Our Islamic "militants" don't know yet what happens when a moderate is "martyred."

But they are about to fucking find out . . .

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You were one of my first readers, over at the old blog. I think I was the one who brought you into the nation of Munuvia.

• • •

Triticale is gone. He had the most amazing mind when it came to wordplay; he was the one who suggested—back when I was still doing "household hints"—that I could replace the category "Attila in an Apron" with "Apronics."

He called me "Attila the Honey," natch.

Just damn.

Please pray for Tom E. Arnold. His family will be holding Shi'va on the 19th and 20th of this month in Illinois, and there will be a celebration of his life this coming spring.

• • •

Thank you, Tom. Vaya con Dios, my friend.

Via Sean.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 05:03 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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You were one of my heroes. I'm glad you died with a chocolate bar and a bottle of high-quality whiskey by your bed. And I'm glad you and Helen lasted 45 years. Wow!

• • • • •

What a life-affirming, fabulous woman. The triumph and tragedy of her life is that she became the face of lesbianism among Canadians and the literati. Though this probably helped fortify a lot of young women who needed someone to look up to, I think it unfairly limited the market for her books, which were largely carried in feminist/GLBT bookstores, but not always available at mainstream venues. And that's a shame: they were wonderful. They deserved to be read by everyone.

There was a lot more to Jane Rule's characters than the fact that some of 'em were gay.

I know most people's favorite Rule novel is Desert of the Heart. It was indeed a magnificent read, and it was later loosely adapted for the film Desert Hearts, which I saw with a boyfriend in the early 1980s (he didn't mind, of course; he developed a crush on one of the actresses, so seeing her in a lesbian sex scene was AOK—men are so cute).

But there are others: I liked Inland Passage, and (especially) Memory Board. The most amazing Jane Rule book of all is undoubtedly Contract with the World. I could read it over and over again. I may just do that, this month, as a tribute to Our Jane. (Um. Not this Jane. I mean, "Our Other Jane.")

And I see that not all of her books are widely available. If someone wants to make some money in the English-speaking world, they might want to re-issue Rule's stunning body of fiction. (All of it, including This Is Not For You. The fact that a book is not easy reading—or tremendously accessible to straights—does not make it less worthy of reprinting.)

• • • • •

You did well, Ms. Rule. If I can die as half the woman you were, I'll be very, very happy.

I'll be praying for you; I'm sure you and G-d made your own arrangements years ago, and I'm confident I'll see you on the other side of the veil. You, Auden, Yeats and I can have some laughs. You bring the cigarettes; I'll bring the cigars. You bring the whiskey; I'll bring the gin.

(Photo courtesy of the Globe and Mail piece linked above.)

Hat tip to David Linden for penetrating my influenza fog/usual MSM blackout.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 06:41 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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