![[Picture of me.]](http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7011/falls.jpg)
Okay, I guess the first thing I should let you know is that even
though I was born in West Virginia, I grew up in North Pole, Alaska, a town just outside of
Fairbanks. Before graduating
from North
Pole High School , I spent a year, as an exchange student,
in Albany, Western Australia.
After spending a year at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, I decided the cold of Alaska was to much for an 18 year old, so I decided it was time to move to Orlando, Florida, and pursue my interests in animation as an employee at Disney World. Unfortunately, (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) Disney was not hiring, and I stumbled upon a job at R. Douglas Stone Assoc. as a "Computer Technician." The job title and job description don't exactly fit hand in hand. However misleading the title may be, my duties included mainly, drafting on AutoCad (Release 12 for DOS), although I did have to stop and fix a computer every so often. How I went from Disney World to AutoCad is beyond me, but never-the-less, there I was.
So a year went by, and my desire to go back to school soon grew. Needless to say I was also getting tired of that perpetual summertime they had. I missed the seasons and I missed learning...but not enough to make it back to the cold of UAF. Instead I decided to follow my roots, and return to West Virginia, as a transfer student at Fairmont State College.
Although it might seem, given my drafting experience, I might choose a major in the drafting or engineering field, I had enrolled in Fairmont State hoping to get a Computer Science degree, and then to later further my education at an art school and get a degree in Computer Animation.
Well, somewhere along the line, my mind got tired of programming and I realized my true calling. :) Now, I have just graduated with my new major, Math (with a minor in Physics). Well, math is a means to an end...
I hope to continue my education, eventually get a degree in physics/astronomy, and somewhere in that span of time, finish an animated movie or two. Perhaps, if I really get lucky, I'll also finally get good at playing my guitar, join a band, become a super star, go into acting, and lead a space mission to Mars.
I have returned to my home in Alaska over the summers since then and am now in my fifth year here in Fairmont, West Virginia.
Favorite
Bands: Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Presidents of the United
States of America, Cake, Bjork, and Clapton (just to name a few)
Favorite Movie: The
Little Mermaid (Disney)
Favorite Food: BBQ Ribs, followed closely by strawberries.
Faborite Song: Up and Down (By Cookie Monster and Harry)
Favorite Number: 56 (Because 56 is 7 x 8)
Favorite Color: Red (I also like green a lot, as well as purple)
Favorite Color to wear: Blue
Favorite Books: "Grover and the Everything in the Whole Wide World
Museum" and "Surley You're Joking Mr. Feynman"
As you might have deducted, my interests span across a broad range
of fields, from my interests in the arts to my passion for the
sciences, but as many of you already realize, the arts and sciences
are one in the same. Two sides of the same coin. Science can not
exist without imagination and creativity, nor can the arts exist
without the devolopement of the medium and techniques to express
with. They can not be separated.
I suppose that is why I choose Athens as my home on Yahoo! Geocities. Athens I believe brings together all that is the combination of arts and sciences. It is a place to learn, to express, to teach.
Slowly and surely, I hope this eclectic collection of web pages will reflect that.
Despite that, my interests include, but are not limited to: hiking, fishing, camping, skate boarding, playing guitar, playing with my computer, school, skiing, reading, boating, rafting, spelunking, swimming, playing with my friends, talking, listening, drawing, painting, programming, sleeping, acting goofy, socializing, and the newest addition to the list, making homepages.
Well, I have two sisters and one brother, all younger ( Jill, Michael, and Kari from oldest to youngest.) Kari is a senior at North Pole High School and is the only one left at home with the parents. Michael spent a year with Up With People travelling around the world singing and dancing. But now, Michael goes to school in Fairmont also. Jill is also in Fairmont, but going to graduate school at WVU. Like I said, Kari still lives at home with my mom and dad at their home in North Pole. My grandfather (Daddy Jack) lives in Dunbar (outside Charleston, West Virginia) about two hours away. My Uncle Tom and Aunt Wilma live in Dunbar also. Uncle Frank, Aunt Peggy, and my cousins John and Suzan all live in Ohio. My mom's brother, Uncle Rich, lives in California with his wife, and I also have an Aunt Pat, I'm not sure exactly where she lives, (my mom's sister).
As far as friends, I have many good, good friends spread across the globe. It's kind of odd how we all spread out over the years. I should at least mention a few here: Brian Miller, whom I've know almost forever (now married to Denali and living in Portland); Chris Lowe (Happily married and a new father); Kat Wheeler (also in Portland); Anthony Lafonte (back home in Jersey); Darren Lunan, (Byron Bay, NSW, Australia); Nat Jones (who is somewhere in Western Australia); Mellisa Jewel (also in WA); Ron Kruzie (in Seattle). Of course Pete and his older brother Marc Burno who are in Alaska, and our old friend Dan Menglekamp (also happily married and a new father). And I can't forget Christine Leake (in Fairbanks as well) or Janon in Grafton; I should also mention my friends: Kevin (who just moved to Columbus, Ohio), and Dave and Danny. (who travel between here and Pittsburg like two billion times a month); And finally, there's "That Brian-Chris Guy" still stuck in New Martinsville, WV
Did I forget somebody? If so, write me a nasty e-mail and let me know.
I know this may come as a shock to you, but I am not using state of the art equipment here. I am using the following:
Please Note: I've upgraded since then, but this is what I started my web pages with.
Hardware:
Software:
I guess the point is, it's not just the car you drive, but also how you drive it.
Copyright © 1997 - 2000
John Pile
johnpile.geo@geocities.com
Last updated August 5, 2000