Anthony Papini .com

Welcome 2010

I had such a fantastic time up in Vancouver celebrating the arrival of 2010. I’m not one to make resolutions (usually because they are forgotten about by the third week of January). While we were up there, our friend Giovanni helped Gian and I practice our Italian (he’s a native speaker). Maybe my resolution can be to spend a little extra time practicing Italian. I’m doing alright, but need to speak it more. Going to Italy again might help with that too.

Speaking of Vancouver, they are certainly busy with final touches for Olympic games! There were major infrastructure upgrades done (or nearly done) and the Sky Train now has quite an expansive number of lines. Very exciting!

Birthday in NYC

I’ve never been keen on big birthday celebrations for myself. But this year, I decided that a trip to New York would be warranted (this WAS a milestone birthday – 21, again, you know). Gian made arrangements in Chelsea, took me to see Next to Normal and Hair, and dinner at one of my favorite chef’s restaurants! On top of all that, we got to see some wonderful friends and spend time with them. It was the most spectacular birthday celebration I’ve had!

My photography on Madison Park Blogger

Recently, I was asked to share a photo for a blog post on Madison Park Blogger. You can check out the photo from the post (mine is the one in the middle) and my others, like the onle below on my Flickr gallery.

Visiting Rainier

Yesterday, my friend Nate and I visited Mt. Rainier. It was the first time visiting for both of us (I know, I have no excuse, I’ve lived in Washington forever!). On the way up, Nate’s rental car almost ran out of gas and we had to trek 30 miles back to Greenwater. We almost just turned around after finding a station. Luckily, we didn’t leave because it was so beautiful and serene once we arrived. Plus, nobody was there – probably because it was raining. But it made for such a spectacular visit! We walked around the Grove of the Patriarchs and also drove up to Paradise (Sunrise was closed for the season). The foliage was stunning – burning reds, deep yellows, and warm oranges against the dark green made for some incredible scenery. We also encountered some gorgeous waterfalls and gigantic trees. It was a great experience and now I can’t wait to go back. It made me realize how little of my own state I’ve seen. Maybe Gian and I need to embark on a domestic vacation and tour Washington!

Rain!

So, Seattle is well known for its rain (albeit, I think folks from outside the region think it rains far more than it really does here). However, yesterday, there was quite a downpour. Check out this video I shot…

Elections!

So, it looks like there is a CHANCE that Seattle might have a new mayor in the near future! McGinn seems to be leading the polls. I like a lot of what Mayor Nickels has done for our city, but I think we need a change and a new voice in the city.

And, in national news, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) puts a racist wacko in her place.

The results are in…

My Y-chromosome results identify you as a member of haplogroup R1b. From my report:

The genetic markers that define your ancestral history reach back roughly 60,000 years to the first common marker of all non-African men, M168, and follow your lineage to present day ending with M343, the defining marker of Haplogroup R1b. Some in this lineage also carry the markers P25 (R1b1), M73 (R1b1b), M269 (R1b1c), M153 (R1b1c4), M167 (R1b1c6), and M222 (R1b1c7).

If you look at the map highlighting your ancestors’ route, you will see that members of haplogroup R1b carry the following Y-chromosome markers:

M168 > M89 > M9 > M45 > M207 > M173 > M343

Today, roughly 70 percent of the men in southern England belong to haplogroup R1b. In parts of Spain and Ireland, that number exceeds 90 percent.

Going to Vancouver just got easier!

Gian and I have long discussed selling our car and relying on mass transit and our scooters. However, this makes rode trips to Bellingham and Vancouver, BC difficult or expensive. Well, relief might be in sight! Seattle Transit Blog is reporting a second train to Vancouver (through Bellingham) will start operation shortly. I think we’re going to try it out next month; I’ll report back on how it works out.

Where am I from?

A couple months ago, I signed up for the National Geographic Genographic Project. Yesterday, my results came back – inconclusive. This means they cannot track my deepest ancestral roots and need to re-test my DNA sample (saliva from my mouth) and I have to wait two or three more weeks. I have an idea where my oldest ancestors migrated from, but I’ll have to wait a bit longer to find out for sure.

If you’re interested, you can order the kit from National Geographic’s web site. It’s $100 but a very interesting process and a great contribution to anthropologic genetic research.

Because (supposedly) Italians like him the way he is…

Um, if his mafia connections, illegal business practices, and regular penchant for making inappropriate comments haven’t led to his being recalled, what makes anyone think that a sex scandal would bring Berlusconi down? And this is Italy of all places… Italian’s like sex and aren’t so high-strung about it.