After spending some time around friends’ babies, I have learned that I was an anomaly, and that apparently most kids (not just my bizarre little brother) put non-food items in their mouths.

On Wednesday, March 12th there will be a “No More Toxic Toys” rally at the State Capitol. This family-friendly event begins at 10am and promises to have a 25-foot-tall rubber ducky. The rally provides a chance for people to speak with legislators about toxic chemicals found in children’s toys. This rally is a project of the Coalition for a Safe & Healthy Connecticut.

When I was 12 or 13, I climbed to the top of a water slide with my mom, got scared shitless, and walked all the way back down rather than go on the slide. That’s how I felt while waiting in the 1.5 hour line to get into the Bodies Revealed exhibit. I kept trying to talk friends out of it. Yes, I was bothered by the possible origins of these bodies, but I was also scared that I’d vomit, cry, or pass out. I have a pretty strong stomach normally. Tarantino blood bath films don’t faze me. But I was worried. (more…)

I will be checking out the Bodies Revealed exhibit today, even though the bodies may have been obtained in controversial ways. I’ve heard rumors about how the people shown in the exhibit might have been executed political prisoners, the mentally ill, or homeless people whose wishes for burial/cremation were not respected.

I don’t do well with death, which is why I’m forcing myself to go and see this. Ethics of this aside, I have an easier time justifying the use of humans in this way than animals. In high school, I had a biology lab teacher who threatened to flunk me because I informed her I would be in the library all week when the class was dissecting fetal pigs. Since I was not (definitely, definitely not) going into the medical field, I felt like the practice was a morbid and self-indulgent one. What do 15-year-old kids really need to know about a fetal pig’s organs for anyway? It might be close to the human body, but it was not the human body.

There was a special on CPTV recently about mummies. In the 19th century, the bored and wealthy would sometimes purchase mummies from Egypt and have “unwrapping parties.” I guess that this is not much different. We’re probably being equally disrespectful of these (former) people’s last wishes by supporting this exhibit.

So, I’m hoping to purge myself of guilt by maybe going to the Shag Frenzy later, where the only damage done is to willing participants and Sweet Jane’s disgusting carpet.

The footage above was taken by Christine Stuart of CT Newsjunkie. You can read her full article about the protest of Aetna here.

There have been people close to me who are HIV positive, and some who have developed AIDS. There are others in my life who I care about who have been much more profoundly affected by this virus, syndrome, whatever you want to call it. What I do know is that for those who are fortunate enough to have that privilege to be oblivious to AIDS, unfortunately, statistics show that eventually they will have to deal with it at some point.

In Hartford, there are World AIDS Day events running from Nov. 30-December 21. You can get a schedule here.