Hi everyone, I’ll weigh in here if you don’t mind. 
I posted FEMALE in the title of my post because my friend, who is on pinside and a pinball owner, knew that it would help get eyeballs precisely because there aren’t many women in pinball. He knew there would be folks here excited to see a woman get into the hobby. He also knows me well and knows that I am a big nerd with a voracious appetite to learn and improve at all I do. This was the best way, in his view, to get me lots of great advice quickly. And he was right! I’m so grateful for all the wonderful tips and strategies shared here and I’m putting them into practice... I’m so enjoying my GOTG and thrilled every time I get something down.
I posted my real name because that’s how I always create social profiles — it was reflexive. I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to. Same thing with my profile picture. I’m not a forum expert. In fact, this is only the second forum I’ve joined in my life and I use my real name and photo in the other forum as do most other people on that site.
And now I’d like to call attention to the fact that my profile picture seemed to be the catalyst for folks making a few inaccurate assumptions. I think some of you saw what I look like and concluded that 1. I’m not real 2. I’m looking for attention that’s unrelated to pinball.
I can assure all of you that my motives are all about learning pinball and interacting with people just as into pinball as I am. And if you are a skeptic, I ask that you go through this thread and if you can everywhere else I’ve posted (not sure how easy it is to do that because I’m no forum expert like I said) and read my words while imagining that I’m a man. There would be no doubt that I’m all about pinball.
I’ve been enthusiastic, grateful, earnest, kind, curious, and forgiving. This is who I am. I also happen to be a "pretty woman" - it’s the least relevant thing about me in this context and yet it’s become a major talking point. Guys - and I do mean guys - I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt that this is largely unconscious sexism.
But now I’m asking you to knock it off, to resist thinking that the way I look says anything about who I am or what I want, and look at the evidence before you: I’m a new person to the hobby, I’m looking for advice, I’d enjoy being part of a community that geeks out on it.
It’s not on me to pick a profile pict and name that won’t make you think otherwise. (To give an extreme example, that’s a bit like saying “She was wearing that short skirt. She deserved it.”)
If my friend had said to me before all this controversy - hey you might want to change your profile name and pict to something generic - I would have thanked him for schooling me on the forum and changed them.
But I’m not going to now. It’ll stay what it is. And I’ll continue to be who I am.
Now let’s get back to pinball.
San Diego, CA
I love Metallica. And I hear Batman is pretty awesome now (after its rough start). 
