Le freak c'est chic
It's not right to laugh at small children when they freak out. Or maybe it's just fine. We recently experienced not just a child's tantrum, but a bonafide "I'm scared for my life" incident. And the heartless among us laughed-and with gusto. Louis C.K. would be so proud. We can't remember when our belly muscles got such a workout.
Sitting in the wilds of a K&K friend's backyard recently, we watched as a mosquito scared the daylights out of an innocent, charming and intensely loveable three-yearold boy. (But come on, already, grow some ovaries, kid.) Unbeknownst to the preschooler, a mosquito landed on his arm, which his diligent father saw and tried to squish with a slap before the insect pierced his skin for a quick sip of his young blood. With a confused look first to daddy for the slap, the little boy then noticed the midge still on his arm-flattened and most likely dead, but still there. What ensued was a freak-out of the first order. (Did you know that it is mainly female mosquitoes that bite humans? Yet another female member of a species not to trust. Right up there with the black widow. Male mosquitoes typically feed on nectar and plant juices while the female needs a "blood meal" before she can produce eggs, according to the omniscient Wikipedia.)
The sight of a tiny mosquito on his arm proved so horrifying, the little boy willingly sacrificed his popsicle trying to scrape it off. The belly laughs continued for a good few minutes because the freak-out lasted about as long.
Then we paused from our giggling as momentary thoughts of West Nile Virus entered our mind. Maybe we should be freaking out, too? But since West Nile hasn't made any recent headlines, we sloughed off the concern. Until we read yesterday about dengue fever hitting Hawaii. And, here we thought, the main worry of a trip to Hawaii was a sun burn and avoiding drunk-driving politicians.
Dengue fever, of course, is transmitted typically by mosquito bites, and what was once the bane of countries in South America, Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa is now creeping into our comfort zone. Experts blame climate change and world travel. We think a freak-out is perfectly in order, but Dengue fever is no laughing matter.
PARADE COMMERCIALIZATION
The annual Pride Parade rolls through the West End this weekend and it looks like the sunny weather will draw a large crowd. We wish it well, but we've gone off parades of all kinds as of late. Blame our experience at a recent suburban Canada Day Parade that left us shaking our head over the crass commercialization of the event. At least half of the "floats" were private companies using the parade for advertising. Company vehicles or cars with company logos simply stuck on them "floated" by. We liked the pipers, the veterans, the dancers, the gymnasts etc. We didn't like breathing in exhaust from local private businesses driving by in cars and trucks.
The large, multiple firetrucks were also a bit too much. Not only were they dull, they had nothing to do with Canada Day. Everyone loves a parade, except when it's a retail showcase.
