Postgrad Paradise?

Well, Lisa is getting de-stressed from the whole PhD program. It's quite a process as she has been working full time and going to school for several years...

This means she's doing a lot of knitting (as well as working, and teaching, and music for church, and...). But, you know Lisa... She finishes one project and starts another.

And that means..

That's right!!!

Miniature siege artillery!!! (Seriously we built these as part of family home evening last night...

Over on his side of the house Editor in Chief (or was that Lord High Executioner?) Patrick's second book - Johnson Farm is officially on the market as an E-book! The physical edition is at the printer as we speak, so those copies are likely to start cropping up soon...

The next novel is Going Home the Hard Way. It's probably coming out next year (there's a smaller book in the works for the fall and another big book project in the works too).

In the mean time we also both survived birthdays, and had a good time doing it...

The knife in the center has an obsidian blade and those are Idaho opals in the handle. We picked it up in Spencer, Idaho on an opal hunting trip (there are other opals but we want somebody who's a little more of an opal specialist to work on them...).

The little soldier dudes were part of the birthday fun.
And they definitely seem to be up to something...

What are they up to? What new adventures are we going to find ourselves in? Will Patrick actually loose his mind working on this next book?

For the answers to these and other questions tune in to the next post at The Adventures of Patrick and Lisa (And some of you (you know who you are...) should also tune in at the family reunion...).

Well, I guess there's really not much else to say,
Except...

See you next post!

I thought we were done with this...

It's been a busy couple of weeks around here...

Lisa is analyzing the data for her dissertation, again...
Within the last 48 hours she's finished one version of the analysis; been asked to do another test (which someone thought would work better...); and gone back to the first test with some modified pre-analysis. But, progress is being made.

In terms of weather we had finally gotten the snow melted off the road and house and then it hit again...

This icicle got started since our last post and...

grew and...

grew. It's currently over two feet long!

On my side of the house I have been mostly working on the launch for Johnson Farm (Which I wanted to have done a week and a half ago...). With both of us getting sick and all, it's taking time, but things are going. Pre-orders are expected to start via Kickstarter on Monday March 6th!

Speaking of the pre-orders...

Here's a sample of the swag that's going to some of the pre-order people! There are even more exciting things that I will be telling you about in the next couple of weeks!

After I get the novel launched I'm working on a major non-fiction book and I will be doing the first draft for the third Johnson Farm book. For a couple of reasons, I want the first draft of the third one done before I do too much editing on the second one. So the first draft of the third is next up on the fiction program.

There are some major differences in the third book.

For those who I haven't told about it here's a hint. If you remember this video from my last post...

This would be the version that works for book three...

And no I'm not saying the book is going to be animated! (geezo... animated... It's a novel!)

Well, that's it for this one. Hopefully we'll be back next week and if not, see you in two!

Has it really been a month???

Ok, yes I know it's actually been a month, but there were adventures happening!

For those of you who aren't as interested in the reading and stuff just watch this explanation (thanks to WRappin and Wierd Al for this one)...



For those who are interested in reading...

Let's start with Lisa's stuff...
In the last month Lisa has done four presentations at two national conferences and was awarded a conference internship that covered most of the cost for the one that work wasn't paying for. Competition for the internships is actually pretty tough and at this point Lisa is the only person I'm aware of that got one on the first try!

Lisa is also officially in the data collection phase of her dissertation (she's running tests on people and recording the results) so she's well on her way to actually being DR Kidder!

Of course Patrick wasn't exactly just standing around guarding the walls...

Ok... so maybe I did guard the walls but I did other stuff too!

I went with Lisa to both of the conferences.

At the first one I discovered the old Mormon settlement that was the actual first building in Las Vegas. I also found components for a couple of new stories and finished the almost next to the last draft for Johnson farm. The next steps from here are to put it in the hands of my third group of pre-readers (which includes people who will hopefully be creating my cover art!) and doing the worky icky, make sure all the punctuation is correct, editing.

And of course this happened...

We brought back about 20 LBS of agate and petrified wood. (We also found the worlds largest agate sphere but I'm going to have to find the picture for that one...)

(Lisa found the picture, although there was some funky light reflections on her phone.)

The second trip was in Portland Oregon...

I brought this little pretty home...

I'll be turning this amethyst point into my version of the one that Jamie, one of the main female characters in my novel Johnson Farm, wears.

Speaking of Johnson Farm... NANOWRIMO started while we were in Oregon, so I didn't spend too much time roaming the city. I'm working on the second book of the Johnson Farm series with three more planned. Hopefully I'll be releasing one a year for the next five years. But for now it's get the first draft of book two done this month (27,000 words (about 114 pages) so far and about that much more to go...), and then get the first book out and on the market!

So, for all the nieces and nephews that bugged me about being in one of my books that one's coming too (about 70 pages done) but I needed to give it a rest to get this whole book in a month thing out of the way... hopefully you guys' book is out in 2018!

So, what have we learned from all this?
Lisa is a really smart competent person who gets things done.

And Patrick...?
Well, Patrick just has too many things he's trying to do. And...
You can not take that guy anywhere without rocks and stories being part of the adventure!

So, that's the short version...
We'll say more when Lisa feels like writing one; the second book is done; or I go completely insane (or is that completely insaner?)

For those of you who actually read this instead of watching the Albuquerque video...
Here's another one! (This is about the shape book two is in (which is why I'm not writing too much right here right now...))



Thanks guys, see you soon!

What happened to the Honda???

"What happened to your Honda?" actual question I had to answer today...

The easy answer:
It's in for repairs.

The more detailed answer:
I told them it was the transmission, but they thought it was the front axle... then they thought it was the wheel bearing... then they figured out it was the transmission... (note: I will not be paying for the wheel barring or the axle). The upshot is that the car is in for repairs and it's taking longer than expected to fix it, but because they had so much trouble figuring it out they're comping the rental till they get the car fixed (behold the power of words... the writer (and no- car guy...) diagnosed the problem and is getting a discount...)

The long answer:
Ok, so there we were heading up Trail Creek to the secret Forever Mountain Publishing marksmanship training range (hey a security section's gotta train) when we were attacked by these ninja cows (note: most cows are not actually ninjas (but these were I tells ya))...dressed in all black...just at the edge of the shrubbery...

The car really is in for repairs and I can tell you the Civic that we have for a loaner isn't really my style... But it just fits in with the adventures...

Speaking of Other Adventures...
As I write this we're gearing up for yet another family reunion experience. Specifically Lisa is bombarding me with potential activities and I'm reassuring her that as long as I have a place to write and a soda I'm  fine...

I'm actually kind of looking forward to the family stuff but I'm also quite serious about the writing stuff (those who understand understand; those who don't understand stay away from my pen/paper/soda and nobody gets hurt ;-)  )

Also in the news we are apparently accepting tribute now...

One of the professors at ISU brought these to Lisa last week. It's actually funny, with everything going on we haven't had time to hunt for rocks. We definitely haven't had time to do anything with rocks. But... we still somehow end up with more rocks...

I also have some interesting research going on (as a writer/psychologist I can call just about anything 'research' and be at least partially accurate...)

but for some reason Lisa thinks guns and family reunions might not mix, so I'll save it for another post...

Speaking of writing (you know it had to be here somewhere...)
I'm actually fairly serious about that writing through the reunion thing... I've got an appointment for my book pitch on the 13th so I need to be ready. I also have the first draft I'm setting down to get ready for the pitch, next year's non fiction title, some short stories...

I would also like to point out to our single readers that it is a confirmed phenomenon writers attract members of the opposite sex (It's true, and if I repeat it enough I'll motivate Lisa to get her own new sidearm...). This can be a blessing or a curse... It's a blessing when it gets you something you want (like better service at a restaurant or dates for you single writers out there...) and a curse when you're stuck at a car dealership with an all out chatterbox...

Lisa reports she's got chapter three of her dissertation out for review and is well on her way to
re-reorganizing her committee so progress is being made...

I think that's it for this one...
Until next time...

beware the ninja cows!!!

I finally get vacations...

I finally get vacations...

Thursday and Friday were the days for Lisa's conference in Boise so I went along and for two days (not counting parts of Wednesday and Saturday...) I was able to relax get away from this whole publishing and marketing end of the writer thing...

But maybe I don't...

When it comes to the actual writing part of being a writer I got more done on my two vacation days than I would in three days at "work"...

The writey wordy stuff...
As of today I'm back hard at it. I shoot the video for the Kickstarter tomorrow, I finished a short story that I started on the trip and I dug up a couple thousand pages of research for another book I've got in the works.

I am very much looking forward to the day that I can send the shirt and tie people part of writing (marketing and such) back to what ever _ _ ll it comes from and get back to just hardball writing (until the next one is ready to be shoved out the door and then I'm write back here (pun intended (Hey... I have to suffer, everybody suffers!)))

On other fronts Lisa is pushing closer and closer to proposing her dissertation. Then she gets to deal with the human subjects committee AKA "the murder board" (whether that's a statement about how I feel about them or what they do to projects is up for debate...). And then she can do the actual gather data part of the research...

Lisa is also gearing up for her double conference trip at the beginning of November.

I'm not going on that one because of costs and my NANOWRIMO project. That would be a novel of no less than 50,000 words in one month. Since I don't intentionally write on Sundays that would be 1923.08 words per day for a whole month... (remember that hardball writing I was talking about). And that's not counting blog posts, emails, or any of the other wordy stuff I have to do.

The shiny pretty stuff...

Writing isn't all that's going on...

The first shipment of stuff on my business account got here today. Now I have to build the stuff and figure out a better storage system (so I can keep the business shiny and the personal shiny separate better...). Some of this is for things for the ETSY store we're opening and some is for the Kickstarter (more about that in a week or so...)

This also happened...

We broke down and bought the half a hog bundle as part of a local grocery stores case lot sale... 50 pounds of pork... How much meat to we have? I have no idea I lost count around 45 meals... (and that's not counting the pork stock we will be making with the bones...)

Woodn't you know (pun intended again...)

Naturally we stopped at one of our usual rock connections in Boise...

And part of Arizona came home with us... Apparently the tumbler is going to be back in operation soon...

And of course Lisa got into the act...

With a nice little piece of jade.

The biggest over all piece is mine (and onyx)...

But that's because I have a plan for it that involves making something for Lisa (to be seen later).

Annnd we'll end where we began...

With petrified wood... and me wondering whether I get this vacation thing or not...

That's it for today. Till next time...
Life is like a box of chocolates...
You'd have a pretty good idea what your going to get if you'd only read!

School's in, Word's out!

No, we didn't get to posting last week. Lots going on...

Last week was the first week of school at ISU so it was kind of panic stations at Lisa's work. Not to worry, she's alive and well and working on her dissertation. She is also gearing up for a double conference. Literally she's leaving from one to go to the other. One is the one she wants to go to to build contacts and the other she's presenting at. The book she's published in will be on sale at one of the conferences...

Ok Patrick... that covers the "school's in" part but not the "word's out" part...

As far as that goes...
Words Mean Stuff 
Click on that link. Seriously click on the link. I'm not going to repeat myself (this time!).

If you haven't guessed, I am the Farangian (I am he and he is me and we are all together!). There is even a page at the blog (the other blog (remember the link I told you to click on...)) that will tell you about where the name comes from.

If things go at all well, the first book is out by the end of the year. If things go reasonably well, so is the second... 

Sadly I can't say that if things go outrageously well the third will be out this year. Three and four are in pieces on my desk but three needs some information that is not expected to be released until January and four... well I have a draft but there is some refining editing left to be done and I'll hedge my bets and say it will be out next year (stupid novellas...).

Getting away from the printed word for a second... in doing the writing for the chainmail book (that's book one if you still haven't clicked that link yet) I felt I needed to make some information available but not put it in the book (didn't want to slow it down...). So, I'm creating my own YouTube channel with videos of the information. The channel is out, but the videos are still coming (they will be out before the book is (but hopefully not by much!)). 

In setting up the You Tube channel this happened...

Yes, yes that's an MRI of my brain... No! Wait, that's the picture I took for the channel art for the You Tube channel! (It just happens to look a lot like the inside of my brain...)

But seriously lets take a look at that piece of shiny in the center...

That's an Argentinian fluorite chunk that I picked up at the farmer's market. The gold colored stripes are what makes it really unusual. Hey, even when I don't have time to do rocks I do rocks. That piece is for the collection, but I bought it specifically to include in some channel art picks for the channel and the blog.

Is there anything in this post that isn't about writing?

Did you see the shiny rock?

Not good enough... Ok...
How about this...

That's a pretty decent plate of pasta and sauce made from food storage ingredients. It's part of a line of experimentation that started with an "Expo 73" at a little place in Manhattan Beach. Yes, it is good. Yes, I will provide the recipe. But, not till next year (yes that's a hint).

So what have we learned from all this?

Let's see... Lisa's busy.  Patrick's crazy. Rock's are pretty. And, food storage is more that wheat!

That's it for this week everybody...
Thanks for reading...
Now get out of here before I start talking about book five, and six, and seven through eleven (and maybe twelve). Not to mention thirteen, fourteen, or fifteen. (sadly I'm serious). Basically run! Lisa or I will be back next week (and hopefully not reporting on my "little vacation" to the psych ward!)

A little more sure

Lisa and I are definitely bouncing back, but it takes a while...

Words Mean Stuff (my other blog (you know the one with the thinky stuff...) is picking up likes and followers on a regular basis again (slow but regular and we're working on the slow...) this is kinda important because it fits more into my professional writer persona.

Lisa is progressing toward her dissertation proposal and should be getting a proof copy for her book chapter within the next month or two.

We also found time to make it up to the Idaho Falls rock show...

If you noticed on  Lisa's last post a couple things were missing...

1) I always pick up tiger eye.

Well we got it this week!

Top left is kinda both of our favorite

2) I'm known for picking up the catapult shot size stuff and we didn't get that last week.

This week we loaded up!

This is a massive opal (sadly not the fiery kind though) on  some base rock. It's a definite carver!

Also in the running this week...

Two auction wins. The green one is mine and the other is a 'Lisa Rock'. I think I kinda torqued a guy off by winning the green one, but that stone has a purpose in my shop...

Just a cool red Jasper here folks mostly picked this one to round off the price of a bunch of slabs...

Speaking of slabs!

Probably my favorite of the day. Check this out!

Light in front of it, light be hind it, winner either way!

One last goodie I got for Lisa

Labradorite not the easiest thing to find or cut but cool. We need a better camera to really show it off!

Well, that's the rocky road we walked ;-)

There's more (there's always more), but a lot falls into the category of "aught not to be revealed at this time"; so I won't reveal it yet!

Good luck,
take care,
see you next week!

Doubtful Beginnings...

Well, I believe we are finally back on track after an interesting week or three...

I should be reporting on a regional conference I was helping organize - Quality Matters this time around, in Seattle.  I was looking forward to it...had volunteered for too many things...but excited to be able to meet up and talk with some great people.  However, it was just not in the cards...

The weekend before was also something we both look forward to - General Conference.  We get to spend the weekend listening to various talks from the general authorities of the church as we knit, work on chainmaille, and discuss the various talks.  One of the predominant themes throughout the sessions was the importance of family.  This is something we both feel is extremely important, even if we do not have children.  We are still a little family of our own, and many of the principles still apply in our home.

We were looking forward to the quiet, restful weekend.  Patrick had been sick and needed rest, and I was overly stressed with work and school and the conference.  So my body did what any normal body should and it revolted by also getting sick, followed by Patrick joining back in.

We were packed and set to leave at 8am on Wednesday morning, but after another night of not so restful sleep and much getting up, and some contemplation on my responsibilities with the conference we decided we could not go.  I was very sad.  Luckily, all my responsibilities were shared, so I wrote notes, sent emails, and made calls to make sure everything went smoothly.

But some very interesting things followed, beginning with the decision to just take the rest of the week off.  I knew I would need the time to recuperate and it took off the daily decision of whether or not to go to work.

It was the best decision.

So with days filled with rest, little stress, and lots of relaxing, we were both able to get feeling better and spend some much needed time together.

Family is important.  And with all the connections we have with family, the one person you get to choose to be in your family is your spouse.  And while each family has traditions and ways of doing things, it is the relationship with your spouse that requires a lot of nurturing and work.  We did not do anything spectacular or have any really deep conversations, but we were able to nurture our relationship and remind ourselves that we chose to be a family.

By Saturday we were definitely feeling better and took time to do some things together outside of the house.

First, we headed over to a local gardening center and made miniature gardens (a definite Lisa thing - but Patrick made one too.)  After gathering our plants and pieces we both had places that needed something, so we brought them home and added....rocks of course!

We then went to our local gem and mineral show and picked up some more pretty rocks.

Lisa's stash has some lace agate, petrified wood, moissonite, and other pretty green and purple agates.

Patrick found some great pieces of blood stone, which the camera just could not capture, and Lisa picked up the black/brown obsidian. 

Patrick picked up another amazing piece of obsidian - if you hold it up to the light there are clear pockets!  And a beautiful blue-green agate - which we are both fighting over.

It was a good week, even if it's beginnings were doubtful and stressful.  When you listen to each other and the Spirit, good decisions happen.

We have definitely reinstated that we need to make sure we take the time to spend time together and nurture our little family.

And now to do more cool stuff with our pretty rocks...

Is that a fish bowl or my spare head???

Yep we missed last week. It was Lisa's turn but you can blame me. In two words kidney stones...my first bout with the buggers and things got complicated. But, everyone is feeling relatively better now.

This week we have two fun things for you.

First a new armor weave I've been playing with

This is scale maille. The scales are a proprietary scale made and sold only at theringlord.com, but the general design would work with a similar scale you make yourself. The materials seen here are also the exact materials used for the elf armor in the Hobbit movies...

Here's the back

As you can see this kind of scale maille is a form of chainmaille. There are two others: one where the scales are riveted to cloth or leather (like to try that), and one where the scales are laced together (tried that not as fond of it as the chainmaille kind).

Scale maille is interesting because the force hitting one scale spreads out to the scales around it, softening the blow in any one place.

Not ready to say what I actually intend to make with it (this is my first test/learning piece) but its going to be fun.

Second item:

Some time last year I bought a cheap fish bowl as part of a line of jokes Lisa and I were doing. The guy at the store thought I was kidding when I said I was going to put rocks in it but,,,

Now the scary part from today...

It's getting full! and that doesn't include the other bowl that I'm putting little stones in (or the ones that I've pulled for projects, actually made projects with, given away, left in the car after showing someone, or Lisa's private museum of natural history in her office...). So if anyone thinks I've got rocks in my head... nope they're on the coffee table!

Tumbler is on park for a couple of other projects but I doubt I'll be running out of shiny rocks for a while (and instead of playing with the tumbler in ten days that's another hour or so I have to actually make something with these things (Hopefully pictures of some of that in April))

Well, I think that's today's post.
Be nice
Be kind
Be good.
Hopefully Lisa is back next week.

Wall done!

That's right! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls I have officially finished work on that @#$@#@%@#$!!! wall. Now I can see about putting in the workbench and drill press and saw. Still lots of things to do on the house (I have two electrical plugs that I need to fix, at least one light fixture to fix, I should think about new lights for the new work bench, plumbing, calk windows, paint trim...). The scarey thing on this list is there is a "bedroom" in the basement that really needs new flooring (that's not the scarey part)... Lisa and I went to Lowe's to look at options and we actually agreed on the flooring on the first shot (that's the scary part) and it was affordable (now it's really scary). Well more on the house as projects get done and new toys get in.

In the mean time I have officially determined that I can't take myself anywhere... without rock hounding that is...

 I was at the pet store of all places when I came upon this little "gem". That's a Leather-man tool next to it for scale.

He cost me 2.99 plus tax... He's a mahogany obsidian that washed down a river, got scooped up for fish tank rock and now is in my rock pile. Is he a carver? Is he destined to be cabs? I don't know and I won't until I get a good idea and/or my bigger saw gets here (Rather not break him if I don't  have to... Obsidian is volcanic glass so the old chisel method is not the way to go here).

Also on the rock front... Anyone remember that  rock activity at the family reunion... Got some in the fine grade tumble right now...got a few other things in the works so it will probably not be finished for my next post, but hopefully I'll have some pretties from that bunch a couple posts from now : )

At this time of year Lisa and I are spending at least a couple hours an evening with our backs to each other and not talking. No... no... we're not mad at each other I've got writing projects in every stage from planning/research; to first draft; to revision; to submitted for publication (not to mention two blogs to post to) and Lisa's got her dissertation; at least two conference presentations (that I know of!); a book chapter to work on (I think she's on her last go round before publication...), a blog or two of her own; and a class she's teaching. So, we're doing a lot of talking with our fingers at the moment.

Well I'm leaving it here for tonight... Lisa should be posting next week and if I'm not back in two... well... my head probably exploded (hey, you try reading publishing contracts!!!)

Gonna need a bigger boat...I mean saw!

Picked up some nice rough rock on our last trip to Boise and managed to identify the source for some stuff that we have. We've also hit on a slight problem...

The stuff I want to cut is bigger than my saw blade... working on a couple solutions though. I've pretty much always had stuff bigger than I could cut at the moment, but this is stuff I want to cut right now! So the search is on for bigger saw solutions (yes I could try two passes over the blade but being able to cut it in one pass is better).

Let me show you why I'm all jazzed about this material....

This is a piece of the material I want to cut. This particular one is just about exactly the height of the saw blade. It's petrified wood from the area of Bruno, Idaho. As I understand it the material in this location was limbs that were broken off,washed down river, and then covered with volcanic ash. This scenario creates petrified wood that looks like regular good old drift wood...

right down to the grain pattern in the wood. But, trust me this stuff will destroy any normal wood saw you tried to put it on, it is a real rock. I have a couple projects in mind for this stuff I just have to get it worked down to proper slabs.  Some of it will just barely fit my saw in one pass and some of it is bigger... I have a piece of some different petrified wood we picked up that is definitely too big for this saw (and will probably top out the 10' saw I'm wanting to get). Unfortunately for that piece we'll need not just a new saw but a new 240 volt line to go with it! Those big lapidary saws are no joke power wise...

In the mean time I tested out a new tool this week, a mini disk sander. Not just any mini disk sander (lots of those), but a diamond system mini disk sander.

These little guys go in your Dremel/micro motor/flex shaft and are used to polish stone after it's been shaped the way you want it.  I am really pleased with it and I've learned a few things with it that I'll pass on (I'm also thinking of bringing it (and other related tools) with me to Cali next time we go (at the reunion more than one parent expressed an interest in us showing folks how to make stuff with the pretty rocks and not just collect them).

First, a good work surface is a must... you don't need a jewelers bench, but you will probably want a DIY bench pin or similar sacrificial surface to work on.

I use one of my home made ones for this and not my nice professional one because the professional one I have mounts in a steel bench block... This technique uses water (and sprays water!) and I really don't want to rust my bench block (allowing your metal working surfaces to get rust pitted is a capital offense in some shops!).

Second, this system uses pressure sensitive adhesives (PSA) on the pads. It also uses pressure and fairly high RPMs (2-10 thousand). This means that just putting the pad on with your fingers might not be enough pressure (by might I mean probably isn't). Like many other personal problems affixing the pads to the mandrel can be nicely solved with a few light taps of a hammer.

While we're at it remember  back in my post on making the workbench? Remember the Denim catch drawer?

 

This would be one of the situations where this item is really helpful. More than one pad slipped out before I got them affixed properly and more than one pretty stone has made the jump for life... the denim catch drawer (sling?) has faithfully intercepted them before they hit the ground. Hitting the ground tends to break or mar stones and other things just disappear. A little hand me down denim and a couple grommets and hooks saves head and heartaches.

Third, water and pressure are a must for the pads to polish right but not too much of either. To much water makes it harder for the pad to work and to much pressure tends to break or throw things (and throwing rocks is another machine's job!). You want firm but not crushing pressure and you want enough water to wet the pad and create a moist past over the stone (being more specific is hard, but you'll know it when you see it. 

With the notch in the pin this would be a good place/time to use a dop stick, but that is another post...

Here's a finished stone that I'm ready to put a bail on...

 

It's actually shinnier in person (enough so that the flash doesn't work well on it and my disperser was MIA...)

Well, that's it for today. Lisa will handle next weeks post and I'll be back here in two weeks. 

In the mean time if you need more insane ramblings check out my other blog at http://wordsmeanstuff.wordpress.com

Beginnings, Middles and Ends!!!

And yes  there is a point to the title!

Lisa is leaving at 3:30 AM tomorrow morning for a conference in Florida. I'm not going... I been there, there aren't a whole lot of cool rocks there, and her air fair is paid for, mine isn't...

The product of this conference is a book chapter. So, congratulations to Lisa on a book chapter publication!

Meanwhile back up here in the North West, I'm working on both fiction and non fiction projects that are going to benefit from four days of total or near total control of my schedule!

So there is a beginning a couple of middles and an end...

Another key middle. I solved a rock polishing mystery. The finish quality of some of the stones I was polishing took a nose dive recently, and I was having trouble figuring out why. Even a return to the good 600 silicon carbide didn't help :(    . It turns out that the problem was I had way too many pieces of slabs in some of the recent mix (an artifact of the stuff that didn't go into the reunion mix (most of that mix will work better as there are fewer slabs)). The problem was in the middle (literally!). The problem is if you have too many flat slabs they stack up on each other and mess with the polishing action. This was undetected in the coarse and medium because the flat sides were already smoothed to that level. But it was a problem in the fine and polish. Solution, less slabs more funny shapes (which isn't a real problem, I have another use for slabs...). I mention this one because its a problem that I really haven't found talked about anywhere, so I felt it might be worth passing on the information.

And now one big middle and two ends!

I finished my chain mail belt on Saturday!

 

It's big enough for me to wear (see I told you it was a big middle!!!) and on the heavy side. It is European six in one chain (six in ends up using twice as many rings and weighs twice as much as normal four in one). There are roughly 2200 5/16 inch steel rings in there plus a few smaller ones and a buckle. I've already found my first modification for next time... I'm adding a couple bronze rings near the non buckle end to help find where the holes for the buckle are. So, fashion accessory, marketing tool, gym equipment, all in one!

Once I thought a snake skin belt would be cool, but the chain mail has a similar pattern and is much easier to care for (it is stainless steel). It also has the virtue of never being to big or to small. When I loose weight I make it shorter, if I gain (trying not to!) I add some (which makes it heavier and helps me loose weight!)

This one is just three little items, but I have to be up in the morning to help Lisa get to that plane...

Good luck, 

take care, 

and if she isn't carried off by a mosquito... 

Lisa will be back next week.

Update: <Tuesday morning>  Lisa is safely on her way. I have discovered that we have a 24 hour McDonalds in town (don't know how that figures into future adventures but...) and since I don't recall a joke in this post... if I put that new belt around my 'spare tire' does that make it a steel belted radial?

The Rocks Rocked!

As Patrick said last week, I will be jumping back in and doing some of the writing.  I have been doing lots of writing, but that has been more in the vain of homework, dissertation preparation, article summaries, an article for publication (on the first round of edits back from the copy editor!) and a book chapter.  So, now that I feel I can breathe (last coursework concludes on Friday!) you'll get to "hear" from me too.

As we thought about the family reunion, we wanted to share our love of rocks with the nieces and nephews.  If you have been reading, you have seen snapshots of our preparation and some of the cool rocks that were included in the activity.  I know that at least one niece has created something amazing with her rocks.

I did not always like rocks.  Didn't really think much about them.  My dad has a box of rocks in the garage.  I mostly remember the lava rocks with the holes and that they were really light. (And that my brothers hammered some nails into them - as kids that was pretty cool - hammering nails into a rock!) Turns out my great-grandfather had a full lapidary shop and one of the grandmothers on the other side of some of the nieces and nephews is also a rockhound.  I'm not sure if there is a genetic connection, but it does make you wonder.

So, why do I like rocks, now?  I will get some pictures of some of my favorite rocks to better illustrate this in the future (camera took a dive, so no new pictures for a bit).  For now, it will just be words.  As you look at all the different kinds of rocks - agate, amethyst, geode, bloodstone, moss agate, aventurine, jasper, etc. - you get to see all the creative wonders of our world.  Some of my favorite rocks remind me of the pictures of stars and galaxies with all their layers of color.  There are lots of various factors that are required to create some of these amazing beauties and some we still are sure exactly how the water got into the rock to create the beautiful layers.  Petrified wood is also one of my favorites.  My dad is a general contractor so I have grown up around wood, and I love seeing the textures of wood in beautiful agate colors and clear quartz and eval opalized!

I loved watching everyone go through their rocks.  And I think we even surprised some of the adults, as we brought bags for them too!  Rockhounding is definitely a family affair!  There are no age limits, and often the smaller fingers and short statures are better at finding the good stuff!

Sometime in the afternoon, someone asked my dad if he still had that box rocks.  He does.  Perhaps the fact that my mom searched through two bags, indicates that she will maybe let that "old" box of rocks come out of the dark and dusty garage to be shared again.

Here are some pictures we took throughout the day!