I Love You Dad

After a long illness and courageous battle, my Father passed away this morning at the age of 64. He was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1945 to Mary Ellen and Fred Armstrong. A gifted athlete, he ran track and graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a degree in History. Later, he would receive a MBA from the University of Louisville. He was a US Army helicopter pilot and served in Vietnam from 1970-1971. He is survived by his wife Lynn, his father Fred, his brother Freddie, sister Joyce and his two loving children, Kelly Joann and Jeffery Todd and their mother Patty.

Dad was a very loving Father and a good man. He loved his family dearly and we were on his mind until his last breath. An avid University of Kentucky basketball fan, Dad was looking forward to an exciting season under new coach John Calipari. Dad loved science fiction (especially Star Trek), politics (we often disagreed) and working in the yard.

My brother and I will be leaving early tomorrow morning to make the 12 hour trip south to New Orleans. He will receive a full military funeral and will be laid to rest near his current home in Louisiana. Family will be coming from here in Louisville, Dayton and throughout the country. While it will be a very difficult week, I know in my heart that he is in a better place and has finally found the peace that has eluded him these past few years. I hope that there is a Heaven and if there is, his beloved Mother was waiting with open arms and welcomed him home.

I love you Dad. Always have and always will!

I Guess I Underestimated That

It's been almost a full week since I last visited this site and when I did, I was just starting to come down with something. Well, I haven't been back to work since, I've had one serious case of bronchitis, an upper respiratory infection and a fever that lasted about 5 days. I'm still not well, but somehow I'm going to find the energy to venture back into the classroom tomorrow. I certainly feel better than I did yesterday and even more so than on Friday or Saturday, but for some reason, perhaps the shitty weather, I just can't shake this stuff.

It hasn't been for a lack of sleeping, drinking fluids and following doctors orders, I've been a model patient, but whatever strain of bacteria that came my way deserves a cruel and unusual death. Hopefully I'm on the road to recovery and by the end of the week things will be back to normal. If not, well, I don't really know what I'll do but one thing I do know for certain is that now that I'm feeling a wee bit better, I'm going to do a much better job of stopping by this place of mine and doing what I like to do, write about useless crap.

Sick

Not sure which is worse, the stomach in knots and the urge to throw up or the cold chills and body ache. I guess it's time to call the substitute line.

Back

I've been back from the mountains since Sunday night but as is usually the case, I need a vacation from my vacation. I had one of the better trips to West Virginia and as is also usually the case, I hated to leave. One of the hardest things to adjust to when returning from the middle of nowhere is the constant noise of the city. When I would step out onto the deck of our condo, the only sounds I could hear were the thoughts inside my mind. For those who haven't experienced it, the sound of silence is the greatest thing in the world. The silence, lack of people and complete sense of wilderness is intoxicating and I'm already counting the days till I head back east.