I miss you, Dad

My father passed away at around 4 AM, 18 May 2011. He was getting ready for work and, we suppose, had a heart attack. Great health. No previous signs. Just gone.

I don't even know how to write about this. A thousand thoughts are floating around my head. My heart feels like it stopped beating. I just feel sad, angry, numb, and whatever the adjective is for denial. My mother and I are dealing with things: arranging funeral sevices, going through paperwork, that sort of thing. It's hard, but we're working through it. I'm worried about her. She's a strong woman, though and she'll make it through ok.

My father was the smartest man I know. I'm not just saying that; he really is. He was the quintessential "jack-of-all-trades." He knew a lot about of every little thing. He could be hard to love sometimes, but he was loved, nevertheless. I think he'd be touched by how many friends and family have come out and shown their support. He really was well-liked. I'm gonna miss him so much.

Sign of the Times?

So this all started when I went to the airport the other day to pick up my mother. I was waiting with my father, the two of us standing by some pay phones. A little girl next to us looks at her mother, points to the phones and asks, "Why do they have phones here?" I laughed to myself. When I was younger, pay phones were everywhere. In every restaurant, along the sidewalk, at the grocery store. Nearly every place one went one could find a pay phone. Nowadays though, everyone seemingly has a cell phone, making these payphones soon becoming a thing of the past.

Recently, I remember hearing a news report that the last typewriter manufacturer in the States closed its doors. Seriously, I think a bit of my heart died when I heard that. I still have a typewriter my mother gave me a few years ago. It's true, I don't use it, but that's only because it needs a new ribbon. There's something satisfying about the click, click, TING! of a typewriter that one just cannot get from a computer (it's more of a clack, clack, absence of TING!).

What else is on the chopping block, joining the ranks of the phonograph and VHS tapes? Will my kids give me that incredulous look when I say that lightbulbs used to be round (hence the bulb) and not shaped like a screw? Something to think about....

Introduction

To start off, I'll just kinda tell you a little bit about me. My name is Derek and I'm a 20 year old university student. This is my second attempt at blogging. My first, a blog about my animals, was fun, but pretty soon I forgot to update it regularly.

This blog is a little bit wider in subject. Pretty much a place where I can share my philosophies, thoughts, books I'm reading, movies I've seen, and just generally, well, my life. Not that my life is all that interesting, but I hope you, as-of-yet-non-existent-reader, enjoy.