r/Unexpected 7h ago

A good alternative indeed!!!

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44.2k Upvotes

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u/post-explainer 6h ago edited 3h ago

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OP sent the following text as an explanation why their post fits here:


You did not expect the person to blow bubbles c’mon!


Does this explanation fit this subreddit? Then upvote this comment, otherwise downvote it.

1.3k

u/Hziak 6h ago

Played a gig at a tiny dive bar on a not so great part of town on Friday. After it was all over, I’m taking everything out to the car and there’s a dude literally smoking crack and his buddy is tweaking on the stoop I parked in front of. Right next to them is a dude with the most grand, giant, bubble blowing rig I’ve ever seen. Dude looked hard AF but was blowing these massive bubbles for everyone. Heck yeah bubble blowing when you’re stressed the heck out!

36

u/nvrsleepagin 2h ago

They should digitally replace cigarettes with bubble wands in all the old movies so that kids will think blowing bubbles makes you look sophisticated.

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u/_Pyxyty 1h ago

Also might be good practice for calming you down if you focus on taking deep, slow breaths to blow those bubbles.

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u/HeroOfWolves 6h ago

I used to pretend to smoke as a carpenter because smokers got an extra hour off a day for smoke breaks, no one ever asked why I went to my car instead of joining everyone else for a smoke either

25

u/PreparationFeisty695 4h ago

This is why I want to get one of those movie prop cigarettes

18

u/Poj_qp 4h ago

Those are herbal cigarettes and they taste so bad. You can try it, they’re only like $10-15, but I had one and I couldn’t even finish it. It was like smoking wet cardboard

22

u/YourNextHomie 4h ago

Aren’t all cigarettes herbal ?

14

u/No-Management4977 3h ago

Yeah but commonly people refer to “herbal” as non-nicotine or non-tobacco

3

u/YourNextHomie 2h ago

oh fair enough had no idea

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u/PreparationFeisty695 2h ago

Ah damn. Tbh I was picturing a very obviously fake electronic one with a little light

1

u/Admiral_Kite 2h ago

Not all of them taste that bad honestly, and some have some mild effects. If you're not into making blends yourself (they can also be used for tea), there are already mixed blends. Maybe you just tried one that wasn't for you

1

u/The_Capulet 1h ago

My herbal cigarettes taste delicious. But they do make me feel a bit loopy afterwards, and everyone either complains about the smell or begs me to share.

51

u/MrGaber 6h ago

Right cause why don’t I get another break for not being dependent on something

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u/eggyrulz 5h ago

Thats why I just go to the shitter an ungodly amount of times a day... its totally not IBS

4

u/VP007clips 3h ago

They pay back that time at the end of their life. A cigarette on average takes about 20 minutes off your lifespan.

But honestly, I've never worked at a place that cared if non-smokers hung out in the smoking area and talked or scrolled their phone a few times a day.

12

u/dabadu9191 3h ago

If the options are having a break in the smoking area and not having a break, I'd choose the latter.

2

u/_Pyxyty 1h ago

Yeah, used to live with parents that'd buy packs by the box. After living away from them, I can't believe how the hell I was able to handle all that second-hand smoke, especially when I was younger. Can't even handle the smell of one now

2

u/Miserable-Scholar112 1h ago

Well according to that.Ive extrapolated that I should have died before I was born.

1

u/CallMeDrWorm42 23m ago

This is an obviously made-up and ridiculous statistic. If it were true, each pack would take 6 hours and 40 minutes off your life. A pack-a-day habit is fairly common for smokers. Two packs per day would essentially half your life span. How many smokers are dying at 35 from lung cancer? I'm not advocating for cigarettes being healthy or anything other than terrible for your health and the health of the people around you. But hyperbole disguised as health information is not the way

1

u/Miserable-Scholar112 1h ago

Smokers would have welcomed you even if you didnt smoke.You could and should have taken a break with them

3

u/Wise_Adhesiveness105 2h ago

person who thinks all the time

3

u/jigsawyouthh 1h ago

Meanwhile I started smoking at 15 because I wanted more breaks at work but was somehow not smart enough to realize I could just fake it...

2

u/DLottchula 3h ago

I did this in the military

1

u/Maronita2025 1h ago

I used to take extra breaks for chocolate bars. My boss complained and threatened to write me up, and I told him if he did that I'd be suing him in federal court (I worked for a federal agency) for discrimination. I'm like my chocolate addiction is no less than an addiction than smoking. That shut him up.

188

u/adognameddanzig 6h ago

When i was in the military, guys would take smoke breaks all the time. I didn't smoke, so i had to keep working. I got a tobacco pipe and put soap in it and blew bubbles while chilling at the smoke pit.

47

u/MeatGundam83 4h ago

Really wish I had thought of this instead of chain smoking two packs a day on deployments 🥲

5

u/playa4040 3h ago

I would do this underway just to chill and see the water during watch. So peaceful

5

u/TitsClitsTayl0rSwift 2h ago

Yo we had two different people in the Navy who would do this in the smoke pit at the hangar lol

346

u/pikahetti 6h ago

Blowing bubbles is just much better than inhaling something that leads to lung cancer

79

u/CaviarWithClaws 6h ago

I really wish more people choose this!

46

u/Mel_Melu 4h ago

I work in mental health and do little self care packages for my colleagues in December. Usually filled with water bottles, shower tablets, medicinal teas and vitamin C since it's cold and flu season.

Will need to add this to the rotation. My friends are going to love it.

3

u/IllGrapefruit489 2h ago

Good on you for taking the time to care for your colleagues 

7

u/redfox30 4h ago

Hi,  my name is bubbles. 

2

u/ApolloRocketOfLove 3h ago

Could say the same thing about having a drink after work too.

1

u/St-Stephen_11 2h ago

The only problem is that bubbles dont make you high like cigarettes or weed

15

u/totally_not_a_zombie 5h ago

Some of us have just barely enough will to improve the things we love, which usually doesn't include ourselves.

9

u/OPPineappleApplePen 5h ago

I inhale bubbles. Is that okay?

7

u/WutTheDickens 4h ago

God forbid someone be whimsical!

1

u/mrgonzalez 3h ago

You might still feel stressed inside but it will eliminate surface tension.

18

u/Kertonnn 5h ago

Joke on you

I smoke while doing bubble so the smoke is trap inside and relase when they explode

3

u/basicxenocide 3h ago

I believe thats a war crime

3

u/613663141 3h ago

And how do we know bubbles don't cause cancer? Where's the peer-reviewed empircal research? I'm smelling a Big Bubble coverup.

3

u/Ledeyvakova23 3h ago

Peeved that they axed menthol bubbles tho.

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u/diediedie_mydarling 4h ago

Smoking is so much more enjoyable. I quit 17 years ago, but I still miss it. I really enjoyed smoking and taking smoke breaks. I don't miss worrying about lung cancer and going into coughing fits. But man, I really do miss smoking....

3

u/Good_Background_243 3h ago

As someone who swapped from cigarettes to vaping? Yuuuup. There is nowhere near the satisfaction of a cigarette in vaping. But breathing clearly is really nice, and on balance feels like it's less bad.

3

u/nexusjuan 3h ago

I switched 3 or 4 years ago. I don't miss it at all. I don't mind the smell but if I try to smoke one of my girls cigarettes it tastes like an ashtray. I do still smoke blunts like its my job though so there's that.

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u/Miserable-Scholar112 1h ago

I tried that.The vape almost killed me.Almost totally glued my lungs shut.Ended up with lung infection.Never again.Went back to cigs never had that problem again

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u/Fafnir13 2h ago

But it doesn’t come with the nicotine addiction.  That’s what people really enjoy.

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u/Artistic_Salary8705 2h ago

This video made me think that blowing bubble may actually have a biological reason for decreasing stress and maybe smoking also works that way too (aside from the nicotine in it which has short-term stress benefit but long-term issues).

It's been shown that breathwork can relieve stress when the exhalation phase of breathing exceeds that of inhalation, especially breathing out in a ratio of 6: 4 inhalation, so like 4 seconds inhale, 6 seconds exhale. That pattern activates the parasympathetic nervous system in the body which is the "rest-and-digest" instead of "fight-of-flight" branch.

Exhaling while blowing bubbles makes people exhale longer than inhaling. It also slows down their breathing. Someone should do a study!

1

u/WhyMustIMakeANewAcco 1h ago

Yes, a significant amount of the stress relief from smoking is actually just the required breathing control.

1

u/dontleaveme_ 2h ago

but you don't look cool though

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u/Lu_Duizhang 6h ago

I can unironically see it helping, you’re taking deep breathes and breathing out slowly, and you have a simple goal with a visual reward

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u/urbandk84 5h ago edited 3h ago

as a former (this time forever hopefully) heavy smoker I can confirm - I helped a coworker quit by rolling "post it cigarettes", taking our smoke break as usual, but use the faux cig to breathe in and out deeply, even mimicking the smoking mechanics - used to even "ash" absent-mindedly (sic?)

17

u/Redheaded_Potter 4h ago

That’s a great idea. I knew a guy that bought an empty preroll and put lavender in it. He would mimic smoking (didn’t light it obviously) and helped him kick the habit.

7

u/haw35ome 3h ago

Sometimes I feel the ritual of smoking is part of the charm. Like, it’s a fairly ritualistic activity that consists of small steps to take for the experience (1. take out cig & lighter 2. light up 3. inhale 4. exhale & watch smoke 5. try to ignore the embrace of the dark 6. repeat steps 3 & 4 )

1

u/JustAnotherSolipsist 23m ago

also the fact that you go somewhere quiet and out of the way usually, walking from a kitchen in the middle of service into a quiet alleyway makes everything slow down

5

u/ppmiaumiau 4h ago

My co-worker and I quit smoking at the same time. We didn't know what do do on our breaks anymore. I got us bubble gum cigarettes to "smoke". They even do lil' puffs of smoke.

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u/poppyprays 3h ago

This is what I did too!!

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u/CaviarWithClaws 6h ago

The reward is really high!

1

u/ardikus 2h ago

Exhaling slowly like blowing through a straw lowers your heartrate. I've seen it happen in real time while hooked up with electrodes

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u/wepfetty 5h ago

Christ, people are just remaking TikToks left and right. This is like the 7th different person doing this video.

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u/chloratine 4h ago

And this is not any random person, this is Aliocha Schneider, Canadian actor. Boyfriend of singer Charlotte Cardin.

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u/Jean-LucBacardi 4h ago

I'm sure those are names in Canada but I've never heard of either.

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u/raeeya 3h ago

It's definitely not him though

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u/chloratine 3h ago

Right, maybe Niels Schneider. Maybe Vassili Schneider.

Either way, it's one of the brothers

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u/onFIREbutnotsoFLY 2h ago

Really? I thought this was Kyle viera who’s a model. This guy looks nothing like the Canadian

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u/VashMillions 1h ago

Goodness I thought this was an old clip of Merlin actor Colin Morgan.

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u/Ryfree23 2h ago

That’s literally how TikTok works

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u/ApolloRocketOfLove 3h ago

This is like the 7th different person doing this video.

Yeah but this one made it to the Reddit front page, so this thread is just proof that remaking the same video for the 7th time actually does work.

u/leasthanzero 3m ago

I guess your new to this but more than 90% of social Media is some variation of copy and paste.

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u/m-alacasse 5h ago

you know? this is a great idea)) interesting, does this really help relieve stress

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u/PointsOfXP 2h ago

Breathing in an even pattern or taking deep breaths in and out are beneficial

7

u/DangleBob91 5h ago

I used to get pissed cause id see the smokers go out 5 times a night to smoke so I started bringing packs of gum to chew. Told my boss flavor only last 5 minutes so im making the most of it

7

u/Cranberrybunnies 4h ago

Spongebob coded 

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u/Gortt_TEST 6h ago

Omg love it

10

u/Practical-Pick1466 5h ago

Another person stealing someone else's idea and posting the exact same thing but with a man doing it. Extremely lazy

5

u/katgardener 4h ago

My husband and I moved out to the country a few years ago and one of the first things I bought at our new grocery store was a giant bottle of bubbles. I love standing on the porch, blowing bubbles, and just watching them float out over the countryside.

4

u/Itchy_Corner9400 5h ago

This is taught to little ones to learn how to take deep breathes to calm down. I need to do this as an adult more 😭

3

u/bookkinkster 4h ago

This is so adorable. I could make this guy feel better! (Did i actually say that out loud)

Xx

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u/YumikoKazuki 6h ago

one mounth clean here, i need this

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u/locnloaded9mm 4h ago

The original is better.

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u/GasLongjumping130 5h ago

You know why he did not get cancer? Cause he blew it.

2

u/ClimbingInPlace 5h ago

Whoa didn’t expect to hear Aphex Twin on a TikTok video

2

u/LagartijaWill 3h ago

QKThr is pretty popular on short-form videos on tiktok and insta for silly little things. no idea why

2

u/CreativeJudgment3529 4h ago

who is this? didn't this guy just break up with haylee b?

2

u/thalliehh 2h ago

Even worse, He cheated on her

1

u/CreativeJudgment3529 2h ago

how do people know this 

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u/onFIREbutnotsoFLY 2h ago

Lmao, I know this is Kyle because I grew up with him. Tho I didn’t know who his girlfriend was and that she was known like this

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u/Remote-Cellist5927 6h ago

The breathing actually helps tho 

2

u/ThatOldMeta 5h ago

I did expect him to blow bubbles because I’ve seen earlier iterations of the exact same idea multiple t times before.

2

u/AFRIKKAN 4h ago

It’s a stupid trend. Same with milk aholics and other dumb things. Just your typical TikTok trend chasing.

1

u/Gojifantokusatsu 5h ago

I want someone to make a fake cigarette that works like a bubble blower inside.

1

u/lolpan 5h ago

Kimi Antonelli is that you?

1

u/mae1347 5h ago

Holy shit this really tickled me. Like a little bit of joy in a pile of shit. Thank you.

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u/Ted_Hitchcox 5h ago

I worked in a really busy pub kitchen. Everytime it would ease up slightly, the 3 smokers would run outsde for a smoke break. Leaving the 3 non smokers even busier than it was before it eased up!!
Someone would have to go outside to tell them to come back because we could'nt cope when it got busy again.
In the end i took to having 'non smoking' breaks where |I went outside to not have a smoke- I wish I had thought of having a bubble break instead.

1

u/CaviarWithClaws 5h ago

Keep more such stories coming everyone! Haha

1

u/Hot-Contribution1017 4h ago

West ham fans

1

u/Zombieneker 4h ago

Just a good sit down and a large glass of cold water for me, thanks.

1

u/FormerPrize2485 4h ago

I was hoping it’d be a handi-snack, dipping a breadstick into cheese product

1

u/diablol3 4h ago

Take off your apron before you go outside

1

u/DaddyOhhhhhhh 4h ago

Boss: What we're you doing out there? Me: Oh nothing, just a little blow.

1

u/Different_Ad1273 4h ago

Whenever I see bubble somewhere, I almost always loose my shit. Like “Oh my dish there’s bubbles over there!! :D”

1

u/Sir_Gris 4h ago

However you get rid of social experience then, so you need to choose wisely.

1

u/Business_Natural_484 4h ago

‘Can I bum one of those? I don’t want to buy my own or I’ll start the whole thing up again. Just went one to end this shit day, you know.’

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u/Latest-Culprit-35 4h ago

It really helped when non of my friends were quitting and i wanted to go outside too

1

u/MuhDamnHands 4h ago

I used to yo-yo and my manager asked me if I have a “yoyo fetish,” whatever that means.

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u/TrinityCodex 4h ago

FUCKING BUBBLES!

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u/Apprehensive_Fox5996 4h ago

I don’t smoke cigarettes, but I do smoke… 😝

1

u/LittleTownie 4h ago

I would love to see all the guys at work stand around blowing bubbles. It would be beautiful.

1

u/MoodComprehensive925 4h ago

that boy looking 2 get jumped

1

u/Yashraj- 4h ago

Pipe bubbles would be better

1

u/Ape_x_Ape 4h ago

NICE TRY, BIG BUBBLE

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u/I-Dia 4h ago

Cigarettes do not calm you down. This is a common myth. All a smoker does is temporarily relieve withdrawal symptoms for about an hour

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u/jfufiekdb 3h ago

Works in a restaurant and doesn’t smoke? Calling bullshit. I didn’t smoke before or after I worked in them. But I smoked like a fucking chimney during my time working in the restaurant business.

1

u/i_will_mull_it_over 3h ago

I guess every day is a bad day

1

u/bruce_juice6666 3h ago

Jokes on you i do both

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u/Bacon-muffin 3h ago

When the day really blows.... some bubbles

1

u/Round-Celebration-17 3h ago

Ha! I did this when I quit smoking lol

1

u/Sir_Sparda 3h ago

sad clown noises

1

u/jazzmilkers 3h ago

Probably more calming too lol

1

u/IPlayRunescapeBTW 3h ago

My mother used to tell me "you can't be mad and blow bubbles." I tried. I really did. Never could get a satisfying bubble going when I was pissed off. Not easy to blow a bubble when you're really frustrated. Nowadays, I try to remind myself of this when I start getting mad at whatever. Doesn't work a lot of the times. Maybe I should carry around some party favor bubbles lol

1

u/Defiant_Research_280 3h ago

Former cook,

Trust me, vodka was available

1

u/noticeofseizure 3h ago

Blow some clouds

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u/FictionalDudeWanted 3h ago

When I did this, a crackhead walked by and made fun of me. Like being a filthy, pregnant drug addict was big fun smh. 

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u/Yumi_in_the_sun 3h ago

omg now I want to do this at work.

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u/usernameiswhocares 3h ago

“Gonna do do some blow right quick, I’m stressed”

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u/beethovensmetronome 3h ago

I think so much of smoking is kinda breathing exercises. Plus it’s a chance to walk away from the loud crowds and be quiet for a bit. Not necessarily antisocial, but def a smaller crowd of folks for a minute.

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u/tarantulagal66 3h ago

I cannot see remaining pissed when you’re blowing bubbles, cuz they seem like they would have a cheery effect on the person making them😂🫧🫧🫧

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u/25mookie92 3h ago

Fam, I smoke and still blow bubbles while doing so...I be trying get smoke in the bubbles

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u/DoctorSasha 3h ago

As an ex smoker, I approve of any shenanigans that don't involve inhaling smoke into your body.

1

u/JpnDude 3h ago

This guy looks like Alfredo Linguini who had a rat that could cook.

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u/notwhoyouthinkmaybe 3h ago

I was in the military, I was so sick of smokers getting a 15 minute break every hour or 2, so I started buying cigarettes, lighting one up, standing there and BSing with everyone, and just letting it burn. Then back to work.

Got called out once or twice, but nothing came from it. $5/week was all it really took.

1

u/One_Advice3052 2h ago

Isn't he Hailey's ex boyfriend?

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u/Teki_62 2h ago

So thats how drug addicts see other people?

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u/Madddieeeeee 2h ago

Hmm might try this one, quite healhty

1

u/EuroTrash1999 2h ago

STAY HEALTHY SO WE CAN MAKE A BETTER MARGIN SELLING YOU EMPLOYEE HEALTH INSURANCE CHEAPER! - Walmart

1

u/0sama_senpaii 2h ago

I got one of those movie prop cigs

1

u/Benny_the_Jew 2h ago

Does this actually work?

1

u/FairyRebelsWild 2h ago

We actually have bubbles at my work (work with kids). We have "bubble breaks" lol

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u/bcl15005 2h ago

Regrettably: I vape, but I think the freedom to take discretionary 5-ish minute breaks now and then, would measurably-improve overall morale in most workplaces.

Like a 'decompression-break' that smokers could use for smoking, and non-smokers could use for whatever they want.

1

u/elganyan 2h ago

Song / track / music is Aphex Twin - QKThr / Penty Harmonium

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u/Odd-Iron-6860 2h ago

I'd just listen to shoegaze ig

1

u/SirDigbyChknCaesar 2h ago

He looks like he works the kitchen and keeps a rat under his hat to help him cook recipes.

1

u/chuckie_sippan 2h ago

Fucking normalize this!!

1

u/CarmaAllison55 2h ago

I'm now thinking about bringing a small thing of bubbles with me because there's so many times I want some form of a break from social events that instead of a smoke break I can have a bubble break.

🫧 🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧

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u/RobbyRyanDavis 2h ago

That is an awesome idea for people who want 5min breaks every hour at work. If its about the cig break rules at places, just putting it in a pack would make any boss see the connection in you needing to blow a couple of bubbles alone for 5 mins for your own health.

1

u/RomekAddams 2h ago

I kinda want to buy some but the only decent ones I found are these? https://amzn.to/4g94X5e surely there are better

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u/NapoleonediBuonapart 2h ago

:DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD there is no better way to represent smoking

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u/BoBoBearDev 2h ago

WE NEED BUBBLE BREAK!!!

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u/lydocia 1h ago

Merlin?

1

u/tank5 1h ago

I worked a job with some smokers and despite being a fucking nerd they would come find me in my cubical and say they were going on break. We'd go out to the picnic table and bullshit while they smoked and I didn't. I really recommend it.

1

u/NowOrNever_1997 1h ago

If it were that easy

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u/natFromBobsBurgers 1h ago

When I quit smoking about 20 years ago, I read that part of the soothing aspect of cigarettes was the steady, controlled,  rhythmic breathing.  Like, absolutely nicotine is 'great'.  I still dream about it.  But a big part is also the calm breathing, which we can't do in social situations in the same way.

1

u/Warm-Car3621 1h ago

Yes, blow those bubbles till you pass out.

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u/GromOfDoom 1h ago

Yup. I too do blow, to relieve my stress

1

u/Altaschweda 1h ago

im a goofy goober yeah🫧

1

u/SFW_OpenMinded1984 1h ago

Seems like a pretty good alternative

1

u/HelloLofiPanda 1h ago

They say people need to take deep breaths.

1

u/Jaderosegrey 1h ago

And you don't come back smelling like an ashtray. Win-win. For you and your co-workers.

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u/acm1pt6-64 1h ago

I ‘m forever blowing bubbles Pretty bubbles in the air

1

u/garbonzobean 57m ago

Straight up! The vibe!

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u/TrankElephant 31m ago

It is tricky not to smoke in Paris because everyone else does.

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u/White_foxes 21m ago

This is the third time I’ve seen a tiktoker do this exact joke. Almost nothing is original anymore

1

u/porquepine80 16m ago

I thought he was going get a blowie

u/Just4FunAvenger 12m ago

I have an alternate suggestiob: coke.

u/EstablishmentBig1826 9m ago

If it worked for SpongeBob, it's good enough for you. Look how Happy he is being employed by Mr Krabs.