LOPEZWERKS

Home Depot Comes Through

As I posted last month, my niece Melanie lost her battle with cancer. Through Melanies last days she told her brother Jaime that she would like it if he helped raise her kids. Like any great brother Jaime agreed and in the coming days things seemed to be getting tough especially since Jaime was the sole bread winner. Home Depot stepped in and put together some money via a fund raiser which allowed Jaime to quit his job and carry them for a bit until Social Security benefits could be arranged. Happy to report Social Security has kicked in and now Jaime's gig is to care for the kids full time. We're proud of you Jaime! Way to go Home Depot! Good looking out for one of your valued employees.

Reunited with Lynda & Bella

This past weekend was one of those weekends that you will remember for the rest of your life. It's like when someone famous dies and your asked, "do you remember where you were at or what you were doing when so and so died"? The answer inevitably is, "yes". Well, this weekend was one of those for me. Do I remember where I was when I got reacquainted with my nieces? Hell yeah I do! I was at George Mendoza's house my oldest and best friend in the world 32 years and going strong baby. It's been a while that we had lost contact with childhood friends Steve & Mary Martinez, in fact it had been about 25 years. In addition to Steve & Mary I have a niece Lynda that is also niece to both Steve & Mary. And for the icing on the cake, Lynda has a beautiful baby girl named Bella. And like the name implies, this girl is nothing short of the name "Bella" or "Beautiful" as it translates.

A lot of time has passed and there is much catching up to do in the coming weeks, months and years and I look forward to every moment. I have learned a lot from my niece about her travels as well as those of my nephew who I haven't seen yet but eagerly await the opportunity to do so. Lynda and Mark are daughter and son of my brother Mark and Steve and Mary's sister Evon. It's a relationship that go's back about 30 years now and from that relationship came these two wonderful individuals. My family and I lost contact when we moved away and shortly after Steve's family also moved away and before you realized the connection was gone. So over the years I would ask around mainly my buddy George and his brothers if they knew of my niece & nephews whereabouts and finally years later hear we are. Persistence pays off!

I must say that it was worth being friends with George & his brothers all this time, it finally paid off! Now I can dump the bastard! He's of no use to me anymore! Ha..Ha.. Just kidding Georgie! Nothing but love for you my man!

So without getting too mushy, I want to say, I'm very glad to have finally had the opportunity to connect again. I'm sorry that it took a long time but now that we are connected we can make great memories for you and Bella to look back on as you get older. This is the beginning of something great kids!

Happy Halloween!!!

This weekend should be fun. First, it's Halloween! Second, I'm meeting up with some old childhood friends from SoCal that I haven't seen in about 20 years. And last but not least I'm seeing my niece Lynda and her daughter Bella that I haven't seen in a very long time.

In addition, we are visiting Otis College for Josh. They have a great Industrial Design program that he learned about a couple of weeks ago at Ohlone College. Should be a fun one!

Here's my pal Jack Skellington the Pumpkin King wishing all a Happy Halloween!

Nico's Ghostbusters Costume

Nico's costume came in today via Fed Ex and to say he "loved it" would be the understatement of the year. He was so jazzed that he even tried it on a modeled for us and stuck a pose. Now all we need are a pair of black gloves to complete the look.

I really love this kid! Nico is such a trooper! He's the best kid to have as your last kid. He is not afraid to share what's on his mind and he is so expressive and communicative that he constantly amazes us with some of the stuff he thinks about. He's my baby boy!

Remembering Melanie

I never thought I'd have to post 2 similar posts back to back but such is life. My niece Melanie Johnson past away last week after battling cancer. She was 36 years old and widowed with 2 little babies ages 2 & 4. Melanie had been living in the Atlanta area for about 14 years so we hadn't seen her in quite a bit. I remember Melanie when we were kids all playing around during family gatherings and BBQ's at my sisters house in Castroville.

Nephew Chris and I were talking the other day about how great things used to be when we were kids just be running around being care free. The family was much more united back then and we always had a great time. Back then the family seemed so much more like one unit instead of fragments of a family such as we are today. It's no ones fault really it's just the way things are I guess when one starts building their family. Back then when the family got together it was something like a small country fair because there was so many of us that it was as if we could have been our own village. A weekend family BBQ could easily be 25 people and that's just a fraction of what it really could have been if we invited everyone.

As a kid Melanie was one of the quieter kids that always seemed to be observing and processing stuff most of the time. A major contrast from the rest of us for sure. I wish I could have known the adult Melanie more. I'm sure she was as great as the kid Melanie we all remember and loved. I hope she lived her life to the best of her abilities and enjoyed her kids during the short time she was able to spend with them. Her legacy will live on through her children now doubt. We love you Melanie and you time on earth was cut way too short.

Remembering Maria

I debated whether or not it was appropriate for me to post a dedication to Maria since her passing was just last week. I felt compelled to do a brief write up of who this lady was and what she meant to my family. Maria was my sister in law Olga's' mother and my brother Joe's' mother in law. Maria was one of those old school moms that lived for her kids and it showed. She was a very caring and a very, very sweet lady and for those that know my sister in law Olga know exactly what I mean when I say caring. It's clear where Olga got such a great gift from, her mom.

I remember Maria as a child when I lived in Texas and later as an adult when she'd travel with Joe & Olga to California for vacations and there was one thing that was consistent and it was her kindness and generosity. As a kid when I would go over to her house she would always go out of her way to offer up something to drink or eat. Always wanting to make her guests feel at home very much like a close family member and she was. She was more of an aunt than a neighbor and in law. She was usually the quiet partner of my mothers when they would go off to the Vegas casinos and I'm sure the bingo parlors back in Texas. It makes me smile when I think of these 2 elderly women gambling but what the hell, as long as they enjoyed themselves.

Later as time passed I didn't see her much since we had moved to California but on those occasional visits she would receive my family as her own. It's as if her side and my side are one! We've been neighbors in Texas for about 45 years or more. We've seen a lot over the years and I would like to say, "Maria, it was a great honor and a true pleasure having known you and thank you for giving us Olga". Olga Is the new glue of my family and I hope that she is able to take a moment to herself and rest a bit. He has had a tough road seeing her mom through over the past few years. Thanks for being great Olga! There is one word that best describes you and that is "giving". We love love you very much! Thank you for all you do!  

I Used To Be A Printer

A long time ago when I was 13 years old I was introduced to the world of printing. At first it started as a school shop elective and never did I think that it would end up being a career. I often think of my beginnings especially when I think of all the changes in the industry. It is completely different now. As I said, I started at the age of 13 and liked it so much I came back the following year. Most of the time I goofed off and Mr. Villagran would say "take this a little more serious Magic Mando, it may be what you end up doing for a living one day".

I've told this story many times before but it never sinks in that I've been doing this for so long and I always smile when I think of Mr. Villagran from way back in the 8th grade. I was such an ass telling him "Tommy, I'll never do this crap for a living". So as I am quickly wrapping up my 24th year in the biz (he was right and yes, I am an ass) all I can say is "Thanks Tommy". Tommy was one of those old school teachers that loved what he did for a living and loved teaching us the art of print. He was a printer first teacher second and it showed. No shortcuts! you screw up, you start over until you got it right! Tommy kicked ass!

The other day I was talking with an old school printer, a guy a bit older than me by about 14 years and we thought back of the glory days of printing. At least our glory days of the late 80's through most of the 90's and all we could think is man, those were some great times. There was money flowing and a lot of printing to be had. These were the days that people wanted quality and would pay for it. Guys like Steve Jobs would wipe out an entire campaign and have it redone because he didn't like the way something looked. He would pay for the first job that was now in the trash and pay about triple for the new rush job so he could get it to a trade show in time. Where are those types of customers now?

Back in those days it was all about quality! Things like lead type & wood type were almost dead and the little Mac was taking over. This ingenious little box was destroying the million dollar studio computer systems. The birth of Mac ended the way we printed for ever. Change is good! This was definitely a good thing but I can't help but remember my roots of setting type and printing one sheet at a time and seeing the quality of the impression hell, the impression itself could be seen. You don't see the indentation left by lead type on paper anymore. It used to be "printed on the press", PRESS! Those days were cool and I will always remember when "I used to be a printer". If you haven't hugged your computer today please go do so because if it weren't for it we would still be dipping pens in ink wells or setting type. Old school baby! Long live Litho!

Social Media: What Is It?

Okay kids, here's a lesson in how Social Media is changing the world. As a company we have been keeping our eye on this because it literally is changing the way we are having to do business. I thought I'd put it here on the site so you can see how it impacts our daily lives. The days of us searching for data is coming to an end. Soon things will be "pushed" out to us via mobile devices like iPhones and every other smart phone out there. Very interesting.

My Kids Art

I have recently been looking a bit closer at my kids artwork from various art projects that they have created in school over the past couple years. I have a real appreciation for the work and really love it.

I actually scanned these and framed them for my home office. I often stare at these images and think about the kids as they created these pieces. I'm glad I captured them digitally and post them here on my site for all to see.

Creative Juices Keep Flowing

The creative juices keep flowing over at LOPEZWERKS. I have been toying around with a few ideas for logos. Lately I've been in a retro mood diggin' all things 40's & 50's and this logo is pure 50's and I dig it. It may end up making a debut here on the site in the near future. I am looking at building a few themes ranging from retro to artsy to something high tech and clean looking.

This is my first attempt at a retro version and I may have some other variations. I wanted to use some pin up girl formats but they seemed a bit too risque. This is a family site after all! Let's see what else comes out of my wacky mind.