Xyzzy the Avatar

I survived Berkeley's English BA program, then went several years with no interest in reading or writing fiction. The final three were spent extremely close to an amazingly intelligent & loving gray cat fighting heart failure. When a vet mistake caused a horrible death, I was so devastated that the only way to stay sane was to return to pleasure... more »

I survived Berkeley's English BA program, then went several years with no interest in reading or writing fiction. The final three were spent extremely close to an amazingly intelligent & loving gray cat fighting heart failure. When a vet mistake caused a horrible death, I was so devastated that the only way to stay sane was to return to pleasure reading & creative writing.

My favorite categories of fiction are light fantasy and humor, often preferably both at once. At the moment, I'm reading through Lackey's many "Valdemar" books. (I'm also wondering why the covers don't depict people with dark skin even if the book takes place in a country full of black people, after reading a blog post about such things.)

I also have the Linux Pocket Guide on my desk, after using Ubuntu for over a year. It's good to have a reference when I'm tinkering for the sheer enjoyment of learning, and doubly good when all of my tinkering causes something to not work quite the way it should! « less