I had never come across his name until I noticed _The Woman Between the Worlds_ in a bookshop last year. It was an odd book, awkward in some ways but vivid -- and it's much too rare these years that I come across something interesting and genuinely new to me, in the used-book section. I appreciated that.

The first(and only) person to speak to me, ask who I was, explain what was going on etc., was Gwynplaine.

We never had an interaction after that, but, as you see, I never forgot that kindness.

Love, C.

I presume an under-funded health-care system is involved in the revolving door at the hospital.

DDB-- People can and do check themselves out of psych hospitals AMA, under some circumstances. (I forget the various rules and regs, but my point is, it's not necessarily bad insurance. If he didn't want treatment (and many don't), then in some cases they can't keep him.

This autobiographical item by McIntyre may also be of interest. It links back to his homepage here.

I am not the friend in question, but he's a friend of mine, as well, and he e-mailed me (and another friend) about this.

Real enough to die, though.

So sad.

Even pen names can die -- and real names sometimes keep on publishing after their owners' deaths, for that matter.

The ending of the story seems sad, though we don't really know a lot. Parts of the story seem pretty joyful, though. There seems to have been pretty definitive triumphing over rather severe adversity.

Now, The New York Times is calling me, interrupting a pleasant day the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

In quite an odd synchronicity, the story is titled "The 21st of June." It's about patriotism, liberty, and culture wars, and takes place on a holiday that strongly resembles our 4th of July. I haven't been able to find any mention of it coming up in discussions of his death. I'm not sure if it sheds any light on his taking his life July 4th, but it shows (at least in this piece) some intense feeling about the holiday that may be relevant.

I know to agree that Froggy is unusual. For that reason, people in general don't know his proclivities. I am one of his friends, and am familiar with that part of him.

Not every unhappy person offs themselves. At this point in time, I understand the most fundamental issue of Froggy's. He wants to validate his life, not terminate it; and it is reasonable to acknowledge mortality, as a reminder of our humility in the universe and the scheme of larger things.

There was a tragedy, and it surely would affect Froggy profoundly, when that fire took place and a fatality incurred. I won't choose to doubt Froggy's word of a house-sitter until it is disproven.

My brother and I use to hear him coughing and screaming very nasty things every single night. He was a very troubled man. I'm sorry he went the way he did.

To his friends, sorry for your loss. It would be helpful if one of you could forward that suicidal email to me.

Seemed appropriate to put the link here, rather than say in the current OT

Curiouser and curiouser, sadder and sadder.

I vaguely remember the guy from I was an I-Con staffer and he was an occasional guest. A polite, oddly affected dude in odd clothing.

---Gordon V.G.