Long live Nick West

Nick West was my ITP thesis adviser and my friend. We worked together on several amazing projects and he opened up my eyes to very positive alternate futures that could be created with the same technology that can seem so stupefyingly awful.

He put me up in Austin for a few days in his and Liz's amazing little art cottage a few years back. He gave me the most wonderful introduction to that city's shops and theaters and weirdos and I will always associate it with him. Nick also took me to my first gastropub in London a few years ago. Although we had what I thought would be the awkward experience of hanging out with a 3rd party friend of mine - a London banker whom I figured would have nothing to talk about with Nick (I only had one night in town so I sort of awkwardly double booked) - Nick totally just dazzled her and befriended her immediately. I was amazed at how his wonderful pure open heart just makes it impossible to not love him.

Here's a funny photo of our ride between nightspots:



I last saw Nick about 5 months ago in Berkeley; we met at the utterly loathsome Cafe Gratitude, which Nick loved because he could eat healthily there. I made a big groan when he insisted we eat there but then he dropped the mobm on me about the severity of his illness and I decided to, well, be grateful. :-) He was on an extremely restrictive diet of millet and greens and just about nothing else. We had a great reunion and I had hoped to see him again soon. I dropped him a note just last week to try to make a plan to stop by. I'm so sad that he must never have even been able to read it.

He will be sorely missed by so many people.