We caved… bought a Dyson

Product Reviews, , , ,

Dyson D23 Animal

So we caved and bought a Dyson D23 Animal.

We went to look at Dysons, but I guess I’m too entrenched in software version numbers. I assumed the Dyson model with the highest number would be the newest/latest/coolest/funnest/most pimped out machine.

I was wrong.

Luckily Futureshop had a Dyson trained salesman who set us straight.  The D23 Animal has the power head for carpet.  The one we thought we were going to get had an air driven beater bar only, not the powered one – a CRITICAL difference when you have a golden retriever living in your house.

We’ve had it for a few weeks.  This machine cleans like no other vacuum.  It has such power, it sucks the downstairs out of the upstairs carpet.

Seriously, it was disgusting the dirt and filth that came out of the carpets upstairs, and the area rugs here on the main floor.

It wheels around really nicely. The hose is plenty long, but the power cord is a little too short.  As a bonus though, it does have a nice button that sucks in the cord and winds it up when you’re done vacuuming.

The joint on the power head turns really nice and is easy to get in corners and around furniture legs.  And it self-adjusts the height when you are vacuuming carpet so you don’t have to fiddle with any height settings.

It has a nice separate head for non-carpeted floors with just a simple brush on it, but I don’t think there is a way to attach the other head to the machine for storage that would make it handy and available for switching back and forth.  Futureshop threw in a bonus kit with a bunch of additional attachments. I can’t figure out when/why to use most of them, or where/how to store them.

This vacuum is not for amateurs, nor the weak.  It is heavy.  It’s a little awkward. I’m still not used to the fact the wand detaches above the floor power head, so if that is too long to suck things up with, you can compress it into a shorter wand.  Still awkward for dusting.

And as hard as it is to believe, I have already found a way to hurt myself on a new vacuum. I’ve banged and scraped my calf 3 times, in the same spot, on the little arm where the beater bar hang when not in use (see photo below).   Note to self: don’t vacuum in shorts.

It is a canister vacuum, so when I need to empty it (like after vacuuming half of our living room area rug), I take the big canister outside to the trash bin, and I hit the eject button that pops open the bottom and releases the dirt and hair and pennies into the garbage.

It does have a lot of plastic components, but they seem very strong and durable. It doesn’t feel like it is going to fall apart like the last vacuum we had (that did fall apart).

Golden Retriever hair still wraps around the beater bar, but it is easy to disassemble and cut the hair off.

It sits really well on the stairs so I can easily vacuum the staircase now.  Well it didn’t sit well the first time, until Jeff showed me I had it upside down.  Now it works better.

It compacts really easily to look like this for storage:

Dyson D23 Animal

It was a ridiculous amount of money, but at least it has a 5 year warranty, does a good cleaning job, and is a new toy to play with :-)

New adventures await!

What I've Been Up To, , , ,

I am leaving my job!

My employer is about to undergo a period of restructuring and offered employees the chance to voluntarily resign with severance.

I said…….  OK!

I always said I wanted to retire at 35.  I’ll settle for 37.

What next?

Well I’m not done work immediately. I still have about 4 weeks left to work and will organize my files and document my work processes.

I feel good about this. I’m leaving on good terms. I’ve got web development clients for my side business. And now I have the freedom to explore new and fun careers, doing just about anything I want.

It feels pretty good!

 

May 2-4 weekend wrap up

What I've Been Up To, , , , , ,

It’s the epic May 2-4 long weekend in Canada.

And just to keep things interesting, we had a day of rain and snow,  two frost warnings, strong winds, and we had to turn the heat back on in the house.

We were stubborn about it for awhile, but on Sunday morning Jeff got up before me and it was only 12°C in the house (that is 53.6F for you non-Celcius folks). He caved and turned the heat on.  The heat made it so much more, well… livable, in here :-)  So far we haven’t had to turn the heat on today (Monday).

I slept Saturday and Sunday night with a toque on to keep warm.  Nothing like a layer of Thinsulate on your skull to keep your heat in :-)   Especially in May.

We went to see the new Star Trek movie on Saturday.  I really enjoyed it!  Jeff had a lot of problems with it because he is more of a Trekkie and had issues with the story.  I’ve watched Star Trek my entire life but I’ve never absorbed enough of the intricate details and plot lines to have any issues.  My biggest beef is the obvious eyebrow ring scar on the actor who plays Spock. I have no idea why, but it distracted me throughout the entire movie.

I had a nice Facetime session with my sister-in-law the other night and got to watch my niece and nephew play with blocks, paint, dance, and show me their autographs from the characters at Walt Disney World in Florida.   Technology is so great. Would they even know me if we only saw each in person once a year?

Today I’ve been attempting to clean and rearrange my home office.  It always ends up looking way worse for a few hours, but it is coming together. I’ve always had the same problem -> where to put the massive computer tower.  On the desk? On the next desk? Under the desk?  I’d love to put it up on a shelf but I can’t hardly lift the thing so I’m sure the wall doesn’t want to either.

Jeff had the winning solution, and it is now under my desk, beside my left leg. Not ideal. But sooooooooooo much better. He drilled a big hole through the back of the desk for some cord management.

Tonight took a rather sad turn watching the horrific devastation in Oklahoma from a tornado. I’m watching a live feed from an Oklahoma TV-station. They are reporting at least 30 kids could be dead in a school. I can’t even wrap my head around it.

My Ancestry Composition

What I've Been Up To, ,

My Ancestry Composition is available on now 23andMe where I had my DNA tested.

23andMe describes Ancestry Composition as “what percent of your DNA comes from each of 22 populations worldwide. The analysis includes DNA you received from all of your ancestors, on both sides of your family. The results reflect where your ancestors lived 500 years ago, before ocean-crossing ships and airplanes came on the scene.”

My DNA is (both sides of my family combined):

  • 99% European
  • 0.6% Sub-Saharan African
  • 0.3% Native American
  • 0.1% Unassigned

My 99% European is further broken down:

  • 91% Northern European
  • 0.2% Southern European
  • 7.8% Nonspecific European

My 91% Northern European is broken down further:

  • 13.4% British and Irish
  • 2.4% French and German
  • 0.5% Scandinavian
  • 74.8% Nonspecific Northern European

Explore your DNA with your family. Now 20% off on all additional kits.


 

There’s a hole….. where?

What I've Been Up To, ,

Jeff and I swapped vehicles yesterday and he took my car to his mechanic for an oil change and for a little investigation into the squeak I’ve been hearing from the back end.

In the afternoon they called him at his office with an update.  They changed the oil.  They think the squeak is just some bushings than need some lubrication.  But the mechanic wanted Jeff to come down to talk in person.

Uh-oh.

How bad is the news going to be if you have to go in person?

Turns out my 2007 Dodge Caliber is no longer structurally sound.

The mechanic found a hole in the frame and he said it will definitely not pass its biannual safety inspection in September.

He said it is the third Caliber he has seen this month with the same problem.

ACK! I knew we should have undercoated it! But we thought we were going to turn it in at 5 years so we hadn’t bothered. Do you think the winter road salt is to blame? Or is it the manufacturer’s fault?

The new piece of the frame is $800 plus labour.

holeincar2

Ancestry results coming in

What I've Been Up To, , ,


My Ancestry information, based on my DNA test, is starting to filter in to my account at 23andMe.com.

Here are a few more interesting facts:

So far I have 991 DNA relatives in the 23andMe database.  I have no close family, but I do have 85 third-to-fourth cousins that have had their DNA tested by this company.

Countries of Ancestry:

I have large pieces of my DNA that are identical to other people from these places:

  • United Kingdom
  • Ireland
  • Netherlands
  • Finland
  • Germany

Surnames:

Among my 991 DNA relatives, these surnames are the most common:

  • Osborne
  • Holt
  • Ford
  • White
  • Burton

I can see a list of my closest relatives on here. Some just say if they are female or male, but some people choose to share their information, especially if they are looking for relatives. Imagine the information this can give a person who is adopted and doesn’t know anything about their family history!

My closest relative on here is a girl named Tracy from Wisconsin who is my 3rd to 4th cousin. We share 0.76% of our DNA, and 3 segments.

It also shows I have a 5th cousin in their database from Nova Scotia!

The relatives are based on similar DNA so both sides of the family are shown here. However, unless one or both of my parents get their DNA tests at 23andMe, their system can’t distinguish which side of the family the relatives are on.

I have a lot of relatives in North America, several in South America, some in Europe, especially Holland (not surprising since my dad’s parents are from Holland), and the rest of the 991 are scattered worldwide.

There is a feature where you can message any of them if you want to learn more than what they are sharing, or if you want to compare family trees.

I can’t wait to get a match closer than 3rd cousins.  This is FASCINATING!

Explore your DNA with your family. Now 20% off on all additional kits.

My DNA results are in!

What I've Been Up To, , , , ,



Most of my DNA results from 23andMe are in!

I’m looking over all the health information.  Some of the ancestry information is still being processed and will be a day or two away.

There are pages and pages and pages of interesting information here!  I’ll share the most fascinating.

According to my DNA:

Eye Colour: Likely Blue
Hair Curl: Straighter Hair on Average
Earwax Type: Wet

The average European shares 2.7% of their DNA with Neanderthals.  I share 2.8%.  Jeff said that explains a lot.

I have an 80% chance of being unable to taste bitter flavours. I have no idea if this is true because I have never tasted bitter food with anyone else’s tongue.

I am not resistant to HIV/AIDS or malaria. I have slightly higher odds of severe malarial anemia if infected with malaria.

I have an increased sensitivity to the drug Warfarin (Coumadin®) and may require a lower dose.

I have a greater tendency than the average woman to overeat.  I also am likely to consume more sugar daily than the average person.

My DNA will vary from my siblings, but Brian and Julie, if you don’t want to know about possible health risks that appeared in my results, stop reading NOW.

Decreased Risks:
Coronary Heart Disease: 0.59x average risk
Venous Thromboembolism: 0.72x
Age-related Macular Degeneration: 0.68x
Restless Legs Syndrome: 0.44x
Rheumatoid Arthritis: 0.40x
Melanoma: 0.75x
Parkinson’s Disease: 0.73x
Exfoliation Glaucoma: 0.80x
Multiple Sclerosis: 0.69x
Ulcerative Colitis: 0.78x
Crohn’s Disease: 0.79x

Elevated Risks:
Alzheimer’s Disease: 1.98x than average chance
Type 1 Diabetes: 2.10x average risk
Celiac Disease: 3.34x average risk
Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ESCC): 1.21x average risk
Stomach Cancer (Gastric Cardia Adenocarcinoma): 1.22x

One of my Tuberculosis Susceptibility genetic markers shows a slightly higher odds of developing tuberculosis if exposed.

The interesting one to me is the increased risk of Alzheimer’s, which is known in my family tree. I apparently have “has one copy of the APOE ε4 variant. APOE ε4 is not the only factor contributing to Alzheimer’s disease. Although it is associated with increased risk of Alzheimer’s, many people with the APOE ε4 variant never develop it. ”  The report says, on average, 7.1 women with European ancestry out of 100 will develop Alzheimer’s between the ages of 50 and 79.  14.1 women of European ancestry who share my genotype out of 100 will develop Alzheimer’s between 50 and 79.  This is only looking at the genetic aspect of Alzheimer’s.  Environment and lifestyle may also play a role.

I also looked at the information for asthma. 2 of 3 reported markers in my DNA for asthma show that I have moderately higher odds of asthma, and slightly higher odds of having childhood asthma.  I’ve never had bad asthma, but it does cause a bit of trouble from time to time.

Inherited Conditions:

There are many inherited conditions listed, but I only have a variant for one of them.

I have one mutation in the HFE gene linked to hemochromatosis. A person with one of these mutations is not typically prone to higher levels of iron in the body, but can pass the mutation to offspring.

Ancestry:

This is just a very small sampling of the information.  I’m really excited for the ancestral results to be added, but I am unable to get anything from my father’s side because I am a female so I don’t have a Y chromosome.  Now I’m very keen on convincing more of my relatives to sign up to be tested, especially my father or brother, so I can learn more about my paternal side’s origins.

Haplogroup:

So far, I do know the Haplogroup of my maternal line.  It is “H1e2″.  I can’t find much specific information on it yet, but countries of origin will fill in when the rest of the results appear. It appears to be not so common.

What I can tell so far, is that  my mother’s people came from Europe, Near East, Central Asia, or Northwestern Africa.  H1e2 is a subgroup of H1.  25% of the Spanish population includes the H1 haplogroup.

H1 appears to have been common in Doggerland, an ancient land now flooded by the North Sea.

Explore your DNA with your family. Now 20% off on all additional kits.

My pansies are safe from even the tallest bunnies this year!

Gardening, , , ,

I’ve always loved pansies. I love their bright vivid colours, and how unique and fun they are. Like little rays of flower sunshine in a garden. We always had purplish pansies growing in our little flower garden behind our house on the farm where I grew up. They were my favourite flowers in the world.

Every time I’ve planted them at this house they never seem to bloom very long. Last year finally figured out why. It is those sneaky bunnies! Those rascally rabbits hop their not-so-innocent little bouncy hop out of the forest and sneakily munch away at my pansy flowers! They are even conservationists – they eat the flowers and leave the of the plant intact so they can grow more flowers!

Now I’m all for supporting the rights of wildlife, but come on, isn’t it bad enough the deer eat my tulips? Do the bunnies have to eat my cheery little pansy flowers too?

This spring I think I have outwitted the bunnies for sure this time. I’ve planted pansies in the containers on the rail along the top of the of the side porch. No bunny under 6 feet tall will nibble on ‘em now!

Here are a few pictures I took with my iPhone quickly before dashing off to work the other morning:

IMG_1078

IMG_1079

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Thank-you for changing my life Stuart Wilde. RIP.

What I've Been Up To, , , , , ,

I was so sorry to hear from my Dad this evening that one of my new mentors has passed on.

I can’t remember how I stumbled upon it, but some how I ended up watching a recording on YouTube a few months ago of a lecture Stuart Wilde was delivering called the “Mastery of Money”. It is an old video recording, possibly even from the 1980′s judging by the some of the hair styles and fashion styles in the audience. (–confirmed, 1986)  Here was this English man talking at the speed of light.  But his words were exactly what I needed to hear.

His lecture completely decluttered my mind about business, work, life, money, karma, happiness, and self-esteem. It was just 100 minutes long and it thoroughly changed my life.

Here is the lecture I’m speaking of:

I’m currently reading one of his books, The Trick to Money is Having Some! and am really enjoying it.

Thank-you Stuart.