Fluorapatite in Calcite
Pictured above are two elongated, six-sided fluorapatite crystals that have grown within orange calcite and were exposed when the calcite was trimmed away. Both teeth and bones are made from a closely related mineral, hydroxyapatite. I had a dentist appointment today and if my teeth were the color of these crystals, he would have been very upset, but since the sixties that is what the addition of fluoride to drinking water has been all about, turning natural hydroxyapatite enamel into harder, more decay resistant fluorapatite.
Today has been rather dismal. It was very foggy in the morning. This changed to a downpour, while I was coming back from the dentist. I am going to look for a new dentist who is closer to home. When we first moved to Saint Louis, we had a young dentist, whose practice was close to us. Eventually though, he moved to way West County, but we continued seeing him. We has retired now, but before he quit, he joined another dentist’s practice which was more robust, but also even further away. Now it is time to make a change and find another young up and coming dentist, who practices is closer to us, so I don’t have to drive so far.
Smile When You Say That – Temnospondyl
What was even more depressing than the weather and the dentist were the stock markets and the epidemic. Regarding the stock markets, the defensive position that I took in took in November 2016 is now paying huge dividends. Some of our savings accounts, the ones that are mainly equities have been roughly battered, but for those accounts, this doesn’t matter too much. It will be years, before we touch that money. Plenty of time for them to recoup. The account that we have been living off of and will continue to do so is only down about 5%, not including today’s loses, which is still pretty good I think, considering.
I watch the news, to hear when our theater season ticket series will be shutdown. It is only a matter of time now. These series cater to a grey haired clintele, who really shouldn’t be risking it, by going to large audience performances. Sports has already pulled the plug and on Broadway the arts too have called it quits. Here, like I said, it is only a matter of time, before our shows are closed too.
BREAKING: Saint Louis City Mayor has banned all gatherings of 1000 people or more. So, no Hamilton at the Fox this spring for us.
We made the mistake last night of watching the Oval Office pronouncements. It was Teleprompter Trump who was on, but he was so stilted and tenous in his delivery that I was not surprised to learn that the market’s curcuit breakers had been tripped, practically before he was done talking. Putting aside what he said or rather misstated, how he spoke was unnerving enough for me. It was sad.