Who Is The Atari Times Editor?

Welcome to my biography! This bio is different from my Profile Atarian because this covers NORMAL aspects of my life (nothing Atari related.)

Through the use of modern technology such as the Internet and digitization, you can now see the man behind the website: This is my wife and I (I'm on the right) on our trip to Hilton Head. There aren't too many photos of me with my eyes open, so I immediately like this one.

History

I was born on December 7th, 1970 in Elmira, New York to my mother Lea K. George and Stephen A. George. Of course, we all know December 7th, 1941 marked the entrance of the United States into World War II. But more specifically, it was the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Did you know that the aircraft from the carrier ENTERPRISE was involved?

Anyway, we came to Florida when I was about 4 or 5, and have lived here ever since. And yes, I do visit Disney World regularly since my friend Lr (pronounced "L.R.") works there. In fact, I myself worked at Disney/MGM back in 1990. It was a fun job with the real benefit being free and unlimited park access. I spent most of my off time at EPCOT Center's "The Living Seas" pavilion, Disney's only "live" attraction at the time. I also had the lucky benefit of meeting George Lucas (the creator of Star Wars) while at Disney. He was there to open "Star Tours" at Disney/MGM, and I got to shake his hand! :')

Back in those days, I lived in Lake Wales, Florida with my grandmother for quite a few years and graduated from Lake Wales Sr. High. This is the time when I met my long time friend, Les Jones. Les and I did a lot of goofing off during High School. We were in Drama, and were in quite a few plays together. And, this is when we created the all-time, family favorite cartoon, "The Three Gringos." Obviously inspired by "The Three Amigos.") Another cartoon, "Top Ed" was based on... You know you want to say it! ("I feel the need... The need for speed!")

One of our High School graduation gifts was the opportunity to enter Bok Tower. Only the graduating class, and certain special people are actually allowed in the tower. I could have killed Les for wimping out on me. Scared of heights...HA! Bok Tower was also the site of my wedding on March 11, 2000!

Sometime in the middle of my High School career, my grandmother and I moved to Babson Park, Florida. Babson Park is basically a bunch of houses built around Webber College.

The Dark Years

The College Years

I attended school at Polk Community College and worked there for over 5 years. I originally worked in the Tech Support department and later moved on to a full-time teaching position within the college's Networking Technology program. I have passed several certification exams including those from Novell, Microsoft, and Comptia. And I have also taught classes based on each of those certifications.

Music

Automotive

 As for my car preferences, I always loved the Toyota Supra. Ever since I got my first car in 1986 (a 1979 Toyota Celica GT) I've wanted a one. Of course, if anyone would like to donate a Toyota 2000 GT, I'll gladly take one. They're only worth...A few hundred thousand dollars.

The first Supra I owned was an uncommon 1986 1/2 model with the center brake light. Unfortunately, "Max" was rear-ended and totaled in a car accident on December 23rd, 1995. I ended up with a "Frankenstein-like" scar on my forehead from it. Anyway, as of January 1997 I became the proud owner of a 1987 Supra (which I named "Clark" as in Clark Kent, AKA Superman), which lasted until Mother's Day 2002 (can't remember the exact date.) On that day Clark blew the head gasket. The cost was too much to have repaired, so it's now sitting in my garage waiting for me get a new engine for it. Until then, I'll just drive this car around for awhile:

This is a 1972 Cadillac DeVille my grandfather gave me. (It has less than 100,000 original miles on it!) It had been in storage for over a year before my friend Lr helped me with the carburetor so we could drive it to it's new home. Sadly, I don't drive it because it needs some brake work and other work done on it. (BTW, Clark is hiding in the garage to the right.)

Today, I'm driving a 2001 Saturn L300. It's a nice car, but it's no Supra!

Sports

I used to think I was into sports, but the reality is I only TRULY like baseball. And not just ANY baseball, but St. Louis Cardinal baseball! They've come so close to getting to the World Series in the past few years. I really thought they'd make it in 2002 after Darryl Kile and Jack Buck died.

The Cardinals haven't won a World Series since 1982 which is a long drought for such a storied team. My favorite players are: Mark McGwire (naturally), Ozzie Smith, Willie McGee, Albert Pujols, John Tudor, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, Dennis Eckersley, Bob Gibson, Stan Musial and pretty much anyone else who's ever worn Cardinal red.

I used to like basketball and football too, until the two defining players in each sport retired. Without Michael Jordan and Dan Marino, these sports hold hardly any interest with me. I loved the InvinciBULLs and the Dolphins and I still root for them, but it really doesn't matter to me either way. Jordan was the greatest. Congrats to the Tampa Bay Bucs for winning their first Super Bowl! That was an exciting time!

Cartoons

Voltron is another cartoon from my mid-childhood. It was extremely popular and spawned several toys. And, I still have most of them locked up tight!!

Then there's the serious cartoon I obsess over: Robotech. I often find myself hunting down info on this excellent Japanese cartoon. It actually has a story where major characters are killed! How often do you see that?? I have all of the books, a couple of videos, and know virtually all of the story by heart. Just try to stump me!! The music is really cool, especially the title track. Much of it is really uplifting, even if Minmei sounds a bit corny sometimes. I've started collecting the DVDs now that they are finally available.

Science Fiction

I don't watch as much as I used to, but I will always watch the Star Trek when it is on. I watched The Next Generation religiously and have found it to be a good show, regardless of it being a Star Trek series. I didn't get into Deep Space Nine even though a lot of Star Trek fans say it was the best. I watched Voyager all the way through and found it entertaining at times. After the first year, I have lost practically ALL interest in the latest series, Enterprise. And thanks to the latest bomb call Star Trek: Nemesis, I don't know if I ever care to watch a new Star Trek movie or show ever again. (No captain will be as good as Kirk.)

I also like Star Wars and watch them over and over again on tape/DVD. I have enjoyed the prequels (Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones) but they're certainly not what I expected. There's something missing from them that made the originals so great. Perhaps it's the overabundance of computerized special effects?

Politics

Like it or not, I am a Republican and proud to be so. Clinton and others of his ilk were an embarrassment to American culture and values. Certainly the Republicans are not entirely without blemish, but they have been responsible for more good than any Democrat could hope to accomplish. Witness Ronald Reagan destroying Communism in Russia. Sure, spending them into oblivion was a rather unorthodox way to accomplish that, but I'm sure not one would disagree that the world is better off without having the USSR breathing down everyone's neck.

This fall of communism was also directly responsible for the fall of the Berlin wall. While it was Bush who was in office at the time, it was really Reagan who made all of that possible.

And let's not forget these important Republicans throughout history. Calvin Coolidge, Dwight D Eisenhower, Gerald R Ford, Ulysses S Grant, Rutherford B Hayes, Herbert Hoover, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. Of course, Abraham Lincoln is arguably the greatest president the country has ever seen. I highly doubt Bill Clinton's face will ever be on a form of U.S. Currency.

By the way, I'd like to point out that George W. Bush has done more in the first few months of his presidency than Clinton did in 8 years. John Kerry and his attack dogs (calling Bush a liar, murderer, Hitler, Satan, etc.) want nothing more than to regain their power and abort the war on terror. Pray Bush is re-elected.

And yes, I like Rush Limbaugh. I used to watch his TV show all the time. He's not afraid to point out and laugh at the idiocy that has plagued Washington D.C. for years. Thanks to the ineptness of the Democrats and Bill Clinton, Rush's popularity rose higher than it ever had before. (See, if those clowns had done a GOOD job, Rush wouldn't be as big as he is today!)

Here are the most important of Rush's 35 Undeniable Truths:

1. There is a distinct singular American culture - rugged individualism and self-reliance - which made America great. 3. No nation has ever taxed itself into prosperity. 7. Character matters; leadership descends from character. 11. Abstinence prevents sexually transmitted disease and pregnancy - every time it's tried. 14. There's a simple way to solve the crime problem: obey the law; punish those who do not. 20. There is a God. 21. There is something wrong when critics say the problem with America is too much religion. 23. The only way liberals win national elections is by pretending they're not liberals. 30. Compassion is no substitute for justice. 34. Words mean things. 35. Too many Americans can't laugh at themselves anymore.

And one more thing: We will find bin Laden and defeat terrorism! Count on it!

Today

I live in Winter Haven, Florida with my wife Marianne, cockatiels Peaches and Charley, and cat Winnie. Oh, and we also have a 1 year old son named Griffin. Winter Haven is the home of Cypress Gardens (Florida's first theme park) and is only minutes away from my grandmother's house in Babson Park. Marianne and I visit her about every other Sunday after Church.

We go to First Christian Church of Lake Wales. I've been going there since my friend Les (see above) brought me there in 1986 (or so.) Today, I run the computer during the Songs of Praise part of the service and am on the board.

I graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's in Technical Writing/Communication. One day I hope to open my own computer training business. Originally, I envisioned it as a network gaming site where people could play computer games such as Doom 3, Half-Life 2, Jedi Knight X, etc against their friends and across the internet. Then I began to wonder just how much money a place like that could make. "Not much," I said to myself. So, this idea mutated into the High Tech Academy where I hope to teach computer classes and have the network gaming on the side during non-class times. I've already taught several classes at Polk CC for software and hardware, but their Continuing Ed department doesn't offer them frequently enough. One day... <sigh>

The End

Well, I guess that about does it for my life story. I realize this was probably quite boring for you, but hey! You didn't have to read it!! I actually enjoyed writing this, and learned a few things about myself. This must be why people write memoirs...