Running Out of Things to Write About?

  

I have written three blog posts this year. All-time low. Have I heard the people complaining about not having enough Bert writing in their lives? I have not! Have you found another writer to tickle your imagination? I certainly hope so. But for those longing for an update from the Bubble King, here we go.

 

Is life in Canada boring?

Coming in hot with the first topic, aren’t we? Boring? No. Less novel and exciting than life in Asia? Yes. I’m surprised it took me over two years to start feeling this way. I thought after a few months, I would have been ready to get back out there. I think the high of running my own business kept me going but as the novelty wears off a bit, the realities of my move is slowly sinking in.

I don’t regret coming home. I love how much time I get with my mom and people that I love. I need to do a better job of creating adventure in my everyday life. I think now that the weather has turned, the fewer hours of daylight and having to go back to supply teaching until prime bubble season, it just has me longing for Laos treehouse ziplining and scuba diving liveaboards.

Am I interested in seeing or hearing about anyone else’s travels? I certainly am not.

 

How is your bubble business?

I had been doing it full time since May. That is a huge win. I did about 30 shows in July and 31 in August. Next year is going to be a pivotal year for Bubble Birthdays. I either want to grow or scale it down. I don’t think I want to be doing bubble parties as a 50-year-old. The business idea is sound. As of right now, there is nobody else in the bubble space in Ottawa. The main issue will be hiring people that I trust that won’t destroy my business and putting systems in place to take myself out of the day-to-day of running of the business. I have read a lot of books for help but if you have any helpful tips on how to turn a business into a franchise, let me know.

 

What is teaching in Canada like?

I was right in being apprehensive about becoming a full-time teacher here. The challenges are real and I commend anyone who is able to put in 25 years of being a permanent teacher. They earned that pension. Well, most of them.

 

What are you reading?

This year has been decent for reading/listening. At the moment, I am reading this:

 

I just listened Novelist as a Vocation and now I want to read some more Murakami.

 

Here are some books on my list for the next few months:

 

What are you looking forward to?

I am visiting some friends in Washington in January 2024. It will be nice to be in nature with them, catch up and leave Ottawa for a bit.

The last two seasons I have not been snowboarding as much I had hoped. That changes this season. I have a night pass at Edelweiss and a day pass to Fortune. My bindings were broken so I was reluctant to get after it but now that I have fixed that problem, my plan is to get out as much as I can while keeping both of my writs not broken.

 

How happy do you think people are?

Not as happy as they should be or as happy as they let on.

 

What are you watching?

I just finished watching all of the available episodes of Yellowstone. Big fan.

 

I am trying to get into the Sopranos but time is an issue. Bob's Burgers might be on the list as well.

 

Is life cheap in Canada?

Ummm, last time I checked, no.

 

What is 2024 looking like?

Supply teaching, hopefully winning some NFL futures bets, snowboarding, Pacific Northwest trip, growing the bubble business, making healthy choices, reading and trying to find some adventure in and around the city.

 

What did you give up in 2023 and what will you give up in 2024?

2023 was a year of no swearing, no complaining and no Red Bull. How is it going so far?

No swearing: Pretty well. I have a swear jar app on my phone. I’m up to about $115. I need to donate it to a cause I disagree with. My swearing has plummeted and I am pleased.

No complaining: It’s a work in progress. I feel like it’s almost impossible. Getting better but still not where I want to be. Bringing this resolution into 2024 will be necessary.

No Red Bull: Zero Red Bulls have been consumed. My Monster intake is at about 204. Kidding! No energy drinks this year. I know what January 1^st is going to taste like.

 

My 2024 resolution is not been finalized but I am contemplating giving up any type of restaurant/coffee/drink place that is a chain. A chain free grocery or gas station lifestyle seems a bit much but I think eating healthier and more focused on small businesses would make my life better.

I hear my cousin is going to give up fried foods.

 

Any new questions you like to ask people?

If you could meet any of your ancestors, who would you meet and why?

Describe the most magical moment you have experienced in your life so far.

What is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

 

Any final thoughts?

The longer I go without kids, the more appealing not having my own kids becomes. Could it happen one day? Sure! It would probably go great! But I am really seeing the upside of living somewhat kid free.

I love hot apple cider.

Lots of outdoor spas close to Ottawa. I don't hate it. 

Glow in the dark bocce was is a hoot.

I started curling. Big curler now. You know who loves curling? Older, white people.

 

I wish you a pleasant November.

 

“Good or bad, hard to say."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Newfoundland + Kingston

Two posts so far this year. That is not acceptable. Here we go.

In July I went to Newfoundland with my mom and brother; it was a smashing success. This trip was for her 70^th birthday present and my guess is that she enjoyed herself. We don’t get too much kid free time so it was a nice change of pace just hanging out the three of us.

Newfoundland is huge. Also, Labrador really gets the short end of the stick. There is no time to say Newfoundland and Labrador. I hear Labrador is gorgeous in the fall.

We saw a risky Newfoundland music show in Rocky Harbour. It was called Anchors Away. My mom claims it wasn’t as sexual the first time she saw the show but I have my doubts. We then spent some time in Gros Morne National Park and drove to St-Anthony’s. Once in St-Anthony’s we went on a boat tour to see icebergs. I had never seen an iceberg before and it was certainly worth the drive. We saw lots of icebergs and even saw a whale. Did I feel great on the boat ride back to land? No, I did not.

 

You know what’s good? Seafood in Newfoundland. Highlights included eating a lobster roll, fish and chips and a cod burger. There is not a ton going on in Newfoundland. Granted, we didn’t hit up St-John’s but there does not seem to be a lot of opportunities for young people so it makes sense that many people end up leaving the province for better job opportunities. I’m not a huge history guy so while I did learn about the cod fishing ban in 1992, this article might give you a better understanding of what actually took place.

 

https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/economy/moratorium.php

 

We also toured around the Tablelands. It doesn’t look like anything else in the area so if you have it on your list, it is worth checking out.

 

https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/nl/grosmorne/activ/experiences/tablelands

 

We also explored an 11^th century Viking settlement called L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site.

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/4/

 

This was a highlight. Seeing how the Vikings lived in their settlements was a nice glimpse into their everyday lives. Worth visiting or just watch these YouTube videos about it.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMVjNYogaLg

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAOVRhfJQ2A

 

Renting a car makes exploring Newfoundland much more manageable but also booking any activities or shows seems like it would also make your trip more enjoyable. Should you visit Newfoundland? That seems like a personal choice but if Newfoundland is one of your dreams, make it happen.

 

Kingston

Kingston. I drive by it every time I head over to Toronto. I sometimes stop to grab food or gas but I have never made Kingston my destination. I was not disappointed! Did I explore everything? No. Did I mostly spend the entire time just on one street? Yes. Did I eat lots of good food, go to an arcade and drink the occasional bottle of Soju? Maybe.

The main reason for this trip was to go to Boldt Castle. I recently got my boating license so me and a friend rented a Sea-Doo and took the two hour journey to Boldt Castle. Here is the official history of the castle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZWbJVrtQ98

 

https://www.boldtcastle.com/visitorinfo/about

 

You know what’s fun? Sea-Doos. Did we tip? No. Did I think I was going to crash it and have to pay for the repairs? I certainly did. Should you go Sea-Dooing? Probably.

 

Kingston is filled with bars, food and is a pretty easy place to walk around. You can take a trolly tour, tour the penitentiary, or spend some time on the water. One of my cousins has a not-so-secret love affair with Kingston and I am starting to understand why.

There is a casino not too far away from Kingston; I recommend you avoid playing roulette there.

 

Those were the two trips I took this summer. While it wasn’t as exciting as heading to Greece or Italy, it has been nice spending time with family and friends in the Great White North.

 

"Everything good, everything magical, happens between the months of June and August."

 

Ottawa Report Card.

It’s time for an Ottawa report card! Calm down, calm down. I know, it’s very exciting. 

I’ve been home for almost two years and I have lived in Ottawa for a total of about 5 years. This report card is more focused on Ottawa but does have some overall thoughts on living in Canada. Did you know that I was Canadian?

Food: B

Ottawa has different restaurants from all over the world. There is a large Middle Eastern community in Ottawa so there are tons of shawarma spots all over the city. If someone had tons of money and could eat anywhere, whenever they wanted, this could be an A. In my experience, I feel like eating out is normally fine but I hardly ever eat somewhere and can’t wait to go back. There are many Instagram accounts that find hidden gems so if I tried harder, I could be eating slightly better food but Ottawa food isn’t exactly world renowned. 

Price: D

This is not just an Ottawa, or Canada answer; it feels like it’s a planet Earth answer. Life is expensive and Ottawa is not an affordable place to live. 

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canada-eighth-least-affordable-housing-market

Location: B

Being close to America has some advantages. Trade, security, and easy access to visiting some world class cities. Not having another country surround us is a huge plus but Canada can get a little chilly. When only focusing on Ottawa, it’s close to Montreal and Toronto while also offering more of a small town vibe to a city that has over a million people. Tremblant isn’t a far drive and Quebec City is within reach. However, it seems like any flight needs to fly to Toronto or Montreal first. Getting any flight direct to where you want to go is rare. 

Weather: C

Rumours of Canada/Ottawa weather are true. We had about 7 snow days this school year. Lots of snow and freezing rain. The weather is great from May-October but the wind might affect certain bubble businesses in the city. 

Safety: A

Safety is probably a personal feeling but my overall experience has been that Ottawa is a safe place to live. Many people living in more dangerous parts of the city might disagree but I think the majority of people think that Ottawa is safe as long as you stay out of Vanier and downtown super late at night.

Activities: A

There are things to do. If you like being outdoors and in nature, Ottawa is a great place to live. Ottawa has some sports teams, more and more bands and comedians are visiting the city, and it has some solid festivals. Good job Ottawa. Keep it up. 

Transportation: D

Transportation in Ottawa is a joke. It took forever for them to make a decision about the LRT. It’s in the process of being built but what is built, breaks down frequently. If someone told you that getting around Ottawa is easy and fast, they are a liar. Having lived in cities where their subways worked, were affordable, and could take me everywhere, made moving to a city where you essentially need a car to get around a little jarring.

https://globalnews.ca/news/9492622/ottawa-insists-lrt-is-safe/#:~:text=Ottawa's%20light%2Drail%20system%2C%20which,inconsistency%20operating%20in%20winter%20weather.

Beauty: B

Apparently I’ve been grading countries on their beauty. 

Nightlife: ?

I’m old and all of my friends are married and have kids. It seems like the youths are still getting after it. I can’t imagine that it’s super affordable and the nightlife area is a bit sketchy. Partying in Montreal or Toronto would be the better choice but there is a country bar in Kanata. 

People: A

Canadians are real gems.

Government: C

This is also personal but my life isn’t much better than it was in 2008. Everything is more expensive. I don’t have and might never get a family doctor. We have convoys of people that can occupy the country’s capital with almost zero consequences. They are going to try and build a new stadium for the Senators. Take a guess how that is going to go. The government doesn’t have a great relationship with Indigenous people. Poverty is a huge issue. There aren’t affordable houses. Hospitals have huge wait times. Canadians pay way more for flights and their cell phones than most developed countries. Canada seems unlikely to be able to protect the Arctic. It’s not great, Bob.

Environment: C

People seem to recycle and use compost bins but Alberta is essentially on fire.

Overall quality of life: C+

I spend far too much money on gas, food, and bubble supplies. I blame Ottawa for two of those three things. There are sneaky speed cameras littered throughout the city; I get wanting to stop outrageous speeders but getting a fine for driving 45 in a 40 zone seems insane. And once the government gets that money, do they use it effectively? Apparently not. 

Overall grade: B

Living here is fine. I knew what I was getting myself into when I moved back. Being closer to my family was a huge reason why I moved back. No place is perfect and all things considered, I could be living in a worse spot. Will things improve? Probably not but that’s just the way things seem to be. I’d be curious how other people all over the world would rate their city. What grade would you give your city?

“Maybe when we face a tragedy, someone, somewhere is preventing a bigger tragedy from happening.”

Kamand Kojouri

12 Days in Costa Rica

 

It has been about three years since I visited a new country. I went to Japan at the end of 2019 and in January 2020. Then you know what happened. I moved home, built a bubble empire, and now here we are. I started writing in 2011 and it was mostly about travel. Let me tell you about Costa Rica. 

I spent the majority of my time around the Nicoya Peninsula/Gulf of Nicoya.

I spent two nights in Jaco. Not the best place but I hung out by the pool, read my book and watched the movie Cocktail.

I then spent a night at the Curu Wildlife Refuge. They only allow a certain number of visitors to stay the night. Luckily, I booked in July so I had a cabin that was about 20 seconds from the beach.

Costa Rica isn’t cheap. If you’re looking for a budget Central American destination, I hear Nicaragua and Guatemala are mucho cheap. The flight was around $1700. It was also during the Christmas break so that did not help. I was thinking a budget of $150-200 a day would be more than enough. It was not. A private room anywhere is going to cost conservatively $60-80 a night. Each meal, no matter where I was staying, was $10-14. Private transportation or taking an Uber for more than twenty minutes will also hurt your wallet. They accept American money but will give you back colones. If you go to Costa Rica, just take out colones from the ATM and it will save you the hassle of converting your money. Also, the bank will give out money that is less than perfect condition but shops and restaurants will only accept perfect bills so you can imagine that could become frustrating to some people. Not for me though.

 Getting around is also not the easiest thing. The roads are a bit rough but they have fruit stands in a lot of places so it’s not all bad. There is a lot of traffic so expect any type of transportation to take longer than you initially thought. I had to take a boat to cross the sea. As I was waiting for my bags to be taken from the shuttle bus to the boat, the transportation people misjudged the tide and the boat got buried in the sand. They had another boat there in under two hours but I had to ask the guys how often their boats got stuck. They said they have been running these boat trips for ten years and this is the second time this has happened. Twice in ten years. Lucky me!

I almost missed my connecting flight to San Jose. My flight from Toronto to Montreal got delayed a few times so I landed in Montreal and my flight to Costa Rica was taking off in like 10 minutes. Air Canada thankfully held the flight for the Bubble King and I even got to ride on one of those airport carts that usually transport the elderly. It was great. 

The food was excellent. I tried to eat as many breakfast burritos as possible. Lots of fruit, smoothies, and ice cream! I just finished my year without treats and I missed ice cream and cookies the most. Did I have a chocolate milkshake and a cone filled with gelato at the same time? Yes. Here are some pictures of more traditional Costa Rican restaurants and food.

It was warm. Every day was about 28 degrees. It barely rained so having a sunscreen gameplan is essential.

 

Ten years ago, I wrote my bucket list. I will revisit that list with you later this year but trying to learn to surf has been on my list for a long time. I blocked off three days in Santa Teresa to start my surfing journey. Let me start by saying, I still have almost no idea how to surf. When they take you out to the sea, you aren’t surfing. You are sort of waiting for the waves to die down while the instructor holds your board, tells you to start paddling then yells at you to get up. I fumbled around for a few seconds then would end up falling off of my gigantic beginner’s surfboard. I took three lessons and this sounds like an exaggeration but I think I got worse the second and third times I tried surfing. Taking lessons certainly helped and it might have made me feel good seeing the other beginners bail into the sea. Surfing is tough but I would try it again. People who surf are super-hot, chill and cool so I think whoever is in charge of letting people become surfers might contact me to tell me I don’t have what it takes. 

One activity that I was looking forward to doing was a bioluminescent night kayaking trip. I had never heard about bioluminescence before I arrived in Thailand. Then one night while swimming in Khanom, I saw them and I fell in love. I couldn’t wait to see them again. However, it did not go my way. It is sort of luck of the draw with the brightness of the moon and how lucky you get to get the full experience. I didn’t mind too much because I had already seen them but the strange part was that the tour guide kept yelling at the group to splash our kayak paddles into the sea. “Splash! Splash”. I saw nothing. The guide would then ask the group, “Do you see it? Isn’t it amazing?” The other 8-ish or so people in the group would yell back, “Yeah! So fun!” It felt like I was in a cult. Are these people seeing it or are they just trying to be kind? 

 

I would say I spent about 95% of this trip alone. I’m not a big, “Hey, where you from?” kind of guy. I talked to a few guys (exactly what I wanted…) but that was about it. I watched some of the World Juniors game at a sports bar in Santa Teresa and talked to a guy from the Niagara Region for a bit. I met a guy from Belgium who told me that women from Belgium aren’t fun. I wrote that down in my journal. One of the more fun nights was when a young person named Hannah invited me and a few of the people staying at this jungle guesthouse to a bonfire on the beach for New Year’s Eve. 

There were about 8 of us. Once the fire was made and there was a brief lull in the conversation, I told the group I had questions I asked strangers and wondered if they wanted to hear some of them. They reluctantly agreed to be polite to the old guy in the group and this delighted me. One of the questions I asked was when were you in the most trouble? A guy responded, “When I was about 4 or 5, I thought our maid was cute. She would wake up around 5:30 am. I didn’t have an alarm clock so I wrote down, wake up at 5 on a piece of paper. Somehow, I woke up at 5, and hid underneath her bed to try and watch her get undressed. She saw me while she was getting naked and kicked me out of the room.” He later told me that he didn’t know how to write wake up at 5 so he just scribbled letters or shapes on the paper and hoped that that would work. Of course, a young boy would do something like this.

 

A lot of people rent a side by side, cars, motorbikes, or ATVs. Renting an ATV for a day is USD $80. Driving them around is super fun and a great way to see more of the area but it’s not conducive to saving cash.

 I learned that you can drink beer while driving in Costa Rica. I didn’t drink and drive but I was told that the driver and passenger can have a few cheeky drinks while driving. Doesn’t seem safe. 

 

A lot of people speak Spanish. Everywhere. All of the time. Also, a lot of Europeans. Germans, French. 

 

There were a lot of American-ish-looking tourists who seemed to own/be caring for dogs in a lot of the areas I visited. I’m not sure if these people live in the area and have adopted these dogs. I’m not sure if they just hang out with them for a few weeks and then leave them back on the beach. I don’t get it but there are a lot of people with dogs. 

 

I noticed there was a lot of bull riding/fighting/bull evading on random TVs at bars and restaurants. Give the people what they want. 

 

Should you visit Costa Rica? If you like jungles, nature, animals, coffee, chocolate, surfing, warm weather, ice cream, random dogs with mysterious owners, driving ATVs, eating great food, nice pools, fruit, and friendly people, then yes, yes you should visit Cosa Rica. I would recommend traveling with people you love. I think my traveling solo days should be behind me. Life is better when experienced with people you care about.