The Manaphy Code

At long last, Nintendo has revealed the code for obtaining the Manaphy Egg in Pokémon Ranger. You can find break-downs on both Pokémon Elite 2000 and Serebii.net. Here's the step by step instructions, as seen on Pokémon Elite 2000:

Step 1: Access Ranger Net after finishing the game. When you see Ranger net on your main menu, click on it.
Step 2: Your screen will show "Play a special mission." On your Nintendo DS, press the top Right trigger, the X button, and left on your directional pad simultaneously.
Step 3: You should see a screen that says "Enter the password has been added".
Step 4: Tap the touch screen, and wait as the game saves.
Step 5: After the game saves, tap the screen again, and a new menu will come up that says "Enter the password".
Step 6: When you click on the password menu, you'll be allowed to enter the password!
Step 7: Enter the password: P8M2-9D6F-43H7
Step 8: You'll see a special message that says the mission is active. Turn off the game.
Step 9: At the menu screen, access Ranger Net and you'll see an option to play a special mission.
Step 10: The mission "Recover the Precious Egg" appears!
Step 11: You did it! Congratulations! Now play the mission...
Step 12: ... and discover the mystery...
Step 13: ... of who Manaphy is.
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After receiving the Manaphy Egg in Pokemon Ranger, you will be able to transfer the Manaphy Egg to Pokemon Diamond or Pokemon Pearl so you can raise a Manaphy.
Info from Pokemon Elite 2000.

If you have Ranger, now would be the time to complete the game. Once that's done, you can get your Manaphy Egg and be one step closer to completing you Diamond and Pearl PokéDex. Good luck!

Doldrums

We've finally gotten our first real snowfall for the winter; it came earlier in the week. We're expecting more tomorrow, roughly around an inch. Although I'm glad it's here, I still feel cheated: I wanted snow for Christmas and it never came. It isn't until deep with the depths of winter we get our snow at last. I can't help but feel cheated.

Unlike last winter, we've had much more sunshine this year, which has helped my SAD (seasonal affective disorder) quite a bit. It's not a cure though. I still feel stuck in the doldrums, down and depressed for reasons unknown.

Maybe it's because I'm getting older.

Maybe it's because I'm looking forward to so much this year that this month, and this cold winter darkness, feels unbearable.

I wish I knew.

I'm also feeling rather nostalgic, for reasons unknown. I've got an old '80s song running through my head (it's been going through my head for the past couple of weeks). It's called "Captain Of Her Heart" and it was performed by a group called Double. Describing it would not do it justice, so here it is, for all to hear. Enjoy.

All (Black) Thumbs

One of my basil plants is dead.

It died a few days ago. I had been raising it from a seed. And it had been doing so well, too.

When I lost one of my previous plants, I was frantically trying to do everything in my power to save it. I repotted it, gave it fertilizer, watered it regularly and put it out in the noonday sun. Nothing helped. So when my basil seedling began to droop, I simply watered it, fed it, gave it some light and waited.

This time I was a bit less sympathetic. I gave it two days to turn around. It didn't.

So, I pulled the seedling from the soil and tossed into the front yard, a death sentence, considering the time of year. But I had no time to waste on what would be futile efforts; it had a healthy sibling that needed tending.

The sibling seems to be doing well. I'm hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.

I'm just not cut out to raise plants, I guess.

It is winter in northeastern Wisconsin and we have no snow.

It has been unseasonably warm these past few weeks; the temperature has felt like an early spring thaw or the last few days of autumn. It has not felt like winter at all.

What happened? Where is the snow?

If we are lucky, we may see snowflakes this weekend. I wonder how long they will last, given the odd weather we've been having.

This morning, I awoke with the taste of strawberries in my mouth.

Not the super-sweet sugary candy flavor, but the real thing: sweet, but tart and juicy. It was as though I had bitten into a ripe fruit during my slumber.

This is highly unusual; I normally wake with a bitter or outright sour taste in my mouth. I can offer no explanations for this. We do not keep strawberries in the house; they are out of season and would be too cost prohibitive to buy. I have not been to a Sonic Drive-In for a strawberry lime-aid since this past October, there are none in Wisconsin. And I haven't had a strawberry margarita in months. It's puzzling, to say the least.

Next month will mark a year since DP and I moved. One whole year. It doesn't feel that long.

I've transferred to a different store; I'm working closer to home now. I miss the old store sometimes, if only for the people.

I miss the old apartment, too. Sometimes.

It's a new year. I hope that it will be much better than the last.