Finding My Thing

Been a while, been busy and distracted but also looking for something to write about.

I have a new, possible project.

I took a package from the company at which I worked and I had all these Big Plans for what I was going to do. I’m good at plans but not always at follow through. Now it’s months later and I might have a new regular job, which means that my “work from home” that I was trying to build so that I could work from anywhere will not happen. I don’t know what I was doing since July but I frittered that time away pretty badly.

One of the things on which I’ve been wasting my times is videos of real estate for rich people. You know the ones on YouTube: apartments in billionaires’ row, upscale townhomes, etc. This was balanced by videos of houses local to me so I could see the inside of the homes I see when I go for a walk. Then, because I was recently in Rome, I started watching Italian real estate videos and Suddenly Realized, “Hey, normal people also need to buy homes,” and then I remembered the €1 homes in Italy. I thought, hey, I have €1 as well as a certain amount of money from the buyout. If I’m working full time, I can use that buyout to pay for renovations on one of the €1 houses!

I’d read an article a while back about very inexpensive old buildings that the Italian government was selling for development into tourist areas to try to alleviate the pressure on the main locations like Rome and Venice. I saw an old monastery and thought that would be interesting to turn into a meditation retreat. Monks’ cells would be perfect for those who are seeking a space where they can be alone and meditate. There would also be larger areas if people wanted to meditate with others. I figured turning off the wifi for a few hours every day would be the thing to do. I don’t remember anymore where I saw it so I am sorry if I am taking someone’s saying but it stuck with me: The internet used to be an escape from reality. Now reality is an escape from the internet. Personally I am able to waste a lot of time reading about terrible relatives and “karens” on Reddit and would like to stop. Anyhoo, those places offered by the Italian government were more like leases because after 10 years (for most) or 90 (I think, for some), the property would go back to Italy. Anyone who is going to invest in creating a tourism property probably wants to keep it for more than 10 years. So, I put that aside.

The other €1 places are not lease types but do have some restrictions to prevent people from just buying a building and leaving it empty. There are apparently millions of abandoned homes in Italy due to a stagnant economy. Apparently, young white collar workers make around €1000/month and that’s not enough to live on. I met an Italian who had recently moved to Canada and I asked him why he moved because, honestly, not a lot of Europeans migrating to North America these days. He said Italy is a great place to retire but not to work so his plan is to work in Canada and then retire back to Italy. So basically, the only people who can afford to live in Italy now are those who can afford not to work. That’s why there are all these abandoned houses.

So, I thought, hey, I could buy one of these €1 houses and renovate it. I thought about where I’d want it and my favourite part of Italy is Sardinia. If you don’t know, it’s an island directly south of Corsica, west of Sicily. I went there by accident on a cruise that was rerouted as the original destination was in North Africa the day after the Benghazi incident. For some reason, I had always wanted to visit, ever since I was a kid – maybe because I liked sardines?

My thinking was that, if I was working full time, I could use the buyout to pay for renovations, but then I wouldn’t be able to be there for the renovations. My mom is retired and when she needs to understand things or get things done, she Will Not Let Things Go. Sometimes that’s annoying, but for renovations, this behaviour would work in my favour. I asked her if, all things being equal and on the up and up, etc., would she be willing to go to Sardinia and stay in a place while it is being renovated. It took some conversation about how things could go wrong, followed up by my repeating “all things being equal and on the up and up” and she agreed. She’s even excited!

Another place where I have wasted significant time (and by “waste” I mean there were other things I could have been doing but I did enjoy the time wasters) was watch HGTV. I love the House Hunters and renovation shows. I even like Tiny Living but more for storage ideas because I have too much stuff I do not want to lose so would likely never live tiny. I know that some of the shows like a little conflict, usually between the purchasers, and particularly the House Hunters one. I thought they might like a show about a middle aged woman and her senior mother renovating €1 houses. I’m sure we could muster up some conflict!

I went to the HGTV site. Apparently, they do not take proposals from individuals, only producers or production companies.

I wrote to a friend I met in Thailand who is now a producer on kind of a Big Name TV show but he was not interested nor did he know anyone who might be.

I wrote to just about everyone I know, not just the Entertainment Types because you never know who might know someone. A couple of friends said they’d reach out to Some People but it’s the holiday season so I’m leaving it for a few days.

Not sure how this will pan out, but I’m going to take it as far as I can.

Creston, BC

I’m currently Between Jobs and decided to take a bit of a road trip to visit my aunt in Penticton, BC. I like road tripping but I always end up taking two hours longer than planned and it’s a 9-10 hour drive so I decided to break up the trip and stay in a delightful town about halfway: Creston, BC.

I’ve previously stayed in Creston, with my mother, at a lovely B&B that stopped operation as an inn during Covid and went to simply renting out rooms. It was beautiful and we had our own bathroom, but it was in the hall and I prefer to have a private bathroom. My mother had previously made the plans but this is a solo trip so I looked for a locally owned hotel and settled on the Uptowner after looking at reviews online.

I rang the bell and could hear someone coming downstairs from what I assume is the office or suite. Just like in the movies! The rooms are great. The beds are comfortable. The bathrooms are a good size and there is a lot of suitcase storage in the manner of older hotels. The common areas are clean but a little dark and out of date but I dig that, and I’m not sleeping in the common areas. There’s a jacuzzi and a gym, which I didn’t know but appreciate, and it is right downtown, walking distance from anything you’d want to see in town. The only weird thing is there’s no bar soap in the bathroom? Also, the windows all have a/c so it’s nice and cool but the windows don’t close all the way. Like, someone could walk right up, slide open the window and come inside. I’m a solo woman traveller so I asked for a room on the second floor and they were very helpful and understanding. I am coming back through and staying here next week so I asked to get a second floor room then. No problem.

I wanted to go to a Thai place where I had previously eaten but it isn’t around anymore. I googlemapped for restaurants and found a place with coconut curry – Thai enough – and went there – Real Food Cafe, about a 5 minute walk. I ended up not getting the coconut curry but a chicken satay instead. The woman who took my order asked how spicy I wanted it. I told her I like really spicy food because I used to live in Thailand and how spicy is their “hot” spicy? She said it was “medium”. Because spiciness is so subjective, I asked her if it was White People spicy. She said “Oh, yes, it’s cooked by my husband and he’s Scottish so be doesn’t do spicy.”

I opted for “hot”.

I usually have satay as an appetizer so it was weird as dinner, but it tasted perfect and while it was not as spicy as I like, it meant I wasn’t bloated on water to offset it. She offered me some extra spice on the side but it was awesome as is. Saffron rice, local vegetables (3 different zucchini?). I will probably go again on my way back, maybe try the coconut curry. The rose petal lemonade was good but, as far as I could tell, just lemonade with rose petals in it – not infused or anything. Price was about what one would expect with the way things are now. I didn’t eat out during Covid restrictions so the price increases have surprised me but this was on par with current pricing. Desserts looked good but I was full, so passed on the sweets.

the patio

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip

The previous cookies were so popular, there was a delay in making these due to a request for more of the last batch. There might be some regrets about that because Holy F these new ones are Amazing. Like the image say, this recipe does take a little more work, and I don’t know if I browned the butter adequately, but I’ll definitely be making them again next Saturday when the kids are over.

Cookies: Chocolate Chip

I bought a recipe book the other day. I’ve bought them before, for dinner things, but I don’t care so much about that. I enjoy baking but so far, I’ve stuck to very specific cookies: Nestle Toll House cookies. This recipe has served me well. Children like them. I’ve been asked to bring them when invited to potlucks. They’re good cookies, but I decided I should try different cookies. So, I bought this book.

I’m going to make every cookie in here. I was wondering what purpose that would serve other than adding to my cookie baby and increasing my need to join a gym, but part of my job is speaking to strangers on the phone all day and one of them said I should blog about it. I have a hard time maintaining my blog. Et voila!

So, I’ve stuck with the Nestle Toll House cookies all these years, and the first cookie here is also a chocolate chip cookies. The Nestle recipe makes 75 cookies (75!) because it uses more butter and the cookie drops are smaller, by probably two thirds or even three quarters, and the cookie recipe here makes 24 cookies. The cookies are a lot bigger, the drops are 2 tbsp in size, and they’re much thicker. With the Nestle recipe, I can make them puffier or softer depending on how much flour I use, and this one is probably the same. I won’t be posting the recipes because it’s someone’s copyright but both recipes are similar. I did replace the salt requirement with kosher salt because I didn’t have any regular salt and somehow I’ve got three boxes of kosher salt – gotta use it. There’s also a lot of pan manipulation and tapping things, like you’d avoid doing if you were making a cake, but it’s worth it because holymarymotherofgod are these cookies good. At least they are when they are hot out of the oven. I’ll wait a few hours to see how they are later but they are very very good. Can recommend.

Movie Review: Boss Level

There has been an increase in time loop movies lately. I’d have said it’s because, since Covid, time has no meaning but most of these movies were made or started production before Covid, so…

Last night, me and the fella watched the new Boss Level, starring Frank Grillo, possibly best known from the Marvel universe but who’s also carved out a niche in action films. Mel Gibson is the baddie, working to regain his footing in Hollywood, and, wait, is that Naomi Watts? I had no idea she was in this?

Grillo’s character, Roy (derives from the word “king”) Pulver (not too much of a stretch to figure out this is just a shortening of “pulverize”) already knows he’s in some kind of time loop and the first scene is his description of how his day has started for the last 140-something days and his pursuit and assassination by a variety of assassin types. None of the assassins are well known actors so they have a generic kind of feel. Based on the name of the movie, it feels a bit like a video game – main character needs to solve puzzles and find prizes or gain assistance in order to get to the next level, or past a certain time on the clock, and solve the issue in his next Life.

This time loop movie differs in that it doesn’t start with his finding out he’s in a time loop; he knows he’s in a time loop and is somewhat resigned to his fate until clues surface in the loop and in his memory to help him either come to terms with how to make his day(s) worthwhile or solve the problem entirely. As with most of these types of movies, Roy learns things about himself and what’s important, both for his life and for the loop, but the ending is ambiguous – just like life. Did he succeed? Did he escape the loop? It’s not an arthouse movie; I’d have preferred something a little clearer as an ending but if I think of it as arthouse, I’m happier with the end.

~~~~~~~~~~

Naomi Watts has a smallish role, not quite sure how she was enticed into this but there’s nothing wrong with being a working actor and the film is good!

Gibson is always good but it’s still so hard to put aside his personal bullshit. Dude’s got some issues and I’d prefer he not be rehabilitated and I’m not sure why he was hired but despite myself, I still liked seeing him.

Frank Grillo’s obviously always been fit, and he’s pretty good within his range. He has also Super Buffed Out for this film and demonstrates it in one shirtless scene. I found myself commenting on it maybe a little too much for the boyfriend’s comfort. I know there’s a lot of prep involved in shooting those scenes (weightlifting and dehydration to accentuate muscle definition) but good eye candy for those who like looking at shirtless men. Interestingly, all female gaze in this one, very little in the way of boobs, which is kind of a nice change. Good date movie if that’s the gaze you own.

7/10 stars

ALEXI’S Hotel, Crete

When I was younger, much of my family lived in Vancouver. My uncles played baseball in summer and hockey in winter and at some point, they started visiting a Greek restaurant that I always thought of as a pizza place, called Alexi’s. When visiting from Calgary as a child, it always felt a little secret; the restaurant had no front window, you had to walk down a little alley and enter the door behind a travel agency on Broadway Avenue. We would go at least once every Christmas holiday and summer vacation until I finished high school. We knew the owner (Alexi, obviously) by name and I celebrated many birthdays there. Visiting Alexi’s is as much a part of my childhood as anything could be.

Vacation planning in the time of COVID-19

I’m the kind of person who, when doing the same thing over and over, doesn’t get better at it; I actually get worse. I thrive on what others might call stress, but what I consider stimulus. Travel outside of my local area is my pinnacle. I love seeing new people, eating new foods, adjusting to the unexpected. My normal habit is to not really plan what I’m going to see but to see what happens when I arrive. Sometimes this doesn’t work out so well, like when a famous museum is closed for repairs or something, so I tend to check that kind of thing first, but part of the Not Planning increases the opportunity to learn something other than the thing I came to see. I’ve had some great food, seen some amazing sights, and got some unexpected tattoos following this path.

For now, however, I must make do with at least a little bit of planning and a little bit of thinking about where I actually want to go. I’ve made it through the warm places I wanted to see more of when I was on cruises and have made a new list:

• Egypt (river cruise maybe?)
• Petra
• Tallinn, Estonia (first cruise stop ever) and Berlin (only saw Museum Island, must see more)
• Sicily (interested in the Islam/Catholic handoff, also Norsemen)
• Rome (saw the big things, want to see more)
• Various small Greek islands
• London, but when it’s warmish
• Tuktoyaktuk (24 hour sun)
• Venice
• Japan is creeping in
• Israel (has a lot related to my previous field of study, also the Crusades are interesting)
• Bangkok (I need a week of massages to reset, and hope to go in November)
• Malta (Crusaders!)

If you have any other suggestions, please let me know. I am also actively pursuing remote work so I could maybe put all my stuff in storage and just go to these places during the year, then staying with friends when I am in Canada (paying them rent, of course). Just so my mom doesn’t get upset, it’ll, of course, have to pay about what I’m making now so I can keep saving for retirement.

The destination that keeps floating to the top, though, is a return to Sardinia. I was there in July 2018 and loved it. I want to see more. That’s what I am currently planning in anticipation of more accessible travel in summer or early fall 2021. I’ve already got a bit of an itinerary and a couple of things I want to repeat. The plan is to fly into Cagliari, maybe stay overnight in the Holiday Inn in Cagliari, which looks delightfully reasonable, rent a car and drive to Oristano, then Alghero, Olbia (although this is negotiable), and end up at the B&B I stayed at last time for four or five days of relaxation, maybe some day trips, and maybe redo the sailing trip I did last time, one of the highlights of all my trips ever.

It’s easy driving in Sardinia and there are a lot of small sights that don’t get a lot of traffic. I’ve had good luck with VRBO so far, also open to B&Bs but because I’ll have a rental, they’ll have to have parking. Of course, I’d love to stay inside any of these towns, but if I need to stay on the outskirts, I’d need a way to visit without the car. At each stop, the plan is to wander the streets, see the sights, and take day trips to other attractions. It appears that swimming with dolphins is a thing around Olbia, so that would be cool.

As the island is not that big, I’d like to plan stops for while driving between towns. Oristano is less than an hour from the Holiday Inn and imagine there are sights to see along the way. It’s about two and a half hours’ drive if taking a long way around (SS130 and SS126), but maybe there are more things to see?

Oristano to Alghero is about two hours, depending on route. Alghero looks to have a lot of local attractions as well as outlying sights. The drive from Alghero to Olbia would include a stop at Castelsardo, a citadel, as well as suggested views and restaurants, taking about two and a half hours. The last stretch would be from Olbia back to Pula and the B&B. This looks to be almost five hours total drive if sticking to the coast but over two hours faster if crossing to Oristano and then down. I’m assuming it’s because of the highway and speed limits but I’ll have to see. I’m kind of wanting to drive the coast but there might be some interesting things in the interior. Any insight into this issue would be greatly appreciated.

Touring Knossos

For ease of understanding, we use the name “Greece” as if this were always the name of the geographical area we currently understand as such. Like much of Europe, and everywhere, really, the Greek peninsula was broken up into city states or what we might consider provinces or regions today. We’ve all heard of Sparta and Athens and we think of them as Greek but even they didn’t think of themselves this way (unless they were being attacked by Persians, but that’s another story). A Spartan was Spartan, an Athenian was Athenian, etc. Loyalty and identification were with and for the local region.

Driving on Crete

I booked a car for July 12 before I knew what I’d do with it. My original thought was that maybe I’d drive to Knossos and then look around a bit. Parking didn’t seem to be an issue, but when I looked at tours, it was almost half the price of renting the car. I kept the rental, though, and decided on just a good, old fashioned road trip. I looked at a map, searched for “archaeological sites” and got some ideas.

The start of Crete

No major hiccups on our flight. We were not able to check in online so had to wait to check in at Edelweiss and as Edelweiss’ computers were down, we waited over an hour to move 20 feet in line as they had to check everyone in manually. When the computers were back up, we just raced through but it was almost an hour and a half start to finish but as we were about to do in 9 hours what used to take two weeks to a month, I was okay. We were worried the flight would leave late, and it did, but we had a great tail wind and arrived in Zurich as intended. While there is a flight direct to Chania from Zurich, the timing was such that it left an hour after our intended arrival and because it only goes a few times a week, we’d have been stuck if late, so our schedule was Calgary-Zurich-Athens-Chania. We had 6 hours total scheduled in Zurich so we went to the Transit Hotel, got rooms and napped until 6:30 local time, after which we went for an all day breakfast (eggs and bacon) and espresso before heading for our gate.