Progress

Wednesday, July 19th, 2006

It's been a while since I've posted anything to this blog. I suppose it doesn't make any difference since no one knows about it yet. You'll just be catching up when you finally do find it.

I have to admit, for the first time in my memory, I have managed to overwhelm myself with my own ideas. I have so many A to Z lists regarding sections of the book, things to include, novel ways to innovate the book format, that I find myself in a self-imposed gridlock. (Just in case you don't know this about me, to generate ideas I take a piece of lined paper and I write the alphabet vertically down the left side of the page. I do these often, 4 or 5 a day, for many different projects. Then I attempt to find one item of whatever topic I'm working on for each letter of the alphabet. You should try it. It makes your planning or brainstorming amazingly effective. As an example, when I list possible topics to include in the book I get...A for architecture, B for businesses, C for creations, D for departments, etc.)

I'm in the process of choosing the items/sections that absolutely must be in the book. I've collected more than enough images for the book and have written numerous paragraphs about many of these topics. I will start uploading most(if not all) of these after I set up the official website for "members" of this "book club." "Members" will get to make suggestions, proofread, edit, etc. I look forward to your insights.

I'm not sure what my deadline is with my publisher, Pediment Publishing/Patriot Press. I do know that we want the finished book in the hands of potential buyers by mid-November. Currently, I believe we can have the website, blog and chat room open through mid-September. Although I can submit parts of the book in advance of the deadline, the entire book must be in the hands of the publisher/printer at least six weeks in advance of the proposed earliest sale date.

Be well, Ron Gagliardi

Monday, July 10, 2006, Cheshire, Connecticut, United States
Welcome to My Cheshire Recollections. My name is Ron Gagliardi. I've kept a journal since 1963, so I'm used to writing down my thoughts at the end of the day. The concept of a blog has intrigued me since I first heard about them a few years ago, probably a little after "web logs" were developed. I never created one because I figured that no one would really care about what I was doing. The reason I decided to add this one to the "blogosphere" is because I am writing my second book about Cheshire, Connecticut and I wanted to encourage as many people as possible to contribute to the book. In addition to this blog, interested parties will be able to visit a chat room, contact me through email, visit a web site and submit items by snail mail.

First let me tell you a little about me. I was born in New Haven, CT, on March 23, 1947. I lived in New Haven until the age of four when my parents, Tony and Teresa, moved to Hamden, CT, where my younger brother Jim and I attended Church Street School, Michael Whalen Junior High School and Hamden High School. I was graduated from Hamden High in 1964. I then attended Southern Connecticut State College, graduating in 1969. I lived in New Haven for a few years after my August 2, 1969 marriage to Diane Piscitelli of East Haven, CT. We moved to Cheshire, CT in 1972 and raised our two children, Gina Gagliardi DaLan and Jeff Gagliardi here. I am semi-retired after having taught elementary art for 30 years.

Currently I am the municipal historian and honorary town crier for the town of Cheshire. I also serve as the historian for Cheshire High School and as the director of the Lock 12 Museum on the Farmington Canal in Cheshire. I am on the board of the Cheshire Historical Society. I still am a member of the work force, earning a little extra money as a videographer, tutor, cartooning instructor and writer of history books. I have written two so far: Images of America: Cheshire and Naugatuck Revisited, both for Arcadia Publishing. The new book I am working on will come out inthe fall of 2006 and will be published by the Pediment Publishing Company. It will cover Cheshire history, concentrating on the 20th century.

So, there you have it. I'd enjoy hearing from you regarding your life in Cheshire, your thoughts about the blog, the book, whatever. My plan is to check the blog every day, usually at night or in the early morning hours. Depending on how tired I am, I will add a paragraph or two each day and will respond to as many questions or comments as I can. Thanks for tuning in and remember, The past is our present to the future. Ron Gagliardi

(You can always find RON in the middle of wRONg...not really, but my wife gets a kick out of it.)

Welcome fellow bloggers.

This site is currently under construction. Please visit it again in the next few days.
Thanks for your interest, Ron Gagliardi.