Trying the Pineberry and Other Whatnot's

The Pineberry.  Characterized with white-ish skin and red seeds.  A strawberry with a hint of Pineapple flavor. The berries I tried were purchased in Costco a few weeks ago, coming from a farm in Florida.  In the store the pineberries smelled divine, almost like a Strawberry Shortcake doll, so a little nostalgic.  But by the time I tried them they were a little disappointing.  There wasn't much of a taste.  Honestly, I don't want to judge the fruit itself on this experience.  If I got to try a freshly ripe pineberry right from the field I'm sure it would be amazing, as is trying a strawberry fresh from the field.

 

The Pokemon card gifts turned out to be a huge success!  Learned a lot about the cards in the process of buying them.  It was fun.  I can see how they're addicting.  I did buy some for myself, and they're sitting with my bookmarks.  I got some of my favorites and also regional exclusives I achieved while traveling, in case Pokemon Go ceases to be one day.  I can be a little sentimental.  But as fun as it was, I'm good with what I got for myself, and I hope the kids enjoy the cards I got them.  They were really excited, but what happens now with them are the kids choices, even if they get destroyed by water or something.  Crazy how expensive tiny pieces of paper can be.  Crazy the monetary value we put on things.  But it's still in good fun. 

 

My Dad told of daddyest of dad jokes the other day: "I asked Soda if we were related, and he said sure, I'm your Pop." :P

Last Saturday I was driving by an Exxon gas station.  Right underneath the gas prices was a marquee, and on this sign advertised 16 oz Hot Chocolate.  Okay, I know I live where there's a lot of Latter-Day Saints... but Hot Chocolate! In July! It's been so hot lately, being summer and all, so drinking hot chocolate seems a little crazy.  Heh, though during one of Michael and Krista's first dates it was snowing, so they got ice-cream.  Crazier things have happened. :P  

Sarah

I Might Have a Pokemon Card Worth a Few Dollars

A few years ago I gave my mid-size card box full of pokemon cards to my brother Michael.  They were to be used for when the kiddos got older.  Since then it seems ol' school pokemon cards have become popular again, and sometimes I wonder if it was a mistake to give them away.

Nah, it's for a good cause.  The kids will one day get enjoyment out of the cards.

And there's no way any of them are worth anything, anyway.  I don't have that kind of luck.

Anywho, so I'm texting my brother, asking if he thought any of the cards may have been worth something.  He said he went through them and one of them might be worth about $20.  That's cool.  The kids can keep it.

Then I gathered the handful of foil cards I kept before giving the box away, took a picture of them, and texted the image to my brother.  That's when he texted that the cards probably aren't worth much, but the Dark Dragonite Foil is going for about $50.

$50!!??

So I looked it up on eBay, and it seems some of them are being sold at a pretty good price.  But are they selling for that much? That I don't know.

It's funny.  I'm just going to keep the card.  Right now there's a pokemon craze going on, so the value of the card will drop in time.

Heh, though maybe it will go up in value. :P

Sarah

Pokemon Detective Pikachu, mini movie review

Rating: C+

So . . . I finally saw Pokemon Detective Pikachu yesterday, which is how far behind I am with the movies I want to see, and managed to find a theater showing it.  If you haven't seen this new Pokemon movie yet, finding it in the theater will be a challenge, but it might be available on DVD in August, possibly for streaming in July (but don't quote me on this).

Many, many thoughts.

Tim Goodman, played by Justice Smith, once inspired to be a Pokemon trainer when he was a kid, dreams that faded as reality hit, and now he works in insurance.  In a world where pokemon live freely, appearing everywhere, Tim has become jaded.  He gets a message that his father has passed, traveling to Ryme City, a safe haven metropolis where pokemon and humans live in harmony.  It is here that Tim meats a Pikachu, hot on the case, insisting Tim's father is alive.  But what makes this encounter truly remarkable is that Tim and this pikachu can communicate and understand each other.

The Good:

The first half of the movie is really solid.  Great humor.  The introduction into a live action Pokemon world is brilliant.  Seeing Pokemon wander around, marvelous.  The way the filmmakers captured this reality is beyond what I could have imagined.  Really creative and fun.

Tim Goodman is such a great character, and I really like Justice's portrayal of him.  The only solid element in the entire movie.

The first half of the movie really was great.  It makes me want to see more movies in this realm.  The possibilities of so many stories.  I liked the fact that Tim wasn't a Pokemon trainer.  That he was dubious towards Pokemon, led into a World he didn't want any part.  The relationship between Tim and the pikachu detective is really well done.

I know some people were bothered with Ryan Reynolds voicing Pikachu, as all they see is Deadpool, but as I haven't seen that movie (no one should be surprised, though I need to see the PG-13 version (Yes, I'm a prude :P )), the Deadpool relation didn't bother me.

Pikachu really is cute!  And very well animated.

Also, I enjoyed the cinematic score.  A nice balance between orchestration and game electronic type tones.

The Bad:

Pretty much the last half of the movie.

And this is where I hit my typical conundrum where I have to be very cryptic so as not to spoil anything.

I have issues where the plot led, and the real villains ultimate choices regarding humans and Pokemon.  Just the logic behind a certain plot point.  How is this true evolution?  Really?  For him, yes, for others, no.  Doesn't make sense.  And there's flaws in that scene with what happens to him verses others.  And that's all I can say.  I think I just said too much.

Okay, and super cryptic.  So, there's this episode of Full Metal Alchemist.  Don't know if it's in the original series or new one, as there's a remake to resemble the manga (like what's now happening with Fruits Basket).  It's either the 3rd or 4th episode with this girl and a dog, and this girl feels neglected by her father, who is trying to get animals to talk.  And there's this monkey who can talk, and what happened to this guys wife.  So, I can't even outright say what happened in that episode without possibly spoiling the movie, but that episode made me sick.  Like, I was seriously nauseous afterward.  Just thinking of the episode makes me feel ill.  Something in my core rejects it.  And I stopped watching that show.  Couldn't bring myself to finish.

This movie left me feeling the same thing.

Instead of leaving the movie feeling joyous, I left feeling creeped, disgruntled.

Back to the movie as a whole: The first half of the movie was fun and brilliant, the second half a let down.

If you love Pokemon, you might like it.  Don't take my word.  These are just opinions.  You may find the entirety of this movie interesting.  I just wish I liked Pokemon Detective Pikachu more.

MPAA: Rated PG for action/peril, some rude and suggestive humor, and thematic elements.
 

What Happens When You Transfer a Pokemon?

 So . . . What happens when you transfer a Pokemon in Pokemon Go?

They turn into candy!!

Ha ha ha haaaaaa . . . -_-;;

 In all seriousness the Betty Crocker Pokemon fruit snacks are pretty tasty.

 And I find the idea of Pokemon turning into candy really disturbing.

It's morbid!

What are we teaching our kids?

In other news I FINALLY caught a Pikachu wearing Ash Ketchum's hat.  Today's the last day, I believe, to find him.  Honestly, I wasn't really trying.  When I failed to catch Pikachu wearing a birthday hat several months ago I became discouraged.  The little guy ran away!  Thankfully this one didn't.  My life isn't all the more fulfilled, but I am a little more amused.  That's important, right?

Thank You Pikachu For Making Me Feel Old

For starters I feel really quite young.

 When I was a kid and would look up to 30-somethings I would think, "Man that's old!"  For goodness sake it was a couple months before my 9th birthday when my Mom turned 30, which--Oh my goodness, I just realized this--I was 13 when my Mom was my age.  How's that for perspective?  Maybe being single at 34 with a boat load of questions about my life makes me feel young.  I don't know.  But then people are constantly mistaking me for 25, which I'll take as long as I can.

And then life throws a bucket of cold water on you to remind you that time is passing whether you like it or not.  For me I got soaked with ice water when I found a toy at Walmart showing the number 20.

"Why the freak is the number 20 on a Pokemon box!!??" I didn't exclaim this out loud.  Instead I screamed this within the confines of my mind.  A quick Google search later and I found out that the game Pokémon Red and Green came out on February 27, 1996, a year before the anime.

It wasn't until my senior year of High School, 1999, when I learned about the phenomenon through my obsessed three younger brothers.

We watched the show.  We collected cards.  They actually played, I just like collecting things.  I had many debates with my friends whether Pokemon is a legitimate anime, because a lot of purest wanted nothing to do with these Pocket Monsters.  Kiki's Delivery Service is the first anime I watched.  Miyazaki was gaining huge popularity in America.  Gundam Wing came out in March of 1996 as well, making strides on Toonami with 1992's Sailor Moon.

Yes, Sailor Moon is 24 years old. (Technically Sailor Moon was a middle schooler, so 12+24= 36.  Let that sink in.)

Most of the cards I've collected I've given to my siblings.

I've kept some of the holos.

This is my all time favorite card: Promo Holo Ancient Mew.

Scanning the card into a JPEG made it really dark.

Here's a picture that better shows the colors.

From ToyWiz.com: "Pokemon promo card ancient Mew - given issued out to attendees at the Pokemon Movie in 2000. Ancient Mew is Holographic on both sides and has an amazing illustration of the elusive Mew on the front of the card. The back of the card is wonderfully illustrated with energy balls consisting of grass, fighting, and fire, water, colorless, lightning and psychic."

Apparently it's an ultra rare.  Cool.  I got two on opening day.

Still Pikachu's 20.  20!!  Where is the time going?

Why Doesn't Anyone Name Their Pokémon?

Today, for the first time, I defended a gym and left a Pokémon.  A CP 1339 Arcanine that I lovingly named Heero, which is short for Heero Yuy, because he's a great character that fits the spirit of Team Valor well.

Of course now as I write this at 9:48 PM, an hour after I placed Heero, the gym was regained by Team Mystic.  And no, I'm not going out to retake it.  I'm watching a delightful episode of Road To Avonlea and I'm really quite content.

But for the last week or so I've been looking at the stats of one gym to the next, seeing what Pokémon were placed there and their accompanied CP.  There's also something else I've noticed, all the Pokémon bare their original Pokémon names.  When I placed Heero his name shown right next to him, and it was a really fun sight.

I've been having fun naming my Pokémon.  Today I got a Jolteon that I named Tesla and an Electabuzz that I named Faraday.

And last week I got a CP 666 Ponyta I named Demon's Mare.

And for the record I caught this Ponyta at a 666 CP.  Heh, had a good laugh over it, so I'm not evolving or increasing its power.  I wonder if I left him at a gym if anyone would freak out a little ;0)

Pokemon in the Real World!!!

Pokemon in the real World.  Just think of it.

Traveling about to catch real Pokemon.

That's what the new Smartphone game, for Android and iPhone, will be like.

Pokemon GO!

And a handy trailer was just unveiled in all its epicness.

You wear this watch like device that vibrates when you get near a Pokemon, and then you catch it, and are able to battle Pokemon with other players.  Sounds cool.  I'm curious to see how it'll actually work.

The game will be free with in-app purchases--you know what that means--and the price for the watch like device hasn't been announced.

I guess this will be a good way to get people moving about while gaming, instead of sitting in front of a computer, T.V., handheld.  That aspect will be fun.

Pokemon GO will be released in 2016.  This is the article I read regarding the announcement: Pokemon GO for iOS and Android brings Pokemon into the real world.

Note 1: I think it's funny that the commercial shows adults in their 20's and 30's, probably because we can afford stuff now, and grew up with Pokemon. (Though I was in late High School when it became super popular.  My siblings lived through the school hype, and I watched the show with them, not really playing the game.)  Still, adults getting excited over Pokemon.

Confession: I'm excited.

Note 2: Those cards pictured at top of this blog post are mine.  No, I never actually learned how to play, I just bought the cards with best of intentions and never got around to it.

I still need to play Alpha Sapphire on my 3DS . . .

Note 3: Can you believe they've been making Pokemon games for 20 years?

How old do you feel?

How old?

Flynn Rider gets Smothered in Diaper Ointment Goo

Over the weekend I babysat my nieces and nephew for 3 days with my Mom, giving Michael and Krista a chance to vacation in Wyoming.  The experience was interesting as I've never babysat them for so long.  To say the least there were a few mishaps, as kids sure love trouble and mischief.

Last Friday night my younger niece came downstairs with a single wrapped strawberry Hi-Chew and handed it to me.  As I was in the process of opening the candy I noticed this white goop all over it, and after smelling the medicinal scent I quickly realized what it was: Diaper rash cream.  I quickly examined my niece and discovered whiteness all over her pants and hands.  I asked her where the ointment was, but she didn't tell me, so I put the candy on the counter after washing her hands and went on a quick exploration around the house.  Sure enough the linen closet door was open and the tube was on the floor.

Surely there must be more white stuff elsewhere, but I couldn't find anything until I walked into the living room and found a Flynn Rider figure, from Disney's Tangled, on the ground, covered and smothered in diaper rash ointment glory.

That was a *Face Palm* moment.  And I did face-palm, after I sighed.

*   *   *

On another note I discovered that I can sing my nephew to sleep.  I only tried it four times over the weekend and it worked 3 of the times.  Granted the last attempt took place while the girls were running amuck upstairs, so he was distracted, so maybe the last attempt shouldn't count.

I first discovered this when I was trying to calm him, as he was crying rather loudly.  I've heard of people singing to a baby as a way of soothing, but didn't think such an act would worked, but I was desperate.  So I sang "I am a child of God," and by the second verse he put his head to my chest, nodding off, fighting it, but conceding.  By the end of the song his eyes were closed.  Then I sang "A Child's Prayer" just to solidify his sleepiness.  It worked!  And I was able to lay him down for a nap.

So there you have it, I'm a human Jigglypuff.  I need to get a black felt marker so when I sing him to sleep again, I shall draw him a mustache.