January 14, 2009
Hey guys,
From flickering shadows cast on cave walls, to the glittering CGI orgy of Michael Bay’s Transformers, the collective imagination of humankind has always been aroused by moving pictures.
Hello and welcome to my blog. Please wipe your feet at the door and make yourself at home. I just put on a pot of coffee, would you like some? Do you want the Mickey Mouse mug or the Harry Potter? What’s that? It’s not important? Ok, have it your way. Just be careful, it’s hot.
It’s quarter to ten and we don’t open for another fifteen minutes, which gives us a chance to talk. Why don’t you take a seat on the stool over here by the counter? Don’t lean back too far, one of the legs is shaky.
I’d like to tell you a bit about myself. I began writing at the age of eight when I sent a letter to Nestle, complaining about foul tasting Oreos. When they replied with an apology and a set of coupons, I realized that the pen truly is mightier than the sword.
I continued through my high school days, becoming the editor of the sports section of my school paper. I went on to study Ancient Greek pottery at the University of Macedonia, writing a five hundred-page thesis on the various methods of gluing and assembling the shards of ancient chamber pots. Since I graduated, I have been yearning for a chance to have my voice heard. I am new to the blog thing, and I’m ready to give it a shot.
I want to use this medium to share who I am beyond the Victor DeMaisonneuve that you would meet at the video store. My goal is full disclosure.
However, I don’t only want to talk about myself because life at the video store is full of excitement. Everyday things happen that inspire the writer within me. When people ask me, “Vic, you have a PhD with two postdocs, your work has been featured in over a dozen articles in the Helsinki Journal of Archaeology and Artifacts and you speak three ancient languages – you should be trekking through the Hindu Kush with a team of Sherpas and twenty camels looking for Bactrian gold. Why are you working at the video store?” I tell them that if they knew even half of what goes on here, they would understand how fulfilling this job is.
Like a bartender, I lend a friendly and comforting ear to customers and help them choose movies that soothe their souls. (Don’t get the wrong idea – most customers are in a good mood when they visit).
I’m also glad to be working in the neighbourhood where I grew up. I’m in touch with the locals, able to make a difference in my own community instead of halfway across the world, and I can assure you that the people I encounter here, on a daily basis, are every bit as fascinating as the ancient cultures I studied in university.
Just yesterday, for instance, a guy came in to rent two movies for his teenage daughter and told me about the year he spent on tour with Ted Nugent. He said that nothing could compare with the rush he got from playing Cat Scratch Fever in front of thirty thousand screaming fans.
There’s a retired schoolteacher who comes to chat while walking her pet ferret. She likes to shock people out of complacency by dancing naked on her back porch. “It’s my property,” she says, “I’m not breaking any laws.” Good for her!
One time an enforcer for a pro-hockey team came in. I couldn’t believe my eyes or my ears as this 6″8 beast with scars on his face and a nose broken in six different places asked me, through a mouth full of broken teeth, which Fellini movies I had for sale. He told me how he got lonely on the road because none of his teammates shared his interest in Italian art house cinema or any films that don’t have car chases or explosions. Just goes to show you can’t judge a movie by its poster.
I have many more stories like these to share, but for now I have some chores to take care of. Why don’t you have a look around? Choose anything you like. I’m going home tonight with either a classic John Wayne flick or the 1998 blockbuster Titanic. I’ll tell you about it next week.
Comments:
Spliffany: Clothes suck! You go girl!! I’d take MIckey mouse over Harry Potter any day!
jukeboxsuperhero: Ted nugent rocks! motorcity madman woohoo! i saw him play in grand rapids once.
Titanic_movie_sucks: Comment Deleted
Sergei_the_mad_macedonian: I live in macedonia. I am very intrigued by your blog. Please write more about your time in my beautiful country. They say Skopje is the Paris of the Balkans. Pay a visit to my cousin’s dairy farm and hotel in the Polog Valley near the historic town of Gostovar. Vic, I’m sure you know about all these places and the archaeological treasures my valley holds.
videostorevic: I had a great weekend in Gostovar once. Best goulash I ever tried. Thanks for reading, regards to the people of Macedonia.
J-babylon: You speak coptic bro? sick. let’s rap sometime and maybe have a CGI orgy of our own
Wholesomefamilyman: Do you guys have 7th Heaven for rent on DVD?
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