I fucking love rollercoasters. When I was five I chickened out of Space Mountain at Disney World for some reason (indoor coasters have rancid vibes) but aside from that, I have not been able to get enough. I haven’t been to Cedar Point, one of the best coaster parks in the world, but I’ve been on a shit ton of coasters, and I think I’ve been to Six Flags Great Adventure at least 15 times. One summer in college I did so many whippets while also on ecstasy in an unventilated car in the parking lot there that I travelled to another dimension 40,000 years in the future (and past simultaneously) and telepathically communicated with two unknowable consciousnesses for a while and a part of me has remained there ever since (brain damage).

I haven’t been to a coaster park in a while, mostly due to the pandemic, however, I did pick up a fun pandemic-era diversion: roller coaster enthusiast YouTube. Specifically, ElToroRyan. One day in June or July 2020, the algorithm fed me this video on Kingda Ka as part of his “Problematic Roller Coaster” series. And….I was so blown away by the level of technical detail this guy is able to supply. These videos are LONG and they are inexplicably spellbinding. There is this uneasy balance of mundanity and extravagance that I find, well, thrilling.

He gets his namesake from the ride El Toro, one of my favorite coasters. (Which actually had a partial derailment recently???) Riding the ride in 2006 is what made this guy want to be a roller coaster operator and he actually worked on the ride 10 years later, which explains why he’s able to rattle off such arcane terms as “block zones” “airtime hill” “gigacoaster” and “break run” with such fascinating fluency.

Seriously, if you have a day or two to kill, I urge you to check out the videos I’ve linked to. Or watch this one about this badass wooden coaster in Ohio called The Beast, or why they had to redesign this coaster at the last minute so it didn’t make people black out, or watch this and plan a trip with me to Indiana.

Anyway.

Here’s some other stuff that happened this week:

I was on two really great podcasts!

First was April Wachtel’s excellent Movers & Shakers Podcast. April’s full time job is running the cocktail ingredient startup Cheeky Cocktails, but every so often she finds the time to interview people who are doing what they do to change the beverage industry. Even though we’ve been friends for quite a while, I was struck by how thoughtful and generous a listener she was. I’m sure part of it has to do with our pre-existing friendship and closeness, but the amount of homework she did in order to ask the right questions to illicit what would be most meaningful for her listeners was masterful. I definitely picked up a few pointers for my own interviewing technique. Listen HERE.

Next up, I joined Wine Enthusiast editors Emily Saladino and Dylan Garret to wax philosophical about the state of Non-Alc/Zero-Proof drinking and it was a lot of fun just like shooting the shit and trying to get a feel for how zero-proof drinks are gaining acceptance. Listen HERE.

And if all this zero-proof drinks talk has you jonesing for some deliciousness, Proteau is offering free shipping for the month of January on our site HERE.

And if you want to check out our equity crowdfunding campaign page, it’s HERE.

Speaking of interviews... My first Drag interview for Thrillist of 2022 came out and it was with Junior Mintt, a wonderful gem of a person. One of the bittersweet things about these interviews is that I have to leave so much out in order for the interview to make sense. My transcripts are usually 5000-7000 words and I usually get it down to about 1200. I went on and on with her about our shared love of Star Trek and even made semi-serious plans to go to London to watch the premiere of the Voyager documentary. (Junior I’m still down!) But I had to carve out the highlights, which still left for a delightful interview, which you can read HERE.

Also I was in the New York Times, along with some dear friends, Lynnetteand Lauren, featured in a “Mocktail” roundup for the style section. I contributed a recipe from Drink What You Want, along with a photo, so I guess I can say I’m a New York Times published photographer now???

In other news, it’s not because of this piece, but I don’t hate the word “mocktail” any more. I know that some people despise it, but I’m just over the drama. It’s fine.

Not a music video per se, but I came across this performance video of Underworld’s Jumbo and it’s a reaffirmation of them being the best band and this being the best song. This is what my summer 1999 sounded like.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to forward this to someone you like.

Love,

-JdB