Angel's High School Graduation - June 6, 2015

Angel's graduation was held at the St. Patrick's Cathedral in midtown Manhattan where, due to construction in the church, the parents were seated quite distanced from the graduates.  Due to this,  low light and the speed by which the ceremony was conducted, getting good quality pictures proved difficult.

Angel, congratulations on this wonderful achievement.  We are very proud of you.  We love you dearly and wish that you experience wonderful college years ahead.

2015 Summer Movie Challenge

Every year, it's a burden to try and get everyone that wants to partake in the annual summer movie challenge to commit to being on at the same time for the auction-style bidding of movies.  To simplify things, I've switched to the point based challenge currently being used over at slashfilm.com website.

Here's how it works:

You pick what you think will be the top 10 domestic grossing movies of the summer from highest grossing to 10th highest grossing.  The trick is trying to correctly predict where every movie lands on the list.  3 wild card picks are added for incentive points.

RULES:

Getting number 1 and/or number 10 dead-on gets you 13 points each.

The rest of the scoring goes like this:

• 10 points for numbers 2-9 dead-on
• 7 points if your pick was only 1 spot away from where it ended up
• 5 points if it was 2 spots away
• 3 points if your pick is anywhere in the Top 10
• 1 point for each wild card that makes it into the Top 10

The scoring is tabulated so that you get the SINGLE HIGHEST point value for each pick.  For example, if you get number 10 right, you don't get 13+3 points.  You only get 13 points.

The movies eligible for this challenge, in order of release, are the following:

• Avengers: Age of Ultron
• Hot Pursuit
• Mad Max: Fury Road
• Tomorrowland
• Poltergeist
• San Andreas
• Spy
• Jurassic World
• Inside Out
• Ted 2
• Magic Mike XXL
• Terminator: Genisys
• Minions
• Ant-Man
• Pixels
• Southpaw
• Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
• Fantastic Four
• Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Here are our picks...

TOP TEN AS OF MAY 12:

1. Avengers: Age of Ultron - 313,402,397
2. Hot Pursuit - 13,942,258

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TOP TEN AS OF MAY 18:

1. Avengers: Age of Ultron - 372,030,708
2. Mad Max: Fury Road - 45,438,128
3. Hot Pursuit - 23,446,781

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TOP TEN AS OF MAY 25:

1. Avengers: Age of Ultron - 404,862,176
2. Mad Max: Fury Road - 88,079,541
3. Tomorrowland - 33,028,165
4. Hot Pursuit - 29,084,576
5. Poltergeist - 22,620,386

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TOP TEN AS OF JUNE 1:

1. Avengers: Age of Ultron - 427,551,427
2. Mad Max: Fury Road - 116,467,770
3. Tomorrowland - 63,689,330
4. San Andreas - 54,588,173
5. Poltergeist - 38,525,772
6. Hot Pursuit - 32,382,654

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TOP TEN AS OF JUNE 8:

1. Avengers: Age of Ultron - 438,153,559
2. Mad Max: Fury Road - 130,665,718
3. San Andreas - 98,465,426
4. Tomorrowland - 76,414,081
5. Poltergeist - 44,306,937
6. Hot Pursuit - 33,352,726
7. Spy - 29,085,719

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TOP TEN AS OF JUNE 15:

1. Avengers: Age of Ultron - 444,777,275
2. Jurassic World - 208,806,270
3. Mad Max: Fury Road - 138,543,794
4. San Andreas - 119,123,301
5. Tomorrowland - 83,682,888
6. Spy - 56,550,930
7. Poltergeist - 46,118,192
8. Hot Pursuit - 33,685,280

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TOP TEN AS OF JUNE 22:

1. Avengers: Age of Ultron - 449,447,357
2. Jurassic World - 402,800,065
3. Mad Max: Fury Road - 143,189,878
4. San Andreas - 132,695,233
5. Inside Out - 90,440,272
6. Tomorrowland - 87,903,675
7. Spy - 75,099,815
8. Poltergeist - 46,702,700
9. Hot Pursuit - 33,926,751

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TOP TEN AS OF JUNE 29:

1. Jurassic World - 500,373,420
2. Avengers: Age of Ultron - 452,474,193
3. Inside Out - 185,140,364
4. Mad Max: Fury Road - 147,107,258
5. San Andreas - 141,997,929
6. Tomorrowland - 90,164,982
7. Spy - 88,462,290
8. Poltergeist - 46,979,905
9. Hot Pursuit - 34,174,042
10. Ted 2 - 33,507,870

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TOP TEN AS OF JULY 6:

1. Jurassic World - 556,542,980
2. Avengers: Age of Ultron - 454,231,429
3. Inside Out - 245,891,395
4. Mad Max: Fury Road - 149,006,885
5. San Andreas - 147,190,443
6. Spy - 97,536,300
7. Tomorrowland - 91,040,567
8. Ted 2 - 58,500,630
9. Poltergeist - 47,136,556
10. Terminator: Genisys - 42,474,183

THE REST:

• Hot Pursuit - 34,324,741
• Magic Mike XXL - 27,890,003

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TOP TEN AS OF JULY 13:

1. Jurassic World - 590,689,595
2. Avengers: Age of Ultron - 455,238,846
3. Inside Out - 284, 196,100
4. Mad Max: Fury Road - 150,253,185
5. San Andreas - 150,022,103
6. Minions - 115,718,405
7. Spy - 103,516,023
8. Tomorrowland - 91,491,719
9. Ted 2 - 71,684,895
10. Terminator: Genisys - 68,848,110

THE REST:

• Magic Mike XXL - 48,301,179
• Poltergeist - 47,256,874
• Hot Pursuit - 34,429,912

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TOP TEN AS OF JULY 20:

1. Jurassic World - 611,228,810
2. Avengers: Age of Ultron - 455,998,417
3. Inside Out - 306,247,046
4. Minions - 215,766,440
5. San Andreas - 151,244,307
6. Mad Max: Fury Road - 150,986,661
7. Spy - 106,598,725
8. Tomorrowland - 91,755,697
9. Terminator: Genisys - 80,642,314
10. Ted 2 - 77,359,250

THE REST:

• Magic Mike XXL - 58,584,009
• Ant-Man - 57,225,526
• Poltergeist - 47-337,540
• Hot Pursuit - 34,507,079

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TOP TEN AS OF JULY 27:

1. Jurassic World - 624,083,950
2. Avengers: Age of Ultron - 456,612,712
3. Inside Out - 320,393,339
4. Minions - 262,454,370
5. San Andreas - 151,885,432
6. Mad Max: Fury Road - 151,622,298
7. Spy - 108,107,713
8. Ant-Man - 106,219,861
9. Tomorrowland - 92,091,707
10. Terminator: Genysis - 85,683,524

THE REST:

• Ted 2 - 79,627,410
• Magic Mike XXL - 63,144,247
• Poltergeist - 47,384,838
• Hot Pursuit - 34,564,224
• Pixels - 24,011,616

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TOP TEN AS OF AUGUST 3:

1. Jurassic World - 631,601,030
2. Avengers: Age of Ultron - 456,942,727
3. Inside Out - 329,587,896
4. Minions - 287,578,650
5. San Andreas - 152, 283,503
6. Mad Max: Fury Road - 152,169,645
7. Ant-Man - 132,331,563
8. Spy - 108,872,889
9. Tomorrowland - 92,468,805
10. Terminator: Genysis - 87,693, 413

THE REST:

• Ted 2 - 80,538,470
• Magic Mike XXL - 64,761,407
• Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation - 55,520,089
• Poltergeist - 47,415,690
• Pixels - 45,714,520
• Hot Pursuit - 34,580,201

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TOP TEN AS OF AUGUST 10:

1. Jurassic World - 635,673,840
2. Avengers: Age of Ultron - 457,177,917
3. Inside Out - 335,390,545
4. Minions - 302,802,140
5. San Andreas - 152,869,403
6. Mad Max: Fury Road - 152,505,334
7. Ant-Man - 147,521,991
8. Spy - 109,481,440
9. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation - 107,756,579
10. Tomorrowland - 92,750,192

THE REST:

• Terminator: Genysis - 88,504,855
• Ted 2 - 80,923,685
• Magic Mike XXL - 65,362,762
• Pixels - 57,650,843
• Poltergeist - 47,425,125
• Hot Pursuit - 34,580,201
• Fantastic Four - 25,685,737

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TOP TEN AS OF AUGUST 17:

1. Jurassic World - 637,971,480
2. Avengers: Age of Ultron - 457,358,116
3. Inside Out - 339,365,573
4. Minions - 312,916,835
5. Ant-Man - 157,543,670
6. San Andreas - 153,465,030
7. Mad Max: Fury Road - 152,727,123
8. Mission Impossible : Rogue Nation - 138,323,095
9. Spy - 109,847,503
10. Tomorrowland - 92,959,526

THE REST:

• Terminator: Genysis - 88,809,708
• Ted 2 - 81,128,340
• Magic Mike XXL - 65,591,642
• Pixels - 64,485,041
• Poltergeist - 47,425,125
• Fantastic Four - 42,129,974
• Hot Pursuit - 34,580,201
• The Man From U.N.C.L.E. - 13,421,036

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TOP TEN AS OF AUGUST 24:

1. Jurassic World - 639,568,530
2. Avengers: Age of Ultron - 457,494,254
3. Inside Out - 342,353,075
4. Minions - 320,084,045
5. Ant-Man - 164,491,835
6. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation - 157,514,785
7. San Andreas - 153,893,283
8. Mad Max: Fury Road - 152,874,961
9. Spy - 110,140,360
10. Tomorrowland - 93,107,410

THE REST:

• Terminator: Genysis - 89,103,744
• Ted 2 - 81,257,500
• Pixels - 68,556, 505
• Magic Mike XXL - 65,767,066
• Fantastic Four - 49,708,994
• Poltergeist - 47,425,125
• Hot Pursuit - 34,580,201
• The Man From U.N.C.L.E. - 26,534,214

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TOP TEN AS OF AUGUST 31:

1. Jurassic World - 642,978,555
2. Avengers: Age of Ultron - 457,744,064
3. Inside Out - 344,519,079
4. Minions - 324,755,670
5. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation - 170,242,111
6. Ant-Man - 169,205,642
7. San Andreas - 154,241,930
8. Mad Max: Fury Road - 153,011,860
9. Spy - 110,349,112
10. Tomorrowland - 93,217,933

THE REST:

• Terminator: Genysis - 89,383,147
• Ted 2 - 81,284,830
• Pixels - 71,091,468
• Magic Mike XXL - 65,898,312
• Fantastic Four - 52,896,973
• Poltergeist - 47,425,125
• Hot Pursuit - 34,580,201
• The Man From U.N.C.L.E. - 34,567,224

*new release

Bitten By The Board Game Bug

Since my last post, I've had the chance to play Ticket To Ride, Splendor, Love Letter and Pandemic with family and friends in addition to adding some new games to the collection.  As much fun as we've been having with these games, it's time to switch it up a bit and play some of the newer ones in my collection.  

My nephew Jorge Jr. and his friends Mikayla, James and Carlos took in Splendor.

My brother Jorge watches them debate the best course of action on Pandemic.

Jonathan and Amy join Maria and myself for a game of Splendor.

Angelise, Brian and Monique on Ticket To Ride.

Splendor

Pandemic

Love Letter was such a fast, fun game when we played with Jonathan and Amy that I left it with them and purchased the Batman-themed version to replace it in addition to Carcassonne, Cartoon Network-themed Fluxx, Dixit, Pandemic: Contagion and Pandemic: In The Lab expansion.  

Boardgames

My recent trip to Pennsylvania with Joey to hang with our LCVG friend Romier was another weekend of awesomeness.  In addition to watching movies (American Sniper, Kingsman, Birdman and Boyhood), we played some very fun boardgames which Joey was kind enough to bring from home.  I brought with me my deluxe edition of Ticket To Ride which we ended up playing only once.  Of the many boardgames Joey brought with him, and he brought many, he introduced me to Splendor, Pandemic, King of Tokyo and Machi Koro.  What a great night and weekend of boardgames that was.

Playing Pandemic

Waiting for Kingsman to begin

Trying to look convincing at playing Pandemic

Joey and Romier battle it out in King of Tokyo

Playing Splendor with Joey

I was so taken with these games, I immediately purchased copies of Pandemic, Splendor, King of Tokyo and Love Letter solely based on reviews.

I've since introduced Pandemic and Splendor to Maria, Jorge and my kids.  They've all loved the games.