Playing Games in Puerto Vallarta

Every game created by humans involves luck to a certain percentage with skill taking up the balance. Scrabble hovers around 15% luck, and when that 15% attaches itself to you during a tournament, as it did to me yesterday, you can do no wrong.

Four games straight with the last two played because we had time and Sharon hoped her luck would change. It didn’t, but she tried her best.

I read somewhere that Scrabble was a perfect game, and if you did nothing else in your life but play it, you would never create the same game twice. The boredom level in Scrabble is zero, and a game can turn into triumph on the last play, something Sharon understands and why she is a joy to play against; she never gives up.

With all my winnings in hand, I walked down to Nacho Daddy to support the Colina Spay and Neuter Clinic Bingo held every other Wednesday. Bingo is the reverse of Scrabble, with maybe 15% skill and the rest pure, unadulterated luck. It requires your attention enough to not miss a call and cover the number. That’s it, and that’s why it is far more popular than Scrabble. It’s more social, rarely involves thinking, and requires no strategy whatsoever.

But it can be fun, especially when you win! Because that’s the point of playing games, to be the best for one bright shining moment when you shout out B-I-N-G-O at the top of your lungs and hear the groans of every other wanna-be winner around you with only one lousy number left to cover. Still, there you are, ahead of everybody else in the room. Savor that fleeting moment, pick your prize, then slide back in with the masses.

And Bingo raises money, in this case, for one of the most important animal charities in Vallarta – the Colina Spay & Neuter Clinic. If all strays were unable to reproduce, we wouldn’t need the dozen or so shelters we have that also require funding. Nipping it in the bud – spay and neuter! Spay and neuter! The only sustainable answer. Colina can proudly say they have preempted MILLIONS of offspring over their 12 years of service to Vallarta. If you have an opportunity to help with volunteering and/or money, please consider Colina Spay and Neuter. Their services are free, but the vets have to be paid, of course. Colina also works with other agencies to help fly dogs and cats that have been adopted in other countries, but their focus remains on eliminating the problems before they occur.

Another delicious way to help is going to Langostinos restaurant on the beach. Owner Colette Zarry is a co-founder of Colina and donates ten percent of every sale to the Clinic, so it’s a win-win for everybody. Colette also donates gift certificates as prizes to the every-other-Wednesday bingo at Nacho Daddy.

After my wins at Scrabble, I won a 250 peso gift certificate to Langostinos at Bingo. Life is so Goooood!