I wish there were more. And I can't imagine going through life with that reality. I'm the typing version of verbally flummoxed; I keep typing, deleting, prodding out one letter at a time. Most of the time I know I can't really know the reality of another's perception, but this is so beyond my ken that I feel desperately drawn to read more.

"It is a rare mind indeed that can render the hitherto non-existent blindingly obvious. The cry 'I could have thought of that' is a very popular and misleading one, for the fact is that they didn't, and a very significant fact it is too."

Mental illness is so tragic, yet it is interesting. I have learned a lot about mental illness, and continue to learn. Getting a chance to look into this guy's world is fascinating.

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." Leo Tolstoy.

I was acquainted with Stanley Bender, a.k.a The Tinfoil Man. The first time I saw him was in the early 1960s. He was walking in the middle of 4th St. up by Ralph's Thriftway, with his hand high in the air flipping the rod to all who passed by. He had a wheelbarrow next him filled with metal cans, and on his head was a tinfoil cowl.

Later I got to know him a bit. He was an avid reader of Ayn Rand. He claimed to have invented velcro and ziplock bags, but was screwed out of getting the credit. He never drove, but owned a flatbed truck that some kid (the drivers had a high turnover rate) would drive as his chauffeur. When Stanley's house burned down, it was front page news. The reporter took pains to mention what a hindrance all the metal was in fighting the flames. As Bender grew older, the tinfoil cowl was replaced by a neatly trimmed skullcap usually covered by another hat or hood.

I later invented a fictional character based on Stanley called "Luce Crewe." V-ster assumed this role in a detective game I co-wrote.

I'm sorry to hear Stanley is gone. I think even today if he was still with us he would stand out as one of Olympia's top eccentrics.