You might think that by the time the Pokémon game came out in 2006, I would have been too old for video games. Think again. I played right along with my kids. Some people would say I used my kids as an excuse to play the game. And they'd be right. I was just as excited for every new game, cartoon, comic and card set as they were.

Twenty years later, we're all playing Pokémon Go. Along with about 130 million other people all over the world, we get out of the house, away from the TV and try to capture every Pokémon within reach. Fair warning: it's so much fun that you do have to be careful not to get carried away by the chase.

I loved the old video game (and the cartoons, cards, comic books, movies and toys), but the "location-based augmented reality" version of the game is a whole new world.  Not only can you play it anywhere, there are more Pokémon to collect, more places to collect them, and even global fighting teams you can join. But here's the best part of all: this is the first time in my life I've actually lost weight playing a video game!

America has 412 national parks, monuments, historic sites, and preserves ranging from simple campgrounds to vast underground caverns to giant 1,000-year-old forests. All of them are under the stewardship of the National Park Service, which will turn 100 years old on August 25.

I can't say we visited every one on our many camping trips, day excursions and family reunions, but when I was a kid, the national parks were the place to go for summer fun. That's where I learned to fish, hike, pitch a tent, make a campfire and cook outdoors. And on college road trips, that's where we'd  always park the VW Bus for a day or two of rest.

During the Park Service's Centennial celebration, from August 25 through August 28, all 412 parks will be free to the public. They're also hosting events across multiple parks, like Sing Across America where you can hear local children's' and youth choirs perform a song written especially for the centennial. Visit the Parks Service website to locate a park near you so you can celebrate some of America's most precious treasures and 100 years of National Parks Service stewardship.

Betty Boop turned 86 years old this week, but va-va-voom! She still looks great! In fact, she looks even better than when she made her first film appearance in a Talkartoons feature Dizzy Dishes.

In that debut appearance she looked more like a poodle than the sex symbol she grew up to be. Drawn with big floppy ears, a huge mouthful of teeth and a black button nose, early audiences said she was "ugly".

By the time I saw Betty Boop for the first time, she was the curvy, sexy 'toon we all know today. My friends and I fell in love with her, collecting everything from Boop dolls and toys to purses and posters. Despite her homely beginnings, she made a bunch of awkward almost-teenagers feel like we could grow up to be like Betty — confident, sweet, fun and pretty — maybe with just a little bit of "va-va-voom" on the side!

Portland, Oregon, the city whose unofficial motto is "Keep Portland Weird",  just did something weird and wonderful to their bike lanes. They're using the standard bicyclist icon to memorialize fallen rockstars Prince and David Bowie.

But this isn't the first time Portlanders honored the legendary recording artists. For nine years, the city has held an annual "Bowie vs. Prince" bike ride as part of their Pedalpalooza extravaganza. Teams dress as their favorite artist and ride through the city making designated and undesignated stops to dance to the two artists' music and finally meeting up at a warehouse where a huge dance party is held. It's unclear how — or if — a winner is chosen.

It would be hard for me to choose a team. I'll never forget the first time I heard David Bowie's Starman. It made me want to believe that there was someone out there somewhere that wanted to come and meet us, but was afraid to "blow our minds". And Prince, well he did blow our minds with his raunchy lyrics, funky rhythms and absolute mastery of almost every instrument ever invented.

This year's ride is expected to be the last after the sudden deaths of Bowie and Prince within just months of each other, but a bicycle-themed tribute continues with bike lane markers unveiled by the Portland Bureau of Transportation over the last few weeks.

Maybe Portland is weird. But it's weird in a good way. Like Prince. Like Bowie.