As I anxiously watched week #4 come at me on the calendar, I made certain preparations: nice new shirt, a haircut, I bought some new cologne, and showered.... nearly every day!! Time drew near and I developed a nervous twitch. Meeting someone THIS important demands me to appear at my absolute best.
In the end, however I pulled my shit together and worked up some confidence. When GRITS arrived, I was ready with the tie, a dozen roses, and a hired Cadillac Escelante Limo for our special dat...... no... Interview. :P Oh did I mention that I also rented the top of the Stratosphere? If you have been to Vegas, you know. If not it is the 110 story needle with a roller coaster at the top!! The view is spectacular... which takes me back to GRITS's arrival... again, the view was spectacular!
GRITS, a Girl Raised In The South, currently lives in the Midwest. She is a research scientist by day and a kick-ass-gamer-chick by night! She began with HLDM in March of 2002, ran her very own server by late June. She learned of Ricochet and put up a server to accompany her other. In December she topped it off by making another to separate the dm players from the arena buffs. Since then, the Holdout's Server pair represents the most successful Ricochet establishment to date. Along with the numbers, GRITS's servers are decked out with features that make the game better for its visitors. Post-release programming done by her staff and their connections has eliminated the use key function and will soon put an end to reconnectors!
GRITS and I sat inside Shintaro, the 5 star Japanese restaurant inside of the Bellagio Hotel on the strip. GRITS likes sushi. After ordering the wine, I began with the questions.
Beastie: Well Grits, let me start with the obvious. What interest does a smart and classy, attractive lady have in a mediocre halflife mod and a bunch of silly gamers?
GRITS: Ahhh what a sweet way to ask a question....I have always been a workaholic HLDM was my first online experience. I am a marksman with a 38 special and that was a good way to âpracticeâ until I got my weapon registered after my move from cowboy country. Took me a while to stop aiming with the site on the 'game weapons' and use the one on the screen. Might be a problem when the time comes to go back out to qualify...not sure I will be able to find a green and red cross hair on the range. I can hear me now....."I don't have my aiming thingy." And what a crew I found to hang with both on the HLDM server and on the Rico servers I couldnât possibly leave them now.
Beastie: Running a successful server is not for everyone. How has it been different than you expected coming in? Has it been worth it?
GRITS: Wow! I get a compliment that precedes every question. This is nice. I am very surprised at the popularity of 'our' servers. I don't ever like to say 'my' servers because I wouldnât have them if they were just for me. I love the camaraderie and the discussions that we have. It is mostly a social outlet for me...guess that is why I talk so much in game. I have enjoyed a whole lot of help from guys like Evil_Admin in getting everything going. The biggest surprise for me was the depth of knowledge and issues that come from the players....and yeah that makes it worth everything, even the headaches and heartaches.
GRITS caught on to my subtle flattery. I have always heard that flattery will get you everywhere!!
Beastie: As if running the premiere server isn't enough, you went on to set up the forums so our group could communicate in complete sentences. This really gave our group a new identity: a community. Was this your intention?
GRITS: Oh my â¦.yet another...I get the feeling all these compliments are heading somewhere ...I love that our forums are so active and popular. I have to give Gwarsbane the majority of the credit for the forums. I had no idea where to begin. It was something that was offered by Holdouts for a mere $5 a month and I wanted to register the vadavaka.com domain so I did and just held onto it until one day GB answered my pleas for someone to show me what to do with it. I think he did a great job and I was really happy to see the way they turned out. I am so excited that we do have a place to go and get to know one another better and share some feelings and release some emotions. It is a great way to experience some deeper personal stories and other talents of the players. netniV helped get the DM stuff going...one day when I find some free time I will update those pages and get the CS one started too.
Beastie: I have made this question a recurring theme within this weekly column. Is our community ready for a new group of players? A patch update will undoubtedly invite new interest in the game. What if it is massive, say 500 players?
GRITS: Oh this is official stuff here no compliment ^_^
It is hard for me to imagine. I am sure with the new players will come more servers. Some people will have better pings and want to flock to those servers but I think the core group will always be loyal to each other and to our servers. I can tell by the way the players love to see the vets come back and the way they talk about NOH and KAH. Rico players have more invested in their community than CS or HLDM players do. I think the diversity will be great I just hope it lasts.
Beastie: As you have provided the groundwork for this said community, you have also made a point to uphold a certain standard for language and behavior. You have filters in your server and on your forums as well. Why is this important to you as a chief administrator? Are you a role model?
GRITS: I think this is one of those sort of back-handed compliments
Not sure I provided the groundwork since a lot was going on before I even found Ricochet. Maybe we can say I poured the footing. I do have a vested interest in helping the community grow and not letting the mod die. I think everyone needs to learn to live in society on a mature level. You hear so much negativity against gaming and gamers it would be nice if Ricochet has a ânice repâ more moms might let their kids play. This is a game... poor sportsmanship should not be tolerated. It is something you should want from other players and something they deserve from you. I don't believe good sportsmanship should be lost when the playing field becomes a computer screen.
Everyone has their limits to what amount of foul language they will tolerate. I really am into brainpower and enjoy witty bantering. But the kind I am talking about is where the person is creative and thought it out. Maybe made an innuendo or alluded to something not directly being crass or foul mouthed. There are a couple players that are really good at picking up on the innuendos and teasing back...it is a true art form to know the limits. Kind of like your questions or teasing in game. I must admit there was a time that I might have had to gag you but I think you said you lost that bind.
Who... me? Eeeeeeeeveryone loves my binds!! Ok so only a few remember that one.... ANYway...
GRITS fell for my ruse. I had successfully snuck in a pair of proper questions before moving into the reeeal reason I was here (as are all of you :lol: ).
Beastie: I happened to come across a post you made recently. Apparently you are smitten for one of our friendly Ricochet players. Would you care to share any details? I happen to KNOW we have some VERY interested readers. :heartbeat::heartbeat::heartbeat:
GRITS: So many players know how to make me smile. A few even know how to make me giggle. Both these emotions bring on their own euphoria. A very natural 'high'. One in particular knows how to change my breathing and that is a special kind of ecstasy. He will always have a piece of my heart...maybe even my soul for his talent. He has a poetic heart and a romantic soul and a brain that excites me. What else can a girl ask for....ok.... yeahâ¦. hugs and kisses would be nice.
Oh this lucky sonova.....
Beastie: So let's say this incredibly lucky individual were to take note, or even better, share these feelings with you. Let's look into the crystal ball for a bit; do you think you could meet him/her (I am not here to judge) outside the game someday?
GRITS: I believe he shares at least a smidgen of my Shangri-la with me. I will always have a special place for this someone in my heart even if we arenât ever meant to be together...we give each other what we can now and I can be content with that...and you never know what the future will bring...so I leave my self open to new experiences without ever letting go completely of the ones that make me happy now.
Note to self part 1: Call Peschi, a hole is needed a few miles south of town... somone's gettn' whacked!!
Note to self part 2: Schedule therapy to get over my thriving jealousy disorder.
Beastie: So Grits is into gamer guys. That is awesome! What else is Grits into? Do you read, see movies, or watch any good television?
GRITS: Admining the servers takes up a piece of my time these days and it is a great hobby. I have been a science nerd for too many years...just starting to explore things that I enjoy this past year and a half. I love wine tasting events and live music. I enjoy going to the gym. I like to watch sci-fi movies and tv shows. I love brain games and playing cards. I have a vivid imagination and some tantra training. So sometimes I like to write down my fantasies. Maybe one day I will put them in a book.
Has any publication ever sat atop the New York Times Best Sellers List for longer than a decade? Lost in dirty thoughts, I began to feel a little light-headed. :blink:
Beastie: Do you think you will someday branch out into other net based computer games? Have you tried any other games?
GRITS: Ricochet and HLDM are the only online games I have ever played and I plan on trying out HL2 when it is released. I am pretty loyal kind of girl and probably wont go out of my neighborhood unless it folds. I just don't have enough free time to diversify too much.
I did not even hear GRITS's answer. I could only see her lips move, my sanity melting away in lusty and quite un-professional delight.... GOTTA BUY THAT BOOK!!
What am I doing here again... games? :wacko:
Beastie: I have a little game I would kind of like to play with you sometime. It involves a stethoscope... and a white coat... and... :wub:
GRITS: I have a white coat myself and have been know to exchange it for my baseball jersey on occasion when I play but the black stilettos were murder on the jumps. :o
We finished dinner and changed into more comfortable clothing. My self, shorts and a t-shirt. GRITS, a baseball jersey and some incredibly sexy 110 story black stiletto heels. We never made it to the Stratosphere, for I can go there any time. GRITS and I headed straight to WebJoi, a local internet cyber-cafe.
We played Ricochet. We did so for hours, late into the early hours of the Vegas dawn. As our wonderful dat.... Interview came to a close, we each stood mid-arena face to face. I looked deep into her eyes and took a deep breath.... and watched my own head fall to the platform as GRITS S-jumped repeatedly over my sad, severed torso. I will never forget her laughing from three rows away. :heartbeat::wub::rolleyes:
GRITS has a new 24/7 Arena Server on its way with new technology supplied by her wonderful staff of admins and programmers. Look for her on any of the three servers in her Holdout's Ricochet hot-spots.
Tell her you enjoyed her interview, but don't try and convince her you enjoyed it more than Beastie did! There is no fooling Vadavaka's Queen.
Thank You, GRITS!
Next week I am back to the gentlemen (yes, I use the term loosely). Who will it be? Muhaahaahahaha.
In the end, however I pulled my shit together and worked up some confidence. When GRITS arrived, I was ready with the tie, a dozen roses, and a hired Cadillac Escelante Limo for our special dat...... no... Interview. :P Oh did I mention that I also rented the top of the Stratosphere? If you have been to Vegas, you know. If not it is the 110 story needle with a roller coaster at the top!! The view is spectacular... which takes me back to GRITS's arrival... again, the view was spectacular!
GRITS, a Girl Raised In The South, currently lives in the Midwest. She is a research scientist by day and a kick-ass-gamer-chick by night! She began with HLDM in March of 2002, ran her very own server by late June. She learned of Ricochet and put up a server to accompany her other. In December she topped it off by making another to separate the dm players from the arena buffs. Since then, the Holdout's Server pair represents the most successful Ricochet establishment to date. Along with the numbers, GRITS's servers are decked out with features that make the game better for its visitors. Post-release programming done by her staff and their connections has eliminated the use key function and will soon put an end to reconnectors!
GRITS and I sat inside Shintaro, the 5 star Japanese restaurant inside of the Bellagio Hotel on the strip. GRITS likes sushi. After ordering the wine, I began with the questions.
Beastie: Well Grits, let me start with the obvious. What interest does a smart and classy, attractive lady have in a mediocre halflife mod and a bunch of silly gamers?
GRITS: Ahhh what a sweet way to ask a question....I have always been a workaholic HLDM was my first online experience. I am a marksman with a 38 special and that was a good way to âpracticeâ until I got my weapon registered after my move from cowboy country. Took me a while to stop aiming with the site on the 'game weapons' and use the one on the screen. Might be a problem when the time comes to go back out to qualify...not sure I will be able to find a green and red cross hair on the range. I can hear me now....."I don't have my aiming thingy." And what a crew I found to hang with both on the HLDM server and on the Rico servers I couldnât possibly leave them now.
Beastie: Running a successful server is not for everyone. How has it been different than you expected coming in? Has it been worth it?
GRITS: Wow! I get a compliment that precedes every question. This is nice. I am very surprised at the popularity of 'our' servers. I don't ever like to say 'my' servers because I wouldnât have them if they were just for me. I love the camaraderie and the discussions that we have. It is mostly a social outlet for me...guess that is why I talk so much in game. I have enjoyed a whole lot of help from guys like Evil_Admin in getting everything going. The biggest surprise for me was the depth of knowledge and issues that come from the players....and yeah that makes it worth everything, even the headaches and heartaches.
GRITS caught on to my subtle flattery. I have always heard that flattery will get you everywhere!!
Beastie: As if running the premiere server isn't enough, you went on to set up the forums so our group could communicate in complete sentences. This really gave our group a new identity: a community. Was this your intention?
GRITS: Oh my â¦.yet another...I get the feeling all these compliments are heading somewhere ...I love that our forums are so active and popular. I have to give Gwarsbane the majority of the credit for the forums. I had no idea where to begin. It was something that was offered by Holdouts for a mere $5 a month and I wanted to register the vadavaka.com domain so I did and just held onto it until one day GB answered my pleas for someone to show me what to do with it. I think he did a great job and I was really happy to see the way they turned out. I am so excited that we do have a place to go and get to know one another better and share some feelings and release some emotions. It is a great way to experience some deeper personal stories and other talents of the players. netniV helped get the DM stuff going...one day when I find some free time I will update those pages and get the CS one started too.
Beastie: I have made this question a recurring theme within this weekly column. Is our community ready for a new group of players? A patch update will undoubtedly invite new interest in the game. What if it is massive, say 500 players?
GRITS: Oh this is official stuff here no compliment ^_^
It is hard for me to imagine. I am sure with the new players will come more servers. Some people will have better pings and want to flock to those servers but I think the core group will always be loyal to each other and to our servers. I can tell by the way the players love to see the vets come back and the way they talk about NOH and KAH. Rico players have more invested in their community than CS or HLDM players do. I think the diversity will be great I just hope it lasts.
Beastie: As you have provided the groundwork for this said community, you have also made a point to uphold a certain standard for language and behavior. You have filters in your server and on your forums as well. Why is this important to you as a chief administrator? Are you a role model?
GRITS: I think this is one of those sort of back-handed compliments
Not sure I provided the groundwork since a lot was going on before I even found Ricochet. Maybe we can say I poured the footing. I do have a vested interest in helping the community grow and not letting the mod die. I think everyone needs to learn to live in society on a mature level. You hear so much negativity against gaming and gamers it would be nice if Ricochet has a ânice repâ more moms might let their kids play. This is a game... poor sportsmanship should not be tolerated. It is something you should want from other players and something they deserve from you. I don't believe good sportsmanship should be lost when the playing field becomes a computer screen.
Everyone has their limits to what amount of foul language they will tolerate. I really am into brainpower and enjoy witty bantering. But the kind I am talking about is where the person is creative and thought it out. Maybe made an innuendo or alluded to something not directly being crass or foul mouthed. There are a couple players that are really good at picking up on the innuendos and teasing back...it is a true art form to know the limits. Kind of like your questions or teasing in game. I must admit there was a time that I might have had to gag you but I think you said you lost that bind.
Who... me? Eeeeeeeeveryone loves my binds!! Ok so only a few remember that one.... ANYway...
GRITS fell for my ruse. I had successfully snuck in a pair of proper questions before moving into the reeeal reason I was here (as are all of you :lol: ).
Beastie: I happened to come across a post you made recently. Apparently you are smitten for one of our friendly Ricochet players. Would you care to share any details? I happen to KNOW we have some VERY interested readers. :heartbeat::heartbeat::heartbeat:
GRITS: So many players know how to make me smile. A few even know how to make me giggle. Both these emotions bring on their own euphoria. A very natural 'high'. One in particular knows how to change my breathing and that is a special kind of ecstasy. He will always have a piece of my heart...maybe even my soul for his talent. He has a poetic heart and a romantic soul and a brain that excites me. What else can a girl ask for....ok.... yeahâ¦. hugs and kisses would be nice.
Oh this lucky sonova.....
Beastie: So let's say this incredibly lucky individual were to take note, or even better, share these feelings with you. Let's look into the crystal ball for a bit; do you think you could meet him/her (I am not here to judge) outside the game someday?
GRITS: I believe he shares at least a smidgen of my Shangri-la with me. I will always have a special place for this someone in my heart even if we arenât ever meant to be together...we give each other what we can now and I can be content with that...and you never know what the future will bring...so I leave my self open to new experiences without ever letting go completely of the ones that make me happy now.
Note to self part 1: Call Peschi, a hole is needed a few miles south of town... somone's gettn' whacked!!
Note to self part 2: Schedule therapy to get over my thriving jealousy disorder.
Beastie: So Grits is into gamer guys. That is awesome! What else is Grits into? Do you read, see movies, or watch any good television?
GRITS: Admining the servers takes up a piece of my time these days and it is a great hobby. I have been a science nerd for too many years...just starting to explore things that I enjoy this past year and a half. I love wine tasting events and live music. I enjoy going to the gym. I like to watch sci-fi movies and tv shows. I love brain games and playing cards. I have a vivid imagination and some tantra training. So sometimes I like to write down my fantasies. Maybe one day I will put them in a book.
Has any publication ever sat atop the New York Times Best Sellers List for longer than a decade? Lost in dirty thoughts, I began to feel a little light-headed. :blink:
Beastie: Do you think you will someday branch out into other net based computer games? Have you tried any other games?
GRITS: Ricochet and HLDM are the only online games I have ever played and I plan on trying out HL2 when it is released. I am pretty loyal kind of girl and probably wont go out of my neighborhood unless it folds. I just don't have enough free time to diversify too much.
I did not even hear GRITS's answer. I could only see her lips move, my sanity melting away in lusty and quite un-professional delight.... GOTTA BUY THAT BOOK!!
What am I doing here again... games? :wacko:
Beastie: I have a little game I would kind of like to play with you sometime. It involves a stethoscope... and a white coat... and... :wub:
GRITS: I have a white coat myself and have been know to exchange it for my baseball jersey on occasion when I play but the black stilettos were murder on the jumps. :o
We finished dinner and changed into more comfortable clothing. My self, shorts and a t-shirt. GRITS, a baseball jersey and some incredibly sexy 110 story black stiletto heels. We never made it to the Stratosphere, for I can go there any time. GRITS and I headed straight to WebJoi, a local internet cyber-cafe.
We played Ricochet. We did so for hours, late into the early hours of the Vegas dawn. As our wonderful dat.... Interview came to a close, we each stood mid-arena face to face. I looked deep into her eyes and took a deep breath.... and watched my own head fall to the platform as GRITS S-jumped repeatedly over my sad, severed torso. I will never forget her laughing from three rows away. :heartbeat::wub::rolleyes:
GRITS has a new 24/7 Arena Server on its way with new technology supplied by her wonderful staff of admins and programmers. Look for her on any of the three servers in her Holdout's Ricochet hot-spots.
Tell her you enjoyed her interview, but don't try and convince her you enjoyed it more than Beastie did! There is no fooling Vadavaka's Queen.
Thank You, GRITS!
Next week I am back to the gentlemen (yes, I use the term loosely). Who will it be? Muhaahaahahaha.