Petaluma, CA
These days, I'm a proud supporter of Pin-A-Go-Go and I have also been involved in getting pinball machines to Games Done Quick charity events along with what most people know me for which is my role as keeper of TASBot. My personal site is at acbit.net where I have a page dedicated to my pinball related adventures and I volunteer as the President of the North Bay Linux User's Group, but I digress - my pinball passion started with a Whirlwind:
When I was 18 I had the opportunity to buy a routed Whirlwind for $600 from a local operator in Colorado. I had had fond memories playing various pins growing up and I was thrilled to have one of my own. I enjoyed fixing it up almost as much as playing with it, and my interest was firmly cemented. I later drove all the way to Alabama to pick up an Orbitor 1 that eventually came with when I moved to California. That same Orbitor 1 still makes an appearance at Pin-A-Go-Go shows now and again, and while it was the first pin I ever bought and subsequently sold it's great to be able to see it again every once in a while.
I've picked up a couple of pins over the years but a Twilight Zone I picked up from local legend Richard Conger has to top the list, partly because he doesn't let many games go. :) I've set up my pins for my co-workers to play at the office at various times in the past and it always made me smile when people talked about taking a pinball break in the afternoons. Even now, a couple of my pins are at the youth room at my local church and it's awesome seeing an entirely new generation playing. Happy flipping!
