Operation Thailand: Washington + 2024 Update

Have you missed me? Unlikely. Here is your update.

I was just in Olympia, Washington, at the beginning of January. I was visiting friends that I met while living in Nakhon. It brings me great joy that we still get to hangout.

Thailand 2012

We went to a comedy show to see this guy:

We hiked part of Mount Rainier

And we also did a mid-week hike in Olympic National Forest

We went bowling, went to an arcade, and ate a lot of great Thai food. Life isn't all bad.

I got caught up on some administrative bubble work, got some reading done, and had a break from bubble parties and supply teaching. Do you know what people in Seattle love? Pinball and arcades. I visited the Pinball Museum in Seattle. I am not a pinball wizard. Yet.

Did I spend 6 hours there? Maybe. Is it the best museum I have ever been to? Yes.

https://www.kuow.org/stories/did-you-know-seattle-s-pinball-culture

Bubble Birthdays kept me busy full-time from May to October. I have been supply teaching at a school nearby. I just started a short-term contract for a grade 5 class while their teacher is on leave and I will be there until at least the end of February. However, the main priority is my business. I want to hire people this spring and see how big I can make my bubble business grow.

I have tried to give something up for the entire year for the last few years. One year I gave up drinking, another year I stopped gambling, and two years ago I gave up any sort of treat that you would give to a kid. Last year my goal was to stop swearing, stop complaining, and stop drinking Red Bull. How did I do? I had a swear job app on my phone and it has $120 in it. I’m almost positive it’s impossible not to complain for an entire year but I am more aware of my complaining and I think I have it under control. I had relatively no trouble giving up energy drinks but let's just say, I have had a few in 2024.

What did I give up this year? That’s a bit of a nosy question but I guess I will answer. My goal for 2024 is to not eat or drink at any chain restaurant or drink establishment. My thinking was I was stopping too often (especially in the summer) for something to drink or to get ice cream from McDonald’s or Wendy’s. Nobody should be getting nourishment from a drive-thru because it’s not actual food so I have given it up for 2024. Have I lost weight? No! Have I gained weight? Surprisingly, yes! Now, like the treat denial, there is a bit of a grey area. What exactly is a treat? What exactly is a chain? My initial rule was a chain had to have 3 or more locations but there is a small grace period to iron out what I am giving up for the year. For example, there is a donut shop in Ottawa called Maverick Donuts. They have three local locations. Are they a chain like Burger King is? I would lean towards no. It’s locally owned and isn’t making billions of dollars. Another reason I chose this challenge was to eat more locally and support small businesses. For my sanity, I believe the rule will be if it’s in more than one country, has more than 6 locations, and seems to be on track to continue to grow and not remain a locally-owned business, then I will consider it a chain. If it has a drive-thru, that’s also a good reason to skip eating there.

Quick thoughts:

-Sandbox VR is good, clean fun. (I tried uploading the video Sandbox sent us but it didn't work so here is a link to what it looks like)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ9DOIrZiK0&ab_channel=SandboxVR

-Snow days as a teacher is almost as good as having a snow day as a kid.

-Why are you buying books for kids? The library is free, people! Just go online, find the most popular books, put them on hold at your local library, and just wait for them to come to you.

-Watch the movie American Fiction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0MbLCpYJPA&ab_channel=MGM

-Leo is also a great flick. Good message for kids. Accurately depicts the life of a kindergarten teacher.