FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Mark Ost]

Good Morning all
I would like to take a few moments to introduce myself as a new member of the forum. My name is Mark Ost. I live in Virginia Beach Virginia USA. I am currently a field geologist for an international company CH2M HILL,a world wide engineering firm. I graduated Old Dominion University gaining a degree in Geology with three Greek Letters after the degree; they may represent academic achievement or they may be the sororities that I tried to visit frequently, the jury is still out! I have a mineral lab with microscopes, thermal probes, fluorescent test boxes, and microscope camera, and one angry wife and accountant. I enjoy the microscope work exceedingly. Most of my collection is based on aesthetic and scientific interests. If they coincide great! As an example I have beautiful fluorite that represent all stages of crystal growth. I look forward to learning from you all. Cheers. Mark

[Tracy]

Welcome Mark, we hope you enjoy FMF and look forward to seeing your pics!

- Tracy

[Jordi Fabre]

[Benj]

Welcome Mark ;)

[Roger Warin]

Welcom !
We can discuss...
Roger.

[Mark Ost]

Thanks You Tracy and all. I have a slew ready to go. I used to stay late into the night at school, glued to the polar microscope. Gave me dark rings around the eyes thus establishing the current fashion trend of goth. For reasons that escape me many micro photos were done in bitmap and I need to convert them to a smaller format.

[Pierre Joubert]

[Don Lum]

[Tracy]

I Googled "goth" and "microscope" but your name wasn't anywhere... ;-)

- Tracy

[Tobi]

A warm welcome from Germany, too :-)

[Mark Ost]

You are not going to get far in life listening to me................................

[Mark Ost]

Thank you Tobi. Meine gross mutti und gross vater waren Deutsche.
That is a fine specimen of fluorite you have. I love the pastel color. Amazing the variety of fluorite. Nice sharp x stals. I'll post a picture of myself in the profile as soon as I get my genius step daughter to show me how to size photos. She is a genius and will willingly tell you if you ask. I remind her that, as the last "real" field geologist, I can drink her under the table even if she knows computers far better than I. I have one of Jordi's dodecahedron green fluorite samples coming from China. Amazing how they evolve. (amazing I can spell dodecahedron!). Some one else had a fine sample, on the forum, showing the final phases of growth prior to the cube form (I only use the word "Isometric" on Sundays). Take care. Mark

[Michael Shaw]

Welcome to FMF Mark. I look forward to seeing some of the minerals in your collection.
Michael

[Riccardo Modanesi]

Hi Mark!
A warm warm welcome from Italy too! We always need to discuss with people who studied our discipline since their youth! And you are one of them!
Greetings by Riccardo.

[Tobi]

[Mark Ost]

Thank you Ricardo
Always love hearing from Italy. I lived in Gaeta for 3 happy years. There are no evening strolls here in the US as there were back then in Gaeta, spending time in the cafes. A more civilized way of life!

[Mark Ost]

[Mark Ost]

Ich verstehen ein wenig Deutsche. Since acquiring CFT syndrome (constantly forgetting things) my language skills have deteriorated. I was dining with A German NATO officer once who commented on how few German descendants in America kept their language skills. I explained that many who came to this country in the 1930s felt their children needed to master English, I fear at the expense of the native tongue. Today with communications and travel the way it is things are different now and multiple language almost a requirement. I fear I missed out on this welcome trend so do the best I can with the handicap of CFT. Ich dnake Ihnen sher! Auf Weidershehn bis tag.

[Tobi]

[Mark Ost]

ach zo
perhaps it was another person's specimens I did mention CFT.....................

sigh