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Cathy, Tickles, Michael
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Blog
- Hits: 49
News on all fronts.
First, the daughter's going to be passing through for a visit, Saturday, something to look forward to. I'm trying to persuade her to take a day and go prospecting with me, I've a few new destinations, but somehow the boy's prejudiced her - "Crystal Mountain?" she says, and assuring me her car isn't up to it...
My reputation precedes me.
Yeah, that was an adventure. And no, it's far too early, high up the mountain, top of the mountain, we'd never get close.
But no, I've new locations, sapphires, aquamarines, other crystal digs...
She's skeptical, she's heard how these things turn out. "Survivors!!! Every One!" I want to yell, but I'll save the pitch til she gets here.
Second, I got a job, bartender/server at the sushi place a 20 yard stone's throw from my place. The owners, East Indian, very pleasant, young, but so far no schedule.
Third, Michael ended his 7 year tenure at the thrift shop after an interview/meeting with the pastor. Circumstances unknown, staff aren't talking, I'm not sure that this was his choice. They've hired a lot of young people, 20's and 30 somethings, and so it was probably time, there were changes afoot and he wasn't ready for them. He hated the old guard, wasn't a fan of the new. Not that all change is positive, but - sometimes you need to have change forced upon you, and in hindsight it's a good thing. I'll have to sit down with Michael for a coffee, but at the moment it's probably a little too fresh for his liking, and so will wait for a natural run-in with him at Oso.
Fourth, Cathy, Alumni, found work at the Golf Course, she's loving it, saying they've done a terrific job redoing the inside, the place is now busy, the chef, doing a great job, a reasonable tip-out, a lot of the customers recognize her from the other restaurant. And their prices are very reasonable, and - knowing the other place, they'll have increased prices, reduced portions, every year another gouge, every year fewer and fewer customers willing to pay the high and higher prices, so the fact that it's reasonably priced is going to redirect a lot of the traffic up the hill.
That and given the absolute shite job they did last year of looking after it means a lot of people who formerly went there because there was nothing else will be going up the hill, they earned their bad reputation, I mean, they really earned it. So there's a choice, and a lot of people will boycott them for that now too, as if there weren't enough reasons to boycott them already.
So good news for her.
And Mr. Tickles, his car back from the mechanic, just got a job at a sawmill outside Salmo, I'd told him they were hiring, $25/hr to start, more money that I suspect he's earned in his life.
All round it's shaping up to be a great summer...
16 Psyche
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Found
- Hits: 35
A brief summary of the wealth that lies unclaimed in the Asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Link: Wiki on Psyche 16
Link: Wiki on Asteroid Mining
Note that Psyche 16 is an M-Type Asteroid, being comprised almost entirely of heavy metals. Most of the precious metals on earth have already sunk through the crust and into the core, the possibility or theory then that Psyche 16 is a relic core from a planet implies that it is laden with precious metals.
The Retirement Plan - Nic Cage
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Blog
- Hits: 64
The free dinner, and Netflix again.
Having finished all the 1 season 'series' I'm hoping to get into something a little more intelligent, but my vote is moot. I'm the guest, after all.
So it's decided that we're going to watch "The Retirement Plan" starring Nicholas Cage, Ron Perlman, absolutely mediocre reviews but a not-so-bad trailer.
It was hard to watch, but she's laughing her ass off, mostly because I'm being punished for my cultural pretensions, for wanting that sliver of intelligence in my life, for 1 too many free dinners, and why not? Everything has it's price, but this is getting a little steep.
I mean, "mediocre reviews" overstates it in a big way, there was nothing in this to redeem it. Nic Cage, he's himself in whatever he does, and that's the best part. And Ron Perlman. But they're getting paid a million bucks for an on-the-cheap movie production that took me more time to watch than it did to make I'm sure, there were no second takes, the dialogue - inept, clunky, I mean, if it's going to be this bad why give him dialogue in the first place, just let him fucking improvise, it's Nic Cage, it couldn't hurt...
Anyways, my autobiography "The Ventriloquist", based on my real-life crime solving with puppets and the police, it's beginning to look like an Academy Award winner...
The Universal Solvent
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Ideas & Questions
- Hits: 82
I haven't abandoned my interest in chemistry, just finding different ways of expressing it. And as over the winter I'd developed an interest in crystal growing, what with the lab-grown diamonds and other gems (most of which one way or another we've found means to synthesize, I merely want the high pressure environment and a few tens of thousands of dollars equipment. Actually, sapphires and rubies can be done with reasonably basic chemistry, it's the other gems that need the high pressure chemistry).
Anyways, looking at solvents, the problem with using water as a solvent (called the universal solvent, because it dissolves more substances than anything) is that crystals produced this way also tend to dissolve in water. It's ease and universality are also it's downfall.
Then there's Alkahest, a theoretical universal solvent first conceived by Paracelsus, which you can read about here:
Link: Wiki on Alkahest
That's a gold mine of a link that can take you any number of directions.
***
Of course, smarter than me, you've already figured it out. There can be no such thing as a universal solvent, it would by it's nature dissolve the containers that were used in it's manufacture, the beakers and test tubes, stir sticks, the floor, and it would keep on dissolving until it's essence were used up...
***
But in fact there is a Universal Solvent, one so obvious nobody, not even Paracelsus conceived it.
Time. And it never runs out and devours all things...
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