State of the Union April 24th, 2003

Hello, and welcome all to the Optimal Matrix, where the name says it all. This site will be the most comprehensive and news/info. And resource site for toys, anime, comic books, video games, and other related media. While the 3 biggest focuses will be Transformers, Macross/Robotech, and Gundam, so much more material will be added over time. I want to make this idea a reality, because no else has yet. And as far as I'm concerned, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to find an answer to any of your questions easily. I'm Claude Washington III, a German/American.

I was born in Memmingen, Germany, and lived there (for the most part) until 1990, when we returned to my father's home state of Georgia. And since then, we've lived in this same house here in Riverdale, just south of Atlanta. I can't tell you what kind of individual I think I'd be, but I can tell you who I am due to heavy influence from my father, James III, and my brother, James IV. Between the 2 of them, I was turned onto reading and cinema, which to me are the same thing. A good book is like a good movie, and vice-versa. At the time, my brother was still a teenager and interested in toys & cartoons/anime. Through this exposure, I was turned onto the greatest thing since sliced bread: the Transformers. These giant, alien robots were the key that opened the floodgates. After TF, it was Robotech, then Thundercats, then Masters of the Universe, then Voltron, then the Centurions, then etc. It just went on and on. I truly am a child of the 80's, and there really wasn't a better time to be a child.

And as if the shows we got weren't great enough, we got something just as great to go with them: toys, the ultimate connection to your show of choice. And the Transformers are the greatest toy line & anime series of all. As a kid, I had my toys like everyone else, but I never stopped buying them, and now I collect them. Another thing James turned me onto was comic books. Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Batman are tops for me, but it's a truly rich medium, and those just scratch the surface of my interests. The 80's is also the decade in which modern video games began. I was there for the Nintendo, and am still here today for the Game Cube and Playstation 2. In addition, I have a really strong interest in science, especially electronics & engineering. It all just really comes together for me, and a bigger kid I don't think you'll find. But I'm just as big a fan of live-action cinema, and you'll see some of that here over time. But don't worry, I'm not some loser fanboy…okay, maybe you could call me a fan-boy, but I'm a tight, intelligent (technically genius) fan boy, who is in excellent physical condition, am a natural athlete, and sport a 1st degree Black belt in Taekwondo, as well as extensive knowledge in various other martial arts and fighting styles. I can lift twice my body weight (at heaviest, 190 lbs.), and if you saw me run, you'd think I was the T-1000 from T2: Judgement Day.

I'm also very funny (think Richard Pryor for the 90's) and quite the looker (your wildest dreams ladies ; ). But enough about me. In the future, this column will be for all the news that's fit to print. The 20th anniversary of the Transformers isn't even a year away, while the 20th anniversary of Macross comes off to a slow, but strong (and expensive $$$) start. Legal battles for who owns the rights have all be ceased. Big West stands atop them all, but Tatsunoko & co. have filed for an appeal. With that said, Harmony Gold isn't in any immediate danger…yet, but be ready for the spoon to drop as Robbie Kinieval likes to say : ). Comic books are on a come back thanks to the 80's and some well-made Marvel movies. All that and so much more to be brought to you here over the next week, but don't expect the first update to be applied any later than May 3rd. Till all are one, Optimal Claude!!