When you have put in the all the final grades, And cleaned the papers from your cluttered room; You can watch as the year’s memory fades As the potential of the summer blooms. Will you ever remember this school house When the key turns on last time in the lock, And the neon hallway lights have been doused, Ticking the last moments of the clock? The next year, they will start it up again With a new face there to greet the students, And there might be some who recall a when Where you were there, a part of those present. It is a bittersweet kind of goodbye When the time has come to go off and fly.
O! To have one of those rainy Sundays Where the remote finds itself in my hand, And my mind seeks comfort in a deep haze Because nothing for me, anyone planned. I may have to wander to the kitchen To satisfy my grumbling stomach With a bowl full of quick junk food fixin’s, And a cold beverage I had to make. Sometimes I will look outside the window At the dark cloud threatening to drop rain, And since I have no place I need to go, I do not need to bother to complain. I will nestle further into my chair To spend all this day not giving a care.
The smell of chicken wafts over the grill, Blending with the puffy cloud afternoon. The sweat of the bottle matches the thrill Of not having anything to do soon. A cool breeze feels good against my bare skin, And I join it by rocking in my chair. I watch the sun curve to the mountain rim As it will soon become my only care. I enjoy sharing this meal with loved ones During the early part of the summer Because I know how it is that time runs Where there’s few moments we can number. We must make the most of the ones we can To live fully within our short life span.
All I own is under one-hundred pounds That I lug in bags around the airport. It’s what I’ll live with when I hit the ground, When this country I finally abort, And I land in a place that’s far away With a language I do not understand. It’s not much; it will start me on my way With a lifestyle that’s simply planned. I can only take what I really need; Everything else I’ll get while I am there. I’ll hold each treasure with a certain greed, And treat them with a special kind of care. It is funny the choices I have made, But I appreciate the price I’ve paid.
There is not a lot to do in a car Traveling down America’s highways. Though the distance to go is very far, We wish we could skip these tedious days Of watching endless fields of golden grain Go by outside the passenger window. There’s never going to be a refrain To the tick of the monotonous show. I turn the dial looking for music That can turn this boring day exciting, But the stations I can find are tragic Because it is only Christians talking. I think I am about to lose my grip As I continue on this long road trip.
Meet Zoey. I have talked about her before. She is my puppers. We rescued her while living in Jordan, and though she drives me crazy from time to time, I love her to death, and would do anything for her. When I found a new job across the world in Peru, I was definitely going to take her with me, but the logistics of taking a dog from one part of the world to another is a crazy endeavor of paperwork, muscle and stress. In the end though, it is worth the effort to know that she will be with me on this new adventure in a new country.
Let’s get one thing straight, Zoey has a pretty easy life even though she might tell you differently. She was picked up on the side of the road in the dessert on the way to the Dead Sea from Amman. Afterwards, she was given a home where she had all the toys she could want, never had to hunt for her food, or look for a fluffy place to rest her head when she was tired. Despite all this, she has still only know a dessert world where there are few trees, hot sun beating down, and a city landscape. Going across the world has been an eye-opening experience for her. For the first time in her life, she has seen big bodies of water, squirrels, horses, and deer, and trees so numerous that they cover a whole area that the humans call forests.
All of these new experiences have been a little stressful for her. She does not always know what to make of them, and as soon as she starts to feel comfortable in a place, we uproot and get her on the move again. You see, we couldn’t make a direct flight from Jordan to Peru. We had about a month lay-over in the United States, and to get her into this country was a little bit of a challenge. The United States currently has ban on dogs coming from Jordan because of a couple of cases of rabies a few years back. Basically it takes about six months to collect all the paperwork necessary to fly a dog into the United States from Jordan, and then you have to schedule an appointment with the CDC to get another health check before they officially allow the dog into the country.
Airlines are also fun to work with. They each have their own requirements and weight allowance. It requires just as much wrangling to get a dog into the cargo hold and even then, it is not always a given they will get to go. They will have to be there during a certain time of the year because they will not allow the dog to fly if it is too hot or too cold outside. In each case, it might cause the dog severe discomfort while sitting on the tarmac because they will not be able to turn on the climate control until they are up in the air. Luckily this was never a problem for us as we found the perfect time to get her into the plane, and the plane into the air.
We tried to limit the amount of time that Zoey had to spend in the air, and we definitely wanted to limit the amount of layovers that she might have to endure. The best way to do this was to fly in and out of L.A. even though she would be staying in Oregon the whole time she was in the United States. In order to make this happen, we had to take the long drive between the two states twice. It wasn’t ideal, but it was easier for Zoey to understand what was going on rather than having her trapped in a dark tiny crate for many long hours without us being able to explain why she was in it.
It also gave us the added bonus of being able to see a little more of the United States on a road trip. It has been a long time since I have been on an American road trip, and I enjoy the feel of the open road. This is not necessarily the same for a dog who has to find themselves cramped in the back seat with a collection of all of our stuff that we are bringing with us to Lima on our move there. Still, I was amazed at well Zoey did on the trip. She chilled out in the back seat and got up to watch the scenery as it passed by. It helped that we did the drive through California which offers a lot to look at.
But after a couple of nights in hotels that we fancier than what we usually stayed in because we wanted to make sure that there was enough space for Zoey, it was tine to pack everything up and head to the airport. That final jump over to our new life was exciting for us, but trying to explain to Zoey how much she would love the new experience was still difficult for us to do. I always wondered what was going through her mind at this moment. Did she think that she was heading back to Jordan to her home, or was she still confused as to what actually was going on?
Whatever she was thinking, the reality is she eventually got on that flight, and made it all the way to her new life in Peru. It was stressful for her and us, and there was quite an adventure along the way, but we are safe and sound now. She has taken the last week exploring her new surroundings and getting comfortable as so have we. I can’t wait to see where it leads all of us, and I am sure that Zoey agrees.
Thanks for reading, and I look forward to keeping you updated with our new adventure.
I got a second chance to say goodbye. This time I was not going to waste it. My intention was not to make you cry, But that was always a part of its spirit. Seeing each other again is doubtful, So I will hold this moment in my heart. It is the nature of life to be cruel As we eventually have to part. But we will not leave on terms of regret That we had not ended things very well, And for that reason I’m happy to get An opportunity for this farewell. Though our life paths may never again cross, I will never consider it a loss.
In an old strip mall that has a bunch of dying shops that I have driven by numerous times during my fifty years of stomping around Littleton, there is a shop that has opened in the last ten years called Enchanted Grounds. I have known about it, but its non-descript sign and the closed blinds made me think that it was a dump that was biding its time until it would close down and another business would take its place. This was until I needed to find a place to finish up my Dungeons and Dragons campaign and somebody suggested that I check out this place. So I took a walk down the street to see if it would be a great place to finish up the campaign.
What I found there was one of those places that I had been looking for ever since I have gotten back into the board game hobby. It was a cozy little cafe with large tables where you could set up games for up to ten people if needed. There were plenty of tables too and when I asked if I would need a reservation for a table, they chuckled and said that this was not usually necessary. They also sold a fair amount of good games, books for various role playing games, miniatures for these games as well as the paint to make them your own.
What made it perfect was the coffee and small bites served by a delightful staff. I wouldn’t want to indulge in these during the nighttime, but during the day, it was the perfect way to jumpstart me on my way. There were many people there that were enjoying a coffee drink while playing a game, browsing for a new one, or just hanging out with their friends. It just showed me that I shouldn’t judge a place by its outside because when I walked inside, I instantly fell in love with the place. It will be a long time before I am able to make my way back there, but it is nice to know that it is there and has a big enough clientele that they will still be in business by the time I make my way back to the United States to enjoy it again.
I was watching an episode of South Park a few years ago with my wife. It was the episode where Cartman convinced Butters that he had travelled in time to a post-apocalyptic world just so he could take his spot to go to a birthday party at Casa Bonita. My wife could not believe how much I was laughing, and she could not understand what was so funny. I pointed at the screen, and told her that Casa Bonita was exactly like that. She looked at me and stated, “That place is real!”
Yes, Casa Bonita is a real place, and it holds a special place for many people who grew up in Denver. There have been many birthday parties that I went to at this place, and my memories of it are fond, even though the food was never any good. It had been a staple of Denver for many years, and the legend grew because of the South Park episode. Still, the old building started to fall apart, and fewer people came, and eventually they had to close down. It laid abandoned for many years.
This was until Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park, saw an opportunity to refurbish the building, and return Casa Bonita back to its glory days. They came in and put back together the crumbling infrastructure of the building. They added a real kitchen that could actually cook more than two items. They hired a chef to make the food worth the visit. And they kept the magic that made Casa Bonita the place it was, it is, and as it should be.
They obviously kept the arcade that was a part of all childhood memories of any location that we went to while children. They kept a few of the games that we loved so much. I was able to find Centipede, Ms. Pac Man, and Galaga. They have also updated many of the games, and there are some more modern ones to appeal to the younger generation. And if you are into useless crap, you can still try your hand at Skeeball to get a bunch of tickets to buy that crap.
Of course, they could not get rid of Moco, the gorilla that walks around with its handler where you can your picture with it. It is odd to see when you first witness it walking around, but in a place as strange as Casa Bonita, it somehow seems to fit.
There are also many other forms of entertainment to keep you in the building and enjoying yourself. You can sit through one of the puppet shows where a talking taco will make you laugh with all the food pun jokes that it can come up with. If that is not your cup of tea, you can get your fortune read, watch an illusionists, or watch a mariachi band. It is all a little schticky but if you lean into the schtick, it makes it a lot of fun and you no longer notice the schtick.
And of course, they kept the thing that made Casa Bonita the legend that it is in Denver, the cliff divers. Of course they have not kept the original cliff divers, but the replacements they have found are still skilled in the abilities to dive and entertain. Parker and Stone have also made the diving safer for those entertaining the crowds. Rumor has it that the old place where the divers came out of the pool was the electrical room for the restaurant. The new place is free from accidents happening that would cause quite the stir in the newspapers if they happened.
Casa Bonita has returned back to its glory days, and has become a tourist destination in Denver. If you are thinking about going while visiting the city, keep in mind that at this time, it is hard to get a reservation. I had to get mine four months in advance, and it happened because the person that made the reservation had special status with the restaurant. It is a little pricey now, but it is a lot of fun and worth the visit. I’m just glad to know that the pink building in Lakewood is not sitting there empty, and laughter and joy still ring out from its halls. It might be another thirty years before I go back again, but I am glad that I was able to sneak in this one time while visiting home.
Welcome to your nightmare. There is nothing worse than the dark shadows that lurk in the corners of our consciousness while we are unable to do anything about them. At least there are hidden doors that will lead us to safety. If we can only find them within our imagination filled with sunny days, watery depths, deep forests, and tall bookshelves. It goes deeper than the dreams we have at night; it is an introduction to the world created by Shadi Torbey, the Oniverse, a series of games produced by Z-Man games designed for solo players to immerse themselves into the various corners of his imagination.
If you have had the opportunity to play one of the Oniverse games, you know about the solo game design that scratches that itch to play a complex game when nobody else is around. Even though the box claims that the games are designed for one to two players, they are basically solo board games that are wonderful to experience time and time again. Onirim is the one that started is all off, and is the perfect one to look at when introducing oneself to the wonderful world of the Oniverse.
THEME
This is a story that is birthed in our greatest fears, hidden deep within our minds. We are the only ones that can find the doors to help us escape from this fear, and we have to duck and dodge the terrors that could easily find us. The theme of this game really comes to life as you sort through the cards and look for the combination that will allow you to escape from the terrors. Sometimes doors will appear when you do not have what you need in order to open that door, just like it happens in a dream. At other times, the key you have been holding for a long time will come into use to open up another door that you had been looking for a long time. Throughout all of this, there is the creature lurking in the darkness that is the greatest fear that we hold in our hearts. It will come out unexpectedly, and send us to another corner quickly just to escape the horror that it brings with it. All of these ideas present themselves brilliantly in this game, and it sometimes feels as if you are a part of that dreamscape in your waking hours.
Rating – 10
GAMEPLAY
At the heart of this game is solitaire card play. There is a stack of cards that you will draw one card from into a hand of five. Within that deck, there are four different suits with moon cards, sun cards, key cards, and door cards. After you have drawn a card, you have to either play it to a matrix that will give you the combination that will open the doors so you can escape your nightmare. You do this by playing three cards from the same suit in a row where you do not repeat the symbol on the card. If you cannot play to the matrix, you must discard a card. While all this is happening, you have to beware the Oniverse monsters that are lurking in the deck. If you draw one of these, you have the potential to lose all the cards in your hand to the discard pile, a key card which are more powerful than other symbols, or lose five cards you have not even seen yet. You win if you open all the doors. You lose if you make through the whole deck without opening up all the doors.
There are a couple of rules, but this is basically what is at the heart of the gameplay. It is a fun little puzzle, and after a couple of games, you can fall easily into its rhythm much like you do with any game of solitaire. The problem with the game comes when you come across a door or a Oniverse monster. You resolve the conflict that comes with one of these cards, and then you have to reshuffle the deck. During one game of Onirim you can end up shuffling the deck up to fifteen times that will pull you out of that rhythm that you are looking for in a solitaire game.
If you are looking for a more streamlined version of the game, there is an app version of the game that can include two of the expansions that come with the game. It is a little wonky when trying to discard a card, but for the most part it solves the problem of always having to reshuffle the cards anytime one of the special cards shows up. It does not have the feel of a solitaire card game, but it is a great way to experience the game especially if you find yourself waiting around and have nothing to do.
Rating – 8
ARTWORK
The unboxing experience is always a fun one, but never have I ever been more enthralled than when opening the box for Onirim for the first time. Elise Plessis, the artist for the game went beyond just supplying with pretty pictures, and cute little plastic pieces. The box unfolds all of the goodies hidden inside through various layers just like you are entering the nightmare that you will eventually try to escape. This then opens up to the two large decks of cards that includes not only the base game but all of the expansions that come with the game. There is a little plastic monster that comes with the game tat serves no real purpose but adds to the mystique of the game. I like to place it just outside of my gameplay to remind me that the monster is lurking anywhere within the confines of my adventure through the cards. The cards themselves have a surreal artwork that belongs nowhere else but the dreamland that you are about to enter. It all combines to immerse a person into the dramatic theme that goes along with this game.
Rating – 10
SOLO PLAY
Like a lot of games out there, Onirim markets itself as a game that is able to be played by two people but in reality, it is nothing more than a solo game. It is a great puzzle to work out, but my one complaint with it is the constant reshuffling that occurs during the game. The base game is a little easy as well, and after you figure out what to do in each situation, it presents a game very similar to regular solitaire that does not offer a lot of options in its design. The complication starts to occur when you start to add the expansions that come with the game, and it allows you to amp up the options that are available to you.
Rating – 7
EXPANSIONS/ OTHER GAMES in the ONIVERSE
Just like the box says, Onirim comes with seven different expansions. If you get the app, two of the options are available to you, and the nice thing about all of these expansions, you can mix and match them until you create the deck that you like to play the most. It also adds enough variety to the game that it will have you opening the box on numerous occasions to see if you can escape from the nightmare presented to you. This makes the game extremely fun with an great amount of replay-ability that allows it to live on long after you have bought it.
Onirim is also the introduction to the Oniverse, a series of solitaire games that Shadi Torbey claims that you can play with two people. At the writing of this blog there are eight games in total with what appears to be a new additional coming soon. Each game is another box with a great solo experience with additional expansions to the game that you can mix and match to create your own version of the game that you like best. The games do not work with each other except thematically, and they are more there own games than they are an extension of Onirim. Like any other sequels there are some better than others. I have not played all of them, but out of the ones I have played I enjoy Sylvion the best though there are some other fun ones out there.
Rating – 9
OVERALL
Onirim and its universe is a great introduction to solo board gaming. The games possess a zen-like quality to them that help you relax while presenting you with an engaging puzzle. Each box in the Oniverse has enough variety and challenge that you can build your own deck to find the complexity of the puzzle that you are most comfortable with. Though I do enjoy the app more than the actual box for the game Onirim because of the amount of shuffling involved to play the game right, the other games do not have this problem, and at the time of writing this review, also do not have apps available. It is always nice to have a box or two in the Oniverse in your collection so you can have a great solo experience that you are looking for.
John Collings 