Pirates of the Baltic

You probably aren't going to believe this. I hardly believe it myself, to be completely honest. But there I was in Latvia, minding my own business and enjoying the cold salty air. I suppose I should have seen it coming, with the salty air and all. To make matters worse, it was only two days before International Talk Like A Pirate day. But I was expecting people to - well - TALK like a Pirate, not to actually be one. So you can (almost) imagine my surprise when I was doing a bit of exploring near the harbor, and out jump a pair of Pirates. Before you could say Shiver me timbers, the air was filled with "aarrrrrrrr's" and "iiiiiiiii's" with a few "Avasts" and "maties" thrown in for good measure. My claws are pretty long and sharp, but not nearly as long or sharp as a Pirate's sword, so I knew it was time to set my pride aside, and throw myself on their mercy. I knew it was time to do that, but I decided to start telling them about my many adventures instead. Before long I had them captivated. I was almost ready to make my escape, when suddenly, without warning, they jumped up and ...


... kissed me. YUCK! Next time I'll take my chances with the swords.

I think I may have to protest - something, anything. But more about that later.

Yours,
BB...

New Friends

I know this is going to sound a bit strange, but even though I've been fortunate enough to travel to many interesting places, I've never been on a real vacation before. My many adventures have all been business trips. But that all changed this summer when I went to Europe for a wonderful vacation. I met many interesting people, but the most interesting by far was a monkey called Chateau. He was kind enough to show me around Bruges. It is a most wonderful city, and I highly recommend it.

The one thing that is a bit bad about vacations is that they make you relax more than you really intend to. But now that I'm back at work, I'll be sure to post more pictures from my adventures.

BB...

When I Grow Up...

All this talk about dreams has started me thinking about the future. Traveling the world in search of adventure is wonderful, but surely there must be something more to life. After all, how many different adventures could there possibly be? Okay, okay, I don’t suppose I’m in danger of running out anytime soon, but you know what I mean.

Writing seems to be a natural place to begin. After all, one of the things that I enjoy the most about my travels is telling people all about my adventures. But I need something more, something to attract a wider audience. I’ve been thinking a lot about my adventures at the Winter Olympics, and how I could build on that. I haven’t figured it out quite yet, but I have a few ideas I’m exploring. I’ll let you know more about them soon.

In the meantime, if any of you have ideas, please let me know. I need all the help I can get.

BB…

I Have A Dream Too...

I dream of raw fish and fresh berries for all. I dream of people of all races, and bears too, standing together as equals, eating Sushi. I dream of a day when discrimination is a thing of the past, when bears will no longer look down on humans because they have such pathetic fur. This is my dream. Maybe it isn't as important as the dreams that some people have, but give me a break. I'm only a small bear.

BB...

Not For Bears...

The Cherry Blossoms are definitely worth seeing, the Cherry Blossom Princesses make excellent ambassadors for their state, and the monuments are truly - well - monumental. At least that's what I was told. I'm hoping to check it out for myself when I finally get to the top of these stairs. They may be the perfect size for people, but it is clear they were not designed with bears in mind. Especially not small bears. Unfortunately I find that a lot. Oh well. If the monument is half as impressive as the stairs, it will have been well worth the effort.

Wish me luck!

BB...

I Thought It Would Be Bigger...

I must say that the Cherry Blossom Princess from New Jersey was a great ambassador for her state. She was so enthusiastic about New Jersey that she convinced me it was someplace I really should see. I told my traveling companion to add it to my list of “must see” places.

You can imagine my surprise when later that afternoon I found myself in New Jersey. At least that is what the sign said, though I’m not completely convinced it is the same place that the Cherry Blossom Princess was talking about. She'd made it sound so much – well – bigger. But this New Jersey was still pretty impressive. I guess I’ll need to do some research to find out if there is another New Jersey that I really should see.

BB…

Cherry Blossom Time

The idea of a "Bernard Bear Channel" has got me thinking, but I can't quite figure out what to do with it. While I was busy pondering the possibilities, my traveling companion was busy arranging a trip to Washington DC to see the Cherry Blossoms. It really is nice having a traveling companion!

It turns out that Cherry Blossoms are not at all like Bears. Bears love the cold, but one little frost, and the Cherry Blossoms are pretty well finished. I did see a few, but they were much better last week (or so I'm told). Fortunately the people were as friendly as ever. I even got some ideas for future adventures. West Virginia was mentioned, but the most highly recommended destination was New Jersey. I've never been to New Jersey before - I wonder what interesting things there are to see there. Perhaps I need to talk to my traveling companion about this.

BB...

The Bernard Bear Channel?

When I finished thanking Google for helping with my Blog, I decided to see if there were any other interesting things at this show. My traveling companion always says his work is soooo borrrrinnnng - he says it exactly like that - but I'm beginning to think he isn't exactly telling the truth. Hong Kong was fantastic, with a cool laptop that was just my size. And then I found Google at this show, which didn't exactly convince me that all his work was boring.

Sure enough, the next booth I looked in had a web cam set up, and they showed me how I could send my picture over the internet. But wait, it gets better! They showed me how I could create my very own video channel, and send it to all my friends and fans. Suddenly visions of "millions of screaming fans" filled my head. Just when it was getting really good, I felt someone shaking my shoulder, bringing me back to reality. Ok, ok, "tens of quiet fans", but it's a start.

Susan - she is the lovely lady who showed me all of this - said that I might be able to get a copy of their program to try out. I sure hope she can arrange it, because I really do think the world needs "The Bernard Bear" channel. Don't you?

BB...

Google!

After my day at the spa, I was refreshed and ready for some hard work. I headed over to the conference with my traveling companion to check out some of the latest technology trends. I was expecting to see "exciting" things like IMS, CDMA, FMC, and other strange and meaningless letter combinations. You can imagine how pleased I was when I saw Google! I stopped by to see all the exciting new things Google is doing, and of course I took a moment to tell them all about my latest adventures.

BB...

Heaven... I'm in Heaven...

After my foot massage I thought I couldn't be any more relaxed. I was wrong. Next up was a back massage, where I discovered what total relaxation feels like. I like it. I like it a lot.

BB...

It Just Keeps Getting Better...

I was feeling quite relaxed after my sauna, and also feeling rather sheepish about having complained earlier in the day. I really wasn't expecting more, but I was told to sit back and relax. I closed my eyes, and suddenly opened them wide in surprise. Martha was giving me a foot massage and pedicure. By the time it was done, I didn't think that I could possibly feel more relaxed. And the most amazing part was that she didn't scratch herself on my claws - not even once.

I am definitely one contented Bear.

BB...

At Last!

I was beginning to think that I was never going to get to visit the spa. First I had to help put up curtains, and then I had to work on the checkout at the bookstore. What was it going to be next? I didn't have to wait long to find out. The good news is that we finally went to the spa. I began with a relaxing soak in the bath, and then spent some time in the sauna. I think I could get used to this.

I can hardly wait to see what comes next...

BB...

Not More Work!

Once I finished hanging curtains, and the other odd jobs with my new toolbox, I was certain that the Spa part of the weekend was going to start. So you can imagine my surprise when I was put to work on cash!

It turns out that I'm pretty good at it, even though the scanner is bigger than I am. That is where a bear's strength helps. Still, I'm beginning to wonder if the spa experience is ever going to start.

BB

Are We There Yet?

Once I got over the shock of being told that I had to work for my "free day" at the spa, I decided to give it my best. The management seemed to think that any bear who could climb the Eiffel Tower would not have any difficulty climbing to the top of a curtain rod. I have to admit there was some logic to this, but I didn't have to carry my tool box when I was climbing the Eiffel Tower. Still, I made it to the top without much difficulty, but then I opened the tool box. It was full of cookies! The good news was that they were delicious, and I had a pleasant snack atop the curtain rod. The bad news was that I had to climb down and get my tools. I was quite relieved when I was finally told that the "spa" part of the weekend was about to begin.

BB...

Too Good To Be True

On my last trip to Washington, I was offered a chance to stay and visit for a week, until my traveling companion was back in town. At first I said no, but then I was told that I could have an all inclusive "day at the spa". I've always wanted to have a trip to a spa, so I jumped at the chance. It sounded too good to be true.

Unfortunately, it was too good to be true, and before I knew it, I found myself with a tool box in paw, being put to work. At least I got to keep the tool box, which helps a bit.

BB...

PS. I did get the spa visit eventually, but more about that later.

No More Mr. Short Guy...

That's it. I've had enough of sitting on chairs, and missing half of what is going on. From now on I'm sitting on shoulders. The view is so much better, and I get to meet so many new friends.

B.B

New Friends

I'm traveling again, and meeting new friends all the time. People are so nice to me - Chris noticed that I was having trouble seeing what was going on, because my chair was too low. He let me sit on his shoulder, and that worked much better. The world looks a lot different from up here. You really should try it sometime. I know that all you tall people already have tried it, but I'm talking to the short ones - both people and bears.

Maybe some day I'll be tall. Then again maybe not.

Sigh...

B.B.

On The Road Again

I'm heading back to Hong Kong again to talk to Jackie about my future in acting. But first my traveling companion wants to stop in San Francisco. I don't mind at all.

I've always enjoyed flying, but lately it has been even better. On the flight to San Francisco I met a new friend, and we spent the flight playing and watching movies. He told me he was going to Sydney for a holiday, and asked me if I wanted to come with him. It was very tempting - I've always wanted to see Australia. But then I remembered Hong Kong, and my role as Bearzilla. I was sad, but I had to say no. Maybe next time.

BB...

Bearzilla?

I wanted to be certain that it could work before I said anything, so I've been practicing over the holidays. I'm now convinced that it could work - it can work - it will work! I'm heading back to Hong Kong shortly, so I'm going to let Jackie know I'm interested in trying out for the role of "Bearzilla" in his new film. I think I look pretty realistic.




What do you think?

BB...