I have just discovered the best place in all the world! It’s like every Christmas morning I’ve ever had all wrapped up into one. AND it’s right here in my very own back yard. Now that’s exciting! Where is this Xanadu you ask?

Located at 600 Bloor Street West, a mere 2 blocks away from the Bathurst Subway station, it’s innovation at its finest. At first glance it seems an unassuming cafe, and let me tell you, the coffee, sandwiches and home made quiche are well worth the visit, but that is merely the icing on a very delicious confection. You see, lining the shelves of one wall, which runs the entire length of the quaint little place, are board games — 2,000 of them!! You heard me right: 2,000 board games. I’m not sure if I’ve ever told anyone how much I love board games. Well, I ADORE them! I think “Gamer” is the nom de geek I am most aligned with deep in my soul. I’ve always been a lover of adventure, but let’s face it, adventure is BORING if you haven’t got a few trusty companions along the way to help you enjoy all the new experiences. And board games are the quick n’ easy way to hook up with a handful of friends and go on an adventure together. It’s like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, where you get to be the character making your own decisions instead of following along someone else’s pre-scripted choices.

You don’t have to be a nerd to like playing them, even though it’s cutting edge cool to be a nerd or a geek these days. Although, some of my favorites are especially loved by the geek crowd — especially the dungeon crawls! I do loves me a crawl through dank corridors laid out on cardboard tiles in search of a dragon to kill and treasure to loot.

Honestly though, I defy you to be unable to find one you enjoy playing, or even better, a cherished game from childhood that you fondly remember playing for HOURS on end growing up. For me, my sister and my cousins it was Clue and I always played Col. Mustard. Don’t ask me why, I’ve never liked the colour yellow…must have been the monocle. There is a whole section dedicated to Trivial Pursuit, with editions I never knew existed. (I’ve put a moratorium on this game with my friends as play time takes our entire afternoon and I want to play games I’ve never played before–I mean come on! There are 1,950 I have yet to play!). There are strategy games for the hardcore players, card games, games from around the world, indie published games by small studios and even a section for kids.

Yep, the cafe prides itself on being welcoming to kids and families as well as nerds and non-nerds of all flavours. It’s also licensed upstairs (booze and board games has always been a fave combination of mine) and they take reservations. How could it possibly get any better? But wait, there’s more! Happily working each day is someone I call a Game Master. These friendly people wander around with the lion’s share of knowledge on how to play a good chunk of games on the premises. Bored of the same-old-same-old? Can’t decide what to play or feeling overwhelmed at the vast choices? Ask a Game Master for a suggestion and they will sit down with you and in 10 minutes or less explain to you the basic rules of the new adventure you are about to embark on and then leave you to play on your merry way. And as an extra bonus? They sell most of the games cheaper than anywhere else in the city, and if they don’t have the one you want, they can order it in for you if it’s still in print.

There is a $5 cover/person to sit and play, but that allows you to stay until they close at 2am — that’s a hell of a lot of bang for your buck! Movies are at most 3 hours long, the food is not nearly as yummy, you can’t interact with your friends and it’s three times the price. There is one minor downside (a-ha! you say; I knew it!). Even with the extra tables downstairs (where, unfortunately, the liquor license is not applicable), the place is not that huge and is always busy. Fear not though brave adventurers! S&L has purchased the store next door and will be knocking out the wall and expanding in the near future for more gaming fun. It’s wonderful to see such creative ideas flourish!

Seriously, what more could you possibly want in an afternoon or evening out than capital F-U-N?

I’m always late to the party. Don’t ask me why, I just always am. It’s got nothing to do with waiting around for others’ approval, or a desire to know things are cool before jumping on the band wagon. Honestly, I think it has more to do with me being so damn curious and easily distracted by everything — and I mean EVERYTHING — on the path to wherever my destination leads me.

Case in point: when I was in Grade 2, my Mom threw a fit when I finally arrived home from school around dinner time. It was a 30 min walk home that had somehow taken me 2 1/2 hours to make. She was beside herself with worry. When she demanded to know where the heck I’d been all that time, I rather simply told her that I made a snow angel, climbed the the roof of the local 1- story parking garage to slide down the huge drift of snow many, many times, built a snowman and then came home because it was getting too dark to have fun any more.

Whenever I saw the Family Circus cartoon with a map of Billy running all over the place I could totally identify with it (actually, that was the only time I really identified with the cartoon; I was always a sweet kid, but never that gosh-darn apple pie — see? There I go a wandering again).

So. The Unwritten. I think it’s brilliant. It’s a graphic novel all about the power of stories and the evil that happens when we give up on caring about them, shaping them, being inspired by them and let “the pseudo powers that be” control the stories that are told to us. It reminds me WAY too much about the media blackout happening right now over at Occupy Wall Street.

The comic also speaks to taking control of your own story and how scary this can be, especially when it isn’t unfolding the way you expect it to. It’s been reminding me that if I already knew the way my own story was going to turn out, then it wouldn’t be a very interesting or exciting story, would it? I’ve never been the type to flip to the last page of a novel I’m reading to see how it ends. Stories shape us, and we are really just along for the ride. I find comfort in that thought after the year of plot twists I’ve been faced with this year. Given the choice, would I rather ride my story out to the final page, holding on as tight as I can to it as it unfolds, rather than give it over to be told by someone else. Absolutely! Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good edit. I’ve learned more from the editors I’ve worked with than any book or class I’ve taken. But see, for me, that’s the key: “… editors I’ve worked with…” It’s still my story, even though I’m always eager for guidance along the way. So, here’s to all the Lizzies out there who have kept me from stumbling too hard, while still allowing me to tell my story the way I envision it. And hopefully, I’ve been able to rescue them from any creative comas along the way.

Vertigo comics always tell powerful stories, so head to your local comic book store and check this gem out.