Thursday, March 19, 2009

Confession: I was a Teenaged Pervert


I remember high school, the library. I’d be the only one checking out Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes, thought of myself as a poet. But there was another book there, ask most people who went to school in the 80's and they probably know it. It was one of the most ‘read’ books in my boy’s school library: Manwatching, by Desmond Morris. It was a lavishly illustrated anthropological study of human beings and their behavioural psychology. Groundbreaking, even. He’d talk about body language, showing pictures of different cultures and how they express anger or love, or how we perceive things in different ways. One experiment he referenced was a Stanford University experiment- locked kids up, deprived them of sleep. They went nuts after about an hour. Which is about what I get every night.

It was so popular with the teenage boys because there were a couple of pictures of naked women. Hardly classifies as porn, but, as hot-blooded teenaged boys, well, it was probably the closest we’d get until, hopefully, an ill-conceived fumble at the school disco. I read the book, too, and I mean actually read it. Twice. That makes me a more educated pervert, I think… Being a teenager is hell.

So you don’t have enough gratuitous nudity… here’s some for ya!

Found this today. It’s the surgical bolt I had put in my shoulder after a parenting mishap two years ago. I was leaping over a low wall at a children’s birthday party, and swan-dived onto my shoulder, which exploded. I didn’t post pictures at the time, because
a) This was still inside me
b) Afterwards I couldn’t lift my arm

On the back of my shoulder is the scar where they pulled it out again. I was quite proud of it- first time this surgical widget had been used in Africa… Didn’t work all that well. It would be very difficult to lift Manwatching with that shoulder right now.

I edited out my face. Hope nobody Photoshops it back on…

6 comments:

  1. I'm going to say "ouch!" here, just thinking about it stings me...

    I actually haven't read the book you speak of, perhaps I should though -- I have certificates in psychology just because I love the topic, "Manwatching" sounds like it would be really interesting.

    Thank you for coming by today, I'd like to add a link to you in my sidebar if its OK, I really like your blog.

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  2. I suspect the book is very dated- although it is still in print. Sure, thanks for visiting, commenting...

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  3. "Manwatching" - I admit I've never heard of it, but you had me at the title alone.

    YOU were the first African to have this pin in his shoulder?! Impressive! And here I thought, at first glance, that it was one of those things for opening a can of sardines.

    *Scott showed us his chest hair!*

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  4. I was wearing trousers. For the record.
    It was an interesting book, seriously!
    Having misgivings about that photo, now...

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  5. You are an excellent writer. But how do we know that you didn't Photoshop out even more chest hair?

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  6. ok, I confess: JP Waltons House of Chest Follification maaay have supplied me with a chest wig, but you have to look at the final result! Weren't you stirred, deep within your inner being?

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