Blood Types and Memories

My son and I were talking about our blood types last night and it sparked a memory of how I found out what my blood type was, waaaaaaay back in 8^th grade Biology. We all had to prick out fingers with those evil little metal lances and put a drop of our blood on a glass microscope slide. While I do not recall the exact process, we all got to find out what our blood type was. Pretty cool, huh?! (Mine is O+ in case you are wondering.)

The Biology teacher looked like an elf and he always wore horribly colored plaid golf pants with a white belt and shoes. Although it was the early/mid 70’s, it was still really tacky! He was an odd little man.

We had the usual biology experiences, dissecting large earth worms and then frogs, all heavily saturated in formaldehyde, but there is one particular experience that stays very fresh and vivid in my mind.

It started out as a normal school day in sunny San Diego as I took my seat in the back of the class. No, I was not a really cool kid, or trying to be. Eighth grade was one of my “Dark Years”. I was a bit of a loner and just wanted to be left alone and blend into the woodwork.

Well, anyway, I took my seat and after the class got settled, that happy little elf, errr, teacher, came to back of the class to show us his new prize, I mean experiment! Right smack dab next to my chair was a galvanized garbage can with a lid on it (Thank you for at least putting a lid on it!) He proudly opened the lid to show us his treasure. Low and behold, it was a hammer head sharks head in the can which was filled with MAGGOTS! You could actually hear them “working”. I do love science and I have a pretty high tolerance for grossness but this was a bit much.

If I remember correctly, I skipped class the next day and told my parents they had to get me transferred out of there. I do not remember the why’s or how’s but I was not able to get a class transfer. I spent the next few tortuous weeks sitting next to that disgusting can, which of course he would remove the lid from during class time, so we could “witness” biology in action. (I told you he was odd!)

Thankfully we moved to another school district not long after that so it was a blessing in more ways than one. I got out of that crazy man’s class and I got to attend a new school where no one knew me and I could blend into the wood work really well!

*Sigh* The teenage years are such a traumatic part of growing up.