Day 172 - Clearly I Have Not Been Posting

As you know he Coronavirus has kind of made the world a little hectic for a lot of people. Alissa and I have been ok. We had a wonderful vacation in Texas visiting my eldest sister. She took us to the rodeo which was very cool, honestly one of the coolest things I have ever been to. Otherwise we have just been continuing on with the normal. I am still looking for a new job, but I also have not yet been terminated at my current job. I have been working from home, which is not my personal ideal but is manageable. I beg of anyone reading this if you have know of a job opportunity that I might be a fit for to please reach out and let me know.

As far as Pokémon goes... I am still doing my challenge, but I am behind and I have not been posting. I should have finished Pokémon Emerald two weeks, but I am stuck on the post-game captures and training needs. In reality I should have finished another game in those two weeks but given everything going on there is no way I would've finished that game (Colosseum, which was one of my stretch goal games anyways). I might come back to it, but after I finish Emerald this weekend I will move straight to Crystal. Anyways, I am behind, but still going even if super casually for now.

I might catch up with Pokémon later, but right now I am choosing not to worry about it. My life is unfortunately stressful right now and I have not had the time or energy for a lot of the things I want to spend time with lately. So Pokémon might be he most responsible thing for me to "sacrifice" but as far as I keep playing I will keep posting updates and occasional other things on this site. I might expand beyond purely Pokémon content as well, just to keep things casual and relaxed I will focus on things that bring me joy. I hope you can understand.

Day 152 - Game Over

The weather institute was saved thanks to another instance of Martha's heroics! She rode away and congratulated herself by singing her song. That is she sang her song until she ran into Brendan. He heard her song and was not happy about it. He told her he was furious and would defeat her once and for all. Martha tried to cry her way out of it, but to no avail. So they clashed in a Pokémon battle! Martha won like she always had, but it did not make her feel any better she was humiliated. "I'm done with you!" Brendan declared, as he expressed his intentions of going home to help his father with research and to strengthen their familial bond. It was game over for Martha's prank, now what did she have to work for?

Thank you sole regular reader. I am grateful for your dedicated patronage here on my blog.

Day 150 - Happy Pokémon Day!

Happy Pokémon Day! No Martha updates today, but I have the continuation of her story in mind for either tomorrow or Saturday. Today in celebration of Pokémon Day I am going to go through and name a few of my Pokémon favorites! The family favorites must have the type as their final form primary type for simplicity sake. These are my favoritesas of today, February 27 Pokémon Day 2020.

Favorite Pokémon...

• Region: Johto
• Generation: Gen IV
• Starter Trio: Torterra, Infernape, Empoleon
• Game Set: Black, White, Black 2, & White 2
• Box Legendaries: Solgaleo & Lunala 
• Eeveelution: Jolteon
• Baby Pokémon: Elekid (although Toxel is growing on me)
• Pikachu Clone: Pachirisu
• Fossil Pokémon: Armaldo
• Mythical: Celebi
• Alolan Variant: Graveler
• Galarian Variant: Darmanitan
• Pseudo Legendary: Metagross (though this one changes regularly)
• Normal Type Family: Whismur, Loudred, & Exploud
• Fighting Type Family: Clobbopus & Grapploct (new favorites but Riolu & Lucario might win out in the long run)
• Flying Type Family: Noibat & Noivern
• Poison Type Family: Gulpin & Swalot
• Ground Type Family: Phanpy & Donphan
• Rock Type Family: Roggenrola, Boldore, & Gigalith
• Bug Type Family: Cutifly & Ribombee (I flip to Heracross for a week or so every couple months)
• Ghost Type Family: Litwick, Lampent, & Chandelure
• Steel Type Family: Skarmory
• Fire Type Family: Sizzlipede & Centiskorch
• Water Type Family: Wooper & Quagsire (Wooper could hold this spot all alone!)
• Grass Type Family: Chikorita, Bayleef, & Meganium
• Electric Type Family: Mareep, Flaafy, & Ampharos
• Psychic Type Family: Solosis, Duosion, & Reuniclus
• Ice Type Family: Snorunt, Glalie, & Froslass (my only branched family)
• Dragon Type Family: Goomy, Sliggoo, & Goodra (this changes a bunch too)
• Dark Type Family: Purrloin & Liepard
• Fairy Type Family: Flabébé, Floette, & Florges
• Type: Electric probably...
• Poké Ball: Premier Ball
• Champion: Cynthia (because I'm basic)
• Professor: Kukui?

How about you? Who and what are your favorites?

Day 149 - Prank Song

Everything was going swimmingly for Martha. She had 5 gym badges, including her very own father's badge. She also was still succeeding in pranking her neighbor out of a father, and he had a crush on him to boot. Things could not be going better for her, which is why she could not help herself from singing a little ditty to herself as she made her way East from Mauville.

I want to do the greatest prank,
Like no one ever has.
To steal a Dad is my real test,
To trick them is my cause!
I will travel across the land,
Research Pokémon.
To butter up Proffessor Birch
To catch him in my con!
Martha's Prank!
A new family,
So clueless they will be!
Martha's Prank!
Brendan, my new friend,
He's my brother in the end!
Martha's Prank!
I'll trick them all,
They'll be at my beck and call!
I'll prank you and you're the fool,
Mar-tha's-Prank!
A fake family!
A new family!

She was happy as a clampearl.

How do you like my prank song spook on the original Pokémon theme song?

Day 147 - Go Go Gadget Go-Goggles

Hot off of defeating Flannery for the Heat badge, Martha ran into Brendan. He was so excited to see her! He had an apology gift for her, to make up for making her cry the last time they had run into each other, the Go-Goggles. Martha hugged him gratefully and kissed him on the cheek, turning him Tamato berry red. Riding away on her bike Martha was feeling great! She was pretty sure she had tricked Brendan into having a crush on her, so much for him being suspicious of her prank.

Work is impossibly difficult and stressful right now. I need to figure out where to go in my life. I am frustrated by the fact that I am having to answer these questions that I thought I had answered in school years ago.

Day 145 - Who to Trust

Martha needed to put her crusade for the greatest prank aside for a bit. Team Magma was trying to blow up a volcano and that was the type of crisis that caused everything else to be put on hold. The confusing thing was that the criminals Martha had confronted earlier, Team Aqua, were also trying to stop them. Martha was really confused who she could trust. Her gut told her not to trust members of either team, no matter how charismatic they were. The question would have to wait until the current crisis was averted, if Mt. Chimney erupted there wouldn't be a volcano to erupt.

I have not been on top of posts since adjusting my schedule. I blame work, new projects and overall overhwhelmedness. Things have been a little hectic for me lately and I hope I find a better equilibrium here soon.

Day 144 - James

James had successfully defended his title of Indigo League Champion. He was the most skilled Pokémon trainer in the Kanto region, and as far as he knew his team was unmatched. He had traveled to every corner of Kanto and captured the birds of legend and the berserk clone of the ancient Mew. After finishing all of this there was only one thing that James wanted to do... play some video games. So he went home and turned on his NES so he could play and relax after a long journey. His mom didn't even mind. In her mind he had earned a nice break.

The real James is one of my Great Great Grandfathers on my fathers side. He was born in Sweden in 1875 and like many of my ancestors immigrated to the United States at a young age (7 years old). He ended up settling in Utah where he met and married his wife Mary Jane. Together they had 12 children. He worked as a farmer and stockman in Brigham City. He lived to the respectable age of 76.