FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[John S. White]

amethystguy, can you please provide a little information about yourself? I have had several people emailing me asking who you are, etc.

[Jason]

Hey John..lets see I am 30 yrs. old..I like movies and cars...LOL..just playing..sort of floated through life until my first trip to JXR then it was all over with..found the great world of rocks and gems..always had an affinity to science..it's the folks in the rock and mineral world who have helped me along from the people at MAGMA who set up great rock collecting fieldtrips and keep eastern US locations open and collectable to us to Rob lavinsky who gave me my first subscription to Min. Rec. to Gary Freeman of Mt. Mica who took the time to help me when it came to pegamatites to Rodney Moore(dixieeuhedrals) who took me under his wing and showed me the ropes in certain aspects of this business/hobby and allowed me to dig with him in some amazing locations...once I can get back to Europe I am going to hit up some FMF'ers to drag me along to some of their locations..just placed an order this morning for some anatase crystals from pakistan..like 20 of them or something..was checking out Jordi's too..now i can complete my rutile, brookite, anatase collection..sweet..just got over my tanzaite kick and am now working on purple imperial topaz

[John S. White]

That's fine and thanks but I am sure that many of us do not know what JXR means, and do you have a name that you might be willing to share with us?

[Jordi Fabre]

[Les Presmyk]

Thanks for asking about JXR John because I had no clue either. I think this points out that when using an acronym, nickname or local name for something, in this forum it would be good to explain or define it at least once. In legal contracts, one way this is done is as follows: Jackson Crossing (JXR). What is used in the local area does not necessarily translate to across the country or the rest of world.

[Tracy]

I too had no idea...

- Tracy

[alfredo]

It's like "MSH" for Mont Saint Hilaire - obvious to those who know, and a complete mystery to those who don't. Fooled me, the first time I heard it.

[Jason]

Not only has the location been featured in well over 7 full articles in Min. rec, Rock and Min, and Rock and Gem, but it has been the featured location in Marty Zinn's last South east show, the only amethyst in Irocks vault, had a whole hour long TV show dedicated to that one location just to name a few. Just about every serious cllector or mineral dealer I have spoken with or known knows about this location..can't really think of to many other locations that have had this much media exposure..figured most folks knew the name..sorry forgot many folks from other countries on here...i think just about every american dealer in tuscon has had a jxr at one time or another

[Les Presmyk]

This must be either an eastern thing or a young person's (twitter, blogs, etc.) contribution. Here in Arizona, the Rowley mine is either the Rowley mine or the Rowley, not TRM or RM. The closest we get is some people refer to wulfenite as wulfeys (like fingernails scratching a blackboard) or double-terms instead of doubly-terminated.

[Jason]

we use the term DT's:):) just google jxr amethyst

[Pete Richards]

Interesting what we expect and don't expect people to understand. I tend to use MSH all the time in my correspondence, thinking that everyone know what that refers to (and most of the time those I am writing to probably do). But I would not be surprised if some on this forum would not know what it refers to. However, saying Mont Saint-Hilaire instead may not enlighten some, especially new hobbyists, any more than MSH does. I was a mineral collector for probably 20 years before I heard of Mont Saint-Hilaire, and the first time I heard of it, I was talking to someone who'd just been there, and I did not know why he was so excited. Once I cuddent spell Mount Sant-Hilary collecter, and now I are one!

[Ed Huskinson]

Les: I hadn't heard the term JXR either. But then am I talking about the word or the termination? Fingernails on the blackboard, indeed. I guess that now it would be something different, inasmuch as most classrooms have those silly dry-erase boards. Perhaps it is our age showing Les. We use the terminology (oh, sorry, "terms") that we were taught. This usage is falling by the wayside, what with all the tweets and twitters and things, and the new-speak is becoming accepted by much of the general populace. Whatever became of James Kilpatrick and the "grammar police"? Ah well, whadaya gonna do?

My plan is to strive to adhere to (what is at present) the proper way to speak and write. I shall write out the full name of the mineral(s) under discussion, thus avoiding having to make the mental connection or correction (Oh, he means emerald when he says "emmy"). I laugh, and go on, but the USGS publication "Suggestions to Authors" shall remain the ultimate reference for my technical writing. Still, one has to keep in mind the fact that Cormac McCarthy was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his writing. If you read "No Country For Old Men", you'll understand where I'm coming from here. Postings to FMF are informal, but can, at times, be fairly technical, particularly when making some mineralogical point or observation. I notice that the slang goes away when such discussions are ongoing.

So, I ignore the occasional nail-dragging and am quite thankful that we have this venue to express our opinions and observations. FMF has become a new friend, and we all enjoy the back-and-forth encountered there.

Hasta la later,

Ed

Here's a picture of Tony Potucek judging in 2007, to justify this rant. I think the coffee cup is a ruse, and that he's actually using it as a hand-held cuspidor. Oh, and a nice adamite, 2 to 2 1/2" in diameter. What a specimen, eh?

[Ed Huskinson]

Pete Richards!!! You crack me up. I was drinking coffee when I read your post, and sprayed it all over my screen. "And now I are one". Still, it was worth the 5 minute clean-up for the good laugh.
Keep 'em coming.

Ed

[Jason]

well anyone well versed in whatever hobby or profession they are in uses terms abbreveated..like take for example Hemi..car junkies and even regular folk use the term hemi engine instead of hemispherical combustion engine..or MRI or PET scan..instead of saying magentic resonosance imaging. I know what you mean, ed..i still have yet to "tweet"..don't even really know what it is or how to tweet..LOL..never did myspace either. I do find it a little funny that you say "My plan is to strive to adhere to (what is at present) the proper way to speak and write." then later in that paragraph say FMF instead of fabre mineral forum:):):):):):):):'")..LOL..just giving you a hard time:):):):):):):):):):):):):):)..I understand what you mean. I just expect on a site like FMF here that slang and accronyms which are known by quite a few mineral folks, like JXR or MSH, can be used here..would be different on most of the other forums I frequent due to less informed and knowledgeable individuals ...FMF is the cream of the crop when it comes to mineral forums/chat sites but also many folks from other countries and as alfredo pointed out may not be as known over yonder

[Jordi Fabre]

[Jason]

actually there are quite a few meanings..I can think of quite a few off the top of my head.....cool post, Jordi
frolicking mineral finders..ohh thats bad..thats real bad..sorry:)

[Ed Huskinson]

Yes, you're right. I should have said "Frantic Mineral Filibusterers". I like that one. "Frenetic Mineral Filibusters"? That has a nice ring to it as well. I had a CAT scan once. What's a PET scan? Is it magnetic? Guess I need to stand a little closer to GOOGLE, eh?

Thank you for the reply, and I'm used to the kidding. Most of us curmudgeonly sorts have been on the receiving end, so Laugh Out Loud right back atcha.

Just saw Jordi's post. It illustrates that there are some of us who have not read all of the FMF posts and, lacking that history, sometimes refer to subjects that were covered long ago. Guilty as implied. Thanks Jordi.

Post some more pictures of your amethysts. I'll go get my drool cup and put a towel over the keyboard to protect it when I view them. I look forward to it. Lacking a stand-alone photo of one of my amethysts, here's a picture of one of my Veracruz, Mexico amethysts hiding among some of my other rocks.


Later,

Ed
Peace on earth,

Ed

[zanthal]

The Adamite looks like a granny smith apple with a particularly long stem.