Last week’s Mad Men was an exercise in subtlety and restraint. While it is titled “The Gypsy and the Hobo” (for the Halloween costumes worn by the Draper children), I’d like to focus on the exchange between the main characters, as Don can no longer duck the past he’s hidden from his wife for a […]
Mad Men Episodes 9 and 10: Prejudice, Power, and Pretense
What were the 60s about? As the viewers of AMC TV’s Mad Men are aware – the appearance of one thing, and trouble, trouble, trouble, seething beneath the surface of everything. With each episode, the glitz and glamor are increasingly overshadowed by secrets and seedy behaviors. 60s Prejudice In Episode 9, Sal falls victim to […]
Tattoo Follow-up: Pro Piercing?
Somehow in my mind, tattoos and piercings are linked. And the tattoo talk has been so interesting! Plenty of celebrities have jumped on the tattooing and piercing bandwagon. So how about some follow-up questions to those who indulge or enjoy this practice? Tattoo and piercing link? I would love to know: Those of you who […]
Bad news, a martini, a moment
The voice startled him. “I have bad news,” he said. This, in the wake of the recent loss of his sister, and a friend, and another battling a life-threatening illness. He must have felt his entire body stiffen at those words, though they were uttered by a waiter in a family restaurant, on the first […]
Tattoos – Hot or Not?
The trend in tattoos has been in full swing for some time now. And the topic of tattooed mamas (and tattooed ta-tas) has come up lately in the neighborhood of several blogs I frequent. I’ve had a bug up my you-know-what over this for years. Can someone explain the appeal to me? I don’t understand […]
Family photos reveal changing dynamics
He was walking out the door with a red silk tie bound around his forehead, as his curls poked out from under a baseball cap and a brightly colored beanie – complete with propeller. As for the rest of him – let’s just say – I burst out laughing and reached for my nearby camera. […]
Parenting from a peripheral planet
The thing is – we remember when they were completely dependent on us, and we were the center of their universe. That makes the shift to the periphery a struggle. For us, not them. A teenager’s world may be built on a foundation lovingly laid, brick by brick, by one parent, two parents, grandparents, aunts, […]
“You’re trouble,” he said.
“You’re trouble,” he said. I didn’t know the gentleman, but he’s right. Yes, I am. It was a brief exchange, yesterday – just a moment with no names – but filled with the fleeting flutter of engagement, and a little smile, the kind that lasts through long days, lightening them so they become more manageable. […]
Mad Men Quickie: Season 3 Episode 8
Quickie indeed. Just a hit-the-high-points Mad Men meditation on Episode 8, as January Jones turns up the heat… Don and Betty take a quick trip to Rome and enjoy plenty of flirtation and connubial bliss. It was good to bite into a nice slice of this pulchritudinous pair at play, and play they did! Bellissima […]
SAT scores, SATurday SAD face, SAT tips
SATs. Remember those? Compliments of the College Board, SATs bring us one competitive step closer to the you-you-you-gotta-be-kidding-me indenture inducing university of your choice. Looked at tuition for almost any college lately? Can you spell I-N-S-A-N-I-T-Y ??? Yes, it’s SATurday. Four hours of teen torture for millions of students across the country, including my 16-year […]