Yesterday morning I went to the gym to exercise. I don’t like watching the televisions at the gym. I don’t have control over what flashes at me on the screen and the most vivid example of that lack of control was my experience yesterday morning. I endured two infomercials without sound. Unfortunately, my eyes kept flitting back to the television. The first infomercial featured several male porn stars. I think it might have been a commercial for male enhancement. That one didn’t bother me much because I couldn’t hear a word they said. Aging porn stars ain’t pretty folk.

The second infomercial was for Girls Gone Wild. The same scenes flashed over and over again: young girls flashing their censored bits at the camera. There were so many thin bodies willing to expose themselves. The nudity and girl-on-girl action didn’t really bother me, but I couldn’t stop looking at it. Unlike the ugly porn stars, these beautiful girls were happily smiling at the camera.

I tried looking at my reflection at the far side of the gym. I concentrated on my running form and corrected my stride. I watched my fellow gym members, but in between each glace at the mirror or others, there were glances of naked crazy girls willing to perform calisthenics in the buff for the camera. Here I was, barely willing to perform them fully dressed.

After my workout, I headed out. I mentioned casually to the two trainers at the front, “You’ve got soft core porn on TV#9.” The male behind the counter, looked surprised and confused, so I added, “I think it’s Girls Gone Wild or something.” His look of concerned surprise transformed to jaded boredom. He shrugged and turned back to his coworker.

The thing that bothered me the most was the guy planted right in front of that TV. He never took his eyes off it once.