Grass-Type

Me: "That's not a cockroach. That's a cricket. He doesn't even want to be in our house. And unlike a spider, there's absolutely no chance that he's venomous. So what we do is, we pick him up very carefully, like this. See how I'm holding my hand, so he's trapped but he isn't squished? Then we take him to the door, and toss him into the grass."

Firstborn: "So he's a grass-type Pokemon who only knows the move Bounce."

Me: "Pretty much."

Pokemon Go

Tummy bug caught me over the weekend. It wasn't horrible, but it was uncomfortable and it's left me feeling a bit run down. So, rather than doing anything particularly original, I think I'll say a few words about Pokemon Go.

Pokemon Go scares me.

I'm tempted to stop there and just wait to see what sorts of conclusions people leap to, but I won't.

Look, it isn't the prospect of getting exercise. Getting exercise by accident is about the only way I ever *do* get exercise, and Pokemon Go is perfect for that.

Nor is it the prospect of getting into some sort of accident. Yes, I've seen the news articles, but honestly? Just remember to look where you're going. Personal responsibility. Situational awareness. Similar such slogans.

No, the reason I don't play Pokemon Go -- the reason Pokemon Go scares me -- is the same reason I won't play Minecraft.

I'm afraid I'd enjoy. I'm afraid I'd really enjoy it. And I know myself: if the game is that fun and compelling, then there's a very good chance that I might look up at some point and find myself asking, "Wait a minute... what happened to 2017?"

A conversation with my children

Me: "So that's a dragon-type Pokemon, is it?"

Secondborn: "It is the most powerful Pokemon."

Firstborn: "It's the most powerful dragon-type Pokemon."

Me: "Is there a Pokemon that does housecleaning?"

Firstborn: "I don't think so."

Me: "Because I want a Pokemon that does housecleaning. I wouldn't even try to capture it. I'd just be like, 'No, it's okay, you can just live over here in our laundry room, and we'll feed you.'"

Firstborn: "There's a Pokemon who makes clothes."

Me: "Okay, that's pretty cool."

Firstborn: "Out of leaves. It makes clothes out of leaves."

Me: "Still pretty cool."

Pokemon Mastered

As a parent, I am thankful for many things. One of them is that I have, so far, not been required to memorize the names and statistics for hundreds and hundreds of imaginary monsters in order to keep up with my sons' activities. Not that I couldn't do it, mind you; in my own youth, I could recite whatever I needed from both Monster Manuals and the Fiend Folio. Of course, in my own youth I had a lot more time for that sort of thing.

It's probably just a matter of time, though. Firstborn's interest in, say, Pokemon is pretty casual right now... but he starts first grade this year, which means new friends and new interests. So, we'll see.

What brought this to mind? Well, somebody posted a link to this on Facebook:

Man, there are a lot of those things.