yikes.

When I was a child, and even smaller than I am now, I was afraid of those metal hooks they have in stores. Used to display items that are sealed up in plastic and paper packaging, they might seem innocuous enough to adults but a child might see them glinting wickedly, perfectly at eye level, and feel a bit wary. My overactive imagination conjured up the scenario of someone bumping into me, pushing me into a rack and the hook going straight though my eyeball, popping it like a grape.

I was reminded of my old phobia because Bruce posted a link to an article that said that a Massachusetts lawmaker is looking to ban these hooks. While I don't think that it's the job of government to make new legislation outlawing metal hooks, I also don't think that these hooks are entirely safe because, like my worst childhood nightmares come true, they really do go right in a kid's eyes. And it's a good thing I didn't know then that through the eyeball is a easy way to get to the brain - I might have never slept again.