risque

Today I pushed him further outside his comfort zone than I have all week: I took him to Counter Media... to the PORN ROOM! I hadn't really planned on it, but we had lots of time to kill after eating lunch at the carts (mmmmmm, Taste of India) and we were really close to the two, cool media shops (Counter Media and Reading Frenzy) on that weird block near Powell's. I thought he'd like checking out the comics and stuff... and then I wandered into the porn room and he followed me. :-)

It was actually kinda sweet. I think that was probably the first time he'd been in a room with porn and I think he was mildly freaked out. I think he was too embarassed to want to look independently interested in any of it, so he just lingered at my side the whole time. He was hardly even able to make jokes. I just browsed, I didn't really say anything, I just sorta wanted to normalize the whole experience. "See, I can take down this copy of "The Ethical Slut" and read the backcopy without making some embarassed joke about the whole thing. This is all perfectly normal." I wonder if he'll need therapy now...

Actually, I took it as a major victory over his prudishness today when he announced as we headed back home: "Tomorrow night, at dinner, I might actually try a little bit of beer. I won't drink the whole thing, but I'll just try a little." SCORE!! I've been trying to corrupt him ever since he got here, but he very dutifully declines to drink because of his diabetes. At least, he blames it on his diabetes, but I know he's just scared of losing control or looking foolish. The fact that he willingly announced, apropos of nothing, that he wants to try some beer tomorrow night is nothing short of a miracle. And I'm actually beside myself with excitement about the whole thing. :-) I guess it doesn't take much at this point...