The Hoppy Okapi

I’ve lived in San Diego for the past 6 years, work as a database developer, and spend my free time hiking, cooking, seeking out good beer, and reading fantasy novels. I started running this year, finished my first 5K in March, and am still learning to love it.

Things I like:

• small, local music venues (Casbah, Lestat’s, Belly Up!, McCabe’s in Santa Monica)
• okapis, gibbons, Harpy eagles, and other residents of the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park
• shoes! comfy Keen sandals, Merril hiking shoes, the entire inventory of Clarks
• movies set in Paris – Girl on the Bridge, Amelie, Charade
• bakeries for breakfast – Bread & Cie, Bread on Market, Influx
• making lists of things I like

My Desert Island Discs:

1. Be Good Tanyas – Blue Horse
2. Moby – Hotel
3. Girlyman – Little Star
4. Jeremy Fisher – Goodbye Blue Monday
5. Cry, Cry, Cry
6. Kim Richey – Chinese Boxes

My favorite fantasy authors:

1. Michelle West (Michelle Sagara) – The Broken Crown got me hooked on fantasy novels 12 years ago, and I’ve been obsessed ever since
2. Jacqueline Carey – read Kushiel’s Mercy in less than three days; sadly, Comic Con is booked for Thursday, so I won’t get to see her there
3. Charles de Lint – Finished Onion Girl and Widdershins this year, taking a break so I can savor the next one more
4. Maria V Snyder – quick, fun reads, classic wizardry, and magical chocolate!

My favorite Chuao Chocolate flavors:

1. Parchita! Passion fruit caramel
2. Modena – strawberry balsamic vinegar caramel
3. Le Citron – Lemon caramel
4. Cambur – banana brown sugar – you guessed it! – caramel

To contact me, send an email to hoppyokapi(AT)gmail.com