The Wheel- Kodak

Sorry for the delay in post my loyal followers(if there are any of you!), but my poor laptop was with the Geek Squad for 13 days. You must be thinking that I could get on the internet from anywhere, and thats true but this post is very important to me. It was actually the first post I ever wrote. This episode of Mad Men was what gave me the inspiration to start this blog. So alas, saved on my 2008 HP Pavilion was the post for this episode.

Here goes nothing!

Don used nostalgia to empathize with the Kodak people(and with his fellow employees). Everyone has a story and he told his. He showed pictures of him and Betty dating, their wedding, Betty pregnant, Sally and Bobby as babies, and then playing. He pulled at everyone’s heart strings. By the end of the meeting Harry is crying and everyone else is speechless. Kodak calls from the lobby. And for those of us who would like to relive Don Draper at what I consider the height of his pitching in season 1, here you go: Kodak Carousel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWyLaXCV2_s

Swimmingly

Don's recent excursion into the world of fitness has really got me thinking. He used his trips to the Athletic club to decompress, and then he would go home and write "in his diary like a little girl". I feel akin to Don because I myself am an avid swimmer.

It’s a well known joke in my family that I could swim before I could walk. I went to swim lessons when I was 6, but I was in the group with the 12+ year olds. I feel more myself when I’m in the water than anywhere else I’ve ever been.

At the beginning of season 4 it was obvious that Don was going through a hard time, his family troubles and all.

Free stroke suites Don because one of his most significant characteristics is that he chooses to do whatever he wants. With free-style you’re basically free to do anything! A trick to this technique is to almost dive into the water with each arm stroke, it reduces resistance in the water and could be that added boost to get your lap time down.

My stroke of choice was backstroke. Free and back are often referred to as the long-axis strokes, because you are rotating on the long-axis of your body while swimming.

Backstroke starts in the water so you don’t have to worry about breathing or your goggles falling off during the initial dive in. The disadvantage is you can’t see we’re your going, therefore I feel that if Don were to change up his swimming regimen, back would work well for him. He may do whatever he wants, but he never really knows where he’s going.

Indian Summer- Lucky Strike

Roger appears to be in a decent mood all things considering, when everyone comes out to say hi he even jokes for them to get back to work

Lucky strike is concerned about Roger being gone and not involved in their campaign so Pete arranges them to have a New York style delicatessen lunch. Pastrami, sour pickles, and coke cola

They have just finished up a law suit, blame is one thing, and mallis is another. Lee Garner Sr. worked his way around Washington buying dinners trying to make things easier on himself

Roger, as a shareholder, called the Surgeon General’s office and they said it would be at least 3 years before they can file a report, warning signs on packages.

Plenty of time to worry so we’ll wait to see if share drops off before we think about a new campaign.

Lee Garner Sr. says he’s glad they came by because he missed everyone. You New Yorkers: said in his southern accent, of course making them seem so glamorous. Then Roger drops down with coronary number 2. Not so glamorous.

This is the beginning of the big time Don, Garner Sr. says that him and his board all like Don Draper, but you should try and show him you like him too. Half the accounts here came for Draper.

Poor Roger... I guess this is what happens when you have to put on a healthy show when you really aren't up to it.

It's a Mad Christmas!

In an effort to keep my holiday as full of Mad Men as possible, I kept my menu very 60's. My family and I decided to have a rib roast that I cooked per Julia Child's instructions for rotisserie chicken wrapped in bacon.

I know what you must be thinking, chicken and beef are completely different! Well friends, no matter whats in the oven, the bacon fat still baste the meat the entire time it's cooking.

I asked my grandmother to borrow her rotisserie oven and thinking she'd give me the one I've seen her use, I thought, piece of cake!

Well as if the woman read my mind, she instead let me borrow her rotisserie oven that she got as a wedding present in 1951! After giving it a little TLC and plugging it in to be sure it worked, I was in business!

I tried to keep my best Julia Child voice up for most of the day, and my family thought it was hilarious. I also got a Mad Men instrumental music cd for Christmas so that was of course playing throughout the day.

The meat came out great and when I took it out and was cutting the strings I kept waiting for Don to say snarkly "it's just us tonight".

Here's a picture of the oven with the roast slowly turning away! Happy Holiday's everyone!

Long Weekend- Menkens

The campaign designed for Menken’s is more of a store redesign versus’ an advertising campaign. Paul gives the pitch, wider aisles to show off the Chrome display cases, elegant tea room, modern classic signs, and champagne linens. All of this sounds really great, but it doesn’t strike me.

Mr. Menken we meet here and he seems to be willing to do the changes but not without wiggling his foot around (like he’s going to place it firmly down, what a bluffer!).

He never signed up to be in the restaurant business and now 30% of his ground floor is devoted to it. 3 months of construction while we build enormous anticipation. Like a movie premier. The new Menken’s, you will have a line on that first day; even if you have to pay people to stand in it.

He makes it known that he’s not against change but drawing attention to Rachel, sitting next to him cowardly, which is very unlike her(this shy, cowardly creature becomes apparent again later in the episode)

Can’t I keep what I have and just build on it? The unpleasant truth is Menken’s is nothing, your customers can’t be dependent on. Over the years people have developed new taste. They are like your daughter, educated, sophisticated; they know full well what they deserve and are willing to pay for it.

Why would I want to own a store I don’t want to shop it?

Un-fitting to the role of dutiful daughter she is currently playing, Rachel makes a comment about how her father actually started with nothing and their stores story isn’t just some PR effort to run in their 4^th of July circular.

Then she begs the question,” How many of you can say that?” the shot stays on her and her father and nobody says a word. Could it be foreshadowing? Could it be that Rachel stuck with Don throughout seasons 2 and 3?

Another client from this episode that I don't feel is deserving of a post is Dr.Scholls- because they lost them.

Does anyone out there in blog world think that perhaps by the end of season 3 with the impending sale of Sterling Cooper that Don did think of Rachel's comment?