I've been interviewed by John Scalzi for his By the Way journal, about Hart & Boot & Other Stories & other things. Go, read, enjoy, buy the book (which is beautiful), etc.

In less happy news, some ass-clown stole my credit card number, and made a "replica card," and charged a bunch of shit. Fortunately the fraud department called me today. Auto parts and gas -- like, $85 worth of gas a pop, for several days in a row, moving from California into Canada. Some fucker road-tripped into Canada on my credit card! Grrr. Anyway, charges are reversed, and so on. Not sure how it happened, though. I have the card, never throw statements in the trash, and follow other basic safety protocols. My vague understanding is that replicating a credit card involves you giving the card to some untrustworthy clerk at a gas station, restaurant, etc., and then they surreptitiously scan the magnetic strip data, and get some unscrupulous person to make a duplicate, fake card. But I never friggin' use this card, except to pay my Tivo subscription. I don't remember the last time I physically handed it to someone... I guess I used it to pay for car repairs, but that was months upon months ago. Who knows. Sucks. I'm getting a new card, but it's annoying. Have to switch the Tivo subscription to the new card, etc. Bleah. Could've been worse though, I guess.

Lots worse -- my neighbor got held up a couple of mornings ago. Like, my right-next-door neighbor. He gets up at dark o'clock in the morning to go to work, and a couple of days ago he went out, opened his car door, and some dudes swooped in with their car, blocked him in, took his wallet and keys, and took off. We got downstairs to leave for work just as the cop was finishing up. The big worry is they'll come back and steal the car later, or even break into the house (I don't know if they changed the locks -- I would have!). Cop said it was the third time that kind of crime has happened in the area, so it's the same guys workin' the zone. Life is feeling sort of crime-ridden lately. Makes me want to live in a yurt somewhere isolated and only do barter transactions. Sigh.