Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Collections: Part 3

The time has come for me to talk about my guitar collection. I have pictures of most of them, but I'll just list them first.

Electrics:
1. PRS 513
2. Gibson Les Paul DC (Double Cutaway)
3. Parker Fly
4. Gibson Gothic Explorer
5. Peavey Jr.

Acoustics:
6. Martin 000-28EC (Eric Clapton Signature Model)
7. Martin D-1
8. Martin D12-1 (12 string)
9. Martin Backpacker
10. Generic Beginner's Acoustic

Basses:
11. Ibanez Soundgear
12. Galveston Acoustic/Electric

Other:
13. Cordoba 25SK Soprano Ukulele

If you've watched my YouTube music videos, you've probably seen a bunch of these already.

PRS 513 and Wolfie (000-28EC)


12-string (D12-1) and I Miss You Wolfie (D-1)


Les Paul and Ibanez bass


Gothic Explorer


Backpacker


Parker Fly


Galveston bass


Cordoba Uke


Those are the ones I have pictures of. Now just a sentence or two about each of them.

The PRS is easily my favorite electric. It was the most expensive, but the sounds that I can get from it make it worth every penny. it also plays like a dream! The Eric Clapton Martin is my favorite acoustic and as mentioned above is nicknamed Wolfie (after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart). The other Martin acoustic I have is known as I Miss You Wolfie because I got him when Wolfie had to go in for repairs one time.

The Parker Fly is the lightest guitar I have and I actually keep it on my bed and play it nearly every night before I go to sleep. An interesting thing about the Parker guitar is that it is able to be used as an acoustic and an electric AT THE SAME TIME. It comes with a special jack that splits in two and can be plugged into an acoustic amp and an electric amp simultaneously.

The 12 string is a cool sounding guitar, however it has a very thick/wide neck which makes it a bit more difficult to play than the others. The Backpacker, too, is a neat guitar that is also tough to play. The reason for this is it's shape. It is hard to hold the guitar in a comfortable position for playing. However it is nice to have on road trips or camping trips.

You'll notice that the Gothic Explorer is mounted on the wall. The reason for this is that it is the heaviest guitar I own and is in fact so heavy that it is actually uncomfortable for me to play for an extended period of time. I don't use it much anymore, so that it why it sits on the wall.

There are only a few more to talk about. The two basses will be first. Neither of them were supposed to be mine initially, oddly enough. The Ibanez was my sister's, but she didn't use it much, so it found it's way to my house. The Galveston was my friend's, but he decided he didn't want to play anymore, so he sold it to me.

I bought the ukulele because I basically got up one day and thought "I want a ukulele." :-p It is a fun little diversion from playing the guitar and probably should practice more with it.

That only leaves the Peavey and the last "generic" acoustic. The Peavey was my first electric guitar. The unique thing about it is that there was an amplifier built into the guitar case. I'm really not sure what brand of guitar that "generic" one is, but it is worth mentioning because it was my very first guitar. It was given to me by a family friend when I was around 9 or 10.

Whew, I think that is it.

LEGO sets, guitars, sports cards, memorabilia, pocket knives, and fridge magnets. Oh my!

(That may have been the WORST Wizard of Oz reference ever.)

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

More Than Yesterday - Joseph Visaggi

Collections: Part 2 - Electric Boogaloo

So, I covered 3 collections of mine in yesterday's entry. Today I will go over my most prized collections. Guitars and sports cards/memorabilia. ...and I think I will save the guitars for last.

Sports cards/memorabilia:
It is amazing that I can remember the first sports cards that I collected considering I cn't even remember what I had for lunch yesterday. Yet, I distinctly remember buying packs of 1992-93 Topps basketball cards and getting a Michael Jordan card out of the set. I was SO excited. That was Shaquille O'Neal's rookie year, too, and I currently have bunch of his rookie cards from various sets.

Over the years, I've spent a ludicrous amount of money on sports cards. (Probably over $50,000). I would almost say that collecting cards is an addiction since I do tend to have cravings/urges to open packs every so often.

Some of my top cards are:
1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan PSA 8
a 1994 Score Alex Rodriguez Call-Up PSA 10
2007-08 Topps Finest Kevin Durant Blue Refractor BGS 10 (remember, I LOVE blue things)
2007-08 Topps Finest Derrick Rose Blue Refractor BGS 10
2009 Leaf Limited Barry Sanders Material Monikers 04/10 (That means there are only 10 in the world)

Thanks to my mom collecting baseball cards when she was younger, I have some old ones like Yogi Berra rookies, a Stan Musial, and some others.





I'm not as fervent a collector of memorabilia as I am of cards because as I mentioned I get a rush/high from opening packs or boxes of cards. I don't get that with memorabilia, though. That said, I have a few autographed mini-helmets (remember how I like miniature things?), a couple of autographed footballs and baseballs, an autographed baseball glove, etc, etc.



The top helmet in this picture was autographed by Barry Sanders, the middle one by Drew Bledsoe, and the bottom one by Ray Rice.

Since this post was a bit longer than I expected (and I didn't even cover about 90% of my collection), I am going to devote a separate post to my guitars.

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

More Than Yesterday - Joseph Visaggi

Monday, March 28, 2011

Collections: Part 1

Everyone collects something, right? ...

Anyway, I collect a variety of different things, but my main ones would be sports cards (baseball, basketball, and American football) and other sports memorabilia, pocket knives, fridge magnets, LEGO sets, and guitars.

Pocket Knives:
I guess I'll start with my pocket knife collection. I started this one when I joined Cub Scouts (and later Boy Scouts) back when I was a wee lad.

This was the first knife I owned:


Since then my collection has grown to about 30-35 different knives. I have an affinity for Swiss Army ones (particularly blue ones) like this:


I have several very small knives (3 inches of less when folded) since I like small things for whatever reason. I intend to have a display case for them all at some point, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Refridgerator Magnets:
Next, I think I will talk about my fridge magnet collection a bit. This one is my newest collection. I started it on my trip to Europe last year. I bought a magnet in every place I visited. So, from Europe currently I have Sorrento, Tunisia, Barcelona, Monaco/Monte Carlo, Nice, Livorno, Pisa, Rome, Vatican City, and Frankfurt Airport. I also decided to go back and buy some magnets online of places in North America that I've been to. Boston, Seattle, Cleveland, Washington DC, Tampa, Wilmington, Key West, and Vancouver.

The one thing I am slightly disappointed about is that for the Europe ones, I got every one in the city/country while I was there EXCEPT Nice France. I didn't have enough time to find one while I was there, so I had to buy that one off eBay. =\


LEGO Sets:
Yes, I do in fact still play with LEGO sets once in a while. My favorite set themes are the Forestmen/Castle, Star Wars, and Pirates. I have too many sets to count, although I estimate there are probably over 40. One, in particular will probably always be my favorite. The Black Seas Barracuda.


I got that one as a gift from my parents after my first major spine surgery.

Another favorite is the Camouflaged Outpost. I don't remember when I got that one as a child, but I always loved the secret doors it had.



I have to get ready for rehearsal, so I will post about my sports cards/memorabilia and my guitars tomorrow.

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

More Than Yesterday - Joseph Visaggi

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Bye bye mole

So I actually did end up having the mole removed today. The procedure took about 5-7 minutes total and was fairly painless. ...however, while waiting in the the "operating" room (which was really just a regular exam room that just happened to be the room where the surgery took place) I started thinking about all of the other operations I've had in the past. I don't really know how to describe the feelings that came with remembering that stuff. Oddly enough the next song I will be uploading is one I wrote about having various surgeries and hospital stays over the years when I was younger. Fair warning, it is rather depressing. When my sister heard it, the first thing she said was "oh wow, are you okay?"

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

More Than Yesterday - Joseph Visaggi

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

I was supposed to have surgery to remove the mole on my face yesterday, but the doctor was sick so it had to be rescheduled to today. He was sick again today, so the office suggested next week Wednesday. The thing is I have the show to do on the 8th and 9th and it won't be completely healed by then, so I can't do that. I can't have it done after that either because I'll be going to Florida for 2 weeks. Then I have a wedding after that so this is going to get pushed back so far.

GAHHHHHHHHHHHH

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

More Than Yesterday - Joseph Visaggi

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Electric wheelchair

I often get asked why I don't use an electric wheelchair. The simple answer for that is I don't want to become lazy or lose any upper body strength. Everyone I've ever talked to that switched from a manual wheelchair to an electric one lamented that they lost so much strength and endurance that they became weaker and more prone to other health issues as a result.

There may come a day when I need to use an electric wheelchair, but until that day comes I will keep using a manual one.

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

More Than Yesterday - Joseph Visaggi

Thursday, March 17, 2011

After almost 6 years...

I bought my house 5 and a half years ago and I finally bothered to start painting the interior. The first room I am doing is the kitchen/breakfast/dining area. I chose a nice sunny-ish yellow called "Beach Ball" for the room because I want it to be bright and cheery. Since we finally had some weather in the 60s today I was able to open the windows and do about half the room. It is supposed to be even nicer tomorrow, so I should be able to get it all done by then. No rehearsal tomorrow either, so I'll have more painting time.

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

More Than Yesterday - Joseph Visaggi

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Old Friends

Sat on their park bench like bookends. Annnnnnnnyway...

I finally was able to get together with some old friends of mine for a day, today. They are two of my closest friends and are now married thanks to me introducing them to each other years ago. We did some jamming, made and then ate some yummy pizzas, and watched a little TV. It was a lot of fun and I hope to get together with them again soon. =)

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

More Than Yesterday - Joseph Visaggi

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

A nice sensual massage

I got a massage today. It was great, although not sensual. ;-) Usually I just have the masseuse work on my back and neck, but this time I asked her to do a bit on my right thigh because I get cramps there sometimes.

I wish I could get a massage every day. Soooooooo good.

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

More Than Yesterday - Joseph Visaggi

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

I finally wrote a new poem. WTF?!

Orion, my old faithful friend,
How many winters have you seen?
Certainly more than my twenty-nine,

I do not tire of seeing you,
Though, I loathe what you represent,
For this I am only slightly sorry to say,

Things will be different when we next meet,
I shall embrace you with a new appreciation,
And even if they are the same,
You will still be a comfort to me.

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

More Than Yesterday - Joseph Visaggi

Sunday, March 6, 2011

What turns me on

After I uploaded the Sex and Paraplegia video, I had some people message me and say "hey, you never mentioned what turns you on." Other than the typical things that a man would find arousing --breasts, a nice ass, sexy legs, a pretty face, etc-- the thing that I find most attractive in women is a beautiful singing voice.

I realized this after going to several musicals in the past couple of weeks. I am extremely attracted to great female vocalists. So much so, in fact, that I would say it trumps all of the things I mentioned before.

Keep in mind that I'm not talking about qualities that I look for in potential girlfriend/wife. The attributes that I mentioned in the previous paragraph are what I find desirable in a sexual partner.

For a long-term relationship, the things that are most important to me are kindness/compassion, a great sense of humor, sensitivity, and intelligence. Oh and I'm not sure if there is a word for this, but since I want to have kids some day, I'd be looking for a woman that has what it takes to be a good mom, if that makes any sense.

Give me all of those things and then the boobs, legs, and voice aren't really that important after all.

P.S. Cadbury Creme Eggs may be the best thing ever. Not that they turn me on or anything. ...or do they? =X

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

More Than Yesterday - Joseph Visaggi

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Colors

I was thinking about my favorite color a bit more in depth than I usually do the other day, so I thought I'd devote a post to it.

My favorite color is blue. 3 of the 4 electric guitars I have are some shade of blue, my car is blue, the cup I use when I brush my teeth is blue, my shower curtain is blue, my favorite sports card parallels are blue refractors, and so on. I am drawn to things that are blue.

I realized, though, that seeing the color blue actually makes me feel good. It is strange to think about. I never imagined that a color could actually make a person feel happy, but the fact is that the color blue does that for me.

The thing that is even more odd about it is that blue is considered a cold color and I hate being cold. Additionally, green, which is closely related to blue (it is made my mixing blue and yellow) is my least favorite color.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I also have a shower head that emits blue light when you turn the water on. ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

More Than Yesterday - Joseph Visaggi

Friday, March 4, 2011

Getting serious

As the title might suggest, I am getting serious about something. Bodybuilding is that something. I used to take protein, glutamine, etc, etc supplements a few years back, but then I stopped for a while. I've decided to start up again, though. ...and also I am dedicating myself to going harder and longer at the gym. Hopefully I'll be in good enough shape to start competing (bodybuilding) soon at an amateur level.

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

More Than Yesterday - Joseph Visaggi

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Jesus Christ Superstar

Well, rehearsals finally started, so I'm going to have a bit less time to devote to making YouTube videos. The good news is that I have a bunch already recorded just waiting to me uploaded, so hopefully everything will be cool.

I am going to try to get to everyone's song requests, as time allows.

Have a good one.

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

More Than Yesterday - Joseph Visaggi