#FridayFrivolity - Pokemon Go! Funny Memes, My Own Real-Life Crazy Stories, and More!

Hello Friday, and hello friends!  I'm so glad to see you again at this week's #FridayFrivolity.  :)  This week's theme is "childhood" and I can't remember which of us chose it, but it worked out pretty well I must say... because lately a good number of people have been a little distracted by a blast from the past.  For some of those people it is a blast from their childhood, but for EVERYONE involved it's a return to childhood, in a way.  

Anybody got a guess what I'm talking about?  

Oh yea, baby, I'm talking about Pokemon Go! 

As a game it's fun... as a phenomenon it's FASCINATING!

Anybody lovin #Pokemongo? Anybody mystified by it? :P Come by for funny memes, my own crazy real-life stories, more! pic.twitter.com/Q1uKB603jo

— Sarah Eliza (@REALsaraheliza) July 27, 2016

If you're not familiar with it already, Pokemon Go is an augmented reality game, so picture a Pokemon video game (involving collecting Pokemon and growing them into bigger and cooler Pokemon that can battle one another) layered on top of google maps.  In order to collect new Pokemon, you actually have to move about the "real world."  You can play the game while you're sitting on your couch, but you're unlikely to catch much.  

This game has grown by leaps and bounds since it was released on July 6th.  And last I heard, it has more activity these days than Twitter or Facebook!

When my husband and I go to the park to walk our dogs now, there are literally clusters of people standing around staring at their phones, or walking around the park in slow motion... staring at their phones.  Nintendo has finally succeeded in making gamers actually go outside, though interaction appears to still a bit of a stretch.  ;P

^above was edited for my gentle #FridayFrivolity readers' delicate eyes.

Other people say Nintendo isn't on a quest to achieve fitter, fresh-air Gamers, they're just slow in catching up on the times...

Aside from the HUGE uptick in (distracted, ambling) foot traffic at our local park, my husband and I also stumbled across a Pokemon Go! meet-up in downtown Charlotte a few nights ago... it was literally hundreds of people (the local newspaper estimated about 1000 over the course of the evening), milling around, staring at their phones, and occasionally muttering to themselves.  Stuff like, "Oh my gosh, a Charmander..." or "Ugh, not another Zubat..."  

I report all this lovingly, of course, because my husband and one of our friends hopped right in and joined the Poke-hunting fun!  Proof of how distracted all those folks were?  Our other friend and I were walking around holding a 9-week-old puppy she had just adopted, and we only had about four people commented on its epic cuteness.  Because none of the rest of the hundreds of people ever looked up from their phones to notice it.  And yes, it is a particularly epically cute puppy, well-worth notice, wordless cooing, and assorted compliments.  Seeeeeeee?

Unfortunately you are correct, adorable puppy.  All non-phone cute things are at a bit of a disadvantage at the moment...

PS, my own dog is a gamer too!  

This is a photo my husband took from a nearby apartment building the evening of the meet-up... check out the craziness!  And mind you, this was taken AFTER the frenzy / crowd had died down a good bit.

Full photo cred to my talented husband!

In case it's hard to see, the crowd extends PAST the red / white / blue fountain on the righthand side.

And yes, it was inevitable that at one point in the evening somebody would shout "I've got a Mewtwo!" and the WHOLE CROWD would run to that side of the park.  Most folks probably half figured it was a prank all along.. but WHAT IF IT WASN'T?  So they ran along with everybody else, just in case.  ;P  

It was a hugely entertaining evening, even for those of us who weren't playing Pokemon Go.  

(for the record, I do play, I was just more interested in the puppy at the time.)

I did wonder though, as I was walking around that huge crowd of (mostly) young and single people, how many couples would credit their "how we met" to Pokemon Go in a few years.  And then I realized... none of them will.  Because nobody was meeting anybody... everybody was staring at their phones.  

Oh well... not sure whether to laugh or cry about that one!   

I don't even have time to go into all the news stories lately about people falling off cliffs, getting robbed, or stumbling across corpses in weird places while playing Pokemon Go in the past few weeks (all of those things have happened multiple times too!)... but please people, if you're playing, pay attention to your safety!  After all, you wouldn't want to round a corner and come across this...

Scary Pikachu is scary...

But hey, maybe Pokemon Go will lead you to God! He is reputed to work in mysterious ways... and the game will DEFINITELY lead you to church, if nothing else, since a lot of Pokestops happen to be located at churches.  This particular church is making the most of it!

This last one is dedicated to everyone who still owns what my friend Lisa at Syncopated Mama calls "a dumb phone"... our hearts go out to you!  ;P

I'll leave you with some nifty gear to show your Poke-loyalty...  this stuff is for the grown-ups, keep scrolling for stuff for kids:

And here are some fun gift ideas for the stylish poke-hunting munchkins in your life:

Anybody in need of some Pokemon decor?  I can help you out with that too, haha!  

All right, now I'll stop.  ;P

Now on to the link-up! :D 

Featured Post from Last Week:

In a fun twist, since we now have four hosts we will also have FOUR FEATURES.... but you will have to go check out the other three blogs to see if you were featured there!  ;)  

The Hosts:

Facebook // Twitter // Pinterest // Google + 
// Bloglovin'

Sarah Eliza is on a mission to Devastate Boredom by living a life full of all of her favorite things... friendship and connection, laughter, books and music, furbaby love, minimalism, wellness pursuits, Paleo-ish cooking, and on and on!  Curious about how to create a capsule wardrobe without losing your mind??  Check out her series here!

Facebook // Twitter //Pinterest // Google+  // Bloglovin

Lisa is an awesomely hilarious and authentic writer who marches to her own drum on her blog Syncopated Mama, providing an "un-labelly spot" for all the happily off-beat folks out there who have been wishing to find kindred spirits.  She shares her adventures building a natural home, teaching her adorbs daughter, establishing and refining positive communication skills, camping, creating, cooking, and so much more!  If you have preschoolers at home you have GOT to check out her awesome series, Latticed Learning, full of fantastic lesson ideas, book suggestions, craft plans, and more!

Facebook // Twitter // Pinterest // Google+ // Instagram

Audrey is a wonderfully eclectic blogger, who not only can cook up a storm over on That Recipe, but also writes at Munofore - "MUsings NOt FOod RElated."  Munofore touches on humor, parenting, crafting, holiday ideas, tutorials, and more!  She has an AMAZING tutorial up right now on creating your very own mixed-media, Asian-inspired wall art!  I'm definitely going to be trying this project myself as soon as I move... so gorgeous!

Facebook // Twitter // Pinterest // Google+ // Bloglovin' // Instagram

Jessica is an amazingly funny and smart blogger from Wales who writes at Babi a Fi on a whole range of topics -- from entertaining vintage nostalgia, to technology tutorials, to book reviews, to raising her adorable munchkin, and so much more!  If you have a blog, you have GOT to check out her most recent post, "10 Things Every Blogger Should Know About Linked-In" -- so much helpful information!

Calling all bloggers looking for an upbeat and supportive group of pals to join in hosting the weekly #FridayFrivolity par-tay!  We are hoping to add to our ranks of dedicated hosts and co-hosts, and would love for you to consider joining the fun!  Co-Hosts are welcome on a temporary basis (usually a month), while Hosts make a more ongoing commitment.  :)  Swing by here to express interest and ask any questions!

Now time for the new stuff! 

This a link-up for all things funny, fun, encouraging, hopeful, and happy.  That includes free printables, giveaways, and other fun stuff to make us SMILE and start the weekend off on the right foot. 

If you're here in search of fun and uplifting reading materials, skip the rules and just start clickin'! 

Bloggy buddies, thanks for coming to par-tay! 

You are welcome to link up to 3 posts, and old posts are always welcome!  

There are three rules only: 

Funny #PokemonGO Memes, My Own Real-Life Crazy Stories & a few cute puppies too! https://t.co/SR3r62jEZf @REALsaraheliza #FridayFrivolity

— Sarah Eliza (@REALsaraheliza) July 22, 2016

An InLinkz Link-up

Here are some of the places you might see this post partying! 

Like what you're reading? Subscribe via email, and I'll keep the good stuff coming! Then let me know that you did... I love to make new friends!

Subscribe to receive updates via email!