san francisco and the universe within

i went to the city this morning with a small group of paleo-people (Nick, Sam, Jane, Kathy, and her son Jefferey -- Kathy is a fellow volunteer in the fossil lab and children's non-fiction science book author, Sam and Nick are paleontology grad students, Jane's my supervisor and head preparator for the museum of paleontology at school).  we went to an exhibition -- The Universe Within in Nob Hill.  i wasn't entirely sure what to expect because i've never participated in a human anatomy class (where you actually do human dissections), but damn.  it was insane, so totally interesting.  i mean, here's this guy/artist(?) who takes corpses and preserves them in plastic...and not only that, but cuts them in such a way so that you can see everything (and i mean EVERYTHING).  let's see if i can describe it.  it was like looking at those kid anatomy pop-up/flap books except in three dimensions.  the exhibit itself wasn't for the weak.  at first i thought, "oh my god this is gruesome!"  after seeing a couple of bodies, you began thinking not in terms of "this person was at one point living and breathing like me" but in "wow, this is what i look like inside...rad." it's so educational.  i would seriously recommend it to anyone (who isn't too sensitive to this sort of thing).  but yeah.  there were specimens with only the circulatory system preserved!!!  that was by far the coolest.  i had no idea that we had so many veins and arteries running through our bodies, and so many just in our fingertips!  the chest cavity looked like a nest of red branchy things.  definitely my favorite. 

bodies cut in half length-wise, chests opened, muscles exposed, organs, limbs, brain, .... it was cool. 
what i'd like to know is how these bodies were acquired.  most of them had nearly black lungs (indication of smoking or living in a very smokey area) and some had arthritis.  nowhere was there information about this or explicit information about the systems of the body.  i mean, sure they point certain things out, but what about the people who visit with little biology? how would they know what the masseter does?

i had a great time.  reminded me of doing the cat dissections in physiology, senior year.....bad memories of ms. baron though.  oh! and before the center opened, we went to Grace Cathedral to get some coffee (yeah, apparently they have a Peet's downstairs!! go figure!).  and there was a very disappointing labyrinth outside.  and not like the cool hedge ones, but one designed straight into the stone floor.  boo.  there were no wrong turns, just follow along and you get to the center, a six-lobed shape -- sex-foil?  heehee.  Sam, Kathy, and I had a good little laugh about what would happen if we mentioned the sexfoil to the cathedral-greeter inside.  ha ha. 

p.s.
Nick, Jane, and i went to the taqueria on Center to grab some lunch....and the creepy guy blatantly hit on me.  i thought he certainly wouldn't given that i was with people.  bastard.  damn him and his disgusting ways.  you're bloody married! leave me alone! and not that i would be less freaked out by your being single, jackass sicko.  jesus.  grrrr.   i feel dirty.

p.p.s.
i wasn't allowed to photograph anything in the exhibition, so sadly no pictures of that.  i did manage a few on the walk down to the BART station.  will post eventually.