Dr. A. Kenneth Ciongoli - a brief retrospective

On Oct. 28th 2008 I lost my father, my hero, my best friend.

As any consistent reader of this weblog could tell, he has had a tremendous impact on me. My father excelled in all aspects of his well-lived life. He was first and foremost a dedicated and fiercely loyal family man as well as a brilliant doctor, a thoughtful intellectual, a lucid writer, a loquacious orator....the list could go on and on.

Dad has inspired me in every part of my life and looking at some of these old photos will hopefully do the same for anyone who sees them.

We will always love you Pop.

mom & dad - september 1978

february 1981

may 1981

dad & me circa 1985

australia 2007

I liked music better in middle school

I've recently come to the realization that my most of musical preferences in middle school were much better than they currently are (although the clash was still my favorite band then).  Here are a few videos for some of my favs in 7th/8th grade.  The videos are pretty outrageous but the music is refreshing, so close your eyes if you need to and enjoy.

superdrag - "sucked out"

fountains of wayne (awesome before stacy's mom) - radiation vibe

the refreshments - banditos

On the List - "Alfie" and the Vespa

Jude Law is the one of the most stylish actors in Hollywood. Plain and simple. His role in "Alfie" has added two things to my ever-growing list of meaningless possessions. I purchased the first yesterday, a cable knit hooded sweater. Alfie's was cashmere, mine is a handknit Irish fisherman's. The second image that this film has set in motion perpetually in my head is me riding the 1966 Piaggio Vespa 150 Sprint (With my lovely wife in the place of Sienna Miller obviously). Via ebay, I have found a guy in Florida that painstakingly restores them and ships them anywhere in the country for free if you pay his asking price, although he will entertain best offers as well.  The silver one is up for auction as we speak.  Go get it guys.

Influential Imagery - Dickie Barrett

Billy Reid - My kind of southern gentleman

Thanks to Hollister Hovey for her post about Alabama's own Billy Reid.   Its like looking at Rugby's fall delivery without the all the logos (or my own closet).