. I decided not to blog about it because the female exorcists who were supposed to be Navajo Indians performed their exorcism in Mexican Spanish. Once I realized that, I said, Okay, that's it! I'm not blogging about this.

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Yesterday, Monday, I chatted with a long-time casual acquaintance in Benicia, CA. She is a Breast Cancer survivor. She had a double mastectomy over a year ago. She had a loose low-cut blouse on and she didn't wear a bra. As she turned right, I couldn't help but see her "chest".  I couldn't say, Excuse me but your breast is showing, because she no longer had breasts--no, not even nipples. It was an awkward moment for me to just stand there not knowing what to do or say. I feel sorry for her that she had cancer; and I hope that her chemotherapy got rid of all the cancerous cells.

Someone sent this to my Facebook page on Monday night. No, it's not the lady that I mention in this post.

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I saw some asshole stranger at work today, around 3:00 p.m., who used the men's room lavatory and just left without turning-off the faucet---In the middle of the ongoing California drought! I was so pissed-off. But I had to remind myself that I was on company time and that I was in company-issued uniform and that I couldn't beat the crap out of anybody because of it. I bet that asshole wouldn't give me such an attitude in a dark alley where no witnesses will hear him scream or beg for mercy!

Believe me when I say this, It is very hard to cultivate my spirituality since I run into assholes almost on a daily basis! 'No wonder monks in the old days went and lived in caves to avoid confrontations with assholes! I cannot conceivably get advanced spiritual initiations because of my situation. And I still have 3 initiations left to undergo. I was supposed to get a 2nd Stage Initiation last month, a Shaktipat Initiation. But I voluntarily postponed it because it wouldn't be right of me to receive such an important initiation at this emotionally tumultuous point in my life. Oh, how I envy the monks of yestercentury!

I saw a lady today, around noontime in Benicia,  who was wearing a printed t-shirt which had a young Native American female and three wolves on it. I remarked on how it was such a strange coincidence that I would see her dressed in such a way because I went on-line yesterday, Monday, to do a search on the Native American Shaman Wolf Moondance. I had been meaning to do a search on Shaman Wolf Moondance for many years now. And since I am seriously considering doing Shamanic meditation, I decided to know more about Wolf Moondance.

But my desire to know more about Shaman Wolf Moondance actually started approximately 10 years ago. But I had just been putting it off, leaving it in the "back burner" of my mind. So to speak. I guess because it wasn't the right time to do so.

In the fall of 2005, a week or so before Halloween, I went to visit with my sister, her husband and their daughter in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the very first time. They took me on quite the road trip leading all the way up to Northern Michigan, along the border with Canada at Sault Ste. Marie. Later on, we spent a weekend at their cottage on Stony Lake in New Era, Michigan.

A few miles from their cottage, on Stony Lake Road, is a market, Lewis' Farm Market and Petting Farm. The petting farm is behind the market. I went back there, along with my little niece, to pet the exotic menagerie. There was also a friendly little kitten there, a cute and beautiful ball of fur, which sought to get some attention. I was attracted to it and wanted so much to fly it back home with me to California. Of course, I wasn't able to.

A few months later, after a Chakra Meditation session, as I laid in bed waiting to fall asleep, I had a vision. In my vision, I heard a little kitten meowing on a bright moonlit night. Then, I saw three HUGE wolves appear on a plain, looking around and sniffing the area as if they were there for the kitten. I have to defend the kitten! I said to myself. So, I visualized myself standing before the three wolves. One wolf, the Alpha Wolf, came toward me. As it got close, it turned its head to the right so that I found myself staring into its left eye. Its left eye turned into the shape of a Full/New(?) Moon. The next thing that I saw was a beautiful, young Native American female dancing and twirling around in the distance. I didn't know what to make of the vision.

A few days later, I received a product mailer from Nightingale/Conant on their new instructional CD set, SACRED VOICES: Native American Teachings From The Council Of Protected Words, by Shaman Wolf Moondance! ( It's now priced at $299.95 )

I don't think that it's all just mere coincidence. My Shamanic meditation, and initiation and training in Shamanism are fast approaching. And I had already been personally contacted by a--very patient--shaman for such things.

P.S. I looked on-line to see if I could find the same exact printed t-shirt but I couldn't. This t-shirt print which I found was slightly similar in design ...

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but the woman was standing up and looking to the front on the t-shirt worn by the lady whom I saw earlier in the day.

*

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, PG-13 ( 2 hr & 26 min )

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where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: May 5th, 2016
show: 7:00 p.m. 3-D
costs: $11.50 Ticket + $6.05 small Buttered Popcorn + $4.20 small Powerade Mountain Berry Blast = $21.75
auditorium: 14
seat: 5th row from the front, 7th column from the left

2nd time

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where: EDWARDS FAIRFIELD STADIUM 16 & I-MAX in Fairfield, CA
when: Sunday, May 8ht, 2016, MOTHER'S DAY
show: 10:00 p.m. I-Max 3-D
costs: $18.50 Ticket + $6.14 Zap Pack = $24.64
auditorium: 12
seat: 5th row from the front, 6th seat from the right

3rd time

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where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Monday, May 9th, 2016
show: 8:40 p.m. 2-D
costs: $11.00 Ticket + $5.40 Nachos w/ Cheese + $0.00 small Powerade Mountain Berry Blast ( free on my movie watcher e-mail reward coupon ) = $16.40
auditorium: 8
seat: 6th row from the front, 12th column from the right

synopsis/overview:  The Avengers are split into two opposing camps as a feud between Capt. America ( Chris Evans ) and Iron Man ( Robert Downey, Jr. ) ensues over collateral damages.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) 1991 programming; 2.) Bio Hazard; 3.) Suicide bomber; 4.) Binary Augmented Retro-Framing [ FART ]; 5.) Teleprompter; 6.) Grieving mother; 7.) TV news footage; 8.) "We talked about this"; 9.) Sokovia Accords; 10.) Missing report, Dec. 16, 1991; 11.) Causality; 12.) Funeral; 13.) Vienna Terrorist attack; 14.) "I will kill him myself"; 15.) Newspaper headline; 16.) Apartment; 17.) Black Panther [ Chadwick Boseman ]; 18.) Chase; 19.) "You're a criminal"; 20.) Recipe; 21.) "So, you like cats"; 22.) "I better not look out the window and see anybody flying in that"; 23.) Government property; 24.) "They don't grant visas to weapons of mass destruction"; 25.) "Bird costume"; 26.) Electro-Magnetic Pulse; 27.) Fight; 28.) "I need you to do better than, 'I don't know'"; 29.) "I'm not the only Winter Soldier"; 30.) Thirty-six hours; 31.) "There's a crazy car parked outside"; 32.) "Let me have 5 minutes with him"; 33.) "Dumpster diver"; 34.) "I retire for 5 minutes and things go to sh-t"; 35.) "Slowpoke model; 36.) "They're evacuating the airport"; 37.) "Underoos"; 38.) "Everyone's got a gimmick now"; 39.) "You couldn't have tried that earlier"; 40.) "I thought it was a water truck"; 41.) "He also said to go for your legs"; 42.) "It's your conscience"; 43.) "Something big"; 44.) "Holy sh-t"; 45.) "Empire strikes back"; 46.) Friendly fire; 47.) Bathtub; 48.) Facial prosthesis; 49.) Underwater prison; 50.) The 5 Winter Soldiers; 51.) "I'm here because I made a promise"; 52.) "I know that road"; 53.) Iron Man vs. Bucky & Capt. America; 54.) "I almost killed the wrong man"; 55.) "My father made that shield"; 56.) "Stank"; and 57.) Bonus Scenes during and after the Ending Credits.

audience reaction: The audience liked this movie and gave it a "Hands Clapper" ending.

2nd audience reaction: The audience of roughly a dozen liked it but didn't give it a "Hands Clapper" ending.

3rd audience reaction: The audience liked it but didn't give it a "Hands Clapper" ending, either.

recommendation: Go see this movie if you're a Marvel Comics Superheroes fan. Stick around for Bonus Scenes during and after the Ending Credits.

spoiler alert! Capt. America's foot was not solidly planted in place for him to kick the pickup truck like that. If that were me, and a stranger came knocking at my door and I'm hiding from people, I would put my foot behind that door before I open it. I always thought that the Europeans and the Russians reference their calendar as year, month and day or day, month and year; and not how we Americans reference it as month, day and year. How was Zemo ( Daniel Bruhl ) able to get that huge device out of the inn? If Bucky's ( Sebastian Stan ) left arm is that powerful, his lower back wouldn't be able to compensate for the disproportionate strength--and the authorities should have known better to restrain that left arm! That left-handed choke could easily crush anybody's windpipe. Don't tell me that there was no daily housecleaning at that inn. The Siberian snow on the vehicle's track looked faked. As Iron Man was flying to the secret base, why was he unaware of the fact that he was being followed.

fyi: I had a medium-size dog in the Philippines with the fur colors of a Doberman. I named him, Panther. He was my favorite dog, the only dog that I bonded with. If I could be reunited with my late dog and my favorite late cat, Winky, the orange Manx Cat, in the hereafter for all of Eternity, that would be Heaven to me. Yeah, simple as that. Just the three of us ....

Stuffing some newspaper inside a shoe with a hole or crack in the sole .... Yup, guilty as charged! Kids in today's disposable-minded society don't seem to have the same level of creative resourcefulness that previous generations had to resort to.

This movie's version of Aunt May ( Marisa Tomei ) is a MILF! I cannot help but wonder if something will develop between Aunt May and Tony Stark. Spidey fans, stay tuned for the next movie installment!

I don't like this Spider-Man's ( Tom Holland ) eyes because they change in size like a cartoon show Spider-Man's eyes do. It gives this Spider-Man's character a cartoon character "feel" to it.

This movie has a message in its analogy, equating the Superheroes with the US Armed Forces. And the underlying message is not 100% positive.

word of advice: "If we don't accept limitations, we're boundless. We're no better than the bad guys." ( Tony Stark )

tidbits: I had to go to the main post office here in Vallejo, today, to pick-up my mail. It's because I haven't been getting any mail since this Monday because some lowlife broke into the lobby's mail boxes at my condominium complex.

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As I patiently waited in line for my turn at the post office, I noticed another long line of people waiting to get their passports. Most of them were Hispanics. I could be just speculating, but I think that Donald Trump's imminent presidency has something to do with it. It took quite a while before my turn came up. But I was just told to go out into the hallway to ring the bell and wait for some mail clerk to hand me my mail which were put on hold.

Today's Cinco de Mayo. So, here's something for you:

Someone sent this to my Facebook page.

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There was an accident in Vallejo today. At around 12:30 p.m., Sean, a former co-worker of mine who now works in another city, and who I call "The Governator" because he does an Arnold Schwarzenegger voice impression, was making a left turn onto Redwood Parkway from Skyline Drive when a speeding white Cadillac Escalade, which ran a red light, "t-boned" his black Honda Accord. He is seen in the photo below being attended to by firemen after they used a "Jaws of Life" power tool to extract him from his mangled car.

I copied this from the Vallejo Times Herald's website.

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An ambulance helicopter took him to the John Muir Medical Center's Trauma Unit in Walnut Creek, CA. He suffered from a broken back, a ruptured spleen and collapsed lungs. I hope to God that he doesn't end-up a permanent cripple! A GoFundMe account was set up on his behalf to help with his medical expenses; the helicopter airlift, alone, which his insurance won't pay, costs $60,000.00!

The other driver should be put in jail, have his license revoked and be sued for everything he has got.

On another sad note, my female co-worker, the one who was attacked with a hammer, came back to work two weeks ago on a Sunday. She didn't last half a day. She had a panic attack around noontime, causing her to curl-up on the floor as she cried and screamed repeatedly. She was rushed by ambulance to a hospital. She is now under psychiatric care.

I arrived at the theatre an hour early so that I wouldn't have to stand in line. But there was already a line forming for the 2-D show at 7:30 p.m. Thank God that a bunch of people didn't want to see the 7:00 p.m. 3-D show! This will be the 1st time for me to see a 3-D movie with my new pair of eyeglasses on.

2nd tidbits: Today is Sunday, May 8ht, Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day to you and/or yours.

I bought a $4.99 pair of Everlast Right Hook stereo earbuds w/ microphone at the Grocery Outlet on Admiral Callaghan Lane in Vallejo for use with my Google Chromebook. It's a cheap quality---I can't believe that Amazon.com is trying to rip people of by selling this for $17.09! It simply ain't worth it. My old Sony earphones are way better.

Don't waste your money on this. I found this image on the Internet.

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I used my new pair of eyeglasses, tonight, for the 1st time to view an I-Max 3-D movie.

3rd tidbits: I went back to the main post office to pick-up more mail and to drop-off a bill payment. I saw another former co-worker of mine, Frank, at the post office. I told him the bad news about Sean. Then, I asked him how his hip was doing. Frank told me that he just had his 4th hip replacement surgery. Wow! He said that he couldn't wait to retire this September, his 35th year with the company. 

Then, I went to Selecta Pilipino Buffet Restaurant on Springs Road to have lunch and to buy some lottery tickets. I showed Ray, the proprietor, my new Tense Wooden Watch. He liked my watch.

I had to go back home to fetch a raw multiple glandular supplement capsule because I forgot to put one in my vitamin pillbox.  I got home and popped a capsule in my mouth and I brushed my teeth.

The mailboxes in the lobby at my complex had been fixed sometime yesterday or today.

Speaking of pillbox, I had the idea yesterday to buy a $1.25 small tin of Altoids Smalls Wintergreen breath freshener, 0.37 oz ( 10.5 g ), because I needed a slightly bigger container for all of my vitamin/mineral/herb supplements. And the Altoids tin is just the perfect up-size! I divided the mints among four of my co-workers so that I could use the tin container right away. 

I went to the Sonoma Boulevard 99-Cent Only Store to buy more knee-high socks because I really like how thick and how warm they feel. And they stay up all day without me having to worry about pulling them back up. I now have 11 pairs of this aquamarine-colored Russell Sports brand socks. They say Marlins on them. So, I think that they were for the Florida Marlins sports team which either was discontinued or unapproved. ( I'm just speculating on this, though. So, don't quote me on it. ) I also bought 3 pairs for a co-worker. And  I bought some Avengers themed notepads for my movie reviews.

Here are the socks.

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And here are the Altoids tin container and the Avengers themed notepads. I put a rubber band around the Altoids tin to keep it from popping open when I drop it. I took this photo in the trunk area of my Hyundai Accent before I entered the MacDonald's Restaurant on Sonoma Boulevard here in Vallejo.

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As I waited for my turn at the check-out line, I couldn't help but notice that the Mexican man ahead in line of me had a white t-shirt on with this message on it: "CNN, Cebuano 'Ni Noy" ( "This is a Cebuano, Sir" ). It put a smile on my face. I wonder if he knew what it meant. Historically speaking, Mexicans and Pilipinos had a cultural exchange under the watchful eye of the Spanish Colonists. Maybe, it was his way of acknowledging the fact.

I had a Lemonade/Sweet Tea, a Yogurt Parfait and a Cuties Mandarin while I was at MacDonald's. I spent the time accessing their free Wi-Fi to get caught-up on this particular blog until my laptop's battery drained-out of power.

After leaving the MacDonald's Restaurant, I went to the Factory 2-U discount clothing store across the street to look around inside. They have some Win Cleaner computer optimizer for just $3.99.

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I'll see if it works on my old laptop, circa 2005.

Then, I walked a few doors down to look around inside of the Dollar Tree Store. I bought a 4-pack of AA alkaline batteries and a couple packs of roasted almond snacks ( to sneak into movie theatres ).

There were a couple of Hispanic families waiting at the check-out line. How do I know that they were all Hispanic? Well, for one, they looked the part; two, they spoke in Spanish; and, three, they all had a bunch of balloons imprinted with this message: "Feliz Dia De Las Madres" ( Happy Mother's Day ). Better late than never, I guess. Or ... there is a Spanish chapter of the Procrastinators' Club! Ha, ha, ha.

It was off to see this movie after that. At the last intersection to the theatre, the traffic lights just went out! It was around 8:29 p.m. when it happened. That was the 1st time that I've ever seen traffic lights go out. The drivers in front of me didn't know what to do at first until one driver finally crossed the intersection and everyone else took turns crossing it.

And I enjoyed this 2-D movie with my new pair of eyeglasses on. Also, I had on my new Navy Blue Cadet Cap which I bought on Amazon.com for $6.99.



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MOTHER'S DAY, PG-13 ( 1 hr & 58 min )

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I went to see this on Tuesday, May 3rd, 2016, here in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO, for the 10:45 a.m. show in auditorium 13, 5th row from the front, 8ht column from the left. The price of admission was $6.25. And I bought a $7.05 medium Buttered Popcorn and a $0.60 medium upgrade on a ( free small drink on my movie watcher e-mail reward coupon ) Powerade Mountain Berry Blast at the concessions counter.

Quickie Review:  The Mother's Day celebration is commercially exploited in this ensemble cast movie about a widower mourning the loss of his beloved wife, a woman who prioritizes her career over her biological urge, a young adopted woman unsure about married life, and two sisters who, each, have their own little secret to hide from their parents.

The audience of about 18 - 24 people seemed to like this movie. I thought that it was so-so. You may want to see this on "that" special day this coming Sunday, May 8ht, with that special woman in your life. Or you may want to wait for this to come out as a DVD rental.

Is it just me or does Jennifer Aniston like to make her nipples poke through her shirt/blouse?

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I took my car to OCM Auto Repair on Sonoma Boulevard, here in Vallejo, 1st thing in the morning, to have my Hyundai Accent's CVT Boots replaced. The WheelWorks shop, across the street, had told me about 3 years ago that the boots needed to be replaced because they were showing signs of wear. Months ago, I took my Accent to OCM for its scheduled 120K scheduled maintenance; but they never said anything about the boots' present condition. So, I thought that they were still okay to drive on. Last week, when I took my car back to OCM for an oil change, I was told that the CVT Boots had cracked open and needed replacement. I was quoted a price of $195.00 each + tax & labor. I told them that I would be bringing my car back on my next day-off, Tuesday of the following week.

I went to the MacDonald's Restaurant next door to the auto shop to have a small breakfast of Fruit & Maple Oatmeal, a large cup of Sweet Tea and a piece of Cuties mandarin fruit while I waited for the repair work to be done.

As I sat there minding my own business, a tall, skinny man sat at a seat two tables to my left and let-out a loud fart that could be heard by everyone in the room! Manners, people, manners! Sheesh ....  Later on, his counselor came and sat at the table to the left of mine. I soon learned that she was a counselor for "special needs" adults. Of course, she wasn't present when he "broke wind" to give him counsel.

Anyway ....

After about 2 hours, I looked up to see that my car was parked in a different space. I reasoned that the necessary work had already been done to it and that it was time for me to pick-up my car. Well, as it turned out, it was just moved out of the way because they were still waiting for the ordered parts to arrived from a local auto parts store! ( I don't know why they didn't order this beforehand since they should have known by now that I am good on my word. ) And no one called me to let me know. The service adviser lady told me that she called my cellphone number. But my 'phone's call log didn't show a call from the shop. I asked her to call my number again. She did and, wouldn't you know it, my 'phone rang. I think that she called the wrong number earlier.

She told me that it would take an additional 2 hours for the repair work to be done. I just told them that I would swing back the following day, Wednesday, because I still had stuff to do and I had to go home and get some sleep before going in to work at 2:00 a.m. I put down a $200.00 cash deposit.

Someone sent this to my Facebook page recently.

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I went to see this movie because today is an All-Day Bargain Tuesday at the local movie theatre.

After the movie, I went to the MacDonald's Restaurant in the Target Shopping Center on Admiral Callahan Lane to have lunch. When I got back to my car, I noticed that the "The Club" security device on my car's steering wheel had been unlocked---'Not the 1st time it has happened, mind you, as I would almost always notice it happen after I had communicated with my sister in Michigan or if something significant that I did reminded me of my late mother.

My "The Club" is exactly like this one. I found this on the Internet.

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I assumed that it was probably done by my late mother to send me a message. Because I didn't even want to see this particular movie at all since I no longer have a mother ( and a father, for that matter ). It must have been her ghost that had been doing all of these strange things around me all along. Funny thing is, I private-messaged my siblings on Facebook a few months ago about a good investment opportunity. The subject of our deceased mother eventually came up. They all told me that they all dreamed of her but, in all of their dreams, they couldn't see her face. Which was odd because I told them that I could see her face in my dreams. ( I dreamed of my late father only on very few occasions; I think that the maternal bond is stronger in such a case. )

There's a form of meditation that can get one in contact with the dead. I will need to learn to meditate that way because I think that my late mother has some thing(s) to reveal to me which I would need to share with my siblings.



                HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!






P.S. I forgot to mention on my previous post that my egg experiment involved the use of NON-FERTILIZED eggs. I don't think that my experiment would yield a favorable result by using fertilized eggs!


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