On The Fly

“Its more than a feeling, when I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling). I begin dreaming”. . . . Allow me to set the stage for you. Bradley University, Saturday night, 1977, Peoria, Illinois, the rock band Boston had just released their first album the previous year titled “Boston.” I wore that album out, playing it repeatedly. When Boston played that night on stage, it was magic. We were there! Musician and mechanical engineer Tom Scholz was the first to recreate the exact sound of their hit album live. We were impressed. I fell in love once again with the art of playing the guitar. So, 40 years later, I’m playing the intro licks to Boston’s most famous song, More Than A Feeling. Sounds a little crazy at my age, but this year Santa finally brought what I’ve always wanted: an electric guitar. “Santa knows; he always knows.” It’s a beauty. A Fender Sunburst Stratocaster. Well, technically, it’s a Squire made by Fender, but who cares - it’s magnificent. And ...

“There are over 3,000 known minerals. About 150 gem minerals. They are classified as: Group, Species, and Variety.” For example, “Can you identify the green stone now on the screen? Remember, there are a lot of possibilities.” Recently, I was invited to do a presentation on gemstones for two local North County San Diego clubs; Treasure Seekers of San Diego, and the Temecula Valley Prospectors. Their principal hobby is panning for gold. However, some dabble in mining gemstones. We had enthusiastic audience decidedly interested in learning more about gemstones, a proverbial “gold mine” for educators if you will. So, we dipped our fingers into some gem identification, discussed possible treatments, and reminded them to always suspect glass or plastic when they found something. I popped up a slide, gave them a few clues then asked the audience to identify the stone. Thankfully, this technique involved no awful smells from the use of refractive index liquid. The crowd lov...

“I didn’t do it!” Sounds like something a seven year old child would say when caught in the act of perpetrating a misdeed doesn’t it? Well, you’re close it was my 80 year old mother-in-law when she stained our brand new living room carpet. The word OBLIVIOUS explodes in my mind; lacking remembrance, memory, or mindful attention. I’m trying to be civil. But with absolute certainty, it’s lack of mindful attention!  You see each year my mother-in-law invites herself for the wonderful Thanksgiving dinner Lori so lovingly prepares. Then proceeds to stay until after January of the new year, anyway . . .  This whole episode started in late October, our aquarium leaked and ruined what was left of our carpet. It was a slow leak and wasn’t noticed for a couple weeks. What a mildew mess. So now we have no choice but to replace it. Without hesitation we shopped around and found just the perfect carpet, at a great price, in hopes of having it replaced before Thanksgiving. Sa...

In the episode - Dreamers  . . . "If you can Dream it, you can Do it!" He would say. We met face-to-face one Sunday morning, standing at the entrance to the church after a service held for over 2,500 people. As we shook hands, our eyes locked together, suddenly I was the only person in this long line of visitors; he greeted me by name with a broad smile as we left the church. It was only the third time we had met, and he remembered my name? Out of multitudes of people, this man sees every day - how was that possible? Many called him a dreamer. I would come to know him as Dr. Schuller. The lead pastor of Garden Grove Community Church, or at that time, The Crystal Cathedral. His sermon moved me emotionally much more than I expected. With a booming voice and a wave of his hand, he proclaimed, "Today's accomplishments were yesterday's impossibilities." His ministry had stood the test of time and ridicule. Seated in a magnificent all-glass structure with a blue ...

Paradox Hotel Reception I awoke quietly, surprisingly rested, from a deep sleep to a peaceful October rain. After an eight hour drive, we arrived late that night, checked into our hotel, and went directly to bed. We had debated whether to make the trip for a wedding celebration hosted by friends who now lived in Santa Cruz, California. I’m so thankful we did. There was music in the air. With Lori quietly sleeping I brewed the “perfect cup” of coffee and stepped out onto our patio. Sitting in a comfy chair I immersed myself in the experience; it was dark, the air was brisk, and no one stirred. Sipping my coffee I placed my fine ceramic mug on the side-table, a tree stump. The melody of soft pattering rain on the roof. The sweet scent of wet pines. As daylight diffused through the dark clouds vibrant fall colors exploded around me. Ahh, how beautiful. How relaxing. We don’t see trees like this in Southern California, I thought. I do miss this. I drained my coffee mug...

F-35B Lighting How do you duplicate the deafening roar of the U.S. Marine Corps Aircraft F-35B Lighting in a blog post? Well, it’s simple just provide a link to a Lockheed Martin demonstration video of a vertical takeoff then amplify that sound ten-fold. Marine aviators call it, “The sound of freedom!” If you attended this years MCAS Miramar air show you witnessed first hand the might of the U.S Military’s air defense capabilities. Since becoming a volunteer at the Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation I’ve heard more combination of letters and numbers that represent a variety of tactical air defense machinery than I can mentally process. Let’s be honest, it’s as if the retired fighter pilots are speaking a different language. The only fighter jets I’m familiar with are the planes the U.S. Navy Blue Angels fly. You’ve seen them, they’re a beautiful blue with a bright yellow stripe on the under-side. Ok, I see you laughing at me. As a recently elected board member of the...

Today’s question is about diamond treatments, fillers, diamond look-alikes and making a difference. Before we begin, let me emphasize the obvious: During general observation, always check for coated diamonds first! Fooled you - this segment is about reminding our readers how women continue to make a difference in the jewelry industry. Recently during the Las Vegas show a question came up about Eunice Miles. My first thought, that would be a great segment for Ask A Gemologist. Eunice R. Miles, G.G., 1917 - 1997, was the first female gemologist/researcher in the GIA Laboratory. Her GIA career began in 1953. She made history by becoming the first woman to join then GIA’s Gem Trade Laboratory, in New York. In 1963 she did it again when Gems and Gemology (Winter 1962–63, Vol. 10, No. 12, pp. 355–364, 383) published her article Diamond-Coating Techniques and Methods of Detection. In 1963, she was acknowledged in the U.S. Department of Mines annual report for advancing diamond re...

Main Street, Cuba, Il. Allow me to share a story with you. You see, 2014 is the 40th year anniversary of Cuba High School’s class of 1974. My class. You’ve all heard the tiresome cliche, “Times flies.” Well, it does. No kidding! While going through scanned photos of my High School year books, I was transported back in time . . . “You know how this goes,” said my sixth grade teacher. “Face the chalk board, feet spread apart, bend over, hands on the desk - sssmaaack as the paddle hit its mark on my hind-side.  Honestly, I don’t even remember what this paddling was for. But I do remember the sting, and the embarrassment I felt standing in front of the class. No, I wasn’t the only one. Like all schools we had our share of misfits. In our small, rural farming community of west central Illinois I’m happy to report there was no teen violence, no shootings, and no serious vandalisms. Well, ok, we did tend to torment the local policeman, who we dubbed Barney Fife. A group of us wo...

“It is our attitude toward life that determines  life's  attitude towards us.” I must have been about nine when that quote first entered my subconscious, growing up in Cuba, Illinois. My family’s morning breakfast routine was to listen to Earl Nightingale’s daily five-minute radio program, “Our Changing World,” on the local radio station: “WBYS - AM and FM—Canton, Illinois.” That jingle vividly echoes in my mind. Nightingale’s deep, resonant voice captivated my imagination. Little did I know that program would have such a profound impact on my thinking. Subsequently, Earl Nightingale shared many profound quotes that have influenced my life. “Your attitudes and expectations are a merciless reflection of you.” I’m proud to say that I’m a life-long learner. A student of the game of life. Almost 50 years later I still start my day with this positive daily routine. Set aside time just to listen, read, and reflect. All these years I’ve read and lis...