martinemonster

I'm unwrapping porn today and the strangest thing is happening. People have started lingering by the counter after coming up from the basement (where we have all the porn that's for sale, over 6000 titles), asking if we're going to get new titles. I tell them the truth, that all the new titles have already been presented in the "new"-section downstairs. They eye the box next to me. I tell them that these movies are old titles that have already been shown downstairs. They linger. I tell them that they can feel free to look through it and they throw themselves at it as if it was the holy grail of porn. As if this one box will hold something much greater than what they were able to find downstairs.

They then buy the movies they brought up from the basement. As I told them, these movies are old.

In Big Love we were told that it's easy for people who grew up in polygamy to slide back into it. The same, it seems, is true for working in a porn store. That's right people, I thought I'd moved on, leaving Duo Shop behind me, but it was not the case.

It's weird. I haven't been here for nearly three years, but not much has changed. I'm sitting on the same chair, avoiding putting price tags on the same brands of movies and drinking coffee from the same coffee shop. The people working here are new though, and we have a new cash register. But other than that, it's all the same.

So far I'm a little bored, but I'm sure the slow pace will actually be good for me. After all, I've gotten used to working under extreme pressure and having a stress level like noone I know. It will be nice to get used to the slow pace of this store.

I just realized that I was in fact prejudice against men. I have no illusions about men, I believe that no matter how gross a porno, somewhere in this world a man is willing to buy it. But today, when this sweet little girl came in and bought four pornos with old ladies and anal sex (yes old ladies getting it in the ass) I was actually shocked. And that's when I realized that no matter how disillusioned I thought I was with humankind, my disillusioness was with the male half of humankind. Luckily for me this situation is now remedied and I no longer harbor any illusions whatsoever. I honestly believe that if I walk down the street and notice you, the odds are good that you get turned on by jerking off into a bowl full of live insects. Because that's the kind of world we live in.

aj_stalin came by today and we had great fun. We made pancakes and watched a porno called "The Plant", which, even though it was a slow starter, eventually turned out to be just as hilarious as expected.

( the plant, a short summary )

My only problem was that after the movie, my boyfriend called and we got into a big conversation on apartments, and when I was done everybody had gone to bed and I was the only one awake... Now I feel like a bastard who was really unsocial...(and I know you're going to read this aina and marthe, so please please don't hate me for my unsocialness...)

Night night all!

I wish I had some illusions left, but at the end of the day I have come to grips with the fact that everyone buys porn. Today, the man who only a year ago read my palm, claimed that he only took my money to give it to a poor family in India and told me that if I wasn't a Christian I should feed the pigeons in the park so that their prayers for me would reach God, bought "talented amatueres 4." With no recognition in his eyes he looked at me, looked at the pictures on the wall behind me, asked if they were of me, told me they looked good with a sleazy smile, and bought porn. I feel old...

I think I just did it, I think I finally saw something I will not recover from. The shock and horror still grips me as I'm writing this to you, giving you this fair warning: Do not start working in a porn store. Forget everything I've ever told you about nice coworkers and slack hours, what I'm about to tell you calls all that into question. Why, oh why should you not work in a porn store, you might ask yourselves. Well, because you might encounter the faulest porno known to man, or at least known to Martine. I mean, is it just me or can we all agree that if it is one pop-cultural figure that should not be portrayed in a porno its IT? The clown with the icky hands that likes to scare children to death and then eat their souls, and somebody thought: Hey lets make a porno staring this guy??? Oh God!

I realize that I've learned more than I ever wanted to know about the Norwegian population's sexual drive from working in a porn store, not to mention that I've gotten a frightful amount of information about porno. But today, whilst I was trying to sort out two boxes of new pornflicks, a couple came into the store. Now, I'm used to a lot of weird stuff where I work: People who are frightfully happy in hope of not seeming embarrassed, embarrassed couples, scary angry customers, but prior to today I had yet to meet the "blatantly obvious that even though we have placed ourselves in a sexual position in a public place, we are using it to get attention and not because it is sexy"-couple. The were perhaps 20 years old, very much goth, and very much aware of how difficult it is to act normally around people who are literally on a leash. Now I have nothing against people who wish to express their sexuality in a public forum, even though I have difficulties dealing with it, but the "blatantly obvious that even though we have placed ourselves in a sexual position in a public place, we are using it to get attention and not because it is sexy"-couple did not choose to do this because it turned them on, but because, as priorly mentioned, they wanted to get attention. Now, I'm not going to say anything against people who use violently obvious methods of getting attention, I do however balk when they use me as a tool. The leash-holder turned to me and promply said: "I need bondage-tape 'cause this girl is getting tied up", and then led her around the store as if he was on display. Then he told me how she had a tendency to bite. Now how can I say this clearly: I do not need to know, I do not want to know and most importantly I refuse to blush in front of strangers.

Is it so that people feel that it is okay to introduce me to their sexuality because I work in a porn store? or is it just that people like these need to see people get embarrassed and flustered? I hate it when I don't know what to say, and this situastion was definitely one of those. It included a lot of nodding and smiling and silent cursing. Some days the money is not worth the hassel at my work...maybe if I grew a mean-streak I could use it to get back at people like that by saying stuff like: If you are afraid that noone will notice you if you do not have a leash on your girlfriend you can relax, because your flabby appearance is impossible to miss...