Elaine is a transplanted New Englander undergoing yet another uprooting. She lives with her husband, Billy, and their two children, Andrew and Sean, in a cat-infested home filled with books and computer stuff. Family hobbies include bike rides, hiking, going to movies, and haunting bookstores. In her spare time, she reads omnivorously, bakes world-class cookies, and writes bad poetry. She has a perverse fondness for lute music, Italian opera, political cartoons, and sick puns.