1st radio interview

Thank you, Vince Camp, of Clear Channel Group, for the recent interview on Nov.30. It was great to share some time and love with my hometown of Youngstown, Ohio. You were gracious and friendly, and put me at ease when talking about TOOLS and both my folks. Thank you.

Launching paintedeyesenterprise.com

I have been blessed with wonderful, supportive, and talented friends. After months of exploring building my own web site, I realized that I was too challenged. Thank you, Thom Flora, for coming to my rescue. I also wish to thank Gerri & David @ GODESIGN for their past graphic work, and re-working the text.

I was especially proud that paintedeyesenterprise.com officially went on line on Father's Day. Quite a gift for my late father. As I shared with friends and family, I could hear Dad chuckling and mom complaining...."Why da hell did you use that picture of me?...it makes me look fat!"

So...check it out when you get a chance. Thank you guys again for all your help.

For those who don't know, Occhipinti translates from Sicilian to English to "Painted Eyes."

Launch!

Welcome to our new blog for Tools, A Personal Memoir. Following the death of our late father, John Occhipinti, in October of 2003, I expanded on the eulogy I had earlier written for Dad, and began reflecting and writing even more about Dad's life and our family memories. The more things I remembered, it became even more clear how much Dad had taught me over the course of our lives. The best part was that I felt Dad sitting next to me as I wrote Tools. I also felt Dad listening as I read aloud my latest chapter and lesson. Following a brief informal presentation to my local Italians in Nashville group in July of 2007, I was overwhelmed with the positive responses I received. Members were moved to laughter and tears, and came up afterwards to share their appreciation of my stories and to also share their family stories. Then I realized that my book, though a collectional of personal family stories, actually helped people to connect with their own stories and to share them. Our goal in creating this blog is to provide a forum for readers to share their thoughts and reflections about Tools and their own family experiences. Enjoy! TJO