[meteorite-list] Meteorite Digest Volume 131 Issue 19 (and a personal note)

From: Kevin Kichinka <marsrox_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 22:41:54 -0600
Message-ID: <CANDn_7H3rvYvoFkXKScq40mj2V3F_fHuZgfWLbUAihS4G6qZpw_at_mail.gmail.com>

Team Meteorite:


A little (no,a lot) off-topic, but I need some help celebrating an
important personal moment.


I will comment on that first, then about the last 'edition' of the
meteorite-list.


While I am proud to be an American and always will carry that
passport, the small Central American nation of Costa Rica is where I
prefer to live. I like to climb to the edge of gently erupting
volcanoes, trek through deep green forest where the sky-scraping trees
are the theater for a concert of rare bird song, while living among
gentle people who live for adventure.


The women are really hot, too.


Back story - It's been twenty-nine years since I first stepped foot
here, twice since 1990 that I've jumped the high hoops to become a
'Rentista' (a type of provisional resident) so I could stay here,
although with stipulations. After some years of maintaining that
status, one can apply to be a 'permanent resident', and its been ten
months since I applied to live here forever. It's 'home' now. Were
there no problems, I should have achieved this status last September.
There were no problems, I just needed a bureaucrat's signature. In
January I petitioned the Supreme Court to force a decision.

Moments ago, this message arrived from my attorney, Lic. JJ Valerio....


"Hello Kevin,

Very good news, you are now a Permanent Resident in Costa Rica. I went
to Immigration today and I got the resolution. I hope you be on time
with the payments of the CCSS because we will need it to get the new
Residency ID."


****************************************************
I'm very happy about this.


But while I'm a mile of smiles chuckling at the intensity of 'the
moment', there's more, because just before this email arrived, I read
the last 'digest' of the m-list. I got sentimental.


Note to Team Meteorite - For privacy reasons (see 'NSA'), I don't
participate in FaceBook.


I was immediately spell-bound reading Alan Rubin's riveting discussion
of the origins of CK's, and his conclusion of no separate parent body.
Alan has helped me many times during days past when I contributed to
'Meteorite' and that help is not forgotten. I read his article twice
to make sure I understood it. Fantastic!


I doubt that such work is found on Facebook.


I have not yet had the privilege of working or exchanging messages
with Carl Agee, who's attitude (and love?) of mets I perceive to be
like some collector-genius. His dissertation of 'UNG's' and Mercury
meteorites was like everything else he contributes to this venue, it
increased my knowledge in the field. Perfect.


I doubt that such work is found on Facebook.


Mike G has evolved to become a 'voice', an 'opinion leader' and
tonight he asks relevant questions that merge the lines between
collectors and researchers about pairings of a strange orphan met
'without a home' wondering why it is so darn expensive!


Super Sonny shares another one of his incredible US finds, a
scattering of OC's using dice in situ for size comparison -he rolled
all Lucky Sevens , not a 'Snake Eyes' in sight- and Paul Gessler
offers a witty comment calling it 'desert pavement'.


Bob Verish, Tom Randall and even 'Steve Arnold (Chicago) make guest
appearances 'this issue', not to forget relative 'newbie' Shawn Alan.


But the list would be lifeless without the spirit of Herr Bernd
Pauley, the guiding light of meteorite collectors worldwide. And here
he is tonight, all 69 years of him, sitting in his rocker, a comforter
in his lap, wife Pauline shuffling into the living room offering a cup
of hot chocolate stirred with a cinamon stick, Bernd sits in front of
the fireplace tapping out his message to us on a iPad ("Will you
still need me, will you still feed me...")


I would be remiss not to mention the almost twenty years (!?) that my
best buddy and fellow Nakhla Noogie Ron Baalke has served our
community with constant updates on the American space mission. Thanks
to Ron, we have all journeyed to Mars, starting with the first lander,
Pathfinder, on July 4, 1997. We crossed our fingers while another
spacecraft neared Comet Temple, another craft succesfully inspecting
4Vesta.... we've gone just about everywhere together in the Solar
System thanks to Ron. That's something special. And he loves (dead)
dogs, too.


I doubt that such work is found on Facebook.


But I broke out in that LOL when Senor Garcia wondered who the heck
was 'Proud Tom'?


I know Ruben, but if I tell you I'll have to re-crystallize all your
L3.05 chondrites...

Lastly, Art offers this venue that we all come out and play in. Long
may we play.


Bueno. Una fiesta ahora comenzar?n en mi casa en la celebraci?n de mi
residencia permanente en la hermosa Costa Rica.


(Good. A party now starts in my house in celebration of my permanent
residency in beautiful Costa Rica.)


Saludos a todos.


Jajajajajajajaja...............:>)


Kevin Kichinka

Rio del Oro, Santa Ana, Costa Rica

"The Art of Collecting Meteorites" an eBook on Amazon/Barnes and Noble

"The Global Meteorite Price Report - 2015" available in December.
Received on Fri 14 Mar 2014 12:41:54 AM PDT