XHTML and CSS

OK, I have something to admit: I am woefully ignorant of XHTML, CSS, and other modern web standards. Being unable to author elegant web pages today makes you practically illiterate. Realizing this, I have decided to bring myself up to speed. I'm currently reading HTML and XHTML: The Definitive Guide and Cascading Style Sheets: The Definitive Guide on O'Reilly Safari . I've also been experimenting with the design for this weblog, so if anything looks messed up or makes your eyes bleed in the next few days, I apologize. One thing I've completed is making this site validate as XHTML 1.0 Transitional, thanks to some help from Brad Choate .

If any of you web design gurus have book or site recommendations to help me along, leave a comment.