Legen - Wait for It - Dary!!!

A while ago they released daily incense in Pokemon GO. Every day, you get an incense that lasts for 15 minutes, and is most effective while you're walking, and it gives you a summary of what you've caught with it at the end. Most of the Pokemon that spawn are rather pedestrian, but they have introduced the Galarian forms of Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres!!!

These will sometimes appear while using your daily incense. While I've been using the daily incense, I've had probably a dozen or more encounters with these legendary birds, but hadn't caught a one, as they have a near 100% flee rate. My son, however, has gone months without a single sighting!!!

Another even more recent introduction is Master Balls, that have a guaranteed catch, and as it turns out, a rather intricate animation when you use it. Towards the beginning of this month, after I had attained one of these Master Balls, I get a Galarian Moltres while using my daily incense, and used it to catch it. Predictably, it has a most unimpressive rating, but finally got one!!!

A week ago, on my new weekday day off (I'm back on a weekend shift!!!) we're having Birthday get together at my mom's house for my sister and I. After we've eaten and had lush (a few years ago my wife found a recipe of lush, which everyone agrees is better than cake) my younger boy and I decide to go on a walk at the park by the house. As we go, naturally we've got our daily incense going. As we go along, my son has his first Legendary bird encounter, Articuno!!! He's heard a method, where you throw 20 ultra balls, and it'll increase your odds of getting a successful catch. I've tried a few times, and it hasn't helped. He tries, and the first one he throws after the 20 (along with a golden razz) it breaks out, and flees. As expected. He's not especially disappointed, the one he wanted is Zapdos. We proceed on. A couple minutes later, he gets another Articuno!!! We've never heard of two on a single incense, this seems like a glitch, but he tries the 20 baller again, with the same results. A minute later, he gets a third Articuno!!! Certainly unprecedented at this point!!! Again, it flees.

A few minutes later, the unbelievable occurs, he gets his fourth legendary, this time the coveted Zapdos!!! No escape this time, he uses his Master Ball, and he's got his Galarian Zapdos!!!

My son has named several of his favorite 'mons after foods. Naturally, he's named his Zapdos Orange Chicken, because it really looks like one!!! In honor of his Zapdos, we got Panda Express the next day!!!

Out of this World Party!!!

As usual, this time of year gets busy busy!!! Last Thursday was gravy announcement day, and while the amount is less than last year, I'm going to end up with a tad more on account of the raise I got this year, so that's cool. Next Thursday is goodie day, and then actual gravy day. Monday will be extended family Christmas observed day, and then of course Christmas.

The subject of this post, though, is the company Christmas party!!!

Something totally different this year, they somehow managed to book the California Science Center, and the main event was in the Space Shuttle's hangar!!!

They've changed it up since last time we visited (when there was no shuttle there!!!) and now as you enter, you go through a clear tube in a huge aquarium!!!

First shot of the Shuttle shows what it would look like if hippies got hold of it and painted it up like an old VW microbus!!!

Endeavour, it's been a long time since I've seen you in the flesh!!!

It is a bit smaller place than we usually have, and seating was insufficient, but it was still pretty awesome!!! Instead of food being served, they had buffet type stations set up all around the place. I saw three with sea bass before I found anything different, "chicken like lasagna", and then beef short ribs. I partook of them all.

Later, they rolled out desert stations. Coolest thing, they had these CO2 frozen puffs. They instruct you to eat 'em within 20 seconds, and exhale as you do so. As you do, the CO2 makes it's smoke come out of your mouth. I happened to have my mouth closed on one, and breathed it out from my nostrils. I was a dragon!!!

Took me a bit before I realized, they had plaques around the wall in chronological order of all the missions. I had to find the one for STS-118, the one we saw launch!!!

Last shot is how one of the thrusters looks with a disco light behind it!!!

Birthday Bash

The boy's birthday celebration, as promised. Here's the cake, per the boy's specifications. Camouflage. What cake???



A few things he had in mind, and the foremost was to have a big water fight. Unfortunately, the weather in the week leading up to it was typical "June gloom" conditions, where it was cool most of the day. This day, however, it was sunny and bright!!! Nice!!! It never got terribly warm that day, but it was good enough for a water war. The Monday following this, it actually was raining.



He had the idea of choosing up teams for the water war, but it turned into a free-for-all. I heard no complaints!!!



He had wanted pizza and wings. Momma bought a zillion hot dogs and chips the day before, but we did get the requested wings that day.



As I stated before, he got a lot of cash!!! I think he's got more paper money now than his mom and dad together. He was also thrilled to get Halo (which he's been playing the demo of for weeks) and a game called Portal. Good times!!!