Linda Ferencik

Posted on: Aug 24, 2022 at 3:28 PM

Moved to California in 1979 to complete my education. Worked full time while going to night school for 7 years towards earning a 4 yr Business degree. From 1979 to 1997 was employed at some exciting/fun/fast-paced/educational high-tech firms in Berkeley CA, San Francisco, and finally Silicon Valley, as office, then business operations managers. This was at the beginning of the computer revolution in Northern California. It was a wild and crazy time to be relatively young, be around all these young creative intellectual computer programmers AND best of all - be hired by computer start-up companies. It was SO MUCH FUN! You needed to have tons of energy and dedication to hang in there as the technology was constantly evolving, and you had to somewhat understand the latest technology to be able to communicate with your co-workers to become accepted team/family members. Also, you were very close to the Pacific ocean and the weather was great.

After meeting him at a friend's techie 40th birthday party in San Francisco, then knowing him for two years, married husband Michael in 1995, the only marriage for both of us. In 1989 Michael was the first hire for Maxis, a computer gaming company started by his close childhood friend. The creator/programmer wanted to call his new game, Micropolis, but that name was already being used. Michael suggested SimCity. They called the game SimCity. Maxis went on to create The Sims, and other educational simulated computer games. These games became best-sellers and won many awards. SimCity was a somewhat technical educational computer game where you created/designed cities, and most people needed to read the thick manual that came with the game before playing it. Smart kids and adults were drawn to this game. It was not for the faint of heart. It was not one of those - simple-minded - violent shoot-em-up/beat-um up computer games that seemed, and seems, to dominate the market.

Michael was Director of Creative Services, wrote the first manual for SimCity, and also wrote and co-wrote many of the computer manuals that came with the other Sim games. He winged it as there were no good instructional books out at the time on how to write a computer technical manual for the paper and online version of the manual. Recognizing this need, we decided to quit our jobs working for other people, and in 1997 created our own publishing company, calling it Untechnical Press. Michael started writing how-to technical writing manuals which we self-published. (He also wrote banjo and stringed instrument instructional books.) The computer manuals were immediately picked up worldwide as college level textbooks for English Dept./Technical Writing classes, and were also sold on Amazon. For a time we were very, very busy. I handled the business/accounting side of the company for 15 years.

We discovered Grass Valley, CA after traveling through it on our way to go skiing in the Sierra Nevada Mts. - and decided to move there as it was less crowded than the Bay Area, and stunningly beautiful. We owned our own business and could easily move it there. In 2002 we found our house after looking at a virtual tour of it on Realtor.com. Realtor.com was relatively new at the time, as were virtual tours, and a great resource. Then in 2010 I started working for a wonderful magazine with nice people called, The Mountain Astrologer, as a part-time employee, then full-time as Circulation Manager. Michael and I both retired in mid-2018, live in the mountains on 2.5 acres with a stream and a pond, have no close neighbors (which was a top priority), and are surrounded by wildlife, many of which we have befriended, cared for, and loved. I can see lots of stars at night, I can clearly see the beautiful milky way, and we see occasional UFOs. I greatly enjoy doing anything in nature; hiking, camping, birding, skiing - we also play/listen to live music, anytime we can. And after nearly two years of isolation because of covid, (which I actually did not mind ) we love visiting with family and friends again. Yes, the weather here has drastically changed in the last 4 years because of climate change - and now we are afraid of wildfires. It is heartbreaking to think about moving, and out of California, as we have family and friends here. But we are considering it. While we are here, I look outside and am soooo grateful for every day, and am very happy that we have given ourselves this wonderful gift of living in such a beautiful place, and very close to nature --- for so long.

One of the reasons I wrote the above is because I was going to the 50th reunion but have decided to cancel because of the rising covid rates in Cleveland. I don't care so much that I catch covid, I am more concerned that I will get it, and then spread it to loved ones I am in close contact with who are immunocompromised - and this disease could kill them. I was hoping to catch up in person with some of yous as I rarely go on social media to catch up. ( I spent WAY TOO MANY YEARS sitting behind a computer - and it is hard for me to do it now. Now I don't want to sit, I just want to move.) I LOVED LOVED our 40th reunion! It was not filled with the division and negativity that social media has caused, and continues to propagate, particularly in the last 6 years. I wish everyone at the 50th reunion good health, love, and most of all - joy. Take care.

Hi Barb and Becky and Gail. I accidently deleted your comments and don't know how to get them back. So sorry. My blurb went to the bottom of the screen beneath the pics after I added new pics and I tried to copy and paste my blurb to bring to the top of the screen and the comments did not come with the cut and paste and were lost. Thank you for your comments. Big hug.

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