gotta catch 'em all

I admit it... I've joined the Pokemon Go craze. The game was just released this month and already has more daily users than Twitter! It involves going for a walk outside with your smartphone and collecting virtual Pokemon that pop up next to you on the map. It's basically the same thing as birding except nerdier. Actually, birding might still be nerdier. I know practically nothing about Pokemon, but I like walks and collecting stuff, so I decided to see what all the fuss is about. (Side note: that is the first time I've used the word "fuss" in reference to something other than Mae in almost 2 months. Weird.)

Mae and I caught a bunch of Pokemon on our walk including one perched on her stroller and another on her activity gym when we got home. She seemed quite unfazed by both.

I'm enjoying the shared feeling of awkwardness when I look up from my phone and make eye contact with someone who is also attempting to hide the fact that, despite being a fully grown adult with a family and a mortgage, he is trying to catch imaginary critters in the grocery store. I felt a little silly stopping in front of a Starbucks to catch a Pokemon until two baristas on break noticed that Dan and I were playing and called excitedly, "Did you get the Gastly??"

All told, I think the biggest winner in the Pokemon Go fad is dogs whose owners have smartphones. They are finally getting their first decent walks in months!