The week just gone
Adam's doing a portrait photo session in the garage today - he rented this giant light and stuff because the construction lights he already had just aren't enough - so I had to move our downstairs neighbour's car because she broke her leg. Adam couldn't because he doesn't drive manual. I was a bit nervous because it's someone else's car and because I've never had to use a gear stick with my right hand before, but actually that part was surprisingly easy. The funny thing was, I couldn't start the car! Adam had to run back for instructions: put the clutch in before turning the key.
It's been so many years since I've driven a manual, I'd completely forgotten! Didn't help that Adam, who drives automatics, advised I put the brake in to start the car. I felt like such a complete twit! Fancy forgetting a thing like that.
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This post has been a week in coming, I've just been too tired to write it after working on a computer all day.
So yes, Body Worlds. Bloody fantastic! Excellent exhibition, this one focusing on the heart, so all the full-body plastinated bodies were in athletic poses, like this:
(I tried uploading an image using the URL, and boy does it work! Instantaneous too. I can't control the size though, so it's big. Not sure what happens if that web page no longer exists?)
This photo looks like a regular someone took it - it's a crappy photo - which I find surprising because they have a strict no-camera policy and only professional photographers can take photos after filling out lots of paperwork. But anyway, it helps me out! For this body, they had removed all his internal organs so you could see the front of his spine, as well as musculature. They keep the private lives (and tragedies) of the donors private, but you can't help but wonder what happened to these people who all appear to have died young and healthy.
We went on a Sunday and it was a real family day, with kids and babies and small children. The fourteen-year-old girls were the only ones giggling at the penises, of course, but even they found it educational, which is the point. I often heard them talking about how a teacher-or-other had been teaching them about [insert hard-to-pronounce medical term here] but they didn't really understand it until now, when they're seeing the real thing (more or less) in context.
I went with a friend from OISE, and her seven-year-old son came too (it was either this or the Santa Parade that was on the same day, but he said the parade was too boring!). It's so fantastic for kids - for all of us - to get a chance to see the human body, demystified and stripped bare of all the symbolism that we give it, and presented without all the elitist medical jargon that alienates us from our own bodies (seriously, House is fun but who really understands what they're saying?).
This one was in a big glass case and apart from a tiny portion of his leg touching the hurdle, he appeared to be completely unsupported. No idea how they did that. There are no strings or wires or anything, he's just hanging in the air. It's almost as amazing as the process and end result itself!
This was my favourite one:
He's on ice skates, and the platform turned slowly in a circle. I was a bit nervous walking around it because of how his arm sticks out - what if you bumped it?
They also had a display of foetuses, which had actually been preserved since before 1920. They had test tubes of foetuses, one for each of the first 12 weeks, when all the real cell development occurs (after which it becomes a recognisable baby and just gets bigger). They really are tiny!! And then larger ones for each month after that.
---------------------------------
Ooh, okay, that brings me to my next piece of news: my second-oldest sister, Tara, is pregnant! Yes no one was more surprised than she was! They hadn't planned it and they were a bit shocked but it's grown on them and they're getting used to the idea. It's one of those things, isn't it: left to planning, you might never have one because it never seems like the right time. Sometimes it's better for fate, circumstance, whatever it is, to take the decision out of your hands.
She's only 9 weeks (I'm thinking of the miniscule 9th week foetus I saw at the exhibition!) so they don't know what the gender is yet. It is a tough time for them - she has a lot of work to do at this time of year and it's hard to get anything done when all you feel like is sleeping; plus they have to move and now they're looking for a house to buy. I'm so happy we're finally having babies in my family! Even though it'll be over a year before I get to see them.
---------------------------------
On less happy news, we've had to change the date of our wedding. We had it all set up and ready to go for New Year's Eve next year, we put in our paperwork with the government (whatever that department is - department of births, deaths and marriages?) and booked a celebrant - now we don't even have an actual date! It's all because of the plane tickets, and bloody Aeroplan. It's complicated and I don't pretend to understand it, except that you have to get the return ticket separately and because of limited seating and the holiday season, chances are you can't get a ticket home at all. I'm not sure if this link will work (if the info will stay), but the beige squares shows you when seats are available, and the red squares are when we wanted seats. As you can see, it was never going to happen!
So now we're looking at late February - still summer but not as nice - and I'm not sure if anyone'll be able to come and we came close to just cancelling it altogether. But, but the point is to celebrate our love and commitment to each other (while getting in a holiday and the chance to see my family after FIVE YEARS!!), and if we don't do it in 2011 (new date), we'll never get around to it. We need something to look forward to, as well. So I'm sure it'll work out, cross my fingers touch wood.
It's been so many years since I've driven a manual, I'd completely forgotten! Didn't help that Adam, who drives automatics, advised I put the brake in to start the car. I felt like such a complete twit! Fancy forgetting a thing like that.
_________________________________________________________________________
This post has been a week in coming, I've just been too tired to write it after working on a computer all day.
So yes, Body Worlds. Bloody fantastic! Excellent exhibition, this one focusing on the heart, so all the full-body plastinated bodies were in athletic poses, like this:
(I tried uploading an image using the URL, and boy does it work! Instantaneous too. I can't control the size though, so it's big. Not sure what happens if that web page no longer exists?)
This photo looks like a regular someone took it - it's a crappy photo - which I find surprising because they have a strict no-camera policy and only professional photographers can take photos after filling out lots of paperwork. But anyway, it helps me out! For this body, they had removed all his internal organs so you could see the front of his spine, as well as musculature. They keep the private lives (and tragedies) of the donors private, but you can't help but wonder what happened to these people who all appear to have died young and healthy.
We went on a Sunday and it was a real family day, with kids and babies and small children. The fourteen-year-old girls were the only ones giggling at the penises, of course, but even they found it educational, which is the point. I often heard them talking about how a teacher-or-other had been teaching them about [insert hard-to-pronounce medical term here] but they didn't really understand it until now, when they're seeing the real thing (more or less) in context.
I went with a friend from OISE, and her seven-year-old son came too (it was either this or the Santa Parade that was on the same day, but he said the parade was too boring!). It's so fantastic for kids - for all of us - to get a chance to see the human body, demystified and stripped bare of all the symbolism that we give it, and presented without all the elitist medical jargon that alienates us from our own bodies (seriously, House is fun but who really understands what they're saying?).
This one was in a big glass case and apart from a tiny portion of his leg touching the hurdle, he appeared to be completely unsupported. No idea how they did that. There are no strings or wires or anything, he's just hanging in the air. It's almost as amazing as the process and end result itself!
This was my favourite one:
He's on ice skates, and the platform turned slowly in a circle. I was a bit nervous walking around it because of how his arm sticks out - what if you bumped it?
They also had a display of foetuses, which had actually been preserved since before 1920. They had test tubes of foetuses, one for each of the first 12 weeks, when all the real cell development occurs (after which it becomes a recognisable baby and just gets bigger). They really are tiny!! And then larger ones for each month after that.
---------------------------------
Ooh, okay, that brings me to my next piece of news: my second-oldest sister, Tara, is pregnant! Yes no one was more surprised than she was! They hadn't planned it and they were a bit shocked but it's grown on them and they're getting used to the idea. It's one of those things, isn't it: left to planning, you might never have one because it never seems like the right time. Sometimes it's better for fate, circumstance, whatever it is, to take the decision out of your hands.
She's only 9 weeks (I'm thinking of the miniscule 9th week foetus I saw at the exhibition!) so they don't know what the gender is yet. It is a tough time for them - she has a lot of work to do at this time of year and it's hard to get anything done when all you feel like is sleeping; plus they have to move and now they're looking for a house to buy. I'm so happy we're finally having babies in my family! Even though it'll be over a year before I get to see them.
---------------------------------
On less happy news, we've had to change the date of our wedding. We had it all set up and ready to go for New Year's Eve next year, we put in our paperwork with the government (whatever that department is - department of births, deaths and marriages?) and booked a celebrant - now we don't even have an actual date! It's all because of the plane tickets, and bloody Aeroplan. It's complicated and I don't pretend to understand it, except that you have to get the return ticket separately and because of limited seating and the holiday season, chances are you can't get a ticket home at all. I'm not sure if this link will work (if the info will stay), but the beige squares shows you when seats are available, and the red squares are when we wanted seats. As you can see, it was never going to happen!
So now we're looking at late February - still summer but not as nice - and I'm not sure if anyone'll be able to come and we came close to just cancelling it altogether. But, but the point is to celebrate our love and commitment to each other (while getting in a holiday and the chance to see my family after FIVE YEARS!!), and if we don't do it in 2011 (new date), we'll never get around to it. We need something to look forward to, as well. So I'm sure it'll work out, cross my fingers touch wood.