Pokemon.... The Story Of My Childhood

It began innocently.... As most addictions do.  I just thought I'd play casually.  An every now and then kind of game.  Then.... My mom bought me this:

That's when it got harder to control.  Seeing my Pokemon in black and white was one thing.  Seeing them in color.... I was hooked.  I began playing more and more.  Then, suddenly just these weren't enough:

I wanted more than just the original 150!  I don't know why, but I needed it!  Then Christmas came.  In my stocking, Santa had bestowed upon me the greatest of gifts.  These:

And this:

Soon after, Pokemon became much more than a game.  It became a way of life.  I never left home without my Game Boy Color and a game.  It went with me everywhere.  At school, I hid it under the lunch table and played.  During recess, I'd hid behind the big oak tree on the hill.  Cradled in its hollow roots, it was there I defeated the Elite 4.  The victory was sweet.  But not sweet enough. 

Soon, my addiction began to evolve from just playing the games.  I wanted, no... NEEDED more.  It started with these:

I had hundreds of them.  And I could defeat even some of the most practiced battlers.  I was a champion.  Once I got over the high of these petty cards, I had to move up.  It was time for something different.  A friend of mine got me hooked on these:

These were just a little thing to me.  There was no real way to stratigize or plan with these.  But it didn't matter.  By this time, I was in middle school, dressing like this:

I was boasting the superiority of my starter, and when I got home in the afternoons I immediately ran to my bedroom for my fix.

I was completely determined to be the very best.... Like no one ever was.  I watched the shows.  Played the games.  Had the cards, the marbles, the shirts.  Even my hackey sack was Pokemon!

Then...  My mind began to come unhinged.  I thought about Pokemon being real.  I looked for them.  I looked for them in places like this:

As well as places like this:



My friend who had introduced me to the marbles was as bad as I was.  We had Pokemon battles with each other.  But only we could see them.  My trusty starter was as real to me as my dog.  I saw him.  He was my friend.

But one day....  After years of devotion, love, sweat, tears and training.... Tragedy struck.  My mother, my dear mother who had bought me my first game system and games... She uttered the words that no child should hear.  She said... "Ella, you're getting to old for the Pokemon crap.  I'm going to put all this junk in our next yard sale." 

Too old.  Crap.  Junk.  Yard sale.  I was crushed.  Decimated.  How could she think that my life's works was junk?  Or crap?  How could you ever get too old to feel the joy of switching on your Game Boy?  Or feel the adrenaline of a heated battle with Team Rocket?  But.... I knew it was over.  Sure, I fought her, but I was powerless to resist.  All my hard work was gone.

The next year I started high school.  Without my trusty Bulbasaur at my side.  Without my Trainer shirts.  My games.  My cards.  My marbles.  Not even my hackey sack made it. 

It was then that I realized that, while I had become a Pokemon Master, I had failed at real life.  The life that I thought was dull and tasteless for it's lack of Pokemon.  I had no friends to speak of.  They had all "grown out of that kiddie Poke-phase".  So... Like a true Master, I picked myself up, dusted myself off, and began anew.  With life staring me in the face, my loss didn't seem quite so bad...

Scooter Out.

*Note - This is a dramatized story of my childhood addiction to Pokemon.  I'm sure if I cared to look back on that dark time of my life then I'm sure my loss wouldn't be so bad.... Maybe.

Growing Up Blows

Let's face it.... Growing up sucks.  You go from being that adorable child that everyone loved to an bitter and cynical adult.  The small things that once held joy to you like finding a four-leaf clover or chasing fire flies no longer appeal to you.  Instead of spending days laughing and having fun with friends, you spend days working.  Even if you're not at work, there's always work to be done around the house... Yard work, house work, cooking, caring for your own children, feeding pets, laundry, etc.  The movies you watched as a kid are now being watched by your kids and you're seeing hidden meanings and things you didn't catch as a child...

What's he REALLY smoking in that hookah??

Is she REALLY talking about tomato soup??

Things make more sense as you grow up, but at what cost?  Your innocence and child-like wonder?  Is it really worth being a "grown-up"?

When I was growing up, both my mother and my father would watch cartoons and Disney movies with me.  This is how I felt...

OMG THE COLORS!!  OMG THE MAGIC!!  OMG *LOVE*!!

That's what most kids in front of the TV are like, you know?  I wasn't an exception to that.  I used to think my mom and dad loved watching cartoons and Disney movies with me.  Well, in later life I found out that wasn't quite true.  This is how my mom felt...

She hated it.  I was banned from watching "Alvin and the

Chipmunks" because she couldn't stand their voices...

I must admit to feeling some major disappointment when I found that out.  I was probably around the age of 7 or 8 when her disdain started showing.  Later (around the age of 15 or 16) I found out how my dad felt...

Dad LOVED it!  He will STILL watch Disney movies with me and

I'm 22 and he's 46!  We embrace our inner children.

I want you to know that my dad and I have a very different way of looking at things.  We embrace our inner children.  Basically, we're grown up, but we only act like adults when we have to.  We both still think fart jokes are funny.  We laugh at people getting injured on TV.  We watch South Park together.  And those old movies that were cool when I was a kid have a TOTALLY different kind of humor to them now!! 

As for me, I still find joy in the small things.  I still notice little animal footprints in the dirt.  I still like to play in the mud.  I still notice all the different colors of the sky during the sunset.  I find myself noticing little things that bring me delight and joy that other people just.... Overlook.  Like the other day I saw a red balloon stuck in a pine tree.  That just tickled me pink, because I couldn't imagine where this balloon had come from!  I was trying so hard to point it out to my friend and she just never saw it.  Even when I pointed straight at it.  She finally got frustrated and said "only YOU can notice silly things like that..."

Yes.  I get joy out of simplistic things.  I know Santa isn't real, but I still get that "giddy child" feeling when I wake up on Christmas morning and my stocking has stuff in it.  Who says you have to let go of things like that just because you get older?  Sure, somethings like the tooth fairy you have to let go because one day you run out of baby teeth to lose.  But pass that joy on to your kids or nieces and nephews!  Don't let the wonder of childhood die.

Kids these days are exposed to so much violence now at such an early age.  Elementary school kids are bringing guns to school.  GUNS!!  When I was a kid we brought GigaPets to school!  Society is already doing it's best to strip children of their innocence before they're old enough to even comprehend what being an adult means.  Why continue that horrid process in the home?

Parents - Encourage you're children to be children while they still can.  It's the best thing you can do for them in this crazy messed-up world we all live in.

Scooter Out.

Sarah Jessica Parker Looks Like A Horse

I like horses.  I like them a lot.  But when it came to my attention that there are lots of jokes floating around about Sarah Jessica Parker looking like a horse, I had to do a little research of my own.

Here are my results:

This argument is valid...

This one even more so...

I think my childhood just took an arrow to the knee...

Well, there you have it, folks.  Not only does Sarah Jessica Parker look like a horse, she also resembles the cowardly lion!  Poor horse..... Poor lion.....

Scooter Out.

Day 9

for those of you who don't know, I'm quite a lover of nature.  I can find things outside that inspire me to be creative or just remind me how close God really is to us.  While outside on my break just now, I was wondering around the edge of the property near some trees ans saw this:

I love deer.  I think they're majestic and beautiful, and this one had to be huge because this print is about the size of my hand!  It was just a joy to see this and be reminded how close nature is to us.  I hate that most people don't notice little things like this and take joy in it.  I may have a child-like view of things, but isn't that more fun in the end?  The colorful world of your childhood can only fade if you let it.  Keep it alive in your heart and take joy in little things that most people go along without noticing.  That is my challenge to you, my readers.  :)