Visceraman1 - Joshua Lopez

I picked up some sort of lunch pack for Jeri the other day, I don't remember exactly what it was- I just remember that it was sitting in the vicinity of all her other Lunchable box things. She however, perhaps because of the lack of toy or candy has refused to eat it. In stark likeness to my father, I continued to set this out for her day after day just as he would that omelette that I would refuse to eat. Finally since I didn't have the heart to start rubbing her nose in it, I gave up and took the damned thing with me this morning. I'm still not quite sure what it was, it was gone in all of two bites and left me growing cranky, so I headed downstairs to the gorgeous cafeteria.

It so happened that today was the day that all paramedics who have traipsed through my empire were in line to procure plates of ambrosia, and I found myself behind a group of them at the Festive Chicken Caesar Chavez Calad line (I'm guessing the misspelling was intentional). As I waited for my plate of grub I watched as the server refused to take her eyes of the breasts of the girl in front of me. The lettuce was tossed in a more seductive way than I've ever seen before; the tomatoes (I don't recall ever being in a Caesar salad before) were seen flying through the air with such erotic fervor as to immediately wilt the leaves. As the girl asked for more dressing, I watched as it was applied with the zeal of whipping cream or honey to one's mates thighs and loin. I then had to stand and wait, and wait and wait until the girl had walked away before Ms. Cafeteria Woman could peel her eyes off (I'm guessing here) the girl's buttock region and acknowledge my demands for calad.

I stood patiently, waiting for the same erotic show but instead found a meager array of iceberg (also unfamiliar to the Caesar arena), tomatoes and 3 cups of dressing.

Posted by Joshua at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)

After picking up Vieuxtemps Concerto #4 from SWStrings on Saturday, as well as some new strings, I set about changing and cleaning the violin. Now, when I would do this on my guitar, I would take all the strings off, and give the guitar a good cleaning. It's been a few weeks/months/years/decades since I've done any string changing on the violin, and of course I popped all the strings off. Thus relieving any necessary tension on the violin and causing the soundpost to gently fall and roll about the inside of the violin. This was both good and bad.

Bad, because I couldn't practice at all. Good because it put me in the same room with my mentor who quickly repaired and made a few adjustments to the violin, and we discussed taking up private study again. I am looking forward to this quite a bit, more so than in my youth. I also like the tone of the violin now that the bridge and post have been repositioned, a bit heavier I think. The Vieuxtemps? A bit tricky. I should update the media player to include what I'm currently working on....

Posted by Joshua at 07:18 AM | Permalink

While Jeri is busily participating in the 2nd Annual Regional Phlebotomic Olympiad, I've been assuming the role of fat white vactioner in the world famous City of the Mad Banshee. I of course had to research the differences between the GameWorks compounds, and as usual, the bigger city was clearly the victor. Aside from the obvious differences, (beer, food, beer and beer), the games themselves were of a completely different caliber. Sure in Tucson (or Sucktown as Fredo calls it), the games are reminiscent of the Wonderland Nickel Arcade the Crag Mava gentleman and I attended in our youth. (The mere mention of this place, and a request for $2 in nickels was guaranteed to piss Rudy off like nothing else could.) I don't know the names of the games I was playing, hang on.....(no, not Hang On!, that was soooo pre fall 1989), Cycraft does stick out, but as for the others, I'll have to go back today then.

The more shocking activity, or perhaps glaring, was when I stripped down to my panties and swam in the pool and spa. I had to do this under the cloak of darkness, but soon security was called to investigate the foreign object floating in the pool. (I am NOT foreign, just pasty). (And old).

Room service with Jeri was pleasant, the food not so, but better than her repeated jabbing of my eye with the knitting needle.

Posted by Joshua at 08:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

A List Apart has published their Valentines Day Massacre article relaying the more deplorable aspects of web related function. I couldn't help but grin as some of my favourite things to hate scrolled past.

I agree with Robin Cawser in regards to the idiocy of anything myspace.com, I found the 373 validation errors especially humorous. (How does Visceraman1 stack up....check for yourself. I don't claim to be a designer/standards guru/advocate or other, I just feel that if you're going to take the time to broadcast nonsense about yourself out into the world, you should have the sense to cross your t's and dot your i's. And build it yourself for fuckssakes.

Following was Ian and the lameness of pay per click ads. It cracks me up to see these on obscure, low index sites (gasp...they're on every myspace page also!). These, geocities banners, and flash intros scream for an immediate tabbed window closure. (IE users won't understand that yet)

Posted by Joshua at 09:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

At this point in my life, death is nothing new to me, but rather a daily event - sometimes twice daily, sometimes more. It's a powerful event, I would say more powerful than any other event we experience in our lives. More powerful than love, more powerful than the birth of a child.

Although I am surrounded every day by reminders of death's existence (and unless in jest with Jeri), death is not something I truly contemplate or dwell on. Instead, like most people (ok, perhaps not like most), I push the thought of death to the deeper regions of my mind and continue on peacefully and happily.

And sometimes events happen that crumble blow that idea to pieces.

That event being of course, the death of someone I respected. Someone I admired. Someone I thought very highly of.

Then death is no longer something I've experienced or bore witness to, but rather the experience becomes very new, very foreign all over again.

No matter how we perceive ourselves; our role or purpose in this world, we have no idea how many lives are touched by our life. We have no idea the impact we may have had in someone else's life. We may never know how or what about ourselves affected others, or what influence our actions may have had on someone.

I never had the chance took the time to tell you what I learned from you. I never thanked you for teaching me the finer points of patience. I never thanked you for the patience you always had with me. The kindness with which you never failed to treat me with. The many small memories that I will forever carry with me. The ever present butterscotch hard candies, to "get me ready for kisses". The clomp of your feet as you strolled down the hall, cane in hand, slow but ever determined. The secrets to a happy marriage: "mm hmm, mm hmmm, mmhmm". For always making sure my truck was washed, and full of gas every week. For insisting on helping me with money when I had none, or was in need. How you insisted on giving me your credit card to take a date out to dinner. Hearing you settle yourself down for your afternoon naps (audible proof that aging is painful). Watching you try in vain to slick down your wiry hair, that damn clip on tie.

And most of all, for being one of the most genuine people I have ever had the opportunity to meet.

It was an honour knowing you,

thank you Stanley.

Posted by Joshua at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Tomorrow marks the first day that of Jeri's work in Vascular Atresiatic Exostasis. Of course, due to her diligence and unyielding heart shaped ass, she will be working at the vascular center that was her first choice....good job Monkey!

Posted by Joshua at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

I was minding my own business over lunch today, browsing about my usual haunts as I carefully chewed my drab cafeteria food. Normally I find something tasty to eat down there, but the I picked a horrible time to go and the sandwich *line* was way unnecessarily slow. Personally, I blame Ms *My baby is a genius, see how he can blink*, who was too busy chatting with others to pay attention to her order, so I skipped out of line and instead took a stab at a meat patty that had been sitting under the lamp since before I woke this morning.

Now that I've digressed nearly to the point of tedium...I was chewing away and stumbled upon this glorious site.....Dream Anatomy. Since I'm currently in the midst of a hand/forearm dissection (yes, I get paid to play/learn/experiment/frolic/dance/sing/), I see no reason why this, from Govard Bidloo couldn't be recreated; and of course for the Situs Inversus dissection, who could resist this?

Posted by Joshua at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)