I haven't been seen 'round these parts of the net in quite a few years, but
I thought this would be a fitting place to repost the following tribute I
just wrote for my blog.
Yesterday evening, I found out that author James Oliver Rigney died
yesterday after a long struggle with amyloidosis (a disease where your
body
deposits insoluble proteins in its own tissues and organs). Mr. Rigney was
better known under a variety of pennames; the one that touched my life the
most was Robert Jordan, author of the best-selling Wheel of Time fantasy
series.
At one point in my life, I was extremely active in the
rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan Usenet newsgroup. We're talking ancient
history here -- at least a year and a half before I was married according
to
Google (and I think they're missing a lot of the older stuff). My
participation in that group filled a huge gap in my social life at a
really
shitty time in my life. I don't even remember how I got introduced to The
Wheel of Time, but I do remember that I was just in time to read the first
three and start waiting for the fourth book along with everyone else. My
days of Usenet participation are long past, but I still have a handful of
active friendships from that group.
More importantly, that group --and thus Robert Jordan -- is directly
responsible for me deciding to move to Tacoma and thus be in the right
place
at the right time to meet the woman who would become my wife. I stopped
reading the books many years ago (maybe I'll get into my reasons some
other
day when it won't just sound like bashing the departed, and if people
actually care) but they brought me from the worst place in my life to the
best place in my life. It took a while for the news to hit me, but hit me
it
finally did last night. Robert Jordan introduced me to many neat people,
including the person who is my best friend, my lover, and my partner in
all
ways.
Thank you, Mr. Rigney. You have been loved, you will be missed, you have
touched my life, and I send you back to the Light with sadness and
gratitude.
--
Devin L. Ganger <devin@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Homepage: http://www.thecabal.org/~devin/
Devin on Earth: http://blogs.thecabal.org/blogs/devin/
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