Genealogy: DNA Testing - Now What?

 DNA Test Results
Genealogy Research

There are several reasons for people to take a DNA test:

• To learn more about their ancestry: 
• To learn about their health risks: 
• To find long-lost relatives. (DNA tests can be used to find relatives who share a common ancestor.) 

Background: What sparked this blog?

Personal: My Unfinished Posts

 

A New Beginning

For Rick Jaggers

I've been writing blog posts for the last three months.

Honest, I have!

I've started dozens of them. Unfortunately, most of them have been in my head. 

However, I have actually started putting some of them on paper. 

(Uhh... Figuratively on paper. I use a computer with a powerful spell checker and a voice that reads to me out load what I wrote.)

No more SPC for Me!

 

Registration Day

St Pete College

Today is the one day that seniors can register for free tuition for the upcoming semester. Classes start on Monday, December 12, and run through May 2023.

I'm not enrolling in anything for the spring 2023 semester. I've sent several hours looking through the available courses, and nothing really appeals to me.

Why College Over Age 65?

"Isolation is your Dream-Killer"

 

Barbara Sher
TEDx 2015

Have I Isolated Myself?

I recently watched a YouTube video of Barbara Sher giving a TEDx talk several years ago. 

I was intrigued by the title, "Isolation is the dream-killer, not your attitude." Her TEDx talk rambles about how people need to identify their dreams and the obstructions to those dreams.

Her talk is about how a master success group can help overcome those obstructions. She actually uses the title line about two-thirds of the way into her talk. She says, "Isolation is your dream-killer, not your rotten attitude."   

Personal: Parkinson's Law Strikes Again

Parkinson's Law 2022!

I have been writing about Parkinson's law for several years. Most of the posts have been about how Parkinson's Law creeps up on me.

It's happened again, and I hadn't realized it. 

(I dimly remember a story about a frog in a pot of cold water...)

My plate seems full - I have a really long to-do list. As I look over the list, I see lots and lots of things undone. I can keep busy for a month without adding anything to it.

Here are links to previous articles: Apparently, this particular topic is becoming an annual article. (The blogs each open in a window, so you can visit/read them and not lose your place here!) 

Personal: Senior Dating in 2022

 

Senior Dating - 2022

This is an update from a short article I wrote over 2 years ago: Senior Dating in 2020 - Covid19 in May (This link will open in a new window, so you can read it and return here.)

I ended the blog with the lament "I miss people!"

Post-COVID

The COVID lock-down is over, but the world has changed. One analogy is people slowly coming outside after a once-in-a-century rain. The flooding has changed the landscape. Roads have been washed away, and new rivers exist where none had existed before.

The world is new and lush and green. Just different. Life is returning, but it's different as we try to understand "the new normal."

Genealogy: Family History Center

 

Family History
Center

Seminole | Largo | Clearwater
Salk Lake City, UT

I had a delightful visit to the Family History Center here in Pinellas County, Florida. The Center's entrance is located in the back of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("LDS") in Seminole/Largo Florida.

There are Family History Centers scattered throughout the World. Check to see if there is one near you! ( Find a Family History Center and FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries )

I learned a lot from the hour I spent with a volunteer (Larry). Larry is not a member of the church, but does volunteer his time and experience at the center. I want to share what I learned that day:

Personal: I Failed Freshman English Again!

 

FAILED 

In 1967 I failed Freshman English in college. In 2022, I reprised a class from 50 years ago with the same results: I failed it a second time!

The 1967 "F" was because I went home for Christmas and did not return to college for final exams. I only remember discussions with the teacher about "Why?" I should be taking the course. I have no memories of the quality of the work I submitted during the semester. [ FWIW, I did not return from the Thanksgiving break the following fall, either.]

The 2022 repeat ended with the same grade,,, 

Chapter 2 And The Dunning-Kruger Effect

"Chapter 2"

The Dunning-Kruger Effect

The Dunning-Kruger effect was described in 1999 in a paper by David Dunning and Justin Kruger. 

In the two decades since then, there have been countless articles written supporting the idea. There is at least one article that claims it's not a real thing. YouTube has many videos dedicated to it, too. (Search, or visit the bibliography at the bottom of the page.)

Personal: College again!

St Pete College
Spring Session 2022

I have enrolled in college - again! 

Why go back to college?

I am doing this for several reasons!