Dead Things in Jars

I have handed in yet another dissertation type thing, hence my long absence
Now I am back! Kind of.

Before handing in the cursed work it had to get bound. And while waiting I did the usual thing done to pass the time. I looked at dead things in jars. The University of Glasgow holds quite a collection of little birds and dissected body parts kept in jars. It has also put a clever little twist on the obsession with stuffed animals in Scottish museums, by exhibiting deformed stuffed animals. At first I thought it was two little pigs dancing a waltz but soon realised that they were sharing a head. In the usual tactful and frankly highly entertaining way of scientist language, these things were called "monstrosities." Moving on from the ballroom dancing monsters I had a look at all the bits and pieces that you can cut an eyeball into. That grossed me out pretty deeply, I really do not like eyes. At least not when they get cut. It might be a deep character fault on my part, that the eyes frightened me more than the 5months old embryo. But they did. I really do not like eyeballs. Really, really not. I can't even bring myself to eat litchies due to their uncanny resemblance to eyeballs. I am not a fan of eyeballs.

In my defence I was very tired. My two and a half hours of sleep were framed by long lasting battles with my printer, which for some reason decided to cross out entire sections of my work. I looked through those suggestions and decided that at certain points it had put forward a pretty good argument. Maybe I should listen to my printer more often. It would certainly cut out this useless little paragraph.

What did impress me enormously and in a good way was the little piece of bone from the foot of Robert the Bruce. Does that mean one day the University of Glasgow might clone him? Would he be happy with his picture on the 20 pound note? Or would he be deeply hurt by the little board in the Kelvingrove Museum informing the general public (yes, them again!) that he was in fact a very ugly man.

Anyway the day was crowned by the purchase of a dvd of Jules Dassin's Night and the City which I have been watching continuously ever since. I am now officially a fan of Richard Widmark on facebook, I do not like eyes and I obviously need a holiday.