Me on X Hangin' at Knott's Onstage singing Scary.

Here's a few recent photos of me.
(actually, the band one is kinda old, but although I still got the long hair, I'm not doing the band thing currently)
Hi, my name is John, and I'm an adrenaline junkie.....if you want to skip the intro and read about my top ten coasters and see the goofy on ride pics, scroll down.

Who is this guy, anyway, you might ask? Well, I'm a quasi-coaster geek and adrenaline fiend who also happens to do website work for a living, so it seemed kinda natural that I would build a site for my pics and to kind of talk about my theme park hobby. See, most of the time I am sitting at the computer working on stuff, and when I'm not doing that, I'm surfing the net and posting at Westcoaster, America Coasters Network and Thrill Network as Jhcbiinoc (the same username I use for nearly every forum I have ever posted at, I use the same to keep it easier to remember, and it's just an old AOL screenname) although I'm thinking of using slave2thethrill instead now. I learned a long time ago the futility of discussing politics and so forth on messageboards, so these days choose to discuss other interests like this one when I do. About the only time I leave the house aside from going to the gym, the store, or the occasional movie/concert, is on my rare days off when I go coaster riding and doing the theme park thing.

As I said, I'm an adrenaline junkie. The bigger and faster and more extreme the coaster or ride, the better although I prefer the rides which are smooth, comfortable and secure and offer a controlled sense of feeling out of control (Although there are a few non-coaster rides I will not ride). I tend to prefer rides with inversions and those which offer a sense of flight. I was out of practice for a while for about three years when I was sans automobile. I never lost my love of coasters, and wished I could have been at the opening days for X, Xcelerator and Scream but those all came at a rough time for me. When Silver Bullet was announced, I was thrilled that there was about to finally be a B&M coaster that close to home and I started following the construction, and this past year, in an effort to make me get out of the house more, I was given annual passes to Knott's and Magic Mountain at the same time I got a car. So now that's what I do on my days off, go and ride coasters and just have fun at in general at Knott's or SFMM. When it comes to that, I'm nothing but a big kid, you are only as old as you feel.

Non coaster and park interests? I have way too many to mention here or get into. From time to time you might hear me talk about a certain band, make some obscure movie reference, or offer a cynically humorous take on modern society (although I choose to keep political, religious and any other potentially divisive debate out of this website totally, I'll do another one for that kind of stuff someday). My whole philosophy to life can be summed up by saying that my goal in life is to pursue my passions with respect for the rights of all others to do the same, and following my heart and doing what I want while hurting no one and helping as many as I can. I accept people for who they are and do the best I can to agree to disagree and find the common ground. As far as work, I am a webdesigner (Dreamweaver MX, Photoshop CS, and various scripts and programs), and programmer (html, dhtml, css, and some php/MySql and Perl) and working on about 10-15 projects at any given time. I'm a musician/singer (progressive/power metal and hard rock) although I am not currently performing. I don't use alcohol or illegal drugs (although I have no judgements of anyone) but I do smoke (while being respectful of those who do not) and drink wayyyy too much coffee. I live in the little pre planned city of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA with my two cats. That's about all I choose to go into here, if you want to know more about me just get to know me.

Anyhow, don't expect this to be the biggest and baddest coaster site on the net. I'm leaving that to those who have more time and money to invest in this than I do. But enjoy the quirkiness, the pics, and my ramblings and try to have fun anyway. Sit back, leave all appendages in the vehicle, and make sure to leave all loose articles including hats, glasses, cell phones, cameras, stuffed animals, whiz bangs, jelly stingers, slippy flippys, flying willards, and tudes with a non-riding party. Prepare for launch.....

MY TOP TEN COASTERS
X, Six Flags Magic Mountain
This is truly my favorite coaster of all time, and the front seat ride I have had on this one is the best coaster rides I have ever had in my life. Never have I been on any ride that looks this horrifying to watch that is just pure fun all the way through. You might get a little antsy as you tip over the top and are flying face first at the ground, 215 feet at an 88.5 degree angle (that might as well be a 90 degree angle) at 76mph, but it is the thrill of a lifetime. It is the closest thing to being able to fly until they invent personal rocket jet packs. No matter how scared you are, STAY IN LINE AND GET ON THE RIDE. Do not let the way it looks get to you; trust me, it is worth it and you will forever regret it if you don't ride it. The seats are the most secure harnesses I have ever been in, and this is one of the few coasters I feel safe going totally "hands up" on, drop and all. And you want to make sure they are TIGHT, as this one will toss you around if they aren't. The seats are comfortable to the point that I have described this coaster as "being pushed over a cliff in an easy chair". While I was nervous in line, that cleared when we were on the way up the lift backwards. I was too excited about the ride to feel any anxiety; the sensation of a first ride on this cannot really be accurately put into words; you really need two or three to really "get" it. I can't really remember most of that first ride aside from it being the strangest sensation I have ever had on a coaster and the most fun I have ever had on a coaster. The second and third times, where I sat in the second row were much better. But that front row.....WOW. It is just so amazing and too exhilarating to be really scary. Even people who refuse to go on Goliath or who would not go on Xcelerator come off this and want to go on it again. And again. And again.....it is addictive. Just think twice before riding it in the rain, it is a soul drenching experience. X Pics and Video.
Xcelerator, Knott's Berry Farm
Of all the coasters I have been on, I think this one had me the most nervous before the ride. (I was a shade edgy before the first X ride, but not nearly like this one; whereas my nerves vanished about ten feet up the lift hill on X, my heart as in overdrive on this one until the green light went off and we shot off.) I am not sure why; I think it is just the way the ride looks. That, and the fact that when it opened, I had nightmares of the train just flying right off the top. The operators were looking at me before we launched and they were concerned. I had never been this freaked out by ANY coaster in a long time. When it was over, I had the feeling, "What the #$%& just happened!!??" but I was smiling ear to ear and when the op who was concerned about me before we took off asked me how it was, all I could say was, "That was awesome!" And that was the beginning of many, many rides. I STILL staple myself in the restraint every time, and will not put my hands up until the train has cleared the top of the hill and is on the way down. Xcel is tied with X in my number one spot, although it is a little too short (27 seconds!) If you make a trip to Knott's do not miss this ride. Xcelerator Pics and Video.
The Silver Bullet , Knott's Berry Farm
This is the best inverted or suspended coaster I have ever been on and it is the smoothest coaster I have ever been on. Granted, I have not been on that many inverted coasters; but unlike Batman at SFMM, which is disorienting nearly to the point of nausea (although still a great ride and solid in my top ten coasters), this one is just pure fun. It's great in the daytime, but at night, like X and the others, this one takes on a whole new life. I followed the construction on this from the time it was announced, and was there for the opening day. Ok, so nearly everyone whines that the first drop is only 40 degrees steep but that does not kill the coaster for me. In fact, I have grown to really like the drop for the uniqueness of it and I find the drop to be more intense than the drop on Batman. The train picks up a lot of speed on the way down, and there is some great "hang time" in the loop in the front rows. If you are sitting on the right side of the train, the overbanked curve gives an extra inversion, and the Cobra Roll element is smooth and made even better by the fact that it flies right over the front plaza of the park. The zero-g roll and the wingovers offer some floating sensations, as well as the little airtime pop in between, and the last helix is a great and rather forceful ending to the ride. The whole ride is beautifully engineered and executed as well as landscaped. It does not have the "extreme factor" of rides like X and Xcelerator, but it's just pure fun and very re-rideable. In the time since this ride has opened, I have gone from really liking it to loving it. Silver Bullet Pics, and Video.
Scream!, Six Flags Magic Mountain
This is one of the most fun coasters I think I have ever been on. Like all the rest of my top five, this one is best ridden in the very front seat, although the middle and the back rows offer a more forceful and out of control ride, with the sense of floating in your seat during the inversions. This is the only "floorless" coaster I have ridden, and it is the perfect starter to a day at SFMM as well as a closer; after my last X ride of the night/day, if the park has not closed yet, I like to go to ride this one as many times as I can before the park closes. The Zero G Roll is the best part of the ride, but the whole thing is just pure fun. Scream Pics and Video.
GhostRider, Knott's Berry Farm
I am more of a fan of steel coasters and especially the ones with lots of banked turns and inversions, but I enjoy wooden coasters as well. And this is easily the best wooden coaster I think I have ever been on. Granted-I have not been on as many wooden coasters as some people, but I have been on a lot of the "classics"-The Beast, Screamin' Eagle, Thunderbolt, Texas Cyclone, Great American Scream Machine, and others, but somehow this one just blew them all away to me. I won't go so far as to say it is "the best wooden coaster in the world", but it is by far the best in California. From the beginning of the experience-the mine shaft themed entrance and queue, to the heavily themed station, to the insanity that happens once you get on the ride, this is world class. Unlike some coasters, where the first few drops are the big thing, this one is just getting started with the drop that happens in the middle of the ride. Like X and Silver Bullet, at night it seems to become a whole different animal. Out of control.
Riddler's Revenge, Six Flags Magic Mountain
Unfortunately, I do not yet have any onride pics from this one either, as there is no longer an on-ride photo booth for this one. And that's a shame, because this is a pretty awe inspiring ride that I wish I had gotten a photo from my first ride as I think my jaw was on the floor the entire time. I'm normally not a huge fan of "Stand Up" coasters, but this one is just an all-around good ride; smooth, intense without being too intense, and a lot more comfortable than it looks. Just looking at it the first time was a little intimidating; for one thing, it towers above the Free Fall (a ride that used to completely freak me out) and the track looks like a huge knot of that the train would have a tough time navigating when seen from the right angles. This one had me a little nervous the very first time I rode it, but I got off wanting to go again; the inversions are great and it is a nice long ride, something I would like to see more of. My only complaint about this coaster is the fact that the lines are usually incredibly long and the g-forces sometimes get to me after several repeated rides.

7. Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain
8. The Demon, Six Flags Great America
9. The Beast, Paramount's Kings Island
10. Canyon Blaster, Grand Slam Adventuredome

Favorite "Brand" of Coaster: B&M
Favorite Type of Coaster: Tie between 4D and Floorless
Favorite Thrill Ride: Supreme Scream at Knott's Berry Farm
Favorite Park: Tied, Knott's and Magic Mountain
Favorite Water Rides: Timber Mountain and Perilous Plunge at Knott's, Log Jammer at Magic Mountain, Grizzly River Run and Splash Mountain at DCR.