Warning! Explicit Sexual Content!

If you are easily offended by material of a sexual nature, than I suggest you not read this post. It's not actually that bad(not by my standards, anyway), but I felt obligated to say something.

You have been warned.

Any time you move to a new place, you spend the first little bit familiarizing yourself with your new environment. You learn where the grocery store is, where the laundromat is, etc., and most people have their own preferences as to which places they like to shop. Personally, I prefer Safeway to other grocery stores, for example. So, in familiarizing myself with Eugene, I've been trying to keep an eye out for a new adult store to replace the one in Spokane we used to go to(Castle Superstore). Problem is, most people feel ashamed about going into these places, so most of them are in pretty crappy areas of town, and look like the kind of place you would be ashamed to be seen in.

Imagine my surprise then, when Jen tells me we're going on an adventure to Springfield(which is connected to Eugene, not far away at all). I had no idea where we were going; I was expecting a restaurant or something. Lo and behold, our corporate society prevails! Not only was there a Castle in Springfield, but they were having an autograph session with Lisa Ann, a porn star famous for her "Who's Nailin' Palin?" video series(they also have "Obama's Nailin' Palin" and "Letterman's Nailin' Palin"). In these videos, she dresses up like Sarah Palin, and then has sex with people also dressed like political figures. At least, that's the assumption. I've not seen these videos(it's a bit gimmicky for my taste), but I do like meeting porn stars. She does look quite a bit like Sarah Palin when she's in costume(she was wearing it while we were there).

The problem is, what do you say to a porn star? "I love your work, it got me off in no time!" I mean, I'm sure they've come to grips with what they do and how the public sees them, but to be face to face with someone who watches you have sex for entertainment...It's gotta be a strange experience. The only thing I could come up with was, "So...where else are you going on your tour?"

But that made me start to think: Do porn stars like their jobs? I don't mean the actual sex, although that can't be terrible. What I mean is, do the benefits of having that job outweigh the disadvantages? On the one hand, you get to have sex at work, and get paid for it. If you're successful, you can make millions of dollars. On the other, you have to tell all your friends and family what you do for a living(come on, it's not like you could keep it a secret for long). Most of society looks down on porn stars, regarding them as little more than prostitutes. There's the risks involved in having sex with multiple partners(I don't necessarily mean at the same time). And I'm sure it makes having a normal relationship with anyone nearly impossible. For some people, this is a no-brainer, but I honestly think it's a difficult question. Maybe next time I'll have the wherewithal to actually ask.

On a related note, any time you start feeling that you live in a society of boring, mindless robots, visit a sex shop. The innovation in the sex toy industry is rivaled only by that of the weapons manufacturing industry. I can't believe some of the things people come up with. Of course, usually there's only one or two original ideas and then a ton of copycats, but every once in a while you come across something that's makes you stop and think. I had one of those moments the other day when I came across a product produced by Aneros.

I intend to describe this product and what it does. If you are squeemish at all, TURN BACK NOW.

This little device is what's known as a prostate stimulator, designed to hit the "male G-spot." It works like this: the man inserts the device into the anal cavity. Contractions of the anal sphincter move the device around, stimulating the prostate gland. Apparently, this device can cause orgasm with no stimulation of the penis whatsoever; in fact, the directions tell you not to(it may cause ejaculation!). According to the literature, it's a much more intense experience, so much so that "[m]any users have reportedly entered into euphoric and altered states of consciousness..." I remain skeptical.

It's things like this that reaffirm my faith in humanity. I mean that in all seriousness. Imagine the drive it must've taken to take this product from a dream to a reality. Once you had your idea, you'd have to find people to test it("You want me to do what?"). You'd have to find investors("So, you do what with it now?"). Then you'd have to convince people it's worth $50 ("...euphoric and altered states of consciousness..."). And yet here it is. It's even been featured in an MSNBC article.

The American dream lives on.