On The Inside at ATTACTIX

The coolest thing about being an adult is knowing that no matter how old you are there are still places around that tell you that it's okay to never entirely grow up. Attactix in south east Aurora is one such place. Just stop in and ask Bill Winski, the store's part owner, and he will tell you that it's never too late to get involved in a good fantasy game.

The store opened in March of 1993 and is still going strong. Winski has been selling games since 1977. He said games have evolved greatly over the last 22 years-- they've become more professional.

If you've ever wanted to play a fantasy or strategy game but have no idea what is out there or where start, no problem, Attactix has a wide variety of games and genres to pique your interest. There are World War II strategy board games, and miniature games like War Hammer to get into the action. And if war games don't do it for you, there are plenty of fantasy games to choose from.

On the Dungeons and Dragons front, Attactix has got it covered. Need a Player's Handbook? A Dungeon Master's Guide-- or a Monster's Manual? How about a Psionics Handbook? No problem. They all can be found at Attactix with many more D&D items.

And on the fantasy card gaming front there is more than just the widely popular Magic series to satisfy your gaming tastes. If it's science fiction you like you can pick up the Star Wars card game. How about Dragon Ball Z? It's there. Pokemon? Of course. There are even Major League Baseball and professional wrestling card games to suit your tastes.

Tim Calabro, 29, is an Attactix regular, going religiously every Friday night to get in on some pick up games of Magic in one of the shop's two gaming rooms. Calabro said he has been playing Magic for six years.

Calabro said he has spent at least $1500 on the game since he began playing. It is a figure, he said, that can easily escalate if you are a serious gamer. But even though Calabro and other players have put a lot of money into the game, Winski said you can pick up a Magic starter kit for around $10.

--Matthew Davis You can check out Magic and many other great games at Attactix at 15107 E Hampden Ave. 303-699-3349

Local Media

Truth Behind Rumor: The Internet rumor about Nostradamus predicting World Trade Center destruction? Fiction. The one about the 87th-floor survivor? Unproven. But the email about your IRS "rebate" really being an advance on next year's taxes? That one is true, and it started at the Rocky Mountain News. Reporter David Milstead revealed in a July 21 article the catch behind those $300 government checks. For some, the tax advance may actually be owed back to the government in 2002. The article has been so widely emailed...and re-emailed ...that rumor-tracking site truthorfiction.com was compelled to set the record straight, awarding its "truth" label to the circulating story.

Lost in the Shuffle: Once upon a time, privacy lawsuits seemed like important news. That's why CNET News on September. 7 reported a privacy-breach suit against Denver-based record label Fahrenheit Entertainment. The New York Times followed, September 10. But nothing about Fahrenheit made it to the Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, Westword or Denver Business Journal prior to September. 11 and, naturally, those publications have mentioned nothing since. (The Los Angeles Times even chimed in, Sept. 19.)

A California woman filed suit against Fahrenheit and another company on Sept. 6 for "violating privacy rights of California consumers" with "Charlie Pride: A Tribute to Jim Reeves." The CD, according to the suit, included a "proprietary electronic music scheme" that "tracks, stores, and disseminates specific consumer personal identifying information."

Local Arts

Artist Sharon Brown is the perfect hostess. I attended the September 28 reception for her current show, Damage, and was reminded of this woman's amazing graciousness. This is a woman who, in my company, noticed that the work she'd sold a friend had ended up on the friend's bathroom wall. Instead of getting upset or embarrassed, she astutely inquired of the friend whether the work didn't suit her anymore. The answer being yes, they made an exchange. Sharon sold the older work to someone else, and everyone is happy. I point this out because it's such good sense and such good manners, but it hardly ever happens. I will always be impressed by that.

But back to Sharon's art. Her studio, Pattern Shop, is in her home, a wonderfully funky live/work space. The center piece of this current show, and its namesake, is a series of portraits-- of criminals. The portraits are mesmerizing. My husband and I stood transfixed, teetering, almost dizzy, between seeing the human and the animal in each person. Where does beauty fit in? Stereotyping? Profiling? The paintings are numbered and arranged in perfect rows, reminiscent of a Most Wanted line-up. Information on each individual's crime, which range from forgery to auto theft to child abuse resulting in death, is in a separate register. This is a chilling display, but one-- especially in light of the questions arising from recent events-- I recommend. Pattern Shop is open by appointment only. "I'm too lazy to keep regular hours," Sharon said. Call her at 303-297-9831 and assess the Damage.

Jane Rabadi is back from her two-week fellowship at the Virginia Center For the Creative Arts. After painting her brains out on several huge canvases, all she kept repeating to me about the experience was,

"It was absolutely incredible; it was guilt-free art-making." I did gather that VCCA (www.vcca.com) is a pampering, sylvan haven. The terrorist attack happened on the first full day of Jane's fellowship... timing she believes was a blessing. She was able to lose herself in making art. Jane admits to having something of a hard time adjusting to life back here in the city, and-- every artist's bane-- looking for a bill-paying job.

I'm sure many of you join me in sending your best Get Well wishes to arts activist Marina Graves, who was recently in an automobile accident.

If you know Marina, though, you know this won't keep her down for long. I look forward to seeing her back in action at (seemingly) every art opening in town!

--Kimberly MacArthur Graham