The Team: For Tariq

Yeah, lol. Rico, that's my unofficial lil brother; my gaming buddy. I think he's 10 now, but ever since he was maybe 7 or 8 he and I would have some of the most intelligent conversations! I mean, I guess it's the world we live in, but he's been exposed to so much, good and bad... But on some intelligence level he took, they found that my homie was already reading on a collegiate level! So mentally, there's no real age barrier between us.

I used to worry about Tariq, because he's a thinker. Being a thinker makes life difficult sometimes, especially for a young cat like him. I remember one day he went up to join our church; he was one of the few kids who admitted he wasn't ready to accept Jesus Christ because he didn't have a firm understanding, lol. Of course people get unnerved by that, but critical thinking isn't a bad thing. Eventually, that critical thinking will probably lead him to have a greater spirituality; I was the same way at my first church, so I know (and yes, he did eventually accept Jesus Christ, lol).

Rico, as his mom calls him, is a solemn cat for his age; more mature than most cats his own age, and also more mature than many cats older than him. He has some clown in him, but you rarely see it; he's good about picking the right time and place to goof off. As he grows older, he's coming more and more out of his shell, and it's cool to see. I think he's prolly my favorite visitor, so every time his mom comes over I'm looking for him so we can fire up the PS2 or Dreamcast and get our fight on, lol.

I worry about Tariq sometmes because with his vast knowledge has come a little over-exposure. I try to stick close to him to offer what guidance I can, because too much knowledge too soon can really mess with a cat's mind. Again, I've been there, so I know. Maybe that's why we met; who knows...

Now... Rico the gamer, lol. Again, that's me all over again. I was a gamer since I was his age, and it made my mind lightning quick. I'm seeing it even moreso with him. He's a fast learner, so I gotta stay sharp to keep a foot up on him, lol. One day I think he's gonna gain a true "understanding" of the games he plays, where he'll be in full control of everything he does. He's developing his own techniques already which I didn't do 'til I was much older. I can't wait til he perfects 'em.

Til then, I'm doing him like my older cuzzin did me... SHOW NO MERCY! It makes a better gamer outta ya, lol.

A ginger beer toast. All Love to the homie TariqB-)

(And a special toast to his mom, cuz she introduced me to ginger beer, PLUS she's got a recipe for homemade ginger beer!!!!)