The Reality of History through Mad Men

After finding out what the show Mad Men was about just a few weeks ago, I knew I had to see it because it sounded just like the show I would enjoy because as you may already know, I'm pretty sure I was born during the wrong time. And sure enough, I do love it. I just finished the first episode of the first season and I'm disappointed it took me so long to watch this show.

I have a, let's say, interesting take on this show because in my 'women in history' class we are currently talking about women in the 1950s-60s. This show depicts exactly what we've been talking about these past few weeks.  It's this idea that women are primarily put on this Earth to be wives and mothers.They supposedly find their ultimate happiness in serving others through household chores. They're more concerned with the latest floor wax than a new car.

Right away, you're made aware of how unhappy Don Draper's wife is. She says that she's happy with her life and happy with the way things are going, but it's clear that she's not. This is exactly what these women felt like. They were unhappy and unfulfilled by their roles of housewives. Of course, they keep it inside because if they said anything then they were said to have something wrong with them. Women are supposed to find their ultimate satisfaction in being married and having children.

After having a semi-argument with a client, he was told to reconcile with her, I believe her name was Rachel. This is a little how the conversation went:

Draper:“Well, it’s just that you’re a beautiful, educated woman, don’t you think that getting married and having a family would make you happier than all the headaches that go along with fighting people like me?”

After Rachel corrects him and tells him that she basically enjoys her work, he says...

“So that’s it, you won’t get married because you find business to be a thrill.”

It's just interesting to see this played out. It's such a different world than things are now. I feel like I'm watching this show as if I had read the book first. I'm just watching it with a different perspective because of everything I'm learning. The show is fun and definitely my kind of thing. I'm excited to see what happens on the show.

Reasons to love Mad Men
John Hamm: For two reasons, actually. One being he played a small part in Gilmore Girls. He played Peyton, a man Lorelai dated for a very short period. And if you're on Gilmore Girls, you automatically win in my book. And, he made this video with Michael Buble (another way to get on my good side) on Saturday Night Live.

Watch the video here. And Love.

Progressive's Flo: Yes, that's right. FLO. She has a cameo on it! Pure brilliance. She's an operator.

For the love of music

Peanuts and records = my favorite

I, alone, own probably about 300 CDs. Since I married Sam, I've probably acquired an extra 200 or so CDs.

These little round discs are becoming rapidly more unpopular as time goes on. It seems now that most people would rather use iTunes to download the latest album from their favorite artist.

As for me, I love the CD.
And more recently, in the last four or five years, I've begun to love vinyl records, and now I own probably over 100 albums. They're all kinds of wonderful.

I just love having something tangible. One of my favorite parts about buying a new CD is tearing through the plastic, taking off the sticker with artist's name and album title, (usually sticking it somewhere random) and then looking through the booklet inside. I love seeing the art, the lyrics and just anything else the band put together to create this CD.

As for vinyl, it's not so much that I buy new artist's records. I love looking for old vinyl, you know, when that's all there was. I thoroughly enjoy digging through piles upon piles of dusty records to see what I can find. Whether it's a record I find that I want to buy, or a record that just has an over-the-top crazy picture on the front, I love it all. Nothing compares to it.

As for me, I've always been "behind the times" when it comes to music. In the last year, I've just gotten a iPod. That was a gift too. I'm still convinced that the old classics (Beach Boys, Beatles, CCR, Frank Sinatra, the Kinks, the Who, Simon & Garfunkel, Huey Lewis & the News, etc) are the best music around. No beating it. And, I don't know. I don't ever think that I'll transition from my beloved CDs/vinyls to digital. Sorry, iTunes.

What do you think? Anyone else with me on this??