I'm Not Dead Yet

Starting this log over a week after first playing. I started on July 8th, several days after it was first released, but I had the day off so my first day was very fruitful and I missed the worst of the roll out troubles.

Lv. 24

Team Mystic

Caught: 108 | Seen: 109

Gold Medals
Kanto (108/108)
Scientist (246/246)
Backpacker (2,089/xx)
Schoolkid (809/xx)
Bird Keeper (603/xx)
Punk Girl (660/xx)
Bug Catcher (428/xx)
Swimmer (367/xx)

Silver Medals
Jogger (181.90/1,000)
Collector (1,902/2,000)
Battle Girl (167/1,000)
Ace Trainer (111/100)
Ruin Maniac (50/200)
Gardener (199/200)
Psychic (65/200)
Fairy Tale Girl (68/200)

Bronze Medals
Breeder (62/100)
Fisherman (16/50)
Hiker (20/50)
Hex Maniac (15/50)
Kindler (33/50)
Rocker (11/50)
Youngster (14/50)
Pikachu Fan (3/50)


Current Goals

• Get 10 Pokemon of each type Fighting-, Ice-, and Dragon-type to get a bronze badge for each
• Find good areas to catch Fire- and, especially, Electric-types
• Rack up enough candies to start evolving more Pokemon
• Get strong, level up, and take over gyms
• Find Voltorb and Magnemite

Jul. 19, 2016

Today was not a great day. I reached level 20, which was the best thing so far today, but I had just used a lucky egg when the servers crashed, eating my egg and only giving me a few minutes of use with it. The weather's been good though so I may soothe my wounds by returning later to a good spot I found yesterday.

Yesterday I found a spot that reliably spawns Jynx. I caught two there. There are several pokestops nearby so I can even camp out for a while if I need to. I also found a second Snorlax not far from it and a Grimer to replace the one that ran away from me days ago. Yesterday was a pretty good day all around. The only trouble is that it's kinda far away and I don't want to drive just to play Pokemon Go. I feel like if I do that I'm going too far down the rabbit hole.

Jul. 20, 2016

While walking around with the game open and not really looking for anything, a Seadra popped up right in front of me. I've only caught 2 or 3 Horseas up to this point so I had to catch this one. It took some doing. I think I must have thrown 20 balls, but I did catch it. I was also able to catch two Pinsirs, both pretty strong, all just by going about my normal morning routine. Maybe this is a good sign? If it continues I might get something good from one of my eggs soon.

On another note, I've found a spot that keeps giving me Magikarp. It's a little bridge over a small stream, but whenever I cross it one appears in the exact same spot. I wish I had the time to camp out there and catch enough for a Gyarados, but that would still take quite a while since I need like 300 candies for that.

Still looking for that Dratini though.

Jul. 22, 2016

Two eggs hatched back-to-back. My 10k got me an Onix with a ton of candy. The other was a Gastly. That Gastly, together with another one I found this morning, were enough for me to evolve and now I've got a nice new Haunter to add to my collections. I also snagged a Squirtle and a Growlithe. It seems as though my neighborhood can still produce some good Pokemon some of the time.

I'm planning to meet up with some friends later tonight if they're available. Of course I'll be looking for anything new and interesting. I've got to stay indoors for a while though. It's just too dang hot out right now and I got caught between a street sweeper and some guy with a leaf blower and my allergies are flaring up a whole bunch.

Jul. 25, 2016

The day started out meh. I was walking to work when phone shook and I saw an egg hatching. It was a Rattata. I felt cheated, but more than that I felt like the game just didn't understand me and thought, somehow, that I wanted more rats just because I was catching them when they popped up on my map.

But everything turned around at lunch when I was walking along a path I walk every single day and a Dratini appeared. I caught it on the first time and now I've finally got my baby dragon and I couldn't be happier. To make things even better the game provided me with another Squirtle and a rare (for me anyway) Koffing. I also hit my 1000th Pokestop today. All in all a good day.

Jul. 27, 2016

I have some sad news to share with you. Yesterday, a Chansey appeared in my neighborhood. I couldn't believe it, but I ran to find her and she was only a few blocks away. She popped up on the map and I tapped the screen. The battle started, I was excited, but after only two Ultra balls and several berries a cloud of dust appeared. She had run away.

It felt like someone had ripped out my heart and thrown it on the ground and stomped on it while simultaneously kicking me in the shins and grinding pepper into my eyes. I was heartbroken, anguished, ashamed. I felt like it was my fault. There was so much I wanted to say to Chansey, so many things I wish we could have done together, and now I'll never get that chance.

Please join me for a moment of silence while we remember Chansey.


2016 – 2016

Jul. 27, 2016

Since the bad Chansey encounter a LOT of good things have happened. I can't remember what order they came in, but to summarize:

• Caught a wild Venusaur! Still not a single wild Charmander found.
• Caught four Ponyta all in one night. Also a few Growlith and a Vulpix. There is a park in the next town over which seems to get lots of Fire-types.
• Did the lucky egg trick and evolved like 40-50 Pokemon
• Including a bunch I hadn't had yet so now I have Dugtrio, Nidoking, and Nidoqueen
• And I have a total of 2 Clefable, 2 Starmie, 2 Exeggutor, 2 Vaporeon, 2 Flareon and 6 Jolteon
• I have 100 different Pokemon!
• Several new medals
• And I'm halfway to Lv. 23

I've tried to do some gym battling. The nearest gym to me sometimes switches teams, but lately it's been a super strong Dragonite. I see a lot of those around. But I had some help taking it down and I left a Caterpie behind and like a minute later I hear some kid going wild and I see that my Caterpie has be replaced by a 150 CP Eevee. So I think some kid was able to get their first gym.

Still no reappearance of Chansey though. That was probably my only shot at getting one.

Aug. 18, 2016

Almost a month since my last report and there's simultaneously a lot to report and not a lot to report.

On the progress side of things, I reached level 24 yesterday when one of my eggs hatched into a Paras. Not that I need any more Paras, for crying out loud, game. Give me a Voltorb or something I need. That aside, I've slowly worked my Pokemon to become stronger and stronger and have been occasionally fighting at decently filled gyms I come across to get the experience out of them (and to feel the satisfaction of taking down someone's Dragonite).

Among some of my other progresses I've:

• Evolved Victreebel, Poliwrath, and Graveler
• On the verge of getting Vileplume, Rapidash, and Arcanine
• Finally got a Scyther so now the only Pokemon I've seen and not caught is Chansey
• Caught a wild Hypno (Drowzee don't exist in my area)
• Found some spots that seem to give out Dratini and Pikachu
• Hatched a bunch of eggs that have mostly been common things I already have, including an Eevee from my last 10k
• Earned a few more gold badges for Scientist and Backpacker (and am 1 Grass-type away from my gold Gardener badge)

There have been some fun things I've encountered while wandering around. There was a guy fishing at the river in town (which is weird because it's mostly mud and no one fishes there) at the exact spot where Magikarp spawn regularly. I have to wonder if he knows. Around that same area of downtown there keep being all these weird guys walking around, some of them looking kinda homeless, but they seem somewhat interested in me/my small group of people when we pass through playing the game. They ask us what team we're on (or if we have any cigarettes) and that seems to be the extent of their knowledge of the game. I'm guessing they just think we'll feel generous with them if they try to seem nice or show interest.

In the course of collecting Pokemon for the lucky egg trick I've realized that Weedles are the absolute worst Pokemon. They're all CP 200 and take 10 balls to catch if they don't run away after the 9th ball. Pidgeys by comparison are a welcome sight! Since I'm down to my last lucky egg it's going to become hellish soon since it's only every 1 in 10, or 1 in 20 Pokemon I find that's not a Pidgey, Rattata, Caterpie, Weedle, Zubat, or Spearow. Usually it's a Goldeen, Krabby, or Staryu. Staryu in particular seems to have become the replacement for the Doduos that used to haunt my neighborhood, and for that I can't be unhappy. If I never see Doduo again (which I haven't, actually) I'll die happy.