dylan tweney if you're bored, you're not paying attention

Katamari takes over your brain.

sycamore,
uploaded by bitmapr.

A month or two ago, we were walking through a parking lot on our way to Fresh Choice when we walked by a young sycamore tree. There were a few sycamore seed pods lying on the ground: Small, round, hard green things with spikes sticking out all over.

Clara said: "Look, a Katamari!"

Mind you, this kid has seen (and helped play) Katamari Damacy maybe twice, and that was back in January. It obviously made a big impression. There must be something in the game that locks into our brains, like an enzyme clicking into a protein or something.

She picked up her "katamari" and carried it with her through the salad bar and buffet line at Fresh Choice. I briefly considered encouraging her to use it by rolling up peas, corn, lettuce, and other tidbits, which abound at Fresh Choice. But I restrained myself. I didn't want every trip to Fresh Choice turning into a foodie game of Katamari Damacy. But maybe that's just my parental conservatism showing through.

BTW, the picture on this post seems to be a more mature seedpod. The one Clara picked up had fewer spikes, and they were hard and pointy, like little thorns.

More evidence of Katamari brain control: xkcd - A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language - By Randall Munroe