Scribbles & Munch

      If you live in the U.S., and are acquainted with more than three people under the age of 40, you are probably aware of the Pokémon GO craze.  Or maybe not, because they've mysteriously disappeared, and aren't answering your calls or texts.  Now you know why: Pokémon GO.  It's a game on a smart phone.  And apparently, it turns people into zombies.

Borrowed from: http://crazzfiles.com/pokemon-for-a-brain-dead-culture-will-pokemon-go-be-used-to-catch-us-all/

      Ok, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but not by much.

According to an article in The Washington Times, in the last few days a significant number of people have been playing Pokémon GO at the Holocaust Museum.  Which begs a lot of questions, more even more raised eyebrows.

      I'm not playing this game, because I've never been into Pokémon, and I don't own a smart phone.  (Waits for readers to recover from their faint of astonishment.)  But a number of my friends - and my therapy patients - are playing.  So I'm getting a contact buzz, so to speak.  I'm also getting emails from my agency directors specifically asking the therapists to get to the office early and catch the various critters in and around our building.
      Yes, that's right: a mental health therapy building has had strangers entering the lobby, trying to enter the rooms, and circling the building (which is posted with "no trespassing" signs) trying to catch imaginary critters on their phone. AND taking augmented reality photos of these spaces to show off which little goombas* they're catching.  This is pretty distressing for clients who have been, say, stalked in the past.  Or are seeking therapy without anybody knowing.  Or...fill in the blank.  In any event, I never thought I could get an official email at work instructing us to play video games for the sake of maintaining client confidentiality.  Then again, that's one of the reasons why I love being a psychotherapist: there's always something new.
      Nintendo has it's U.S. headquarters only a few miles away, in Redmond, WA.  I wonder how many Pokémon are wandering the halls in their building?  I vote we all take our phones there and find out!

Maybe there's a really awesome Pokémon gym in there!  Go, hoards of game zombies!  Go and swarm!

      Other news: today is National French Fry Day.  I've been debating long and hard over the best way to celebrate.  Steak cut?  Shoe string?  Curly fries?  Waffle cut?  If only I could catch 'em all!



*Yes, I know that goombas are from Mario Bros.  It's still Nintendo, and the it's a fun word.  So hush.