Recently I was reading how this woman whose mom was found at the doorstop of an orphanage wanted to know more about her genetic history so she submitted her own saliva for DNA testing. Although she didn't get a clear answer about where her mother was from (lots of groups), she did learn some health factoids about herself, one of which was that she had a resistance to norovirus infections. There's a gene for that? I want that gene. When I told Soulmate recently about my norovirus travails, he wondered how I knew it was norovirus. I repeated that physician chestnut about If you hear hooves, it probably isn't zebras...
No mention about whether she was tested for the gene for getting lost easily. I think there is a gene for that and Steve must have it. And with most traits of ours, the kids have mainly inherited his, not mine. In family portraits, there is one person who just does not fit and that is me. On Facebook this morning, someone posted something stupid about no matter what life throws at them, at least they have pretty kids. I guess I could say that too but I let that one pass without comment. As for the kids, we can't even donate blood to each other as we are so different. But they are pretty, largely due to Steve's genes.
Yesterday was a case in point. Situation one: Naomi wanted to get her hair done using up a good chunk of her income to dye her hair back to something that is close to her original color but looks fake. This process meant Maya was with us for 4 hours. Situation two: shortly after Naomi left, Josh calls to say one of us has to go to his house (now 20 miles away instead of 10) to let his housekeeper in who has a dog phobia. Now I guess it would be intimidating to enter a house guarded by a German Shepherd with an exceptionally loud bark who does not know you but I wish he arranged a meeting on his own time. Sunny is only there half the time so I guess the housekeeper's visits were during Sunny's days off. Sunny always likes females but with some male strangers, she takes an instant dislike to. Bouncing a tennis ball in front of her makes her ever so forgiving as her desire to fetch a ball outweighs her guard dog tendencies. I gave Steve a choice in which chore he wanted, he chose Sunny and the housekeeper.
He was gone for 3 hours, two more than the task called for. I fought the urge to call him WTF? Where are you? But then my irritation turned to worry. As it turned out, the housekeeper was a no show due to traffic caused by some accident. When he tried to leave the only way he knew how, he became mired in the same traffic and does not know alternative routes (which of course, I know). The gps feature on his not-so-smart phone had him driving all over hell. There are maps in the car but they would mean little to him. My Seattle SIL lives in a gridded section complete (more or less, the hills make a few holes in the system)with numbered streets and avenues. Steve could not get back to her house on his own. After the umpteenth time, I said I no longer was going to tell him where to turn, please take mental notes of your surroundings. He did make it that time but could not do it the next time we came from a different direction.
As for resistance to norovirus, I just received a text from Shanna. Daniel and Tessa started throwing up early this morning two days after they saw me. Saw me, not touched me. Oliver was not there so I guess he has a temporary reprieve. Meanwhile Steve, who I share a bed with, never had any symptoms. There is a chance that he is a carrier though and he did hold Tessa. Presumably one is not infective 48 hours after they last threw up (this is how long the cruise ships maintain their quarantine) but my cooties must have lingered in the air. At any rate, I am not on the top of her favorite person list. I am hoping that Shanna has Steve's resistance and not mine.
Also, the source of all this trouble: Maya. Who knows where she picked the virus up as she was with her dad? I didn't question him but where there is one case, there are thousands of cases. This thing must be going around and maybe Shanna's kids picked up else where such as the library they were both at 2 days ago. Kids do put their cooties over everything (not much chance of a droplet infection as there are no respiratory symptoms.) I have been extremely careful to wash my hands...
No mention about whether she was tested for the gene for getting lost easily. I think there is a gene for that and Steve must have it. And with most traits of ours, the kids have mainly inherited his, not mine. In family portraits, there is one person who just does not fit and that is me. On Facebook this morning, someone posted something stupid about no matter what life throws at them, at least they have pretty kids. I guess I could say that too but I let that one pass without comment. As for the kids, we can't even donate blood to each other as we are so different. But they are pretty, largely due to Steve's genes.
Yesterday was a case in point. Situation one: Naomi wanted to get her hair done using up a good chunk of her income to dye her hair back to something that is close to her original color but looks fake. This process meant Maya was with us for 4 hours. Situation two: shortly after Naomi left, Josh calls to say one of us has to go to his house (now 20 miles away instead of 10) to let his housekeeper in who has a dog phobia. Now I guess it would be intimidating to enter a house guarded by a German Shepherd with an exceptionally loud bark who does not know you but I wish he arranged a meeting on his own time. Sunny is only there half the time so I guess the housekeeper's visits were during Sunny's days off. Sunny always likes females but with some male strangers, she takes an instant dislike to. Bouncing a tennis ball in front of her makes her ever so forgiving as her desire to fetch a ball outweighs her guard dog tendencies. I gave Steve a choice in which chore he wanted, he chose Sunny and the housekeeper.
He was gone for 3 hours, two more than the task called for. I fought the urge to call him WTF? Where are you? But then my irritation turned to worry. As it turned out, the housekeeper was a no show due to traffic caused by some accident. When he tried to leave the only way he knew how, he became mired in the same traffic and does not know alternative routes (which of course, I know). The gps feature on his not-so-smart phone had him driving all over hell. There are maps in the car but they would mean little to him. My Seattle SIL lives in a gridded section complete (more or less, the hills make a few holes in the system)with numbered streets and avenues. Steve could not get back to her house on his own. After the umpteenth time, I said I no longer was going to tell him where to turn, please take mental notes of your surroundings. He did make it that time but could not do it the next time we came from a different direction.
As for resistance to norovirus, I just received a text from Shanna. Daniel and Tessa started throwing up early this morning two days after they saw me. Saw me, not touched me. Oliver was not there so I guess he has a temporary reprieve. Meanwhile Steve, who I share a bed with, never had any symptoms. There is a chance that he is a carrier though and he did hold Tessa. Presumably one is not infective 48 hours after they last threw up (this is how long the cruise ships maintain their quarantine) but my cooties must have lingered in the air. At any rate, I am not on the top of her favorite person list. I am hoping that Shanna has Steve's resistance and not mine.
Also, the source of all this trouble: Maya. Who knows where she picked the virus up as she was with her dad? I didn't question him but where there is one case, there are thousands of cases. This thing must be going around and maybe Shanna's kids picked up else where such as the library they were both at 2 days ago. Kids do put their cooties over everything (not much chance of a droplet infection as there are no respiratory symptoms.) I have been extremely careful to wash my hands...
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