In the summer of 2000, after a hard game of "beat-Leo" by my then 7 year old, I noticed an unusual pain in my lower back. That was the first indication of what became several months of fun that included three trips to the hospital, kidney failure, and first-hand experience with a procedure made popular during the Spanish Inquisition. Nevertheless, the scientist in me endured, and I collected several of these little villains for the SEM.

Seemingly innocent little precipitates, which initially ranged from less than 1 mm to about 3 mm in diameter. Later stones were up to 2 CENTIMETERS in size.	Beth Fratesi, my grad student who has done a spectacular job working on our bacteria in reservoir sandstone project, seconds before she learned that she had to process the stones for analysis.

The next four pictures clearly show why organo/mineral compounds are interesting to study (and how they can make grown men scream like little girls). My advice? DRINK PLENTY OF WATER. Have a nice day.