Mad Men Season 1 Early Thoughts

I had heard a lot about how amazing the award winning show Mad Men was since it first debuted in June of 2007. The hype around the show and the astounding number of positive reviews made me want to start watching it but something always seemed to get in the way. The other day, to my surprise, Mad Men Season 1 disc 1 was in my mailbox from Netflix. Today I popped it into the DVD player and checked out the first two episodes, and I was utterly impressed.

The setting is 1960 in an advertising firm on Madison Avenue in New York City. The show's first episode starts by letting the viewers know that these advertisers were given the name "Mad Men" in the 50's and it was they who coined the term. Right off the bat you get a feel for the time period, dialog, motivations, ideals, and everything that matters to the characters.

There's Peggy, the new girl, who seems to be a lot more playful then she lets on. Peter Campbell, a privileged upstart who is poised to take the top spot in the ad firm. And Don Draper, the hot shot who claims that top spot and does so with all the style in the world.

Characters smoke often and give off a vibe as if they know viewers know it's bad yet they know their time period is just beginning to realize that. Some lines do feel forced as if edited to fit the idea of the time frame instead of written to feel comfortable. But overall it is a killer show with an absolutely commanding presence. Everything from the dialog, to the acting, to the costumes is top notch.

I've only seen the first two episodes and Mad Men has already won me over with its charm and style. I'm sure I'll be catching up in the upcoming months and hopefully it'll stay as incredible as the first episodes have been.

Here's a trailer for season 1 to give you a quick idea of the show



Line of the century: (Said by Don Draper to Pete Campbell in regards to his horny demeanor and young and reckless mindset.)
"I bet the world looks like one big brazer strap just waiting to be snapped to you..."

First and Last Post about Jack Johnson...ever

So we had to do a paper about something we didn't like and how it can be enjoyed even if we don't like it. The following is a paper on Jack Johnson, I don't even like that I did a paper about him. Regardless, here it is.

When Jack Johnson’s music comes on the radio, at a party, or on someone’s playlist it is usually a good time to leave the room. The no effort music coupled with the boring and pointless lyrics that make up 90% of music now a days along with a beach vibe that is supposed to be a memento to hanging on the beach is just unimpressive. Perhaps it is the fact that Johnson’s music is synonymous with the “bro” mentality of hanging out, pretending to talk like a surfer, and being self absorbed. Perhaps it’s the fact that the lyrics to the majority of his songs are lazily written and poorly received when you actually think about whatever it is he is singing about. Or perhaps it is the fact that he’s just a shameless knock off of much more impressive talent like Radiohead, Bob Dylan, A Tribe Called Quest, and The Beatles. Whatever the reason Johnson’s music is hard for me to appreciate and I don’t think it’ll ever reach any sort of pinnacle in my musical tastes, but understanding why people enjoy it is certainly possible.


Jack Johnson’s music is carefree and easy to listen to without a doubt. His songs and melodies are simple and approachable and his lyrics remain easy to remember. The music gives of a natural vibe, one that doesn’t need the extra additives of ambient sound, manipulated noises, bizarre twists, or even basic electric features typically found in today’s music. His songs are, mostly, acoustic and give off a purely natural sound that couple with his very smooth voice to provide a sound that is very easy to fall into and relax with. Johnson’s inspirations definitely bleed through when it comes to his music as certain notions of Dylan and The Beatles are brought to a forefront when he plays. That’s certainly a key to Johnson’s music, it plays off the popularity of music that people liked before and simply reinvents it for a different age group. It’s as if someone took Bob Dylan’s politically fueled and insanely creative lyrics and smashed them into basic language that could simply relay the message “chill man we’re on the beach”.


Listeners and fans of Johnson also have that instant bond that comes with listening to music that is considered massively popular but not overplayed. Johnson isn’t on the popular radio stations as much as GaGa and Miley so his music has a certain sacredness to it without going to far into the world of music that isn’t played on the radio at all. Johnson’s music appeals to those who don’t want difficult music or music that makes you think when you listen to it. It’s music that makes your mind go blank and your body go lax. Johnson’s music is music meant for a generation that wants to not worry about the future, there is nothing to get and nothing deep to understand. You don’t have to tilt your head sideways, place your hand beneath your chin, or use your ability of perception to figure anything out. The music is simply there, like a stack of banana pancakes, waiting to be enjoyed. It’s simple, it’s catchy, and it’s popular.

I absolutely refuse to put a picture of him on my blog,


I hate myself for this

The Power of Language

I had a weird experience today while playing a game, Assassin's Creed 2, in Italian. The game, set in Italy, portrays the life of an angst fueled daredevil named Ezio. Assassin's Creed 2 is based in Renaissance Italy and tells a grand story of betrayal, revenge, and bloodshed...but that is neither here nor there. What was so astounding to me was how different the game is when it is played in Italian. I can only compare it to watching the movie Pan's Labyrinth in non-native English and then watching it in it's native tongue of Spanish. Regardless of one's ability to understand the language is not important, but the ability to understand human signs and meaning is. Understanding the words and the dialog is certainly important and even necessary at times but there is a universal language that can be understood without knowledge of all languages and without need for subtitles. It can be frustrating at times to not understand what is going on but I feel as though not being able to understand the language causes you to tune into the more intricate details of of human conversation.
Things like subtle eye movements, tone, physical reactions, and facial expressions are all lost when you focus on the language and try to hear every word that comes out of every person. But when all of that is stripped away you are much like a newborn child who is unable to understand the words being spoken around you. With those words taken away you tune into everything else, as if by instinct, to try and make sense of the situation. It's an interesting and exhilarating survival instinct that kicks in automatically as if your body is trying desperately to help you out. Without knowing a word of Italian it was clear to me the emotions and motivations of every character. My Spanish, being almost as bad as my Italian, made Pan's Labyrinth difficult to understand without subtitles but the overall message and plot was understandable after a bit of thinking. I'm not trying to downplay the importance of words, I'm a writer after all, but I am trying to show the amazing spectacle that is the human mind. The way it compensates for what you lack by making you notice things you've never paid attention to. What use is picking up on physical and emotional cues if every word is spoken out and every action planned and plotted? Give it a try, go check out a movie in another language or even more simply just try to have a conversation with someone and attempt to pick up on the cues and the emotions. See if you can reach into the conversation and garner more than what was said. It's an interesting challenge to try if nothing else.