| Name: | Joe Kennedy | | Age: | 54, Born in Brooklyn, NY 1962 | | Marital Status: | Married, 2 Children, girls, ages 12 & 9 | | Occupation: | Owns an IT Consulting Firm in Long Island, NY, established in 1982, specializing in Web-based Application Development, Internet Services including Dedicated Broadband Access, Web Hosting and e-mail support, design, implementation and support of Local Area Networking systems with an emphasis on Non-Profit Organizations, Insurance Agency and Law Office Management | | Resides: | Baldwin, NY; Otis, MA | | Interests: | Photography, Cycling, Cooking, Hiking and Science Fiction | | Narrative: | The most important part of life for me is my family. All that I do focuses on giving my wife and kids the best life experiences possible. This includes a strong emphasis on time spent together as a family. This time includes everything from getting ready for school in the morning, to trips to the beach, family bike rides, doing homework together, kayaking together, hiking, watching movies at home and eating popcorn, taking pictures, skiing, teaching the kids about the things they enjoy most (at any particular moment since being girls and kids, those things change by the day...) and making sure that I've never missed a single morning of bringing the kids to school or a night of tucking them into bed.
To strengthen these committments to my family, I actively participate in many things including serving on the local School Board, patronzing local businesses and avoiding the big, mass-merchants, providing financial support as well as lots of time to organizations that need it, and always inviting and including friends (mine, my wife's and especially the kids') to take advantage of some of the wonderful opportunities and advantages life has dealt us.
I also believe this attitude creates a strong sense of respect and confidence in me by my clients which has helped to support and grow my business over the years.
The hardest part of life for me right now? Finding enough time to do all of the things I like to do and balance that with my business obligations. I'm fortunate enough to have been able to combine some of my interests, especially photography, with my work; and even more so, to be able to arrange my day so that I can see my kids every morning, spend time with the whole family after school and in the evening, ride my bike and train for races, and still take care of my clients, find new clients and manage my business.
I've noticed that as I've grown older, I've become more patient, less impulsive and pay more attention to detail. I've also discovered a little bit of the "artist" in me and allowed and encouraged it to emerge. I'm finding that artistic expression is very cool, indeed. It's a great outlet that I haven't understood until recently (not that I necessarily understand it now, but I "feel" it, and I think that's what counts). I enjoy most, watching my kids exhibit their artistic talents, especially my oldest daughter who obvoiusly excels in all things "art". My youngest daughter, a true budding athlete, will surely put me to shame when she's old enough to race against; I can't wait for that day - she's a natural athlete just waiting to "break out". | | Favorite Music: | The Grateful Dead, The Rolling Stones, The Who, U2, Aerosmith, No Doubt, The Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton, David Bowie, Madonna, Pink Floyd, Queen, Pink, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The B-52's, The Clash, The Cars, Van Morrisson. | | Favorite Movies and TV Shows: | Star Trek: The Original Series, 2001: A Space Oddyssey, Shrek, Lord of the Rings, Monty Python, X-Files, Freaky Friday (Jamie Lee Curtis), The Day The Earth Stood Still, Bugs Bunny, Rugrats, The Wild Thornberrys, Lost in Space, The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Planet of the Apes (Charleton Heston), Night of the Living Dead, Spongebob. | | Other Favorites: | NIKON Cameras and Lenses, Alien Bees, KESTREL Bikes, GRIFFEN Bikes, TREK Bikes, MERCEDES-BENZ, REDFEATHER Snowshoes, VOLKL Skis, LOWA Shoes, Massachusetts, Sunrises and Sunsets, FIBER ONE, Grilled Chicken, Roasted Vegetables, Medjool Dates, SPYDER, Levis Jeans, New Orleans, Bannanas, Bermuda, Starbucks Decaf, Non-fat Peppermint Mocha's, The Farmington River Country Store, Pizza at Pizzaiola, Greek Food, Mexican Food. | | Interesting Footnote: | Prior to 1998, I'd spent the previous 15 years as an unhealthy, Obese person. (See: Fat Joe. In January, 1998, I woke up one day and decided that it wasn't wise to continue living in this manner, especially since under those conditions, it wasn't likely that I was going to live long enough to see my kids grow up. So I changed my lifestyle, completely. I adopted a healthy (or at least healthier) way of life which was very simply based upon good eating habits and regular excersize. Five months later, the "new me" emerged from the shadows with a completely different outlook on life. This new outlook has allowed me to more actively pursue my hobbies, but most importantly, has allowed me to better participate and enjoy life with my family. I'm now a competitive multi-sport athlete (running and cycling) and enjoy my family's participation in my events. Best of all? I can now CATCH my kids when they run away fom me instead of watching them run off in the distance while I stood there gasping for breath...
For a plethora of interesting tidbits about Joe, click here. | | | | | |
