Thanks to Nate for showing me how to make these neat blue linky things. And thanks to LaLePoP, I get some RSS feeds to my iGoogle home page. Nerdy stuff like Scientific American and National Geographic. One that showed up yesterday, The secret of happiness said “People who post smiley faces on social networking sites attract happy friends.”

“People who put smiling photos on their profiles for social networking sites such as Facebook tend to link to one another. Frowners do likewise. But it's not just direct contact that counts. The link is significant to three degrees of separation — that is, your own emotional state is connected to that of your friends' friends' friends.”

Hey, I want happy friends to come to my blog. I guess a blog is a social networking site. Are you happy?

Can not resist the urge. The urge to show the real video of Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy", that is. One of my very favorites:

Have had an event these last few days. The every-five-years colonoscopy. A family history, my Dad and younger brother both had colon cancer problems so I have had this done several times. A few small noncancerous polyps. Waiting for the biopsy but the doctor says they look benign. Aren't they cute?

Colonoscopy itself is not bad. You get a little joy juice and can watch the whole thing on the monitor. The day before, however, is uncomfortable. Only clear liquids. Came to experience Gatorade on a massive scale. And hours on the dumper after the doctors rotorooter cocktail. Not a bad thing because am seriously behind in my reading. No, I did not put my behind in my reading, thank you very much. The cocktails worked just fine. Note the pictures are pure and clean. Not a hint of any offal. The trip to the doc takes an hour and a half which includes going across The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-tunnel. One of the wonders of the modern world, always enjoy the experience. But the Bridge-tunnel is about twenty-five miles with no potty nor trees. Took a spare set of skivvies and pants but did not need them.

And a DQ chocolate Blizzard and a good meal with my son's family for a reward.

Go get your own colonoscopy. It is a life-saver, know that for a fact. Am not selfish enough to keep the experience all to myself.

And the message frequently is the persistence of life. Another word for weeds. See my Spring post and Neuton mower. Any time there is an available little patch, something grows in it. 99% of the time it is not something that belongs there – a weed. There are a couple of these &^%($ things that are particularly persistent. Like what I call wiregrass. It puts out rootlets that spread underground. Like under the geraniums, under the hardware cloth, under the rocks in the driveway, under everything where you can not attack it vigorously. And it does this on purpose. Because it hates me. And is tougher and meaner than I am.

Scientific American and National Geographic every so often have articles on difficult places where life comes up, or comes from. Volcanic vents in the ocean, Death Valley, Antarctica, Mars. Life is truly persistent.

And when the real threats to humanity, the possibility of eliminating 90 % of all of the species on Earth (which has happened before several times) or to even eliminate the whole planet, come from Mother Nature, will humanity persist? Are we the “weeds”?