To Infinity and Beyond….or Something Like That

Hey Howdy Hey Tappers!

So you’ve read about Wookiee and you’ve read about Bunny…now do you see why I lock them both up?  I’m doing it for your own good I swear!  

So now that Bunny and Wookiee have shared their crazy with you I bet you’re thinking it’s my turn now huh?  Do you really want to know more about me?!  Come on now people do you really want to dive into my world of Cray Cray?  Think about it for a second…it takes a special kind of crazy to run this blog AND keep my two favorite Fuzzy Nuts under control on a daily basis, are you sure you want to find out about THAT nutcase?   (thanks again for the image Toxic!)

Whoa you’re still here?!  You must be crazier than I am!  Well I guess it does take a special kind of crazy to put up with all of us on any given day!  So THANK YOU for being that special kind of crazy!  Seriously…we love you!

Yes this would be Bunny and I causing trouble as usual

So…HI!  My name is Alissa.  You may remember me from such posts as…..oh wait I don’t do 2D art.  Well how about…nope not 3D either.  Hmmm…just what the heck do I do around here?  Oh yea..I’m the “Head Addict”.  It’s my job to be the responsible (hahaha) one and make sure you guys get those quality game posts (like should I buy, conform-o-meter, those ever important walkthroughs, etc) to help you feed your TSTO Addiction!  It’s also my job to make the site look pretty and make sure it’s actually up and running!  (which I know i’ve been failing at it a few times in the last week!  I’m sorry! 🙁 )  Oh and I’m usually the one making the cheesy jokes!

So you’ve heard from Wookiee about how he joined Addicts and Bunny told her tale so I guess now you all want to hear about how I started playing TSTO and how Addicts came to be.  Well…”just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale a tale of a fateful trip.  That started from this tropic port aboard this tiny ship..” just kidding.  I promise no 3 hour tours here….just a 3 hour post!

Anyway…I started playing Tapped Out wayyyyy back in December of 2012 on my iPad, just before the Christmas update hit.  At that point I was bored and looking for a new game in the iTunes store,  saw TSTO was one of the Editor’s Top Picks so I downloaded it.  I enjoyed it for a while but lost interest when I realized I couldn’t download it to my Android phone.  Flash forward a few months (Whacking Day)…one day I noticed TSTO was added to the Google Play Store and the rest is history.

I became Addicted to TSTO over those snakes!  I was obsessed with getting each and every last one of them!  However, I had 1 friend lol.  So…like Bunny and Wookiee…I turned to the Giggle for help.  A few searches led me to a really helpful website…you know that site that shouldn’t be named.  And from here my story is basically the same as Bunny and Wookiee’s.  I learned about Tapped-Out.co.uk from the site that shouldn’t be named (TSTSBN).  TSTSBN goes down, we all discuss on Tapped-Out…and boom Addicts is born.  Ok there’s a little more too it than that! 😉

Having been a frequent reader of TSTSBN I was noticing it just wasn’t catching my attention that much anymore.  Sure the game help was awesome but I wanted more.  I basically was wanting a fun place where Tappers could get together and just enjoy TSTO (after all it is a game right?).  While TSTSBN was great it was lacking that sense of fun.  It was more just straight posts about direct content, it was in fact…dry.  I wanted something with more personality.  I wanted to learn more about how items related to the Simpsons.  I wanted to laugh.

So when TSTSBN went down I thought here’s the chance.  Let’s make something awesome!  So I got together with an old friend of mine, who also played TSTO & just so happened to be a computer programmer, and we set out to create what you see today.

Now here’s MY version of how Wookiee and Bunny joined the team.  Having already known both of them through Tapped-Out I was already privileged enough to know about their amazing 2D skills.  I also had the chance to get to know them (more so Wookiee at the time..we bonded over evil clowns, insomnia & Christmas decorations) and their crazy sense of humor.  When we set out to create the site we wanted to be different.  We wanted to do things no one else was doing (After all you now have at least 5 TSTO blogs to choose from…we wanted to stand out).  So just after Addicts launched (actually the night it launched) I asked Wookiee if he’d like to join us on Addicts and write about 2D, Wookiee then strongly suggested (I’m pretty sure he would have ripped my arms out if he had too!) we add Bunny to the mix as well.  And again the rest is history!

Back then we called ourselves “The Little Blog That Could”.  We weren’t the biggest TSTO site but we knew we had something special.  Of course none of this would be possible with out the AMAZING talents of Wookiee and Bunny AND with out you AMAZING readers!

So now here we are 6 months later….and we’re one of the fastest growing blogs out there, but we still consider ourselves “The Little Blog That Could”.  We haven’t changed our methods or our desire to be different.  To be a fun place for Tappers to come and hang out and to bring you the WHOLE story.  Not just walkthroughs and tech support but info ABOUT the game, where things came from, 2D/3D designs, contests involving readers….Tapped Out is a game, games are supposed to be fun right?!

But seriously…I can’t say this enough…this site would not be what it is today with out you amazing readers!  You guys make this place fun, we just supply the music and margaritas!  We love each and every one of you for being here and being part of this TSTO Community! 🙂

AND this site wouldn’t be what it is with out Bunny and Wookiee.  The three of us really are friends outside of the blog stuff and call each other almost daily (we at least text daily).  We strongly believe it’s that chemistry that makes this place so much fun!  Well that and we check the drama at the door…seriously save the drama for someone else’s mama!  I honestly consider Bunny and Wookiee (my 2 Fuzzy Nuts) to be like family to me.  I love them both and there is nothing in this world I wouldn’t do for them!

So now following the flow setup by Wookiee and Bunny….a bit more about ME (ahhhhhhhh):

Real Name:  Alissa….at least that’s the name it says on the US Passport and Driver’s License issued to me by the US Marshals  

Favorite Simpsons Character: I love them all…but like Marge my favorite would have to be good ole’ Homey.   Such a lovable oaf!

Favorite Episode: “Homer At Bat”.  I giggle every time I watch it, especially now when I see the Simpsonized Cartoons of Donnie Baseball, The Rocket, the Strawman…and others.

Favorite TSTO time of year: Christmas!!!!  

Favorite TSTO Character: Duffman…mostly because I love when he says “Duffman is here to refill your beer!”

Favorite TSTO Building: Duff Stadium.  How could I not love a baseball stadium?!

Favorite TSTO task: Hank Scorpio’s Test Flame Thrower!  It makes me giggle every time!

Brief synopsis of me: I’m 28…the baby of the blog (but not by much!), born and raised in the “fist bumping” state of New Jersey (GTL baby…GTL…).  And yes I fit the stereotypical “Jersey Italian” mold.  Almost my entire family lives within a 20 mile radius of each other.. but I DO NOT have a stereotypical “Jersey accent”…just ask Bunny & Wookiee.  So no I don’t say Cawfee or Sawsage.  🙂

I come from a family of 4 girls (I’m #3)…so LOTS of estrogen in my household growing up! (my sister’s actually read this blog…what up crazies?! 🙂 )  Perhaps that’s why I was the tomboy of the family!  Always playing sports…well mostly just softball and basketball.  I was pretty good at both but ended up just sticking with softball once I decided to stop growing.  Hard to play basketball when you jump and you’re STILL not taller than the guard’s armpit!

No i’m not a Star Wards nerd like Bunny and Wookiee (in fact I haven’t even seen a full movie…AND often they have to explain their references and jokes to me, they tend to fly right over my head.  However…I do have probably an unnatural love of Toy Story.  Which is why I usually start posts with Hey Howdy Hey…my little tribute to Buzz & Woody 🙂

I’m a…sometimes…proud graduate of Rutgers University (if you’re wondering, my degree is in English…probably why I tend to ramble on and on and on).  For my “real job”…I know I have a job besides this blog?  Really?! Surprises me too!… I do sales and marketing for a metal manufacturing company.

I’m married to an amazing man (yes he reads this blog…and no I’m not sucking up so he won’t get as annoyed at me when I spend so much time here 😀 ) who puts up with me spending so much time here and on TSTO!  We’re avid baseball fans and in our spare that (hahahaha what’s that?!) we brew our own beer and wine.  (what did you think I was kidding when I said I was making Bunny’s “Water”?…Why do you think she spends so much time in my basement?!)
                                    Chocolate Stout….just in time for Valentine’s Day 🙂

Aspirations in Life: Take over the world?  Does that count?  🙂

Embarrassing Confession: While on vacation in Jamaica this past fall I was forced to go “off the grid” (and to keep it that way my husband locked my phone in the safe!).   I would literally be on a float in the middle of the Caribbean Ocean, 80 degree weather, drink in my hand and turn to my husband and say “I wonder how the blog is doing…” “I wonder if the update (level 37) hit yet”… “I hope they didn’t blow up the blog”
Yea…I take the title of “Head Addict” seriously….

So now that I’ve been super long winded I’ll shut up….

Thanks for reading and here’s to another 6 months!  Cheers!

All original art and content © Up All Night, LLC and TSTOAddicts.com
All Screen Shots of Game Graphics & Dialogue and Game Graphics from files ™ and © EA, Gracie Films and FOX