Dave Lum Bio

Dave Lum - short guy, short Bio.
I was born a poor black child.... oh wait, that's a vintage Steve Martin bit...

	----- Growing up -----
	Born in Oklahoma, U.S.A. Youngest of 5 kids. Very happy childhood, I couldn't have asked for a better one - I am one of the lucky ones. Moved to Oregon when I was 7. I played with the typical toys of the '70's child : G.I. Joe's, little plastic army men, Lego's, metal Tonka trucks, Etch & Sketch, Lincoln Logs, and school playgrounds that didn't have rubber pads underneath. I also loved John Wayne movies, too :-) I have loved to read since 3rd grade. I vividly remember looking at various encyclopedias in the house at the time that had words I couldn't pronounce. By 5th or 6th grade I couldn't find any. Read Dad's Analog (Science fiction/science fact magazine) a lot between the 6th and 9th grades. Became a W.W.II buff in 3rd grade. Read every book I could find on W.W.II - even the stuff intended for the older set. Example: I could name of statistics for the B17 by heart - all the models from B17C to B17G. I liked (still do) the naval and aircraft stuff over the stories of infantry battles and politics. in 3rd-8th grade I used to type (single spaced AND double sided!) "war stories" of my own. Usually 4-5 pages of pure hyperbole. No plots, just nonstop action! To this day I have many of these stories. Graduated High school in 1984. Joined the National Guard at 17, went to basic training the summer of '84. After basic training, EVERYTHING is easy. Took a make-up English class after basic training and got an "A". No, basic training "din't teach me bettah english". It made me realize regular civilian life is a cakewalk.
	----- Likes -----
	I have always liked numbers and science. In school this translated into science/physics/math, although my grades never reflected it. Technology - especially what the military has - fascinates me. Airplanes, outer space, and of course, cars. Computer geek by hobby that turned into a profession. I an unsure if I know more about cars or computers. I generally eat/sleep/daydream cars. However, out of 16-20 waking hours, cars take up probably 80% of my brain/CPU's "idle time". I hated cars (I used to wonder why these moron's liked to do burnout's) until I was 15, at which point I became a hypocrite! Most guys right after puberty think of girls and buy girlie magazines. Me? Sure, I like girls, but I had better luck with cars and Car & Driver. At National Guard annual training (2 weeks at a shot), it seemed everyone else would bring in their mondo stash of nasty porno mags. Except me. I would bring in my Car & Driver or perhaps Road & Track. Also, on the car front : I like them FAST. Rear wheel or all wheel drive, please. I also tend to like "niche" cars. Datsun 510's of course. Nissan Sentra SE-R's, Ford Taurus SHO's (yes I know they're FWD cars), Mitsubishi Galant VR4. You get the idea. They look like average Sentra's and Tauri to the non-enthusiast, but us real car guys know better :-)
	----- Reading -----
	Required reading : Car & Driver since 1985, Grassroots Motorsports, Sport Compact Car. Any Tom Clancy book.
	----- Movies / TV ------
	Predominantly comedy or action/sci-fi. George Carlin is my hero! Just how do you "pre-board" an airplane or "pre heat" an oven? Can you do something before doing that something? I like Jackie Chan too. The movie does not have to be plausible or exceedingly realistic. Independence Day is a good example. I love it and don't scrutinize the improbables. Oh, I cannot forget to mention Monty Python and Search for the Holy Grail. "We are the knights who say...NEEE!". A classic!
	-------- Jobs --------
	Janitor (1yr), waiter (3yrs), warehouse (shipping/receiving & inventory control)(5.5yrs). I am currently a Network Administrator. Many other geeky duties, but this is a car website, so who cares?
	------- Personality flaws -------
	I think I am the epitome of patient and easy-going - I leave stress to everyone else. Sarcasm rules the day (as if you couldn't tell). My glass is ALWAYS half full (oh maybe this isn't good - does this mean the glass is leaking because I can never fill it?). Despite my love for the military technology and stories, I am non-violent. I also feel too many people worry about being politically correct. I'm not an NRA supporter, but I do let my boys play with the same toys I did - including toy (Nerf) guns. Lastly, I don't think enough people are willing to admit when they make a mistake. The story of the spilled hot coffee from McDonald's and the person sued McDonald's because they burnt themselves. Whether this is a true story or not, it illustrates my point. If this person was reasonably responsible and careful, then it wouldn't have spilled. Should I let my kids play football in the highway and sue whoever driver hits them - or sue the government to lower the speed limits? I can go on and on.... I make mistakes, and I fess up to them without going through an inquisition first. I also understand others make mistakes and thus don't generally fly off the handle when someone's mistake has a direct impact on me.
	------- Family -------
	These poor souls who live with me or are otherwise related... My incredible luck continues into my adulthood. I have two healthy, very affectionate, well behaved boys from my first marriage (hey, I may be happy, but even I have tough times :-). They live with their mom who does an excellent job raising them, and I see them very regularly for what I call "child abuse weekends". Not really! Sure, who's getting the "abuse", as by the time they go back to mom I'm dead tired :-) Being young I teach them the finer things in life that schools don't seem to cover. Like bunny ears during picture taking. The Three Stooges "Poke the eyes, poke the eyes. BLOCK". What "cutting the cheese" means. "High 5 ..... now down low...you're too SLOW!". You know, the important stuff. They also love to go to the library to learn new things, and they both already know how to use the computer and surf the 'Net. Last but nowhere near least, is my wife Sara. I used hypnosis to get her to love (and then marry) me - as you might know it worked well enough for her to get married on 5/10 - following my interest in the Datsun 510. Fortunately for her (and I think for me too), she has a very equivalent sense of humor, and keeps me on my toes. As long as she doesn't come out of hypnosis I'm OK. Shhhhh don't tell!