Seven Energy Drink

 Picked this up last month at a coffee shop Megan loved going to while we were at the beach. 

I didn't notice it at first but they have their own energy drinks there and the 2nd time we went by I tried one out. 

Not bad. Taste a lot like Red Bull but a little sweeter, which I didn't mind. At least I had something to order when taking Megan out to coffee at the beach. I'll get it again next year provided they're still around then. 

You never know with these beach locations, how long they're staying in business. 

Have a good weekend folks!

Survivor South Africa: Santa Carolina

 And finally the 3rd season I had missed originally, while watching through the show looks more like the show does now. 

Nico is the host and the contestants this season were South African celebrities' playing for their favorite charities. 

The beginning started off with them carrying boxes written in Portuguese. After dragging it through a desert, some of it turned out to be stuff they needed while other boxes were just junk. 

Lot of quitters in this season. One girl quit the very first day because she missed her child. Another quit because he thought he was dying, even though medical said he was perfectly fine. 

There was a challenge where the winner got to pick between food and a hidden immunity idol (again to be played before votes were cast) and they still had the same weird "touch the coconut after 30 seconds" tiebreaker with those who didn't have previous votes. 

There were a lot of ties this season but they were determined by who'd had the most votes in the past. Which was strategic when it came to voting because people were throwing random votes out everywhere in hopes they'd eventually break tie breakers. 

Hein, from season 2 came back as a "reward" and showed the winning tribe how to survive on the island. 

There was a comedian on the series who was really funny but had a hard time connecting with anyone for some reason and was eventually voted out. 

During the last tribal council, after they voted the last person to the jury, the winners went to eat a dinner that night and came right back for the final tribal which was weird. 

Ashley and the stripper Gigi were the finalist. Ashley played a dominant game, winning 5 back to back challenges in the end and betrayal every single alliance she was in to get to the end. Problem was, she pissed off everyone and they decided to give it to Gigi who never rocked the boat. 

Though not the best winner for South Africa, she's certainly better than the previous 2 winners they had. 

I don't have Season 10 yet but it should be coming out soon. I'll review it when I've watched it. 

Survivor South Africa: Malaysia

 Interesting season. Here's a few of my notes:

They had a viewers choice contestant, who fans got to vote into the game. Oddly enough, she ended up being the winner. 

There's still no exit interviews and 2 tribals are held during the day for no reason. The players aren't given any rice and have to forage for their food which was harsh. 

A tie at tribal was broken by having the contestants silently count to a minute and touch a coconut. Whoever got closer to the exact time won. 

WEIRD!

Instead of a car this season, they gave a player a ski trip to Austria. There was a hidden immunity idol this season but it had to be player BEFORE the votes were cast. 

They also had the 4 player challenge elimination, where the first one out is gone instantly. After that, whoever won got to choose between #2 and #3 on who they wanted to face in the final tribal. 

The winner Lorette was SUPER bland and I wasn't impressed. She was paranoid the entire time and was clueless for the other 2/3 of the game. So once again, not a worthy winner. 

On to season 3!

Survivor South Africa: Panama

 Well what do you know? My buddy was able to recover the first 3 seasons of Survivor South Africa that he couldn't find earlier!

So here I go again reviewing all 3 of these seasons I've never seen before!

It's too bad I couldn't watch these first. Because at this point (2006) the show is fairly new, and not as exciting as future seasons would eventually become. 

That being said...this season did have some good moments. 

There was arguments between tribe members and tempers flaring which surprised me because in Season 4 EVERYONE was very concerned about how they'd look in front of the cameras and were all on good behavior.  

The production was super cheap. Few sets for challenges, with a lot of them being physical. But I knew that, seeing other seasons. It's always been a little less budget spent in South Africa. 

Mark, the Host, is flat. I know he was replaced after Season 2 but I can clearly see why. His delivery is extremely lackluster through the show. 

In South Africa, if someone quits....you still vote. But instead of that person going home, they're given a +1 vote at the next tribal. I thought the rule was weird but they had to repeat that several times since a lot of people talked about quitting during tribal council instead of being voted off. 

The contestants also referred to Tribal Council as TC which I thought was weird. 

One guy got injured and was taken out of the game but in a wild twist, he showed up at tribal, giving his torch to the person who'd just been voted off, sending them to his tribe. I kind of liked that twist. Never seen it before. 

There were NO exit interviews in the season. It started with 14 people and went 29 days. It felt weird because tribes started off smaller then usual. They even held tribal during the day once, which I didn't understand but found unique. 

After the merge, those voted off were sent to another island and given a chance to get back in the game. Nothing new, but bold to implement in the first season of their show. 

During the final four, things got really interesting as there were no more tribals but back to back contests where the first one out was eliminated from the game. Wild!! Don't know how I felt about that but then again, I can appreciate the change in direction away from the normal. 

The final 2 were a HUGE disappointment however. One NEVER had control over the game and the other one threatened to quit the game several times during the show. She was the biggest whiner I've ever seen. When things didn't go her way. 

In the end, the winner was the quitter. Such a letdown.  

Cobweb (Review)

 Saw this last month while at the beach with my family. 

THE WORST!!!

It's one of those movies that looks good in the trailer and on film. But the story is all over the place and makes ZERO sense! Honestly, this was a bunch of "ideas" someone had but couldn't make them into a coherent story but by some unexplained miracle, got the movie made anyway. 

AVOID AT ALL COST. 

I knew after the first 30 min it was a stinker but because I was watching it with the family, I couldn't stop it. TOTAL waste of time. 

Mini Cereal Boxes

 As a kid, I thought these things were the BEST!

I remember my grandmother would buy them for us during our beach vacation and I always loved eating from them. You'd tear the middle of the box open and pour the milk right in. It was great. 

These days when I pass them by the grocery store, I still carry the fond memories though I have no interest in buying them anymore.

Have a good weekend folks!

Babylon 5: The Road Home

 I was doubtful about this TV movie when I first heard about it. I know it was using the original cast to voice the characters but I wasn't sure if the story was warranted. The show (in my opinion) doesn't require a follow up, but I'm such a sucker that I still welcomed one none-the-less.

Well, I saw it. 

It was better than I expected. Usually I roll my eyes at time travel stories but this one was fun and paid homage to actors who have passed away. I thought it was nice. 

Is it something fans should watch? Yes. Is it necessary to the overall story? No. Just a nice add on if you wanted to take another peak inside that world. 

If they do another, I'll watch it. Should they? 

.....no?

Monster and Bang

 A few weeks ago it became official. After suing and bankrupting Bang, Monster went out and bought up the scraps making them the owner. 

I have no idea what that means for the future of this product or even if I'm going to get it anymore. No wonder Dollar Tree has been getting in a lot of new flavors. It's a fire sale right now. 

Will I continue buying them or jump to someone else? I haven't decided yet. If the product becomes more affordable, maybe I'll stay. If not...it may be past time to move on. Only time will tell. 

I'm sure as heck not drinking Monster. That drink sucks!

Corner Office (review)

 Never even heard of this movie until a month ago and got a chance to check it out. It's about a guy played by John Hamm who is slightly crazy and imagines a corner office that only he sees at work. The office makes him feel confident and brings out the very best in him. But none of the other office workers see it. 

It's interesting and kept me entertained the whole time. It's hard for me to watch a movie straight thru but not here. 

Worth your time checking out if you're interested.  

Firefly: Coup de Grace (Review)

 The story is about a one-armed 18 year old girl named Annie who's father is gunned down in the streets in broad daylight. When the Mayor and Sheriff refuse to arrest the man, due to his connections to a local gang, she hires the crew of the Firefly to seek her revenge. 

Inara and Simon are grouped together as they uncover a sinister plot which led to the death of Annie's dad. The same old story of a greedy corporation, taking advantage of a man made drought in order to swindle land from local farmers, only to turn it around for a profit once the planet is terraformed. 

Wash and Kaylee go in search of a part needed for their ship and end up quelling a possible revolution on the planet in the end. 

Book and River hold down the fort at Annie's place and provide the best comedy the book has to offer. 

Mal, Zoe and Jayne go after the bad guys, only to discover our twist! The gang is a bunch of Brown Coats and Annie's dad was for Unification! Putting Mal on the opposite side of a dead war. 

The story falls short for me as all of Annie's story is told 1st person (which I hate) and it really took me out of the story at times. 

The ending was fine yet anti-climatic. It isn't the worst of the series by far but is in the bottom half. 

Though the last few novels haven't shined, I'm still holding out hope that the next one returns the series to their earlier greatness. 

Barbarian (Review)

 I remember hearing about this movie last year but never taking the time to watch it. Last month I did.

........

What did I just see?

This movie is...wild. It subverts your expectations (in a good way) and captivates you the entire time. It's a smart movie that doesn't need to tell you the whole story but gives you enough to put the missing pieces together yourself. 

It's horrifying story is told in a civilized manner that doesn't go full "icky" but leaves it up to your imagination as to what was going on. 

There is some gruesome moments, but if you enjoy horror/thriller/mystery this movie is for you. 

Incredible. Yet I wouldn't recommend this to anyone I didn't know that well. 

Have a good weekend folks! 

Survivor Australia: Heroes vs Villains

 

Finally caught up on the show!

This season was WILD.

King George is back again and the biggest idiot...was the smartest player of the season. 

While everyone celebrated a reward of cookies, George went out looking for an idol because he knew everyone was too distracted by the cookies...and he was right. He found one shortly thereafter. 

He knew and anticipated situations before they happened. He knew who would jump ship from his alliance after the merger, knew when people were going to flip and even when he betrayed trust with folks he knew exactly how to rebuild that trust in the same night after tribal. 

Unbelievable. 

People wanted to vote him out at the very first tribal but too many dummies thought they could "use" George as a shield to get to the end...and he almost voted out them all. 

Only at the VERY end was he voted out by the 3 coat tail riders, which made the eventual winner Liz seem pretty lame, since the only move she could claim was voting out George at the end. 

There were clues to immunity idols that looked like the idols themselves and fooled contestants. The funniest thing this season was when Simeon found the clue, thinking it was an idol and quickly....shoved it in his ass before anyone else saw it. 

Yep. 

But it gets better. When he told his friend Jordie about it, the conversation went like this:

Simeon: I found it

Jordie: You found an idol?

S: Yes

J: Can I see it?

S: Not now

J: Where is it?

S: It's in my ass.

J:....it's in your ass?

S: Yeah

J: Can I feel it?

S:......ok

(feels between butt checks)

J: That's amazing

S: I know! So what's the plan?

J: Well first we need to get it out of your ass

S: Yeah. 

NOT MAKING THAT UP!! I laughed so hard and watched it all over again. I may even go back and watch it after I finish this post. Hilarious. 

Other amazing things that happened this season:

- Mimi got voted out while talking down to another player who was about to be voted out. The tribe saw how mean she was and changed their votes on the spot

- Before voting at tribal, the contestants are taken to an impromptu immunity idol challenge  before they vote. 

- Jordie bluffs playing an idol but the tribe calls his bluff and he gets voted out anyway

- They got to vote a council member off before the final tribal 

And the stupidest thing about it was instead of voting someone out the two people with the most votes (basically everyone voted for one person and that person voted for someone else) were put in "Isolation" for 24 hours before the next tribal, to vote again. 

I don't know what the purpose of this was since the tribe could still go up and talk to them, they just weren't allowed to leave their fenced in position until the next day. 

It didn't change anything either the next day so it was completely pointless. 

Even though the ending fell flat, I enjoyed the season and love this version better than the one in the US!

I can't wait to see what's in store next season!

Bird Box: Barcelona

 So excited when I heard this was coming out. So disappointed when I realized it was a poorly made Spanish film, that takes place in the "world" of Bird Box but is 1000 times unimaginative. 

I couldn't even make it through the entire movie I was bored out of my skull. 

Avoid at all cost! It's a complete waste of time. I can't believe Netflix was desperate enough to put this on their platform in the first place. 

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

 At this point the question is "Why do I even watch this anymore?"

It's terrible. Terrible. 

I should've called it quits a long time ago. I only have myself to blame for letting this happen again. 

Awful movie. 

I can't believe I fell for watching another one. 

I suck. And so does this movie. 

Mayans MC (final review)

 I loved Sons of Anarchy. I WILL watch the entire series again one day. 

The spinoff?

Awful. 

So bad, that Megan (who loves SOA) stopped watching midway through last season. And to be honest, if this hadn't had been the final season, I would've bowed out as well. 

The story was a terrible mess of forgettable characters and story plots. Its sloppy conclusion didn't satisfy at the end. The whole thing ended on a fart though they were trying to make it "epic" every ending for the remaining characters was flat. They went too dark with certain endings, completely off the rails with others and most of them left you disappointed as a whole. 

Terrible spin off. It'll never get a re-watch from me again and I'll never recommend it. Waste of time. 

Santa Bowl Update IX

 

Trying to update the trophy I goofed bigtime and got the wrong size block of wood! 

I thought I measured it out right but as you can see it's not even close. In fact, its SMALLER than the original trophy!

But a friend of mine offered a good solution so I'm working on it now to hopefully have a better update of the new trophy by next month!

3D Energy (review)

 Finally got a chance to try one of these. 

They're ok. Not the worst, or the best. I'd try one again if I wanted something different but wouldn't be my "go to" energy drink over anything else I drink already. 

Glad I tried it though. I'm trying to drink more new brands to see what else is out there because you never know!

Ok folks, that's it for now. Have a good weekend!

Walking into spider webs

 I don't know how it is possible but I am CONSTANTLY walking into spider webs wherever I go. Even in places where it appears impossible to even spin a web. (the middle of my parking lot that has NO TREES around it!)

I swear, it's like a super power how I continue to find these things everywhere ANYWHERE I go! 

Annoying too. 

Just my thoughts for the day...

Australian Survivor: Blood vs Water

 Wow. 

This season BROUGHT IT. It brings back previous players who were AWFUL in the game prior. 

Andy, the self proclaimed "Survivor" genius, is voted out first. It proves how worthless he is in the game. 

The QUEEN Sandra comes into the season playing with her daughter but is voted out once again on Day 16 (like she was the last 2 times she's played) and even more shocking, by her own daughter!

This season had sister vote off sister (to protect her own game) Nina (sandra's daughter) get pulled for a broke ankle (but she was promised an invitation to the next season) and two other returning players Sam and Mark. 

Sam and Mark were LOSERS who got fooled by Luke and voted out before merge during their first game. Unfortunately here they went long, with Mark eventually winning it all. (BOO!)

His wife Sam was SO ANNOYING though. She pouted when she felt she didn't have control of the game, gloated when she did and pulled the dirtiest double cross by stealing an idol from another player and voting him out the same night. (not sure how it was legal) Mark had ZERO control of the game but his social skills allowed him the victory. These tools couldn't hack it against experienced players but against newbies they faired well and won out. 

Not the best season, but enjoyable all the same. I've finished the latest season and will give me thoughts on it later. 

Bodies (Drowning Pool) - Kids' Edition

Happy Labor Day

 If everything goes according to plan today, it'll be a day full of board games and fun times!

Hope everyone has a good day off as well!

Survivor Australia Brains vs Braun

 Finished this one a while back. But here we go on my final thoughts!

This was at the start of the pandemic and they had to stay in the Outback for this season but I applaud them for keeping the show running instead of folding like the US one did during the pandemic. 

US COULD have had a season in the country but wimped out and hid at home while the rest of the world played on. In fact, NO mention of masks or testing was given and my hats off to them for keeping things as normal as they could. 

Now for the season...

George is the biggest idiot/luckiest Survivor I've ever seen play the game, period. His follies go through the whole season and this guy never got voted off. He lost in a landslide (because he was a moron) but had some incredible moves along the way. 

He was the first to find an advantage, that let him drag 6 people from tribal and leave the remaining members to vote among themselves. This could have been HUGE....in someone else's hands. George had ZERO alliances, used it too early, had no friends on the tribe and painted a target on his back for the entire game because of it. 

He saved Wei from being voted out and in return...she tried voting him out at the next tribal. Even SHE didn't like George even though he kept helping her in challenges. That's how bad this guys social game was. 

When he was voted out (and onto the other tribe) his biggest ally Cara goes with him...and flops in the first merged tribal because she forgot who to vote for. George's closest friend was the 2nd biggest idiot on the tribe. In fact, when George votes her off (in the final four) he fails to realize that she is the ONLY player he has a chance to beat in the end. But in George's mind, he's the best EVER to play the game. 

Honestly, its an outstanding season to witness this idiot fall on the right side of the numbers over and over again, only to think he's in complete control of the game. 

The first merge reward challenge was interesting because in order of how they finished let them pick the food plate at the table. With last place getting milk, rice or a banana. I liked that idea. 

George did one or two impressive moves moves in the game. He pulled off a double cross and later, played a "secret idol" that you placed in the urn without anyone knowing and wrote down the name of the person you wanted to protect. Pretty cool idea. 

One girl who got to the final 3 was surfer girl Flex. Her mom died DURING filming the season but her family convinced her to stay. Amazing she did. 

The winner was Haley. Another true idiot of the game who played a better social game and ended up winning it at. She was voted out earlier but in a producer twist, she was brought back in a "death match" with another recent cast away. The whole hook felt forced but at least her social game was good enough to throw the target off her back. 

Overall, an enjoyable season. I've already finished the next one and will talk about it next week.