MadMen Episode 6 Review

In this episode Don starts out with a flashback after falling down the steps in his home. Then at his office he meets with a new client, a Jewish travel agency of some sort, who is trying to make new adds so more people would come to Israel. This is a struggle for Don because he is unsure of how to draw people for this business and knows very little about Jewish society or its story other than what he considers the mass "propaganda." He meets with a past client whom he has some feelings for about "her people." He gets a little bit of information and still has some feelings for her, which she is refusing to reciprocate but does have. Don then goes to see his artistic mistress but has some competition and reflects some while watching a performance in the midst of that tension.

Peggie and the other ladies are put into a room for some "brain storming," something that the admen have arranged in order to get some insights for a lipstick company they are working for. The men in the office all act like pigs even though they say that the women are the less intelligent/capable sex. This is summed up well in the singular comment made by one of the research and development guys when he tells Don that watching Peggie was like watching a "dog play piano."

This episode was racist and sexist, two of the biggest themes in this time period. The problems that come up between Don and his men and the Jews show just how much a problem there is among people groups. As for the battle of the sex's, there isn't much of a fight coming from the women's side, something that seems quite difficult to be remedied in the picture that is being given us. The men really do own the scene, making for the daily ruffing up of women and scandalizing of their personal lives. All around this episode shows us a difficult time for "foreigners" and non-men.

MadMen Episode 5 Review

This episode of MadMen was focused on two characters primarily, Don and Pete. Don begins his story with the acceptance of an award for his work at the company. This runs into the following day where he is called out to see his mistress for some "quality time." On what seems to be the following day he receives a call from someone who claims to be his brother, which he later confirms when he leaves the office and talks with him in a cafe. This makes him late for a photo shoot with the family and has him really distracted the whole day. That night he goes to visit with his brother and pays him off, telling him go start another life because he cant be a part of his.

Pete is having his own issues, dealing with what seems to be his own failure to be further along in his life and have made a name for himself. This is seen especially in his jealousy over a coworkers success in writing and publishing a story in a major paper. He tries to have his wife get an old boyfriend to publish it in a major paper as well and that ends with him upset over being in an unimportant paper and his wife feeling wronged by Pete because he would have had her damage her "purity" to him in order to have his story published in a better paper.

Two themes stick out in this episode. For Don's part of the story it's a question of what is important to him. Don has to choose between the success he has in his own life, the one he has created and manufactured around himself, fake though it may be, and the brother that he left behind so long ago. Don doesn't even once seem like he is going to pick his brother, but is rather fearful of what his brother surfacing would do to his life. He pays him off with a lot of money and I don't know what to think about his actions really.

Pete is dealing with the cost of success. Just how far are you willing to go in order to be "successful?" He is willing to put his own wife in a position that she never wanted to tangle with. The fact that he is so willing to use her in a brutal way like that is beyond my understanding of living. It brings into question why he actually married her. Is marriage jsut a way of getting what you want or do you marry to be with someone you care about. Don has brought this up in the past saying "love is a fantasy."

MadMen Episode 4 Review

In this episode of MadMen we primarily follow Pete Campbell, one of the men working in the finance department at the ad company. Pete's wife surprises him at his work and takes apartment shopping, which he is put off about since she decides to go for a property outside of their means. He goes to get financial help from his family but that goes nowhere and later on his wife gets her family to support them in that way. Pete doesn't like that she is taking control of things and getting what she wants but he doesn't know what to do about it. Also, Pete tries to make an impression by pitching to one of the ad companies customers behind his bosses' backs. This ends with him being very nearly fired, but thanks to his families very reputable name he gets a second chance at the company.

MadMen has been plagued by the issue of alcohol since the first episode, something that is definitely evident in the historical period that this show is based in. Alcohol is used constantly in this show as a  means of coercion, coping, and relaxation. There is alcohol involved in every major scene in this show and Pete is constantly drinking throughout this episode. When he gets "fired" for a moment he immediately goes to his office and starts drinking right away. There is so much alcohol abuse that its just surprising that no one has gotten hurt, or killed by it yet, and we're only four episodes in.

This show also shows the disconnect between men and women in this society. The entire time that Pete is with his wife are together you see just how much one of them is trying to get something from the other. Pete's wife wants to have the life she's dreamt about forever, probably, and Pete just wants a better job and an obedient wife who dos what he asks of her. Neither is getting what they want exactly but they don't know how to communicate their needs.

MadMen Episode 3 Review

This episode of MadMen begins with Draper on the train going to the office. There he someone addresses him to another name and acts as if he were an old friend. At the office Pete has returned from his honeymoon and is greeted by the office with a gag that runs the length of the office scenes of this episode. Peggy has a run in with him again and says their encounter never happened because he's married now. Draper and his team meet with the Jewish lady who owns a store again and the agrees to see her at the store that evening. While meeting with her he has a run in with her where they kiss and he admits that he's married, after which she asks to be moved to another adman. Draper spends the following day at home with his family because it's his daughters birthday. The part involves a lot of liquor for the adults and fun for the kids, but Draper is already drunk. When he goes out to get the cake for his wife he doesn't come back until really late and she is very upset with him.\

This episode brings up the issue of racism with the office gag played on Pete. Pete is escorted by the whole office en route to his own office and finds a Chinese family in it. From that moment forward the office is filled with derogatory jokes about Chinese people. All of the characters that we have met in this cast bring up some sort of negative statement about them, even Draper, who usually stays neutral. The lack of control on his part shows just how deeply rooted this issue is in the culture they are a part of.

This episode also displays wonderfully shows the foolishness of man. This entire episode there are derogatory things said about other people and places just as it is in the past couple episodes. However, this episode definitely shows how both men and women are living some sort of fantasy in their heads with each other. Draper is recording the party with his camera, watching the kids as they play and horse around. The kids say silly things, make fun and even break things accidentally throughout the party. Draper also tapes some of the adults interactions and watches as they drink, gossip, mock, flirt, and make fools of each other. He is outside watching the kids, very drunk, when he remarks to the new resident on the street, a single woman, that they kids and the adults are acting the same.

MadMen Episode 2 Review

This episode, like the first, follows Don Drapper and Peggy. This episode is different from the first, however, in that Don's wife is the major issue of his day. There is a meeting dinner between Don and his wife with his boss and his wife. From there we begin to see how little Don and Betty connect and just how little Betty knows about her husbands past. It's almost like he married a total stranger over the internet and one date. Betty gets in an accident and Don comes home worried about what is going on with her and her anxiety issue that is becoming apparent. She goes to see a psychiatrist and in the end, after telling her husband the meet went good Don calls the doctor and receives another report. Peggy is in much the same situation as last time, being hounded on all day by the men at the office because she's new and she's a woman that there's an opportunity to sleep with. Betty is picked up on by one in particular, who she kind of leads on in my opinion, and then snaps a bit at one of the other secretaries in the office about men hounding her. I think the ironic thing is she slept with one of the worst ones in the office last episode.

The first and largest theme that stuck out to me is the disconnect between men and woman in this show. It's really quite ridiculous how little either side understands one another. All of the guys in this show are either trying to figure out what woman want, like Don, or they are doing their best to ignore that they have no clue. Don clearly has no idea what to do with his wife and her anxiety issue, trying to find out why a girl who has 'everything' would need to see someone if she's happy. Betty obviously has a major issue, being nervous about every little thing and getting into a car accident too. Peggy is also dealing with this disconnect, especially since men are just trying to get into her pants the whole time and she's leading them on incidentally. She snaps on her friend about how she doesn't understand why she can't just get food with one of the office guys.
The second issue that was quite disturbing was the roles assigned to men and women. Once again this show has displayed just how divide the roles are for men and women in this world. Either you work as a secretary or have a supporting job to the big men in charge or you're bare foot and pregnant/a trophy wife. Betty and Peggy deal with this the most in this episode, between being the stay at home mom that needs to be perfect and the office girl who needs to make her way in the ranks of men and women.

MadMen Episode 1 Review

MadMen follows the lives of employees at an ad company in the 50s. The main character, Mr. Draper, is the primary focus of this episode, though it does follow Peggy Olson, his secretary. This episode follows the circuit of a major crisis for Draper, a deal with a cigarette company that really needed to have a new sales strategy because of the harm being done by the medical issues associated with smoking. Draper has a meeting with a Jewish store owner that goes south because he is so concerned over the impending loss of the larger company because he had nothing to give them. The meeting with the large cigarette client almost goes completely south when Draper chokes and his fellow admen can't make a convincing pitch, then just as things are going the worst he has an idea that the customers really like. This puts him in the good graces of his boss and he then rallies the previous client back so they can have another meeting.

Two themes that are very apparent is the degradation of the female sex and loneliness. The degradation of the female sex throughout the entire episode, from the first scene in the office elevator on, The entire time you have guys making snide remarks and treating ladies like trash, according to my standards. There is no respect for women, they are treated in a disrespectful way and are given a role as either stay at home wives or harlots to do as they are told. There isn't much room for anything else. This is made pretty clear about even Draper, who didn't seem to adhere to that standard the rest of his team, when he disrespects the female Jewish store owner.

The other theme, loneliness, is somewhat of a surprising one though i should have expected it, I think, from how men and women treated each other. Various characters, the most blatant instance being with Draper surprisingly, struggled with being alone in some way. Draper starts of sleeping with an artist that he says he wants to marry but by the end of the show he has that meeting with the Jewish store owner where we see some of his characters inability to connect with the world around him, even the family he has at home, a wife with two kids.

Cool Night Breeze

Awake, sleeper who walks among the living dead
Take up your shiny voice and wondrous charms
make sweet the nights cool breeze for men to breath
taking softy the chill from the air of many dreary cares
Break this spell which lies upon you
daring to sing out the evenings praise
come dance and lay with me
and i will cherish you all my days

Dirty Duty

Dirty duty gets everywhere
nothing but a mess for mommy
Dirty duty make her pull out her hair
please be nice and poop calmly
do it in the duty place
the bowl for duty business
make mommy smile at your pace
impress your mom with this

Moon Mistress

Many a love story has arisen from your gaze
as shimmering in the night you look on us
the depths of your eyes infinite and unblinking
nothing about you changing, timeless in space
let you glow keep us always in the night
giving light to the darkness and peace to hearts
and let the chill that comes with your rise
be a calming grace to those who mourn
my lady moon of the night

What is True Love?

True Love
A phrase, an idea, barely a whisper and we're lost to its magnitude
A mystery throughout history, unknown because of social rules
History tells us it cannot be true, this idea of insanity and bliss
all mixed into a twisted reality which simply cannot be
But none the less we strive to reach and receive its effects
that it might drive us into earnest and sincere romance
madness that cannot be and never is in this broken land,
a better reason I cannot see in our world of darkened skies
What is this phase that haunts our minds and hearts so?
Let the record show its profound disturbance of all mankind
That is utterance brings men to their knees and tears to eyes
Like a bitter drink we suck it down and enjoy it as honey
Blissful poison in our veins it takes over and leaves us helpless
The desperate will deny this evidence and push forward
while the mindful pace and rack their minds on its meaning
True love, this phrase which we all hope for in our deepest place
is just another mystery, a journey that we all choose to face

Fight for Right

Walking down these lonely streets with my unclad, bear soul in my feet
wandering up and down the boulevard thinking life has become so hard
Can't find a system that works for me, another course that can be my remedy
something to guide my choices away from all of these other voices
into blissful reality were the only tragedy is the lack of vitality
in a culture where the commonplace destiny is the desired daily festivity
of a life were we all wear masks that hide us from the real task
of living in community with our fellow man, without hateful mutiny
that takes us from the lifestyle we all pretend is here but we're no where close to near
It's something we should all stand back and check out in an attempt to see the wreck
we have wreaked on our families and the friends, we now struggle to make amends
with the ones we love cherish in order that our social lives won't perish
In this day and age we've lost sight once more of the people around us in this war
this fight to make it out and stay human turning what seems dead alive again
but we can't lose hope in this dire quest least we lose our souls in the midst of the mess
Time to grab on to what's right and not end this great fight for future light
Only at the finish line of all things perishable will the weight be lifted and life be bearable

Kill me Now, Oh Wretch

Kill me now, oh wretch who steals and plunders my soul
breaking, taking and fleeing the scene of your crimes
the ruin that is left behind is till fresh in my mind's eye
as I walk into this house which was my own
bare and lifeless as an empty, storyless tome
Why couldn't the door to your heart be open to me
Greatest among men I am not and most unworthy of she
the one who unknowingly has been my greatest foe
many I have faced before and won but against thee
I find myself doubled over, cringing at the pain in me
Gnawing at the inside of my chest, I cannot face it
this infestation in the vein that this vampire has bit
Solve my plight, only she who haunts me could
but at the dishonesty of her hearts desire, I never would
because I rather live in the anguish of this day
then see the purity of who she is fade away
For a wretched thing she is at the greatest distance from
but rather her heart, mind, ans spirit remind me of the sun

“The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred Lord Tennyson

This isn't one of mine, however, I do love this poem. It's very sad and yet so inspirational.

“The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
   Rode the six hundred.
‘Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!’ he said:
Into the valley of Death
   Rode the six hundred.
‘Forward, the Light Brigade!’
Was there a man dismay’d?
Not tho’ the soldier knew
   Someone had blunder’d:
Their’s not to make reply,
Their’s not to reason why,
Their’s but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
   Rode the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
   Volley’d and thunder’d;

Storm’d at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
   Rode the six hundred.
Flash’d all their sabres bare,
Flash’d as they turn’d in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
   All the world wonder’d:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro’ the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel’d from the sabre-stroke
Shatter’d and sunder’d.
Then they rode back, but not
   Not the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
   Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro’ the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
   Left of six hundred.
When can their glory fade ?
O the wild charge they made!
   All the world wonder’d.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
   Noble six hundred!

Prodigal Son

My Son,

       I hope that this letter will find you well, child of my flesh. You have gone and taken with you all that is your right, though long before its time it has been given to you. It was with great sorrow that I did as you asked of me and watched you go on your way, for I knew the path that laid ahead of you. It is one that I have seen many times before by men near and far to my heart, always ending in disaster. But it is not to warn you away from this path that I have written to you, but rather, to tell you what is the true gift that I give to you. When your adventuring and enjoyment of things men of this earth cherishes comes to an end and you have nothing to your name, I still love you. When the greatness that you sought out turns to ash in your mouth and spoils all things, I still love you. When the world casts you out, beats you into the ground and leaves you to despair, I still love you. And with this love, as your seeking of pleasure comes to ruin, I welcome you home. I bear you no grudge or shame, no amount of honor taken would cause a shadow to fall across my good memory of you, my most precious child. You are, and always will be, my beloved son.

                                      With great affection and sincerity of Heart
                                                               Your Abba

What the World Needs

When I wake, brush up, and tune into whats going on in the world
I see just how upside down and backwards this place we call home is
I mean the wars and the gossip, the backstabbing in politics
it all just seems to be so twisted as the average man fights to keep his head lifted
And its not like we don't see what's really going on in this world
but we'd rather keep silent and stay normal then stand and take a chance
risking it all, our reputations, our relationships and the base things we 'need'
But does it really come down to that stuff in this world, the pompous greed?
is this what counts or is it the balance in my checkbook that keeps me grounded
I don't see how humanity is solid in the rising and falling of the stock market
or how the purse that you wear gives you the prestige, a badge of honor
because like I've already said to you before this, the things we 'need'
are all lost in the mix of it, since in the end we 'need' newer and better
and the past badge of the master becomes a lame chain to fashion disaster
The fact that I don't have nothing to talk about leaves me at the bottom
but i think standing here I can see better all the problems since
its here were the base of society needs the support, the love and aide
since they don't know which way to run or turn with this fake parade
displaying all of life's glory in it great fatness and greed, putrid in reality
standing on a pedestal that we make with our depravity of mind and body
We need to wake up, smack some water up into our faces, clear our heads
start getting on the page that's turning things around for the poor and destitute
to see the world to the next day to day process of healing, flipping thing back
right side up and facing the path that has meaning for both the rich and poor
This is the destination and the goal of a world recovering its soul

Babblings of a Cynical Romantic

Is every man to love and to fall in love?
That is a question that I have asked myself a great many times
Now some might ask whether I doubt love when I say this
This is hardly the case, since I myself am a great lover
one who respects and adores to the greatest extent my heart can
However, my question does not lie on friendship but partnership
You see, I do not believe that every man can fall in love
and just as I believe this I also must admit something else
I do not believe that ever man that can love will get the chance
for there are so many things, great and terrible, set to divide,
to betray and to steal all opportunities at such a thing as love
To be honest, this is one of my great struggles, the fear of it all
That I, this great lover, should fail to find love for myself
The possibility that I will not receive the love of another
That I am destined to walk and love it all alone, companion less
Possibly the greatest betrayal of all life is this simple matter
Were there evidence to suggest the strength of difference
I would gladly cling to it, for all I have pursued say otherwise
That I am a great lover and someone fortunate will have me
But why not make it themselves, if I truly am what they say?
Does having a friendship turn into something else frighten?
Is attraction such a monster that it abandons me completely?
I don't know that I can be persuaded to another point
Though lover I am, my heart and mind cling to cynicism
Denying the hope that does exist in attempt to protect the soul
The truth is, I have no answer to the first question to claim
Divided, I wander to and fro in order to find the truth of it
And in apathetic stupor, suppose that either will be fine for me
But the heart of it is that I desire my companion and wish
Hoping that the wish will come true, that I will find you

We the Sea

Come away with me, into the sea, a place were tears and laughter are one
Out into the deep, into the crushing, loving depths, far from yet near to the sun
ceaselessly moving, continually changing, turmoil in its very essence
the waves of its surface and the calm of its bottom, such a familiar presence
like the inside of my soul, unending turmoil and change it knows
yet in the midst of its crashing and smashing, the constant, oldest of all flows
Like an eternal past, its horizon stands unending from the shore
Yet the life that it holds, so new and young, is the heart of the sea, it's very core
So like the sea let us be so young and so bold and untamed in our youth
Let the wisdom of ancients and endless past guide us into the truth
Seeking the joys and sorrows of a new day and regretting nothing we've done
Pushing forward into our destinies, seeking our fate, things we can't outrun

Two Great Days

       Hello to all of you who read any portion of the posts that I leave on this blog. Today's post is not one of my usual pieces of work that I write but rather something of my life. This is my first post about myself in a very long time, as it has been quite the journey and has brought me down many trails and challenges. I will not start with these and catch you up to where I am currently, however, I will bring to share the joy that I have felt in these past two days. Joy like I have not experienced in some time, over the breaking of bread and the bonding of old friends again.
       I visited six friends, of which I will not name, in these past days and my time was them was one of complete rest and rejoicing in my own heart. I thank the Lord even now as I write for these people who live their lives as they should, completely true to themselves and each other. Should this not be truth I have yet to discover them so in all the time that I have known them and would consider such a moment as one where I need step in and take great care of them, body and soul.

       The first day, I spent my time in Agoura Hills visiting some friends who currently intern at a great church. They took me with them to visit some other friends in the course of the day after their work was done at the church and we spent time swimming, getting gelato, talking, eating, and enjoying each other's company as we have for the past year of college. I cannot help but miss them even now, though it has only been twenty four hours since I last was with them.

       Parting with them would have been more difficult had I been making my way home, but this not being the case, I looked forward to being with three more of my friends and past roommates. I cannot express, once again, the joy that I felt at seeing these great men and friends after a month of being away from each other. The night was late but we gave little heed, and talked freely for some time. In the morning I spent my time with them and we had a good time talking and watching Firefly together, as a family again. The rest of the day was fairly active after I said goodbye to one of my brothers and we ended up finishing the day making, and assembling while watching Wreck It Ralph, bookcases for their home. This work is something that I enjoy anyway and doing it with them was a bonus to the time. Now that I have made my goodbyes and returned home, with sawdust covering most of me, I can only think of how blessed I am to be a part of this family of friends.

Hope Springs Eternal

On I must trudge, moving forward, ever forward
to escape the pain of last gains and failed loves
Reaching, screeching, for another chance and
dying to find the light of a new dawn, a new day
Hoping and spraying that lost hopes would be renewed
that the bolstering of my courage continue to grow
allowing for all of life's magic to happen again and again
The fair lady, for whom my heart has shone for
escapes once again into the dark and the great unknown
Who knows whether the strength of the heart
should awaken again and rear its very proud head
for one more chance, another attempt at love,
the laughter that bubbles up out of well in the soul
For smiles and tears, for joy and for sorrow,
all these things I would cherish should I be in her arms
And sojourn on I must cleanse myself of the pain
and press forward ever chasing the phantom
of promise and the life I would love to live forever