All persons, living and dead, are purely coincidental.

I've actually been expecting to read about Kurt Vonnegut's death for several years now; he lived considerably longer than I, or he, expected. He was old, and was certainly a weary soul. I suppose I liked his books, but mostly I appreciated his voice and his outlook. My favorite of his books was Timequake, primarily due to its autobiographical content. I'm sorry to see him go. Years ago, I saw Kurt speak at a church in St Paul. When he was done, he answered some questions. When no questions were forthcoming, he began a crotchety walk off the stage, and had to be called back, complaining about it being too damned hot. One of the questions, from some simpering college kid, was something like "How do you account for my being able to read and re-read your books, and always find something new?" Well, he didn't even have to think about that one. The answer: "I am what you'd call a genius." Thanks, Kurt.