Flower!

So, I took this picture of a blooming flower on one of Sue's plants the other day...

Some might say, "Wow, look at that pretty flower!"

Me, I say, "Hey, that looks like the flower that made Spock go native back in that old Star Trek episode...

Last night, a bunch of us from work went out to Friendly's for dinner, then went mini-golfing. Here's some photos!

My meal, of chicken stuff, really. This was left over, because I remembered, after eating what's not on the plate, that food at Friendly's sucks...

CD Dan, who wanted his photo in my blog. Your prayers have been answered, Daniel!

Krista and Meg enjoying themselves, a rare event in a Friendly's restaurant...

A Ryder truck pulled over out in front of Friendly's. Drug bust!

Krista and Brian, watching a mini-golf shot. I should say that our group of 7 split into two groups to play, and I came in last amongst my trio of Tricia, Krista, and myself. Granted, it was only a point that separated each of us, but I was the big loser...

However, this trophy proves that we're all winners in the end... Really.

NP: ProjeKct Two - The Deception of the Thrush

Contact!

So, a friend of mine, who will remain nameless, has told me recently that he's been contacted not once, but twice, by two different girlfriends of two of his dead friends.

That seems to be a little complex, so to restate, my nameless friend has two friends, both of whom have passed away. He has received e-mail from a former girlfriend of each of them.

They have contacted my secret ally because he has some music posted on his website, collaborations with the aforementioned stiff dudes. Well, maybe only one of them... I think the other was just mentioned in passing at some point (although I could be wrong about that). So, these former girlfriends are obviously googling their late boyfriend, and they are linking to my enigmatic relationship to see what's on there...

My mysterious companion is trying to re-enter the dating scene after some time away from it, so while he is welcoming of random female contact, the fact that these women have no real interest in him is a bit disconcerting.

I say, best to stay away from girlfriends of dead friends. There's got to be some bad mojo working there...

Haplogroup!

So, I mentioned awhile back about participating in the National Geographic's "Genographic" survey, using DNA markers to determine what haplogroup individuals are a part of, in order to trace human migration out of Africa tens of thousands of years ago.

I have particpated in this study, and with my DNA sample in hand, gotten by doing a cheek scraping (not in the least painful), I now know I am a member of haplogroup G, denoted by genetic marker M201 on the Y chromosome.

But, you are asking, what does this tell us?

From the Genographic website, Haplogroup G is a relatively rare haplogroup that is an offshoot of the common M89 marker, the second great migration out of Africa. G is only present in at most rankings of a few percent in most tested populations. G seems to have its origins in the Indus Valley of northern India sometime between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago. From there, little is known about the dispersal of Haplogroup G.

Now, the Y chromosome is received in toto from the father during conception. So, I have the same Y chromosome as my Dad, my brother, my Dad's brother, my Lord grandfather, great-grandfather, etc... And from my genealogy research, I know that the Lord name comes from Ireland as far back as 1820. So, there's a big gap from 10-20,000 years ago to the 1820's, where my ancestors got from northern India, to Ireland...

Fascinating, isn't it? Hopefully, as more people participate in this study, the Haplogroup G migration will become a bit more known... I'll be sure to share more as I learn about this. Fortunately, the Genographic website will be updated as they learn more.

NP: Episode I - The Arrival At Tatooine and The Flag Parade

Smoking!

Sue and I went to go see "Thank You For Smoking" today. A good satire, that in an odd way, makes a case for the rights of smokers to smoke, while staying away from the issue of smoking in public places or other locations. Whatever your thoughts on the whole smoking issue, I think the movie is worth a viewing, as it is very funny!

Tomorrow or Tuesday, you'll all get an update on the haplogroup results I got recently from the National Geographic's Genographic survey. More soon!

NP: Genesis - I Can't Dance