Episode Transcript
<p><!--block-->Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode of Couple of Nukes. As always, I'm your host, Mr. Whiskey, and today's episode is going to be interesting. We are going to hit you with some life advice, you know, one that is never too late to start. You know, whatever age you may be, if you have an idea, pursue it.<br><br>And that's going to be the life advice side of it. Now, the other side, we're going to be talking about educating and engaging with the youth in a way that is fun. And like I say, keyword engaging with social media and technology. There are so many distractions out there and so much competition to you as a parent, a mentor, whatever it may be when it comes to educating and entertaining your children.<br><br>And so we have a guest here with an innovative strategy using card games that will educate and engage. And so we're going to get into that as well as someone who is a veteran and taking care of someone else who is disabled. And we're going to talk a little bit about the hardships of being a caregiver and some of the advice to help alleviate those burdens that can be weighing us down.<br><br>Not that the person we're taking care of is a burden. Of course, we are all here to help one another, but it does come with some hardships. And we're going to talk about the reality of that and what we can do to help that. So Ms. Zorina Prechet is here to join us. Would you please introduce yourself for us? <br><br>Thank you for having me. I'm Serena Prechet. I am founder of Sochi, and like you said, I created a quick play card game, and I am a disabled veteran caregiver, all of that. Um, and sometimes I say this, guys, I have all these balls I'm throwing up in the air, but they do fall sometimes, and I just simply pick them up and start all over again.<br><br>So it's great to be here with you. Yeah, and so I mentioned that you're a veteran. And so we're all curious. When did you join? What branch and why I joined in the early 80s? Don't have to think I'm old. Now we think about the exact date. Actually, I joined because my ex husband at a time we had gotten married when we were in college and we had this plan.<br><br>That we're going to allow our parents to continue to pay for our college education. But unfortunately, my mom was snooping in my room and found my marriage certificate and say, oh, well, now you're married. You've grown now. And so we ended up having to find our own place and we struggled to pay for our own college.<br><br>So we came up with this great idea. Let's join the military. because we felt like it was a win win. We could serve our country as well as have them help pay for our education. And that is how I ended up being in the military. And I'm glad I did join because I learned a lot of life lessons that I applied today. <br><br>Now you say you and your ex husband both joined together. It sounds like the beginning of a, I want to say a bad story, unfortunately. Um, you know, how did that go? Uh, you two joining the same branch, trying to get stationed together. I know, uh, some branches will say, Hey, after a year. Being stationed separate, you can be stationed the same base.<br><br>How did that all play out? Well, we did end up we joined the army and we did go to different locations for our basic training. We also went to different locations for our advanced school, but I ended up being recycled because I got injured in basic training. And then the thing about that wasn't on active duty very long.<br><br>Because after our break, we got together, had too much fun and then recreate my little boy, my son. And so we got to our duty stations. Um, we didn't both end up being an infantry in Fort Polk, Louisiana. And so we decided that, you know what, we were going away a lot. So I decided to go ahead and get out and be a full time mom.<br><br>And then he stayed in, so it was challenging at first being apart, but it worked its way out. Okay. Okay. And so you talk about having that, family dynamic where you're separated and now you're a full time mother and he's still active duty. And so how did that really affect you as a. Mother having, you know, when it comes to being a stay at home mom and a full time mom, of course, it's hard for, for anyone doing that.<br><br>But to have a husband then who is gone for most of the time, I mean, what challenges came with that? For me, it was very challenging because we were still in Louisiana and I had joined a reserve group, uh, In Louisiana and not being surrounded by family and friends. So, when he would go off on his training, it was just me and trying to coordinate someone to take care of my son.<br><br>When I had to do my weekend drills, it was very challenging. And what I found useful is that I had to. Get a surrogate family. There was a family that took a liking to me because I was very young with a small child. And so I spent a lot of my time with them. They also was able to support my education.<br><br>Because remember, we went in to help pay for our education. So while the reserve, I could still go to school. So they helped support me and taking care of my son while I went to night school to take some more college courses. And I think with the military, Yeah. Being a spouse, you have to have that community support.<br><br>And so there was other activities on the base that I took advantage of and that's how I worked it out. It really, that community support was very there for me to be able to pursue my goals and have that support in helping me raise my son during his father's absence. Alright, and would you say, uh, the time you spent with your son and being a mother, uh, did that have a big influence or impact on the creation of your game?<br><br>Or, I know we talked about it's never too late to start, and I say that because I know the game was really, Uh, later on in your life, uh, quite later on, so what were some of the things throughout your life that led to its creation? Well, honestly, I think what led to the creation other than it appeared to me in a dream was that When my brother fell ill from a brain stroke All my time was devoted to him And so I just felt like maybe came at a time where I needed something Something for myself because I had retired and then also at the time that it came about my son who's grown had 2 daughters and they were so actively involved in their screens and he will complain about that a lot.<br><br>And then 1 of his daughters. Was in some kind of chat online and she thought she was talking to another teenager, but it was a grown man from Russia. And so I think the combination of being concerned for my granddaughters and then also, um, working with my brother, that maybe the universe said we need something special for her.<br><br>And so when I had the dream of the game, I, uh, developed it, tested with my family, and then I never. Notice that my granddaughters, they really like the game. In fact, the youngest 1 was the 1 that told me to bring it to market because she said that. Because of the quick play, it makes it easier for you to follow, you know, pay attention and you want to play it because it has a touch of suspense.<br><br>And she said, most importantly, it's because they had a chance to create memories with their parents, because most times when you're on your screens or your digital devices, you were playing by yourself, but when they play the game, They get to have fun with their parents. And so that's how I ended up bringing the gang to market. <br><br>Yeah. Not only do they have fun, but they have giggles and wiggles of fun. Is that correct? Yeah, that's a slogan because whenever we play, um, we just, we laugh a lot because of the suspense. Um, and then 2, I think it's because not often if we really think about it, not often do we have an opportunity to play a game, a very small game. <br><br>suspenseful, a little touch of suspense that multi generation can play. And so whenever I had the opportunity to sit down as the grandmother and then play with my own son and his wife and my granddaughters and all of us enjoying the game and we're laughing and relaxing, it was really fun. Fun until the early stages.<br><br>I have to say the early stages of the game. The youngest had a problem. We didn't know she had a issue with emotional regulation. And what I mean by that, she will get become so upset that she started throwing the games, the cards everywhere because she was losing. And so we were able to find out later. I asked her what was going on.<br><br>Oh, with you, because it was really disturbing to see her behavior. We knew she was competitive, but not to this degree where she would literally get angry about it. And she said, Gigi, the game just moved so quickly and it was new to me and I had to adjust to it. And when I finally understood and had to.<br><br>Fun and just relax and have fun. Then I was able to control my emotions, but I have to tell you, it was very disturbing. And that's why I think another reason why parents should play games with their kids and see how they respond to situations that are uncomfortable because then that gives you an opportunity to do some correct, correct them in a way that they Loving supportive way and help them to get beyond that.<br><br>And that's what we did with her together as a family. Yeah, I think that's vital. You know, if you have children who have never been in a competitive environment or something of that sort, and then their first time is at school, uh, you know, like you said, you'd rather have them have the harsh reaction, the, the undisciplined reaction at home in that safe environment than, let's say it happens out in public and it's at school, and um, Maybe they start a fight over it with, you know, they hit someone else, you know, uh, whether it's sports or some kind of friendly classroom game that gets out of hand.<br><br>So I think it's important, like you said, to have that at home and also just bringing families together. Like you said, multiple generations. And I think a lot of families are spending a lot of time apart from each other just because of the way the world is. They're spending all their time At home in your phone, like you said, there, there would be everyone's just sitting on the couch in their phone, you know, with each other, but not engage with each other.<br><br>And so I think it's totally important to have a game that really. Brings people together. And we're going to have the link in the description below for anyone to check out this game, who's interested in it, of course, but I'd love for you to just explain to us kind of the basic concept of the game and how it works.<br><br>I know we've mentioned is a car game. It's fast, kind of a bit of a suspense and competition. So if you could explain that to us,<br><br>so how do you play somatic ship? First off, it's not UNO, because when people play it, they say, Oh, it reminds me of UNO. And I say that because Is that there's a matching piece of it where you match colors and with somatic shift, there's only 12 colors that you have to match during the game. And so, when those colors are matched, they're out of play.<br><br>Then we have the other elimination cards. I forgot to say this believe forgive me. In order to win somatic ship, you have to be the last player holding. A card to win. And so you have these series of cards that eliminate the player's hand. You have the give and take cards when you draw those cards, you take one card out of your hand and give it to another player, or you can take a card out of their hand.<br><br>And then the suspense is the shifting of cards, because you never keep your original hand that shifts around the table. So to add that suspense on who's going to be left holding a card, but we do have a wild card. And the wild card allows you to stay in the game when all your match colors are out. Or if you want to eliminate a player from the game because you get to pull one card from them and if they holding that one card, they're out the game.<br><br>I love that when someone's talking smack and I have a wild card. And the only way you can get back into zomatic shift Someone has to give you a card and that brings you back in. So, for example, if you don't have any card and they pull a give right or left and you receive their card, you're back into the game to play.<br><br>And so I think the, the thing about the game is that it caused a lot of cognitive moving around the adaptability. And then it's also helped with my seniors who play the game to find motor skills. But, you know, the Funny thing, I'll say this. It is amazing how we all know our left and right. And sometimes when I'm playing and I get a little confused, I'll say, Oh, remember your military, right?<br><br>I'm like, yeah, I got it. They used to say that to me a whole lot when I was the fourth squad leader. Yeah. And so that's the thing about it. And so when people say, Oh, I had to go read the instructions, it's because we are so conditioned, I think with muscle memory. Playing games the same way. And because zomatics ship plays so quickly and you only have those 12 player cards, it throws people off, but it's a simple game.<br><br>You either going to match the colors, or are you going to give a card away? Take a card. Are you going to ship your entire hand? Are you going to play your wild card? That's it. It's a very simple game, but because of the simplicity of it, multi generations can play with ease and have fun. And I love that, you know, most card games are about getting rid of everything.<br><br>This is about holding on to something. So I love that difference, but we got to take a step back. I think we confuse some people there. So we were talking about Xochitl on and off, and then you shifted to Zomatic Shift and people were like, wait, what's what's going on? So could you please clarify for us that, you know, Xochitl is like the overarching game?<br><br>Yeah. And then you have different games underneath that, correct? Yes. ZCI is the name of the business that I started. Uh, as you know, you can see the zeal, like my name Zina, um, C is in honor of my deceased mother. Her name is Siesta, and the hey is, oh wow. Come play this amazing game. So Sochi is the producer of my games.<br><br>I have somatic sch. That's for ages 11 plus and older. And then I have past in play, which is a junior version of zomatic ship for our younger players. Um, that's from ages four to 10. And it's really a modified version of the original because one day when I was vending a little girl wanted to play and she had problem with the give and take card.<br><br>So I made a Modified version for them to play. And then I also liked the fact that their parents can use it as an educational piece too, for the younger ones, like magic colors, teaching them to follow directions because you have to do that with that card. Um, I do have my third game, which is called a face off.<br><br>So magic shift face off. That one is pending development. I'm still doing more testing on that one. And that one plays differently, but they're all of these three games are under my. Business name, uh, Sochi, right? And ladies and gentlemen, this episode will be coming out in mid or late November, depending on my schedule, which is a little chaotic.<br><br>Uh, so with that being said, right around Thanksgiving time here in the U S and, Approaching Christmas and, uh, boxing day for my Australians and Canadians, but, um, what I'm saying is, is a lot of family get togethers coming up, uh, whether that's in laws that you don't like or do like and mostly don't like, and, uh, you know, your brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, all that.<br><br>Or your friends, you know, if you have your adopted family. And so this is a great game to try out, try something new. Uh, cause like you said, you know, there's so many games that we've played that are ingrained into us over and over again and yeah, they're, they're always fun, uh, but it's great to try something new.<br><br>And I think, ladies and gentlemen, either you can buy this yourself to host, uh, you know, at your family get together, whatever it may be, or this might be a good gift, you know, uh, open it up early on Christmas Eve and, you know, have a little fun the night before, and then the kids go to bed and get all their gifts the next day, or. <br><br>For Hanukkah parties. I don't, I don't know anything about that culture and what they do, but I'm sure you could play this game as well. So wherever you are and whatever you're doing with the holidays coming up, it's a great time to get it. Of course, it's a fun game year round, but that's what my little sales pitch on, on Ms.<br><br>Zarina's half. Also too, may I add what's so great about being a holiday game is this. So magic ship, you can have 12 players play the card game. They'll only have one card. We played it at a restaurant and it was so interesting watching 12 people play and move the cards around and defining out of 12 players who ended up holding their card and it was just really fun and it's not too many games.<br><br>You can play with that large group, but I think it's just still the suspense of it. And then kids like to play with parents. What, when my granddaughters, when playing against their parents, it is like, you think they want a million bucks. They, they love that idea that they can brag about it. And my son, he's a little sour because he has not won a round yet.<br><br>He talked about mom. I think you're discriminating against me. You're just not lucky, but it is really a fun game. And I want to add this too. One of the things I like about my own game is that when I was growing up, I had a hard time following games. I just could not stay focused enough. They were too slow.<br><br>And so I will always volunteer to be the scorekeeper, but I also noticed with my game somatic ship that I'm able to stay active. And following attention and everything, because it's quick play, there's not a lot of memorization. I don't have to do any extra extra of anything. And then also with the pass and play. <br><br>I found that that game can be played with kids on with autism, depending on their spectrum, because I did a demonstration with middle school kids and they really like it because it's a simple game of just matching and passing of parts, but they still get that same suspense as with the zomatics. So I really want to try to do games that not only a multi generational, but I want them to be inclusive where kids.<br><br>Special needs kids can play with their cousins and they all can have fun. They're friends and just have fun. Like I said, it's all about getting together. That social engagement is what I'm really trying to shoot for and that it could be a quick pickup game because I know many of you are busy, you don't have time for long drawn out games.<br><br>So I want them to also fit into the schedule of their parents, but also create that social engagement for our kids. Yeah, for sure. And, uh, I don't know if I should say this cause it is a kid's game, but from my teenagers and, uh, uh, or I guess not teenagers, why guess you could do teenagers and college kids, you want to bet some money on it and, uh, you know, have a little, you know, Gambling going on responsibly.<br><br>And, uh, if you're of drinking age shrink responsibly, but you could always, you know, there are ways to make it plenty more fun. If you're in that, um, not a kid, not an adult range where you need to just make everything a little bit different. So still great for y'all for your holiday parties. That's what my son says.<br><br>My So I say, mom, when it gets out there and people play it and they like it, it's three games in one. You can play with the smaller kids and then you can transition and play with a little wager with your friends and everybody run out of money. Then you can turn it into a drinking game. He said, it's so simple and fast and you cannot cheat.<br><br>You can turn it into any wager. Mike. Friend, um, her and her husband would play the game, decide who's going to wash dishes. Who's going to do this because it was just something to add a layer of fun in their relationship. So you can do whatever you want, but the main thing is create that social engagement and have fun with your family and your friends, man.<br><br>If you, if, if you win. And your wife has to do the dishes. I would suggest just doing them anyway. You know, just some, just some advice out there, you know, I'm not really good with women, but I've had some great guests on my show who are, and I would suggest doing the dishes anyway. Um, but yeah, I think this is amazing.<br><br>And do you feel in your heart or in your dreams, um, any more games? In the future that you're thinking about. Oh, yes. Right now. Um, I have two games in the works One is a multiplication game that I want to create It won't be as fast But I think it'll be an interesting game where parents can teach their kids their multiplication And then also kids will see that parents Most of us are forgetting our multiplication absent of our calculator So that will be interesting to see.<br><br>I think kids will get a kick out of seeing their parents struggle with their multiplication too, but I want to do that. And some other games that I thought of another game. What I do is, like, when I come up with the concept, I try to capture it. And just put it in a vault for future use. I really like being in this space.<br><br>I'm working on a game where you can play with the card and the board game. But I don't want the board game to be the traditional box. I have an idea of something that's going to be easy to transfer in your luggage and you don't have to worry about a box. I try to think of innovative ways in that capacity too, because it's all about kids.<br><br>But it's also about the convenience of the parents. Yeah, for sure. I think we've emphasized a couple times here the efficiency of the game in terms of the speed, the simplicity of it. So it's great. I'm definitely going to try it out for my upcoming holiday seasons, uh, just to, uh, do something different.<br><br>And of course it's cool for me to be like, The person who made this was on my show, check it out, shameless plug. Yeah, so I'm gonna take that everywhere I go, and be like, you like this game? You can check out the owner of my show, so. I'm definitely gonna be playing it, and I, ladies and gentlemen, I highly encourage all of y'all to check it out, uh, especially if you've got, you know, those younger kids, we do have the simpler version of it available for them, and by we I mean Miss Zarina, but um, Is there in just on a little bit more of a darker note.<br><br>I know we talked about you having to take care of your brother full time and I want you to give us just some advice that has really helped you manage that whether it's time stress. And everything else that comes with that. Well, when I first started taking care of my brother, I had no idea of the level of responsibility because he had his stroke right a month before everything shut down with COVID.<br><br>So it was hard to get resources. And so I had to navigate through it by myself. And so one of the things that I learned right away after almost hurting myself, I accidentally took one of his pills that ended up in the emergency room and a doctor told me in caregiving, you're so busy and trying to make their life better that you forget about yourself.<br><br>And she said, the first thing I want you to focus on is making sure you're okay. So you can show up for your brother. And so that's one thing tip I say. And then also for time management, like when my brother has his appointments or I have to do his medication and everything, I select the day and I try to make sure I can do everything in that one day to devote to him and his needs.<br><br>Um, because that helps me to be less stressful and trying to go to appointment here and then another day. Take them to the grocery store another day, sit down and do his bills for him. Select the time that's really appropriate for you and your, your, uh, the care person. You're talking to me, taking care.<br><br>I'm stumbling over my words. The person you care, you can try to do all those activities. Close together so you can have other time for yourself and things that you want to do. And then I also find out is not to take things personal from them, especially if they have any type of disorders, because sometimes my brother may come across to me as being ungrateful and I know he's grateful.<br><br>So I learned very on not to take things personal from him. Because it's frustrating when they cannot do for themselves and everything, their independence. And so I learned from that. And then another thing I learned from my brother is do not treat them for just survival. Try to find ways that they can thrive and regain some of their independence to the best of their ability.<br><br>And so what I allow him to do is, I allow him to shop. I allow him to call and make his appointments and then we coordinate and then I, and to protect him financially, he's only allowed to use a credit card because I'm able to keep it locked. So find ways that that would allow them to be independent. And then.<br><br>Find something fun to do with them like my card game. My brother likes the card game even though he's played it. I don't know how many times he still stumbled because of the brain damage. And every time you guys he finished playing he says the same thing. I like the game. I say why he said because it's forcing me to think and I don't have to feel stressful in moving the cards trying to get the match the colors up.<br><br>And so that allows me to have fun with my brother Without stressing and do some things with them. Some recreational things, if possible, if you're not able to get out your house, get some very simple games that you can play with them and you both can relax and have fun. And that's what helped me. He's going on four years now in living by himself.<br><br>He's thriving. He's building relationship. In his, uh, housing, uh, complex that he lives in, I can have my life and do what I want to do. And, uh, it worked out great for us. Worked out very well for us. Yeah. And actually, uh, depending on how things were released, the last episode before this should be, A whole episode dedicated to patient care from the the doctor side and one of the things we talked about, which you touched upon today with the not taking things personally is patients being such an important aspect.<br><br>And for those of you who are saying, of course, I'm already a patient person, you know, it's no problem. This is a whole nother level. Of patience of dealing with stuff, you know, so I completely agree with you and I think it's so important. Like you said that, um, making sure they're thriving, not just surviving.<br><br>I think a lot of people just get so tired and frustrated that they're just making sure the minimum needs are met. And then the person. If they're not thriving, if they're just surviving, it's only going to make them more irritable, more difficult to take care of. Uh, so it's beneficial to both of y'all and to all of y'all to, you know, help them.<br><br>Like you said, the more independent they feel. Especially, especially men, uh, when they lose their independence, whether it's from a stroke, whether it's paralysis, whatever it may be. Um, you know, it's, it can be very, very, very difficult for them to adjust to that. Uh, like I said, especially men, just because we love working with our hands and running around and doing all this stuff.<br><br>Uh, women do too, of course, but, uh, men, especially when that's like their whole identity is tied to being able to. Build stuff or fix stuff or do stuff. So it's so important to have that, especially, uh, when, you know, it's a veteran who was in the military, they had that whole other level of pride and, you know, identity on top of that.<br><br>Uh, but I think it's great. Like you said that you're. Game can be used to work with patients who are in similar situations as to your brother because it's simple yet engaging. It's causing them to think, but not too much, right? Maybe don't share the multiplication one with them, but it's helping them think and having a good time.<br><br>So I think it might be something for everyone to try. If they haven't been able to break through or find a game that really helps connect with whoever they're helping take care of, or maybe it's a grandparent that you have, who is just doing really bad medically, uh, this might be another option to try that is simpler, faster, easier, and can form that connection.<br><br>And so I really thank you for your service to this country, for the games you're creating, because I think it's so important for, uh, to have non electronic stuff. Like I'm not bashing entirely on technology. I think it's great. I think there are some amazing aspects to it that are really beneficial to our youth.<br><br>But there's also a lot of bad and there's also a lot of imbalance. There's a lot of, you know, technology just taking over everything everywhere you go. I mean, almost everything is now just technology. Like I said, in a recent episode, one of the local grocery stores here, you can scan your, the lines in your hand to pay, you know, like it's taking over everything.<br><br>Uh, but it's important to have a game that unplugs you from that can be difficult to get your children to unplug. And I think this is a great way to do that. Uh, whether you play inside or outside, at least they're off the phone for that period of time. And so Ms. Zarina, thank you so much for coming on the show.<br><br>I appreciate having you as a guest. And thank you for inviting me. And I just like to tell parents, if you want your kids to grow up in this digital world, then you're going to have to be an active participant in providing boundaries because yes, social media is out there. The digital is out there, but how are we going to raise our children?<br><br>If they're doing everything isolated, they're learning in school with the digital, they're using digital for entertainment. for having me. And so then we want them to grow up and be able to socialize with the community and we're already seeing, uh, incidents where kids are not getting it. Because we are the safeguards for them at home.<br><br>So, I really encourage you to find time in your busy schedules to sit and play a game, put a puzzle together, or even watch a movie and talk about it. To create that social engagement for their emotional and social well being. </p>
