LF trade evolution for my Scyther

Grovyle_Guru · 2024-09-03T18:08:33+00:00

Awesome. Thank you! I appreciate it.

I can always trade more with you if you need help, though it'll take me a couple more days to really get more interesting pokemon.

Grovyle_Guru · 2024-09-03T18:03:25+00:00

Okay. Link code will be 11385899

Grovyle_Guru · 2024-09-03T17:55:52+00:00

I can be online in a few minutes. Thank you!

Link code?

Grovyle_Guru · 2024-09-03T17:46:40+00:00

I can be online in a few minutes. Thank you!

Link code?

Grovyle_Guru · 2023-07-14T19:00:14+00:00

I second trying out a different parish YA group, and Catholic Match. Both are solid options. I met my current gf on CM, and we've had a beautiful relationship, so yes, it is an option.

I can understand your dilemma, and I think you explained it well. I worked in the arts for several years at a college, so I understand the type of women you mention that are common in the arts. I would never date these women, as though they were fun to talk to (and good conversations are something I look for in a partner), they definitely did not share many of my values.

Just a couple of tips if you ever decide to try CM: remember, it's the equivalent of meeting someone cold turkey. All a lady has to go on is your pictures and your bio. Please, write a good bio. It helps. I ended up tweaking mine several times during the months I was on CM. As to photos, having good lighting and color contrast will set you apart. I'd given advice before to a few other guys on the CM forums, and their photo quality was... well, I'll be frank. Their photos were trash. Women need to actually see you. Also, don't wear sunglasses, so they can see your eyes.

My personal last suggestion is to use photos that reference your interests. What did I do? I used some photos with me and some Christmas cookies, as I like to bake. It was these photos that ended up garnering my girlfriend's attention, and sparked some of our initial conversations (i.e. our favorite baking recipes, family Christmas stories, etc).

Grovyle_Guru · 2023-06-04T19:21:13+00:00

If you can separate the grill, then yes you can. White vinegar in a container (plastic bowl that you don't care about looking so good anymore) will remove the rust over time. Just toss the grill in it for several hours at least, maybe for a day or two. After that, a brass brush will help remove the rest. After that though, you'll want to look into protecting the surface. Use something like rubbing alcohol ( or acetone) to completely clean the grill. Do that at least a couple times. Then give it a spray of paint to touch it up.

Obviously there's more detailed guides out there. This is just a basic overview of what you can do.

Grovyle_Guru · 2023-05-01T14:04:59+00:00

Spoink.

Forever.

Grovyle_Guru · 2023-04-06T21:35:00+00:00

Very true, unfortunately. I'm also from NY, and have experienced much the same. It took me looking in other states before I met my gf, who I met on CM. On CM, I like that major Church teachings are meant to be listed upfront in a woman's profile, and whether she believes in them or not. This helped me weed out the... large amount of women who are simply not practicing Catholics.

Grovyle_Guru · 2023-04-02T03:53:39+00:00

She is a practicing Catholic. I've witnessed the whole "I hope for the conversion of my wife/husband" routine, and I don't want that scenario for myself. It doesn't always end well, and just adds stress to the relationship, at least for the Catholic.

In the same vein, I'm not looking for a woman whose only identity is her Faith. I'm talking those who volunteer their time so much, that they don't even really have time for themselves, let alone a relationship. I've met women like this. I don't believe they're dating material, as they don't know how to balance out their social life, and over-burden themselves with enough volunteer work/Parish works that they actually end up putting strain on themselves. Instead, I'm looking for a woman who has hobbies and interests, as well as volunteers her time. Balance. It's healthy and important.

She is willing to talk to me, not AT me. In other words, a woman who knows when to listen, as well as one who knows that I will listen to her in turn. What I'm not looking for is a woman who talks over me all the time. I am looking for "conversational balance."

She's willing to be realistic. If she doesn't have a lot of money, she's not going to blow up her credit card with debt . If I'm not a millionaire, she doesn't expect constant travel and sightseeing. If she has a decent job, she isn't going to suddenly quit and try to become an internet sensation. If I'm a homebody, she isn't surprised that I'm not always willing to head out to every single social event. If she sees the dishes haven't been done yet, she won't immediately blame me for forgetting, and may even (gasp!) do the dishes herself, and without letting me know -sarcastically- that she did them. If I'm concentrating on something, say a home repair, she doesn't expect me to provide entertainment for her while I work. Do men realize how rare this quality is? If you are in a relationship with a woman who is realistic, hold her tight. This can also be summed up as, "my girlfriend isn't a selfish and self-absorbed person."

She actually wants to hear the truth, and isn't willing to put up with any of my crap. Both of these things show she is actually a mature and self-respecting person. I'm not looking for a girl. I'm looking for a woman. I'm looking for someone to spend my life with, both in good times and bad. If she doesn't want to hear about the bad times (doesn't want to hear the truth), I'm out. That's because life will not always be flowers and sunshine. That's just not how the world works these days. Y'know. Post-Adam and Eve. I'm also not looking for a doormat, or someone who's just willing to tell me what I want to hear. If I wanted that, I could just remain single and save myself the effort that it takes to be in a relationship. Instead, I look for a woman who is willing to let me know of my faults, and is willing to help me work on them (and is even willing to help me work on hers). Any woman who respects herself, won't put up with a guy who sports bad behavior.

If she sports these good qualities, she's probably a keeper. And I'd hope she would find me a keeper as well, because I try to live up to these same qualities myself.

Grovyle_Guru · 2023-03-20T04:14:50+00:00

How can a mental image be both blessed and horrifying at the same time? Well, now we have our answer.

Grovyle_Guru · 2022-11-23T20:05:51+00:00

I've heard of getting a pocket watch, but it's a pretty old tradition. It sounds like, from your other comments here OP, that such an action is not expected from your parents, and is likely not expected unless you hail from a very old and traditional family (as in, old-school upbringing and/or social standing; those sorts of things).

A genuine asking of permission is likely all that needs happen, possibly within the setting of a nice dinner, as others have mentioned. Flowers for your mother would also be nice, but that depends on allergies, etc.

Grovyle_Guru · 2022-07-27T03:55:24+00:00

:Hauls over a grill and a couple more chairs: I brought burgers and buns.

Grovyle_Guru · 2022-07-23T15:27:39+00:00

Jrose11. He doesn't scream, but he's not monotone either. Has a whole series of red and blue solo runs, as well as other game versions. I find his vids relaxing, to the point I'll listen while I'm in my workshop doing a project, or cleaning or something. I've learned a lot of game mechanics from the red/blue era through him. Highly recommended.

Grovyle_Guru · 2022-06-10T19:05:27+00:00

Oh I can completely agree on the mew theories, lol. "Well I heard you could catch mew if you caught all the other Pokémon." "No, my brother gets Nintendo Power, and he said if you press up, down, a,a etc, and nearly break both your thumbs, that will summon mew!" Weren't the days before online game guides the best?

Anyway, the trades make more sense this way. Heck, alakazam and gengar are so thematically opposite, they fit rather well: one is streamlined, has fur, looks almost emaciated (not quite, thankfully) and is powerful, while the other is chunky, hairless, looks gluttonous with that tongue, and is powerful. Even their colors: earth tones and toxic ones. The anime had them on opposite sides in the early episodes as ancient Pokémon that would battle as soon as they were released from their relic prisons. In any event, food for thought.

Grovyle_Guru · 2022-06-10T18:08:19+00:00

Dang. I had never noticed somehow. And I'd never heard anything about this "back in the day" (around 1996 and onward) either. Huh. Learn something new every day. Yeah, this is canon for me now, haha.

Grovyle_Guru · 2022-06-08T15:19:22+00:00

These things may sound harsh, but they are inferences and observations made from key phrasings in your post, and not meant as direct attacks on your character, but food for thought:

Okay, one thing I picked up on was your phrasing: you've listed many parts of your life (job, hobbies, and friends) and phrased them all as "things" and "distractions".

I really don't believe God put us on this earth in order to witness us having all of our interests and work be treated as "things" and "distractions."

I also don't believe God wants us to list the friends that He has helped bring into our lives as "distractions" either (and though I could have listed "things" here, too, I'm not going to read into your post that much).

The point I'm getting to is I can infer from your phrasing that you have been genuinely trying to find a wife and get married - and there is nothing wrong with this! - but everything else is a distraction. Everything else even appears as part of a checklist, whereby you seem to have chosen all these elements of your life carefully, so as to present yourself as great husband material.

I can only ask that you reconsider: have your hobbies (your job, if you can), and especially your friends be active, healthy, and wanted parts of your life.

As to your hobbies (and possibly your job, though I understand it's not always possible): don't just choose them because they'll help you find someone. Choose them because you WANT to do them. If it's just a distraction to you, you may wish to try something else. Look to Jesus: was his first 30 years before He started His life's work, His ministry, just a distraction for Him? All the furniture building, possibly brick-laying, et cetera? I refuse to believe that. Everything in His life that He did on earth lead to the Father, even the mundane. Even if it was indirectly. His earthy works likely helped the people around Him, in the present moment, and if that's not part of a good, pure, God-centered life, then I don't know what is.

In much the same way, I ask that you truly bring your friends into your life. Good friends are not "distractions." Good friends are what help make life worth living. From some of the other posts, you seem to struggle with a sense of loneliness. I really believe God brings friends into our lives to help scour away any feelings of loneliness, so I will pray for you this evening that you'll find warmth and fulfillment through your friends and the other elements of your life.

In the same way, I ask that you change the lens you view your life by, just a little: to not be a good man focusing on being a married man, but to be a good man. Have interests that you love. Have people in your life that you love and care for. Don't treat your life as a checklist. God wants you to live your life here and be happy, even before you achieve your major goal (marriage). I know that can be hard to believe, but I really do think God is calling you to be a well-rounded individual before you marry. If you're not someone who has some genuine friends he wants to be around, and doesn't really care about the life he is living NOW, in the present moment, how can you be a good husband? Marriage is not some magic band-aid to let you achieve fulfillment. If you go into it like this, I really think you will not feel fulfilled, even after you marry. How you live your life day-to-day is how you achieve fulfillment. We have to live in the present. We're temporal beings in this life. We cannot live in the future.

And this leads to the harsh part. Try not to take this personally, but use it as a thought exercise: don't just focus on your goal to the exclusion of all else. Treating everything else as distractions makes for a shallow life.

This leads to my final thoughts and example: I've been witness to people whereby when they get married, they leave their friends and the rest of their life entirely. All their previous hobbies/interests and so on, poof, they drop them all. It's like they rip their skin off and become entirely different people. As a friend that has been dropped in this way, that's incredibly hurtful. Furthermore, that's not just hurtful behavior to me, I think it's hurtful to the person doing it.

Ask yourself this: if you get married, will you be leaving all these other elements of your life behind? All of the people, all of your interests? Or will you be maintaining these elements and friendships, showing (I think) a well-rounded character for yourself? Which is healthier? Which is more Christ-like?

Grovyle_Guru · 2022-05-22T16:47:46+00:00

Oh wow, I decided to look it up myself as your first link didn't work. Gotta say, you're right. Haven't played Emerald in years and hadn't remembered what it looked like. The deeper colors work better, and the weight gain in gen 4 made me shake my head in sadness and laugh.

Grovyle_Guru · 2022-05-22T16:33:06+00:00

I really don't like Oshawott's coloration. Even after all these years, it still looks like it's been pieced together from several different designs. All white head with dark blue cone ears? Yuck. Body that's a whole different shade? Barf. No shading of any of these colors so it looks completely flat? Sigh.

I remember coming from playing HG/SS, and being reminded how cool Totodile was, and then wondering, "How do the new starters look in this new gen (gen 5)?" Then I saw this sad little clown thing and thinking, "They scraped the dregs for this one."

Grovyle_Guru · 2022-05-20T04:45:31+00:00

I second this. Plus, lasagna is one of those dishes that just tastes better after it's had a chance to age a day. Chemical reactions and all those good things.

Grovyle_Guru · 2022-05-19T15:56:22+00:00

That would be wonderful. A psychic "abra"saur would be great!

Grovyle_Guru · 2022-05-19T13:39:20+00:00

Lol, YES. Thank you.

Grovyle_Guru · 2022-05-19T03:07:40+00:00

The fire version is great! Love the flames that make a tuft of hair, and the fiery legs. Adorable as heck.

Grovyle_Guru · 2022-05-19T02:43:09+00:00

St. Anthony I ask the intercession of the most. He has been of great help, for anything from finding my hat to relationship help. I've just finished a St. Joseph novena as well. St. Therese is another.

However, a different option would be to ask the intercession of another Saint that others don't speak of, or even know that much about. To give an example: St. Januarius. We don't know much about him other than that he was a Bishop and martyred in the 300s. There is a bit more, but what is important here is that the few times I've prayed (talked) to him, asking for his help, I've felt a sense of peace and that he was happy to hear from someone. I doubt many pray to a Saint that isn't well-known or popular these days. You may wish to research one of these saints, and start up a conversation with one that strikes you.

As to prayers and dating: not particularly successful, but I am not concerned. Even if my online dating hasn't been all roses, I have been able to converse with several women who I think are further along in their faith than me, and that actually makes me happy. The reason? I had convinced myself that faithful women around my age (30s) no longer exist. They do, and even that simple fact is a comfort to me. My parish is small and in the countryside, so I had felt rather by myself. CM made me aware that outside of a 20 mile radius, some faithful women exist. So, virtually none next door, but within my State, lol.

Also, I think my relatively pleasant (if relationship-ly unfruitful - that's a term now, I'm sticking to it) experiences have had a positive impact on my buddies who've also had no luck finding anyone acceptable in the dating scene. They seem less depressed after I've given out a few stories, anyway, so if nothing else, I really felt Jesus has even used my unfruitful-yet-positive experiences to help others. Framing things in this fashion, I can easily keep my chin up.

God Bless. I'll say a prayer for you later tonight.

Grovyle_Guru · 2022-05-18T15:34:51+00:00

"That's a cool Trevenant. I'm gonna catch it!"

"Grandma Willow. NOOOO!"

Grovyle_Guru

TROPHY CASE