Ithaqua is kill

>But Al never did. Maybe that’s because there was plenty of permissive downtime at NR, which he could and did fill by reading travel guides to any country (I can see him at his cluttered mailroom desk hiking through Fodor’s Guide to San Marino or Frommer’s Guide to Sierra Leone), by wandering the office offering commentary (sometime head-scratching, often quite sharp, always preceded by a chortle) and usually unsolicited advice (“You shouldn’t use Equal.” “Really Al? I don’t remember asking your opinion.”), or, more and more as the years wore on, giving rapt attention to his PC screen, watching YouTube videos of bygone wrestling matches featuring Bruno Sammartino and Chief Jay Strongbow and other ancient heroes (Al knew everything about professional wrestling — he was an encyclopedia and was determined to share his wrestling newsletters with his colleagues).

>Yep, Alex loved to share his passions. The beautiful model trains and buses he saved for were delivered to NR, and after opening them with care he showed them off, tossing in a gratis lecture on why this 1932 Whatchamacallit Steam Engine was more accurate than his 1947 HolySmokes Diesel. His home basement was turned over to this hobby, wall to wall, and he took countless pictures and videos of his beloved layouts (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkwHqLXy8V0Bbk5OzAX157Q)

>Al fit into one category: Al. The son of a New York City police officer; Al had a social awkwardness offset by a relentless itch to engage; he was exceptionally bright, decidedly uncool, and acted no different talking to Bill Buckley than he did to the NR receptionist (although I doubt he tried to interest Bill in Japanese anime). He defied physics: You could see Al a block off, bouncing down Lexington Avenue, somehow his body moving in every direction at once. He could take a joke, and he could give in return (the chortle followed these). His politics were as elusive as his trip to . . . Sierra Leone. Still, he was one of us. Unfittable, Alex Batey fit in here.

>This week, something was up. Something was wrong. His gastro system — it was on the fritz, and he was . . . unnerved. Al went to the walk-in medical clinic located next door to NR. Little good that did: The next two days, he called in sick. And he was. Very. Russ Jenkins, his boss and friend and guardian angel, told him — get yourself to an emergency room. And: Don’t Come In.

>Al being Al, today, he came in. For the last time. A little after 10:00 a.m., trying to deliver the new issue of NR, he became disoriented and started to collapse. Aaron and Mila caught him, sat him in a chair, Alexandra called 911, Galina got his records. As for Al — he couldn’t breathe or talk. The EMTs arrived, gave him oxygen and an IV, and took him to the nearby hospital. Lindsay Craig followed to make sure someone was there to have his back. The doctor told her: Big Al was in grave condition. By mid-afternoon, he was dead — a massive infection had swamped his lungs and stomach, overwhelming his system.

>Why in God’s name did he come in to the offices of National Review this day? To me it is obvious. Alone in the world except for a loving sister, who lived far away, Alex Batey knew that he had arrived at the hour that will arrive for all of us. But he didn’t want to die alone. And he didn’t.

>Over its 62 years, National Review has had three editors: Bill Buckley, John O’Sullivan, and Rich Lowry. Al Batey was privileged: He could call all of them friends. But they too were privileged to say the same of Alex Batey. So am I, and so are shocked colleagues, some who have wept at the news of his passing.

>Rest in peace, Big Al. We’re praying Jesus is your tag-team partner.

F

>>1095179
Wait, was he really Ithaqua?

That's terribly sad if so.

>>1095190
The article links to his YouTube page, which is under the name Alex Batey.

F

>>1095176
Yay! No more full resolution blurfests.

>>1095177
>That layout
Oh, God, it really was him.

;_;

>>1095196
I know his layouts were tacky and silly, but he had passion for it. /n/ and the world are truly the lessor without someone like him.

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>loner of sorts
>rapt attention to his PC screen
>social awkwardness
>decidedly uncool
>Japanese anime

Literally /ourguy/, forever and always.

F

Damm. This place won't be the same without him. A rare good namefag.

I never got your love for tacky 3-rail layouts, but

F

>>1095176
How did you find this?

RIP Ithaqua. Your tacky childish layouts will be missed.

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I posted this 2 weeks or so ago in the model train general, looked up his name because I hadn't seen him post in a while and found that NR article. Turns out he hadn't been posting because he was dead. It's rather surprising to find out he worked at the National Review of all places. Not surprised about his personal life though, and he even looked like I thought he would. I know a lot of people shit on him here, some in jest and some not, but at least he was sincere and he had a pretty decent collection of interurban and electric locomotives. Steam too. He had a pretty good sense of humor and self-awareness in his posts too.

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>>1095568
>even other peoples fucking photos of him are blurry
What is this? Was he some sort of supernatural demon bane of photography?

>>1095568
I appreciate it. He'll be missed. I just hope he knew how much some of us liked him and his style.

>>1095178
>get yourself to an emergency room. And: Don’t Come In.
>Al being Al, today, he came in
>By mid-afternoon, he was dead

Sounds like how I will go.

From the article he seemed to be a cool, if quirky guy. He enjoyed what he did, and had a sense of duty to his job that suck until the end. Aside from having a bit of N gauge I never got into the hobby. Bicycles got me when I was 16.

>>1095176

So basically a "fellow tripfag" died, who I never interacted with but given how shit and disposable 4chan is, it would difficult and onerous to even link to his archived posts...

>https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkwHqLXy8V0Bbk5OzAX157Q

Wow the guy uploaded a creepy amount of model train geek videos despite almost never getting 200 views. But he kept on plugging anyway, I don't know whether that is good or bad...

>>1095579
Fuck off faggot, no one cares about you anymore. You peaked in 2015.

>>1095585
>implying he ever came close to anything resembling a peak
Damn right about the fucking off though.

This thread reminds me that I haven't seen baconrider post in awhile...

>>1095595
He made a brief return a few weeks ago. Said to alright then. Dont know what hes up to, but i hope hes simply to busy racing hoerses with his to post to chengdu forums.

>>1095579
Go away