Welcome to the latest iteration of my website. I started my first website, Starcoasters, in 1999 to cover amusement parks and roller coasters. That site continued and evolved for a few years, and eventually became more and more of a personal site. In 2004, I decided to move to a new domain. The last version of that site was a blog format using WordPress and various other software. Recently, I decided it was time to trim things down and simplify.

The Internet has changed. Sharing is done more and more through massive user driven communities, rather than individual sites. I found that by placing videos on sites like YouTube and photos on Flickr, that although I gave up some control, I received many more views than I would ever on this site alone. That said, I am still not ready to put all of my content in someone else's hands. I still want to maintain a personal site, but I have stripped things down and simplified. This site exists now as a place for me to archive trip reports and other writings, and as a portal to photos, videos, and other content that I maintain on other sites.

As for myself, if you are here then there is a decent chance you already know me. If not, I have lived in Raleigh, NC, a city which I love very much, since 2003, and currently work in Research Triangle Park. I have a lot of interests; my websites have always revolved around them. Here are the biggest ones:

Even when I was absolutely terrified of roller coasters, I was still fascinated with them. A ride on the then new Hurler at Carowinds in 1994 was the start of a ridiculous hobby. I have now been on 290 coasters at 57 parks in the United States and Europe. Some of my best friends were met through various coaster clubs and events at parks, and if this hobby had not spiraled out of control yet, it certainly did in 2006 when I spent 30 hours riding the Screamin' Eagle at Six Flags St. Louis as part of a publicity stunt. I love a great park just as much as a great coaster, and tend to find myself trying to plan trips where I can visit a great city and a park nearby. I also run the Carowinds Connection message board.

I was initiated to hockey via the ECHL's Charlotte Checkers, and learned the rules of the sport through NHL 94 (still the greatest hockey game ever made) for the Super NES, and became an NHL fan in 1996. This was the result of a trade sending Wayne Gretzky from Los Angeles to St. Louis to join fellow hockey legend Brett Hull. I knew enough about hockey to recognize the importance of this union, and started watching closely down the stretch and into the playoffs. The epic Red Wings/Blues series (ending in Steve Yzerman's famous double overtime Game 7 goal) won me over for good.

Just a year later, the Hartford Whalers announced that they were leaving for Raleigh, and suddenly the NHL was in North Carolina. I went to many games with my family when the team was in Greensboro for two years during construction of the RBC Center. After the move to Raleigh, I could not attend many games, but coming to NC State in 2003 put me just minutes from my favorite sports team. The Spring and Summer of 2006 was like living in a dream, as the Canes made a run for the Cup, and I was able to see in person the greatest event in sports: Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Not only that, but a Carolina victory, bringing the Stanley Cup to Raleigh.

From August until June, sports dominate a big part of my interests. Not playing, that is; I mean being lazy and watching sports. I do play tennis occassionally and have often thought about playing hockey, but so far that is just talk. I became interested in football when the NFL expanded to Charlotte, and my team has always been the Panthers. I love college football and basketball as well, and attended as many games as I could while a student at NC State. Recently, I have become interested in European soccer, adopting Arsenal of the English Premier League as my team (the color scheme matches!).

Though I am not much of a musician, I love music. I have learned a lot about pop music theory and critique on my own, and am very opinionated on the current state of music (much to the frustration of some people). My tastes range fairly wide, but most of my favorite artists come from the 60's, 90's, and 00's. I didn't have much interest in pop music when I was younger, but the invent of Napster turned me on to music beyond mainstream radio. Weezer was the first and perhaps only band I ever really developed an obsession with. I still follow them closely despite the fact that everything they have recorded since 1996 has been mediocre at best.

In addition to Weezer, I name The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Arcade Fire, The Polyphonic Spree, Neutral Milk Hotel, Radiohead, The Decemberists, Ryan Adams, Pixies, Okkervil River, and a number of others as some of my favorite artists. My favorite albums are Weezer - Pinkerton, The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds, Weezer - Weezer (1994), Arcade Fire - Funeral, Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, Radiohead - OK Computer, and The Beatles - Abbey Road.

Be sure to check out my Last.FM.

My interest in film runs perhaps even deeper than music. So much so that I added a second major in Film at NC State. Who knows if I will ever actually do anything with it, but it was still fun to get. If I had to name a favorite genre it would be dark comedy; I like creative and unconventional cinematography, and also have a particular interest in the use of music in film. Terry Gilliam and the Coen Brothers are my favorite directors working today, and I also love screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. Some of my favorite fiction films are Gilliam's Brazil, The Coens' Miller's Crossing and The Big Lebowski, Back to the Future, Dr. Strangelove, Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Casablanca.

More recently I have become interested in documentary, and am lucky to have the Full Frame documentary festival each year right down the road in Durham. Some of my favorite documentaries are Roger & Me, Sherman's March, and Hoop Dreams.