7/20/12

I Shall Carry You...









My dearest beloved
Plant a tree
When I am gone
And I shall remain.
Together,
We shall greet the day
And dance with each season.
Under my canopy you shall find shelter,
In my bough, a cradle.
In my trunk you shall embrace my heart.
When you are weary my branches shall carry you.
And in my roots you shall find your anchor
And home.


C.P.Adorio





I asked my daughter what she thought of my drawing and she replied "Leafy." Took forever to draw the leaves and I took my time. My little people above were inspired by Bella Sinclair's little people. Pigment ink on 8"x11" on 11"x14" Bristol board






Other cradling trees:




7/14/12

Lost Carafe






9"x12' pen and ink drawings that were not related to each other but turned out quite suitable for this triptych. This is Summer from the Seasons Series.




Aaaahhh! I am mentally exhausted from my work week and have to do my cleaning and laundry chores this weekend, so there will be no drawing or painting for me. I had to search my files for something that will work for Illustration Friday's prompt - LOST.


Okay, so here it is. These women love to collect Fiesta dishes. One day a burglar went to their respective homes and stole their precious collectible carafes, the first Post 86 productions.  They reported it to the police, of course, but the investigation had to be put on hold because of budget cuts to the city's police force due to a financial crisis. The overall poor economic conditions and the rising costs of pensions and retirement benefits for local government workers may compel the city to file for bankruptcy. 


Well, these women are friends, you see, and they decided to take matters into their own hands and find the stolen carafes and perhaps make a citizen's arrest. These women have black belts in karate and one  of them used to be a marine and another is a bonsai artist. As for the occupation of the two other women, I don't have that information. The women were told by Bernice, the manicurist from the nail salon that the burglar was seen running towards the creek just outside town and may live in that area.


The women decided to meet in front of the dry cleaner's store and jog sixteen miles towards the creek. Yes, they are very fit and healthy. Well, it has been a very hot summer and even though a man driving in a truck offered them a lift, they refused because the man had no front teeth and that frightened one of the women named Caleche' who I later found out is a piano teacher, a mime and an emergency and trauma nurse.


By the time they got to the creek, they were so tired, hot and thirsty that they decided to take a dip in the cool stream. Caleche' was so tired she decided to take a nap. They have not found the carafes yet, but they are close. Can you find the carafes? 


Scroll below...



























Oh! The fourth woman, I found out is a children's book illustrator and is married to the CEO of the tea company. I also found out that the bonsai artist filed for divorce from her husband after she caught him in bed with Bernice's cousin Olivia who is a pastry and donut designer. Yes, Virginia, there is such an occupation.






Stay cool!

7/13/12

Lost





Sisters (also known by many other titles) Oil on canvas 30"x40"


When I saw today's prompt for Illustration Friday, Lost, The first thing that came to mind was a recognition of my own emotional state when I think of my sister Leah. I am sad. Perhaps I was given many sisters, five. and two brothers to teach me the most important lessons in life so I won't be lost when I have to deal with the responsibilities and challenges of raising my children. They are rapidly vanishing small quantities, epsilons, now young stars trying to kindle their inner light.

I have been distraught and inconsolable with the loss of my father, the first most important masculine figure in my life, and then my mother. How can I describe losing one's most loving and beloved parents? Yet it seemed they followed the natural order of things. They lived full lives. I miss them but my heart is at peace. Not with my sister. While my heart is not in turmoil and my mind not confused, I feel more than missing. My heart physically aches, overwhelmed by sadness and sorrow. I do not question "why" anymore. I just accept that it is so. Nevertheless, I will not deny this state where I am aware and in control and now and then I stumble into a pit, deep, dark and I fall, and keep on falling until I am buoyed by tears. The darkness is awful and the aura most not apt for any of my sisters and brothers, who fill my life with colors, certainly not Leah, for she was the brightest and most brilliant of all. I miss her terribly.

I am not lost, I just often wander.

Below is an attempt at poetry which I posted, of all places, a skywatching blog. It is supposed to be a blog of brevity, almost monepic, ah leave it to me, the periphrastic one.

I am not posting this for IF. This is just my warm up.




If Only I Were A Little Like You



The world will be a better place
If only I were a little like you.
I will be of unwavering faith
Of elegant bearing and eloquence
And altruistic spirit, never forsaking.

The world will be a better place
If only I were a little like you.
I will be with great sense of humor
Inspiring and encouraging outlook
And enduring devotion.

The world will be a better place
If only I were a little like you.
I will have your brilliant mind
Your spitfire courage in quest for justice
And love for mankind.

The world will be a better place
If only I were a little like you.
I will laugh with all my heart
Be gentle and kind
Dedicated and true.

The world will be a better place
If only I were a little like you.
I will be nurturing and faithful,
Love deeply
And always be hopeful.

Instead I am me.
I thought I was brave,
instead afraid.
I thought I can speak,
instead stutter.

My heart overrules.
My clear mind clutters
You remind me that if I think less of I and me
And more of us and we
Then perhaps the world will be a better place.

7/12/12

Brevity








The Loss Of The Art Of Discourse
Pen and Ink on 5"x14" Bristol Board




I do my thing and you do your thing.
I am not in this world to live up to your expectations,
And you are not in this world to live up to mine.
You are you, and I am I,
and if by chance we find each other, 
it's beautiful.
If not, it can't be helped.
(Fritz Perls, "Gestalt Therapy Verbatim", 1969)











7/11/12

Under The Microscope



Done.

Nice patterns, yes? Nature is still the best designer.  This was not the most exciting project. I forgot what prompted it. I promised myself I'd illustrate at least a dozen microscopic organisms. Oh yes! Our dog Wheezy had  clostridium difficile. infection. I started reading my microbiology textbook and then reread this amazing book of images scanned by the electron microscope and just started doodling. 
So you think you are hot?!

Today I wore a trench jacket over my long sleeved shirt which had a matching V neck t-shirt underneath. I had at least three layers of clothing, was drinking tea and shivering. Why? It is because my office was freezing, actually not just today but everyday. I think all the extra airconditioning in the building is directed to my office.  

A Gift

Several months ago, I received an email saying that Levenger was sending me a notebook for being a member of Behance. Normally, I will delete this type of email but since  I used to shop at Levenger and always liked their product, I decided to fill out the form. Well tonight I received another email stating the item has been shipped. Wow! 

I am stopping this project because I ran out of 6"x6" Bristol boards and have been cutting the wider pads to size. 



Top: Stentor coeruleus

Left to right: Bifido bacteria - a good bacteria; Barbulanympha ufalula, Clostridium tetani

Left to right: Entamoeba histolytica, amoeba with three pseudopodia, Giardia lamblia

Left to right: Liptospira, Flavobacterium mening-seprcum, Candida albicans

Left to right: Listeria monocytogenes, Loa loa, MRSA


Left to right: Schistosoma mansoni adult male and female worms; Schitosoma mansoni cyst, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia


Left to right: Swarming proteus, hyperflagelated Proteus mirabilis, Vibrio cholera




7/10/12

Imprimis


Electron microscope scanning image of Cessinymphalopoda trapped in a pocket of lipid cells. It has two varieties: conservativa and liberalis. This is C.imprimis conservativa. a harmless organism with a propensity to wander off to environments causing adverse effects to its survival. It has a slightly basic pH level but has been found in  places where no organisms have ventured due to high acid pH levels. It is able to survive even in extremely inverse conditions because of traits deemed desirable by its host therefore suppressing the host's tendency to reject foreign bodies.  It is equipped with a thick membrane but can be invaded through a section of the anterior membrane which is porous. C.imprimis is inhaled by the host and travels through the blood vessels where it eventually finds it way in the heart muscles. Although it is not harmfull it has a tendency to nick the sensitive organ. It eventually gets neutralized and liquified then released through the tear ducts.



IMPRIMIS


  • My work revolves around logic and reasoning, cause and effect, process analysis and critical thinking. I like my work.

  • Sometimes in life we are forced to make decisions that may not be as blameworthy as the vices yet neither praiseworthy as the virtues.

  • Why am I faced with emotional upheaval when I come here? So unnecessary. This blog has always been peppered with my personal thoughts, tastes and opinions. I aim to be forthright, not vying for the most popular title or a level of appeasement. Some people will not agree with my politics. I have no desire to change their minds. Each of us will have to live with and, or regret our choices.

  • I am a conservative and believe in conservative principles. Conservatism to me is not merely a political manifest.

  • I sometimes feel at odds here. You see I relish discourse but it is impossible today. Our society has never been more polarized. We have become political partisans instead of thoughtful and prudent citizens.

  • I have been regarded as a racist because I disagree with this president's policies because I am not black. If I were black I will be regarded as an Uncle Tom, or is there a female version of that? The word "extreme" is used because I  disagree with liberal premises - attack the person instead of discussing ideas.

  • Recent events have prompted me to change my style. It is a learning curve and not always easy. 

  • This morning I contemplated what I would do if made to choose between loving and living. Aren't they mutually inclusive?

  • I am a perpetual student of history. I’d rather read the Federalist papers or Jefferson's and Adam's correspondence more than the current day best seller. If I do read the latter, it will be about history. Abraham Lincoln’s letter to Mrs. Bixby will induce my tears over any sentimental romance novel.

  • Sometimes I feel like screaming on top of the world and proclaim my joy and happiness, but I also feel the agonizing pain of missing my sister. There is an overbearing sadness in my heart and yet I find it comforting. If you don’t get it, it’s understandable. Very few people do.     
     
  • My blog’s readability quotient is not very promising. I have been called a “nerd” by my daughter’s teacher. Okay a cute nerd, but a nerd nevertheless. Its reading grade level is equivalent to that of the Wall Street Journal. The only higher level is an academic paper, hardly something to covet for a blog about painting and drawing. In order to make it readable, I have to target a fifth grade reading level.. What did you read when you were in fifth grade? By then I knew Leeuwenhoek invented the microscope, so then I have heard of microbes. I collected seashells, so I was familiar with Cypraea moneta, although we called them money cowrie instead. As children, we played with them; actually gambled with them on the concrete pavements and alleys. What is so elevated about simple facts?

  • I have an aversion to social networking. I actually feel embarrassed about my number of Facebook “friends.” It is not many by Facebook's standards. In real life, I have my family, my best friend and a few close friends. These are the people with whom I will consult important matters, listen to and value their opinions. Nevertheless, there is enjoyment to be had from reading updates from former classmates. We have common histories; studied, lived or worked together for years. We shared victories and tragedies. Yes, it is nice to meet new friends, but my rules about using the term “friend” are stringent. To me a friend is a noun, not a verb,  A friend is an end goal, not a means.

  • Several of you have asked about the disabled comment option. I miss hearing from you, most certainly. Sometimes it saddens me and I long for my usual ways. However, I also enjoy not reading comments from so called Anonymous, who lately has been very creative in luring gullible users to surreptitious websites. I will open it for this post. Goodness knows, someone dear will give me a piece of his mind.

  • As a child my mother told me to be with good people whose values I share and to let virtue be the underlying foundation of any relationship. That or be alone.  I told my best friend the other day, an admirer of the liberal socialist president of this republic, and whose policies I so disdain, that I will choose her over any other ten conservatives.

  • Yes, I will choose love.

7/9/12

Vibrio Cholerae







Domain: Bacteria, Phylum: Proteobacteria, Class: Gammapreteobacteria, Order: Vibrionales, Family: Vibrionacea, Genus: Vibrio, Species: Vibrio Cholera


My first encounter with anything related to cholera was on the first day of my assignment as a student nurse at the isolation pavilion of our affiliate hospital. I was 18 years old and in my junior year. The place was dark, old and smelly. There in one room was a Wasserman bed. It had a hole in the middle and a bucket underneath to collect the diarrhea of the potential cholera patient. I thank God that we never had a patient with cholera then. The word "cholera" alone, sounded so terrifying.

Vibrio cholerae is a gram negative, comma-shaped bacterium, which is facultatively anaerobic. It has a flagellum at one cell pole. It is the  cause of the cholera disease.



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I know, no comments, what's up with this, you say. It's a good thing I think. I appreciate your visits and I hope you enjoy the microorganisms. Sometimes when I draw some of them I actually recall smells, remember the pain and the horrible looking situations. Stay cool! Tsup!


7/8/12

Entamoeba Histolytica And Life's Doodlers









Domain: Eukaryota, Phylum: Amoebozoa, Class: Archamoebae, Order: Amoenida, Genus: Entamoeba, Species: Entamoeba histolytica. 
The image above depicts the Entamoeba histolytica with ingested red blood cells.


The protozoa or "first animals" are the simplest representation of the animal kingdom. The majority consists of a single cell with all the equipment necessary for its existence. They are found in freshwater, seawater and soil. Some species are parasitic and cause serious illness in humans. Entamoeba histolytica is a protozoon, the cause of amoebic dysentery.




Amoebas are nature's doodlers, constantly changing their shapes in order to move and feed. Some species produce only one psuedopodium (false feet). The one above, adapted from an electron microscope image shows three pseudopodia extending towards the bottom of the image.








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7/7/12

Listeria Monocytogenes





Listeria monocytogenes. Pigment ink on 6"x6" Bristol Board
Kingdom: Bacteria, Division: Firmicutis, Class: Bacilli, Order: Bacillales, Family: Listeriaceae, Genus: Listeria (Pirie 1940)


Listeria monocytogenes is a gram positive bacillus, the causative agent of Listeriosis, a serious illness caused by eating food contaminated with the bacteria. The disease usually affects pregnant women and newborns. It is manifested by sepsis and meningitis. The bacteria was named after the English pioneer of sterile surgery, Joseph Lister.



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7/6/12

Suspended for IF - A Recess from Our Microbiology Presentation


I drew these images when I wanted to be anonymous, to see if I can draw without anyone recognizing me. I even signed it with a different name. I tried so hard. I even started a different blog for these illustrations. It's somewhere out there if you can find it. I forgot who I was when I started it.  I look at these and I can see my hand everywhere. These are hook, rope, knot and twine studies. I thought I'd claim these now. IF: Ooops! Sorry for the duplicate entry. I failed to attach the link on the first one.













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7/5/12

Proteus




Proteus mirabilis. Pigment ink on 6"x6" Bristol Board. Inverse colors.

Kingdom: Bacteria; Phylum: Proteobacteria; Class: Gamma proteobacteria; Order: Enterobacteriales; Family: Enterobacteria; Genus: Proteus; Species: Proteus mirabilis



Swarming Proteus


Proteus mirabilis was first discovered by Gustav Hauser, a German pathologist. He named the genus Proteus, after the character in Homer’s The Odyssey. Proteus had an uncanny ability to change his shape and evade being questioned, just like the organism’s ability to avoid the host’s immune system. Proteus mirabilis is a gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium and a natural flora of the intestine.  http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Proteus_mirabilis





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7/4/12

Giardia Lamblia





In 1681, Antoine van Leeuwenhoek, the inventor of the microscope, first discovered Giardia lamblia in his own stool. *




Giardia lamblia. Pigment ink on 6"x6" White Bristol Board. Inverse colors.
*Mank TG, Diagnostic advantages and therapeutic options for giardiasis. Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2001 Aug;10(8):1513-9.




Dear friends and visitors: Thank you for your visit. I enjoy blogging. I have been doing so since 2006! I have met many wonderful and interesting people through here, some have passed away from this world. Blogging has definitely enriched my life. My visits to your blog entertained and inspired me to paint and draw. I hope that your visits to my blog has done the same. Starting today, the comment option will be deactivated. I have not made up my mind if I will make this permanent. I am experimenting. I will continue to paint and draw, post and may even participate in Illustration Friday. As for this series, I will continue to post completed works here and on Facebook. The finished series will be avilable on my Sunday Painter blog. If you are  intent on giving me a piece of your mind :) or just want to say "hi," I have a Facebook page which I started two years ago but just now started using regularly. I am also on Behance. Take good care. Keep cool. See you around! Tsup!








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7/3/12

Loa loa - The African Eye Worm



Today is Independence Day. 
Is it?


"Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem." Ronald Reagan


We are witnessing the destruction of our freedom and liberty by a lawless president, who, with the collaboration of a spineless media, has duped segments of our society into believing that government can solve our problems. Some of us are willing to forgo our liberties for the sake of false security and  entitlements. This administration penalizes success and demonizes those who work hard and achieve for themselves and their family; who dare dream and pursue their goals. This administration has accumulated a massive debt that has surpassed the debt of all US administrations combined. If we cannot be equal through achievements, then through our national debt, we are now all equal like slaves whose currency is debt. Our freedoms are slowly being eroded. I don't know if Obamacare is the worst legislation in American history but it surely is the worst legislation in my lifetime. It will fail because not only is it bad for the country, it is unsustainable. It cannot be allowed to remain. Do not be misled into believing that it is alright to give up a little bit of our liberties and freedoms for the sake of security. There is no such thing as a little bit of liberty or freedom. Either we are free or we are not free. Today's barbecue should be a thoughtful and solemn one.


Gold is the currency of kings, silver of princes, barter is of peasants, debt is the currency of slaves...




Loa loa. Pigment ink on 6"x6" Bristol Board.



Loa loa is a blood dwelling nematode that causes loa loa filariarsis. It is largely isolated to Africa but has also been found in India. Loa loa is a sexual nematode so a male and female specimen have to be present in the body for an infection to ensue. The loa loa female deposits sheathed eggs called microfilariae which circulates through the bloodstream. Loa loa wanders through the subcutaneous tissues and becomes obvious as it crosses the conjunctiva of the eyes, thus it is called the African Eye Worm. The disease is spread by biting mango flies, a member of the genus Chysops. The American deer fly is also considered a competent vector.




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7/2/12

Flavobacterium meningosepticum






Flavobacterium meningosepticum. Black pigment ink on on white 6"x6" Bristol Board, inverted colors.


The Wall Street Journal Weekend edition dated June 30, 2012 has a very good article by Matt Ridley (Mind & Matter) about microbes, worms and our bodies and I quote "...there are at least 10 times as many bacterial cells (belonging to up to 1,000 species) in your gut as there are human cells in your entire body: that "you" are actually an entire microbial zoo as well as a person. You are 90% microbes by cell count, though not by volume - a handy reminder of just how small bacteria are."



For the past three years I have been involved with a project for our infection control department that at times consumed my waking hours and disrupted my sleep. I was asked to write a rule program to identify MDRO or multiple drug resistant organism microbiology results and automate desired actions that will facilitate the monitoring process for our clinicians to enhance care for our patients and the prevention of nosocomial infections. Whew! That was a long sentence! I loved and dreaded the project. It was a complete mental burden since I was the primary and lone rule writer for this project. We worked as a team but still it was my responsibility to write and make the rule work. The rule module is so long it prints on 40 to 50 letter sized pages in size 10 font. Imagine troubleshooting a programming line. That is why I wear glasses. Below is a drawing I did three years ago to describe my enthusiasm and dread for the overwhelming responsibility. By the way, the project is still going on and this month we are upgrading the code.




In 2009 it was an ambitious attempt to install a timely notification process for our infection control specialists. We were pioneers in this field having started as early as 2004 to computerize some form of notification and automate desired actions and procedures. This year, we finally implemented a software module from our vendor but it fell short in performing the most important process – identify MDRO or multiple drug resistant organisms through a clinical algorithm. You see, this process is quite complicated with formulas and clinical requirements associated with cultures and sensitivities. We were successful in doing so with scripts and rules that we developed. However, this was not without pain as throughout the past three years we improved upon the process in collaboration with our infection control practitioners. The vendor took our rule and script and enhanced it to make the new module perform what we now consider as one of the core functions.

One of the organism genus evaluated by this rule is Flavobacterium, meaning “yellow bacteria” described by the yellow pigment often associated with these organisms.

Flavobacterium meningosepticum* is a gram negative, slender, non encapsulated rod. Short and rounded forms may also be present. It is a saprophyte (living on dead organic matter) in water, soil and hospital environments. It is widely distributed in nature such as lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, seas and soil. Want to go swimming now?  They are ubiquitous colonizers of the hospital environment due to their ability to grow in non-nutrient fluids. They have been isolated from intravenous fluid vials, ice machines, nebulizers, topical hand sanitizers and the hands of hospital personnel. The organism does not easily colonize an adult with intact host defenses but have been recovered from nasoendotracheal tubes and throat cultures of healthy infants in outbreaks of meningitis in nurseries. The outbreaks of neonatal meningitis usually have high mortality and serious neurological sequelae.

The term Flavobacterium meningosepticum was proposed by Elizabeth King in her 1959 study of previously unclassified bacteria associated with meningitis.

* Flavobacterium meningosepticum. Hilda Ratner. Infection Control. Vol.5, No,5 (May, 1984). Pp 237-239 Published by The University of Chicago press

7/1/12