Our Memories of Robert Jordan
One thing I will always remember was that time he went to D*con. Sidar kept pronouncing things wrong during the costume contest. So RJ tapped Sidar on the head with a mic and corrected him. Sheer greatness.
I'd never met him, but I remember watching a video somewhere where he was pronouncing some of the strange names from the books. I remember being awed by how badly I pronounced everything in my head! I don't think I could have come up with names that complex in my wildest dreams!
I never met Robert Jordan, though I do wish I had, I was never granted that honor but here is my favorite memory when I think of him. One dinner with the WoT crew my twin brother (Vashanka Gaidin) was attending. Well, in the middle of dinner Arisaema Sedai and Cataia Sedai shanangled him into a corner and started removing his shirt right in front of Robert Jordan. They even got a picture!
I met Robert Jordan at 2005 Dragon*Con. We had a dinner with him as the guest of honor. I introduced myself and told him that I really liked his series because it's not cheesy, like a lot of fantasy you find out there. I told him that WoT introduced me to fantasy books I could respect, instead of rolling my eyes at. He agreed with me.
He complimented the version of the Banner of the Light that my mother and I made for DragonCon in 2005... I'm still more proud of that than any of the costumes I've done.
I most remember the time I spent around him at Dragon Con 2005. Even though he had noticeably begun to lose weight at the time, his underplayed and deadpan sense of humor was as sharp and clever as I ever imagined. The whole weekend with him was nice, including the reading from a unpublished Knife of Dreams chapter. Possibly the memory I most recall, though, was in the Q & A session when I had the opportunity to ask him about his particular interests in physics from his university days. Although he no longer pursued it, he answered my question seriously and it was nice to feel that academic connection with one of my most respected authors for a moment.
My parents and I met with RJ & Harriet in Dayton just after the release of CoT. It was shortly after D*con 2005, where I had had the privilege of interviewing RJ on stage and presenting him with the questions sent in from fans around the world. I also got to spend time with both of them around the con, and actually toured the art gallery with them during a free hour. When my parents and I visited them on tour in Dayton that day, Harriet was so kind and actually took us "backstage" so that my mom could meet RJ before the real event started. She toured the bookstore with us as something to do before the signing and we all had a fabulous time. It's such an understatement to say that his work has shaped my life. All I can do is be thankful for the benefits I've received, and hope to pass them on to more of our community.
My husband and I talked about WOT before we even met in person, and after we had been dating a few months he let me read his books since he said they were so good. He was right.
I remember first seeing Robert Jordan at Comic*Con 2005 in my Accepted dress. I was star-struck for a good ten or fifteen minutes. "That's Robert Jordan! THAT'S Robert Jordan!" And they couldn't calm me down. RJ saw my Accepted dress and said, "Nice dress." I just about died of happiness. I passed it along to Caia and so did she. I remember at the signature session for Comic*Con there were people there with Conan the Barbarian books...they said that they were the best books they'd ever read, and RJ said he didn't like writing them and changed the names while he was doing so and then changed them back later. Mother, Eniara, Valorian, Teserra, and I were playing crowd control for the signature session...Eniara was bossing me around, because I was Accepted and she was Aes Sedai, but when I curtseyed to Mother she pulled me up and hugged me. I passed out New Spring posters to the crowd and got one autographed, along with the first issue of New Spring. Teserra said once she asked him if his hand hurt from all the autographs and he said no, he did hand exercises and he could open any jar. I asked RJ if Bela would end up being important and he said "RAFO." Then I met him again in November for the Knife of Dreams signing. He approved of my Green shawl. He answered many questions from the crowd including Ciaran's question, "Do the Seanchan use the Power to make their armor and weapons?" to which he said "No" and then, according to Ciaran, got a look on his face like he regretted that answer - he probably hadn't thought about it before. I forget what question I asked him - he specifically asked for questions from females in the crowd - "I know you're not here to carry your boyfriends' books." he said. I miss him already. I always will. I hope Harriet will do book signings and maybe write more of the things he wanted to write. Rest in peace, Robert Jordan, James Oliver Rigney Jr. I miss him, I miss him, I miss him so much. Everyone and everything has a time to die...
Without Robert Jordan I wouldn't have met so many of my closest friends... Or the man I am engaged to marry... I owe so much of my happiness to this man... I am deeply saddened and a little lost for words...
Sadly, my memories will always be of the chances not taken. The three times I failed to go to book signings to get Lord of Chaos (my eternal favorite) signed. The cards at D*Con this year I didn't sign because I couldn't find the right words. The years I hovered on the periphery of his fandom, never quite plunging in with all my heart. I never knew the man, and for that I have only myself to blame. I can but take these lessons, truly take them, to heart and move forward appropriately before I miss any other chances.
Bale, Ela, and I, were at the Crossroads of Twilight signing in DC. I still remember coming out of the signing thinking he was slightly off in the head. Ela asked him which finger the AS ring was suppose to be worn on by Accepted because the 3rd finger is the middle finger. He said he didn't count the thumb. I tried to argue the point but he started talking about how the ring finger was believed to be connected to the heart by arteries, and the heart was on the left side. And he then told us the best place to stab someone so they couldn't scream. He also told us about palmetto bugs. He held up his hands about 6 inches apart and swore the cockroaches in Charleston were that big. I'm not sure what got him started on cockroaches. I met him again at Dragon con. I didn't get a chance to randomly chat with him like that again. But I did love meeting Harriet. She was awesome. She signed my Knife of Dreams, Harriet Sedai.
I never met him cause I live in Serbia and have never been in USA, but without him I'll would never have met you guys!!! May the Light shine upon all of you!
I am so sad to hear this. There is a terrible hole in my heart. I feel that he has touched my soul so much with his wonderful novels and the wonderful people he has brought together. He will be sorely missed. I will keep his wife in my thoughts and prayers. There is a purpose for everything and everyone. Unfortunately, the ones that touch us the most are most often the ones that leave us to soon. He was a bright shooting star in a dark night sky. He lit up so many of our lives for the short time that he was here. We will never forget you RJ.
I had to scratch something off my "to-do-before-I-die" list today. That made me sad, but then, I remembered that it does not matter that I never got to meet Robert Jordan. I have you guys because of him, and it's more than I ever could imagine getting from reading.
At the D*Con 2005 signing I was lucky enough to ask a question to the Creator. Jorryn Sedai actually had two, and since I could not for the life of me remember what mine was, I said I would ask her second one. I went up there, proud as can be and asked: "If someone was to open a gateway in front of them that opened behind them, would they be able to balefire themselves?" I remember that he put down his pen and looked at me, his eyes sparkling before saying: "Young lady, you need to go have an affair with a man, woman or german shepherd. Either way, you have entirely too much time on your hands." It took me a second, I thanked him and walked off, very puzzled look on my face. I had to ask the other people that had been close enough to see if he had in fact said what I thought he had. And he did. And so began one of the longest running inside jokes, because not long after that I got special permission to bond Odin, who was in fact Jorryn's husky and even though it may get to the point where I cannot remain "legally" bonded to him, I forever will be in my heart, because the Creator told me to. In fact, I remember hearing about another signing where he asked about the girl who bonded the dog. It breaks my heart that I can never thank him for that again.
Ribeqa
I had been wanting to go to the signings and D*Con, but always thought it silly that my desire was so strong to meet him. I fought against my gut instinct, and now I will never get that chance back. Now I feel like there's an empty hole in my heart where that experience should have been.
I met him in 2003, during my visit to Tower people in the US. A big group of us went to a book signing. And its a very fond memory of mine having my copy of Crossroads of Twilight signed by him and I'll never forget it. He came across as a very kind man to me, and took the time to talk to each and every fan who came and answered questions they asked. I'll always treasure the photo I took of me and him together, as well as the one of the TV group who was there that day.
Keira
I met him at D*Con and I will never forget it. He was just as warm and friendly in person as I had ever imagined him to be. There was absolutely none of that arrogance and rudeness that some people adopt when they become rich or famous. He was patient with all of the questions, always gave a well thought out answer, even if it was "Read and Find Out". Sadly, I don't have a picture of me with him and now I regret that I didn't take the opportunity but I do count myself very blessed to have met such an amazing man.
I met him both at Comic*Con '05 and Dragon*Con '05. In San Diego I had the privilege of both sitting down to dinner with him and Harriet as well as helping run his book signing. Meeting him in person only made me admire and respect him even more. He was a wonderful, charming, and funny man.
