$50

last week a guy had asked me if i wanted to be part of his research project. it would take an hour of my time and all i do is talk about myself. i can do that. i talk. they listening to somebody interesting. sounds like a win-win situation to me! other people are so damn boring i talk about myself all the time. it's clear i'm so fucking interesting. who could blame him? i endeavour to become a modern day Quinten Crisp. aside from my strong desire to dress like a dandy in my winter years, it's a dream of mine to be taken to lunch and where i'll sit and spew out my embarrassing sexual anecdotes and one sided opinions for the duration of a free meal into whatever hungry ears will listen



his name is Andrew and he studies at RMIT. he is researching how sex workers advertise themselves online, how they present themselves and how they deal with... blah blah blah brainy stuff (with a side of perve). pretty much "how are you going about advertising?" because of the recent changes in how advertising for sex workers is handled in Victoria since the introduction of the PCA/SWA - a registration number that must be shown with all advertisements

what does PCA stand for? Prostitution Control Act. sounds a little Nazi-ish? that's because it is. and the act makes little sense or has any real purpose other than control. PCA - the name alone conjures visions of desperate naked filth covered whores in neck braces chained together pulling a chariot through town for everyone to spit on. at least to does to me and now i got one hell of a chubby growing with that scenario playing over in my mind.

in the last few months it has since changed from PCA to the SWA (Sex Workers... something or other... fuck. i don't know... but it's worded a little less harshly). you must give all your details to the Small Business Licencing Authority and they brand you with a scarlet letter (and a number) so they know who is advertising. no information is given to police, taxation department, local councils or any government office. so, for what purpose does the PCA/SWA exist? other than shaming individuals out of working independantly and into working for a brothel, who knows? but Victorian Legislation can change at any time and those details can affect you later in life (like applying for a visa to another country, like the USA where it is grounds for deportation - criminal record, nazi, terrorism and prostitution. that country only recently lifted the ban on visiting HIV+ tourists)

the state of Victoria is sounding evermore... well... Victorian. (She's the prudish catholic Queen of England that like getting fucked by a horse, right? )

i was more than happy to help out with Andrew's research. most people seem to run and hide from these kinds of things assuming it's either someone gathering information for the police, a pervert or just a nosey little guy getting some info on how to become a manwhore. he emailed the appropriate documents on what his research meant. he was paying $50 for my time (the standard that all university research offers it's subjects). and i dug around on facebook searching his name and RMIT and he came up. so it was a good bet that he was genuine

Andrew was a damn cool guy. making it known all his about his research before the interview started and offering any help i might need (in the form of a beer). he knew a fair bit about the industry already and was keen to hear more about other people's experiences. instead of having a beer, i had a strong coffee and therefore wouldn't shut the fuck up. every question he asked i rambled off way too much information. fuck giving ecstacy or using interrogation methods on me, just feed me good strong coffee and i couldn't shut up if i tried. we went way over the hour and so many answers opened up many more questions we didn't get to

talking to him reminded me that i'm more grounded about this kind of work than i thought. that i do love this job more than any other that i've ever had, mostly due to the blatantly apparent job satisfaction and great pay, and i have my head screwed on when it comes to this. really, i've got bigger problems than this. it's just a job. not a career. and it's not all that i do with my life. if your job defines you, then you're a dick.

thank fuck he didn't ask about love and relationships and stuff...