Category Archives: What I've Been Up To

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.

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.

Monty had a SECOND visitor to his backyard yesterday!

What I've Been Up To, , ,

As if the bunny yesterday morning in Monty’s backyard wasn’t enough excitement….

Last evening when Jeff let Monty outside before dinner, Monty went crazy!!

There was a DOG on the other side of his fence!

Monty doesn’t get to see too many other dogs since Trooper passed on.  And living in the woods here, not too many dogs stop by for a visit!

It was a black lab.  Young, excited dog. They took turns lifting their legs and peeing on each other through the fence. What fun!

Monty was yipping like a little yorkie. It was almost embarrassing to hear such noises come out of a 70 lb dog.  They ran along the fence together, then the black lab would run around and around the whole house, peeing on the bushes and anything else he could find.

Eventually we got Monty inside.  I didn’t want to let the black lab just walk off. We’re on a 90km/hr road with lots of curves. I couldn’t risk the chance he’d get hit so I eventually convinced him to come to me and sit down and I was able to make out a name and a phone number from his tag.  His name was “Aussie”.

Jeff grabbed the phone and called his parents to come and get him.  His owner was visiting people just a few houses down. We put him on a leash and waited for him to come over.

He said he’ll stick by him no problem, unless he smells another dog.  Most people don’t know we have a dog because Monty is usually quiet, but I guess he has a dog scent that travels a long distance!  He had been looking and calling for him and was grateful we called him.

Exciting day for Monty!