David "Bagel" Baker, you will be missed

I remember when Nyk first introduced me to Bagel. I was so hesitant to call him by his "name" because I thought it was some kind of foreign name that all the big city people knew and I would be the country fool pronouncing it like a bakery item. I learned two things - 1) his nickname was indeed after the bakery item, and 2) neither he, nor Nyk, nor any of their friends would ever make fun of me even if I had mispronounced it.

I went to many a soiree at the Nyk & Bagel residence and was always drawn to Bagel's charm, like everyone was. He was so effervescent. When he came into a room, everyone wanted to talk to him, to have him pay them attention, to make him laugh at a crazy story...

Now he's gone, much too soon. He died in a traffic accident early in the morning of July 2, 2006. I hadn't seen him in months. Now I never will again.

And I feel so badly for Nyk. He reminded me of something while we were at a little memorial party for Bagel on Monday. He, Wyatt and Bagel took a roadtrip down to Richmond right after Wyatt moved out here and had such fun talking, laughing, goofing around... and now, less than two years later, Nyk is the only one left. They were both so full of life and now they're gone. It's so unfair. It is just so wretched and unfair.