Oh my goodness, it is ridiculous how many memories I have tied to pokemon and how these cute little pocket monsters have preoccupied, enraptured, and shaped my life. I started collecting when pokemon first came out over here. I was six years old at a card convention in the Swansea Mall. Base set Raichu and Gyrados caught my eye; I had to have them and consequently, I somehow (to this day I still have no idea how) convinced my mom it would be a good idea to buy these two cards for me, single, for more than thirty dollars--yikes!
But I didn't open my first pack yet, my first packs had nothing good in them; I had the worst luck imagineable and I still do today.
So my first pack of base set, actually, I owe this to my mom again. If it wasn't for her, I never would have gotten it. We were at some weird flea market and my mom was checking out her items. At the register, beside the tabloids and obligatory candy racks whispering your name in sugar coated purrs, was a box of base set, almost full. My mom said, "Oh Taylor see this? These look pretty neat, maybe we'll buy a few."
I opened my pack and it was nothing good, possibly a trainer or something dumb, whatever, it was cast aside immediately as I saw the beautiful stars dancing upon my mother's holofoil Mewtwo card. And so as we bought more packs, I accumulated more junk rares--no holos-- as my mother amassed more and more of them: then Polywrath, Blastoise, Hitmonchan, Nidoking, I was particularly afixiated by Zapdos, looking menacing behind a ominous black backdrop. She kept her holos in a pink binder. Pretty soon I started to become sick of them seeing as I had no luck and the cards seemed to love my mother, holofoils just waltzing into her lap pack after pack.
Then one day, we took a trip to toysRus and we saw a huge bin of pokemon cards and there was a strict limit 5 packs per person; a testament to the popularity of pokemon at the time. My mother, father, two older brothers, one younger, and I strolled up to the check out, carrying thirty packs of base set. The cashier's eyes narrowed as she looked from the heap of cards to the six of us, face plastered with a condescending snear. "Have you seen we have a limit to---"
My mother cut her off, pointing to each of us, "We know, five packs per person."
I finally pulled my first holo that day, Venasaur. With that cool green color I fell in love with it and felt so proud of pulling my first one. It is a feeling I still get to this day. So I became more interested in Pokemon. I remember bringing them in to school and trading with nearly all the kids in my class. My older brother was particularly mad at me when I traded his Clefairy for a common Pikachu. But I also made my fair share of good trades as well, my Arcanine for a Machamp and so on. Though I never learned to play pokemon, I sure loved trading and collecting them but now, I play as well. I think my trouble pulling a holo is what fuels my imperative to collect holos today so neurotically (I laugh at myself). Of course that day, my mom pulled the grand daddy charzard, and I never did. Though I did find one on the bus that looked like it had been through a cold rinse washer or two. The kid had been looking for it all week and it took every moral fiber of my being to return it to him. (Hey I was still six you know! :smile
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My first grade teacher, Miss Lipson. I drove her crazy playing pokemon during math, reading penmenship, ect...so one day she got so fed up she took my mewtwo and machamp away and my mother had to come in during recess to get them back from her! Ouch, that's one painful poke memory.
Finally jungle came out and I remember jungle being scarse and hard to come by at first. Funcoland was the only store in the county that had them initially. My mother and I got in line to purchase them, you see they were kept well guarded behind the counter (it's so sad seeing the packs in toysrus now, single packs in plastic cases as if they were video games). Then just as we were next in line and so close to the packs I could taste them, the women in front of us bought twenty packs! That was the first memory I have of my mom's signature dry humor, calling the woman a pig, though of course, not to her face. Nevertheless, we ended up getting a few packs; Pinsir and Mr. Mime, with its paltry 40 hp.
For christmas that year, while I got many special gifts and presents, one easily comes to mind as one of the most memorable and creative ever. What kid is excited getting clothes on xmas. Thoughts of murder and other evil deeds crossed my mind as my mom handed me a rectangular present; I instinctively knew it had to have some clothes in it, taunting me. I reluctantly ripped it open and underneath a gray sweater, a heaping hidden casche of secret packs lined the bottom of the box like gold. I almost did a flip as I opened holo after holo; first wigglytuff (very exciting seeing as I was going through a jigglypuff fad), then pidgeot, a Kagemaru Hinemo masterpiece, two venemoths, Nidoqueen (I lol'd for hours on end @ boyfriends), and Jolteon, another Hinemo piece.
Then there was the time my mom thought I stole a Flareon (jungle) from her. She didn't believe me when I told her I got it in a pack after my dad took me to see the iron giant in theaters. I hated the movie. But the card stirs up so many memories and how ridiculous the whole fiasco was, carrying on for weeks. Shheesh, was I a criminal or what back then? :lol:
Ahh let's see here other miscellaneous mermories: Playing Erika's vileplume deck and misty's tentecruel deck. I loved the gym expansions while my mom didn't; she slowly started to eschew the cards. But above all, the neo expansions were my favorite. Though I did't aquire Revelations Suicune until fairly recently, that is my favorite card period. I still have a printing of it hanging on the wall in my room. And I can't begin to describe the anguish and endless toil I went through to get shining Celebi. Countless packs, blood, sweat, and tears; I finally got it Walmart, in one of those blister packs that I swear are rigged with the worst rares ever. Surprisingly enough, in that blister, not only did I get my celebi, but also a shining noctowl as well, so I was simply ecstatic.
Oh my goodness I could go on and on but I feel so silly, almost writing a whole novel over this! But Pokemon holds a tender place in my heart (though I do blame it for my shortcommings and inadequacies in math today. I was always trading during math) and it always will. I think it's partly because of how I was emmersed in it at such a young age; I mean I can't remember much before first grade, and then it's just pokemon. Sheesh, I'll spare you all for now.
