Mad Men Time! Some Quick Thoughts

Mad Men is back and I'm happy about it. To tell the truth, sometimes I like the show more, after I watch it and process what happened. The episode starts with a question of "Who is Don Draper?" (like Don I hate the referring to one self in the third person) - it seems to be the question of the whole series has been focused on. We know who Don is and was - the mid-Western boy who transformed himself, and yet who is the existential Don is still to be decided. I loved seeing him alone in his apartment, the man who eats in front of the television and then falls asleep. Before, whether at or at home, he was always acting - the creative genius, the seducer, the prefect provider for Betty. This is the first time where we just see him alone, devoid of an audience. I liked the disheveled look on Don. And the whole hooker sex scene, yeah not surprising - Don likes to be demeaned/dominated. He needs to be dominated in bed, since in every other aspect of his life (except maybe for Betty) he is in control and in charge.

Speaking of Betty, not keen on that one, at all. Her bullshit that she deserves the house and her not being punctual because she used to wait for Don many times before is pure pity-party drivel. Her behavior is childish at best, I understand that she wants to hurt Don, but at the expense of her children?! Not letting Don see the baby? Pathetic.

The Marsha/John banter was pretty enjoyable.



The last shot of Don with the Wall Street reporter, in reverse position from the first shot was pretty good too, Don is back in control.

Data Explains It All

Several people have commneted that I have a pervy blog. However, I really don't think I talk about sex all that much or post inappropriate photos of scandally clad women. And yet the reputation stands. (I've said it many times, I'm not a perv.)

I do think I have a pretty healthy attitude towards sex, and while I'm not a perve, I'm also not a prude. Sex can be fun (and should be) and it's fascinating to me. As a former (very bad) English Major, I find it fun to notice all the double entendres, I love that language can be used to make people think of something other than what is written literally on the page. Maybe that's why it tends to be (one of) my favorite subjects.

I also think it comes with my ubringing. My parents were pretty closed mouth about the subject around us, but they never made any reference to sex being a sin. Sex was something of value in their eyes. So while the never openly encouraged me, they never denounced it. In Judaism, sex between a married couple is actually mitzvah, unlike in Christianity, chastity isn't a virtue. In fact unlike Christianity of the Middle Ages, where the most learned men of indistinguished background became monks and thus led a life of celibacy, in Judaism the most prominent scholars (the rabbis)tended to marry women who were better off and produce a lot of children.

With the emphasis of sex as a positive, instead of a negative it's not hard to see why Jewish women(religious or not) tend to have a more blase view of sex, than their Christian or Muslim counterparts. So it was not surprising to read the following:

3. Jews and agnostics are 20 percent more sexually active than Catholics and Protestants.

The study that produced this statistic also found that Baptists have slightly more sex than the national average, while "Presbyterians and Lutherans are slightly below average." "There's more shame and guilt with the Christian religions," says Herbenick, who is also the author of Because It Feels Good: A Woman's Guide to Sexual Pleasure and Satisfaction. "The Jewish religion tends to be more permissive about sexuality." Another study found that over twice as many observant married Jewish women reported having sex three to six times per week as married women in general.

John Robinson and Godbey, G. (1998): No Sex, Please ... We're College Graduates. American Demographics, 20 (18-23)

Ellen Labinsky et al. (2009): Observant Married Jewish Women and Sexual Life: An Empirical Study. Conversations 5, 37-59 ---

Adding to this you have the following statistic:

4. People with Associate in Arts degrees have 32 percent more sex than people with advanced college degrees and people who did not finish high school.

According to a University of Chicago study, those with graduate degrees and those who never finished high school are tied, both groups claiming to have sex on average about once a week or 52 times per year. But those with Associate in Arts degrees claim to have sex 69.5 times per year.

James Davis et al. (2006): American Sexual Behavior: Trends, Socio-Demographic Differences, and Risk Behavior. National Opinion Research Center/University of Chicago General Social Survey Topical Report No. 25

So it makes perfect sense why, I write so frequently about the topic. The data supports it.

"Nothing is simple when I'm not around you"

I Would Start Drinking Soda Again.....

if it came in original bottle.

I'm a sucker for awesome packaging.

Unintended Consequences

I still don't understand how CSPIA is STILL not amended, as the writer points out the law came into effect because, "a large toy companies were breaking an already existing law" effecting small business who don't have the resources (nor the need) to test their home made products. It's heartbreaking and completely frustrating to read this post of a woman who was living out the American dream and because politicians want to look like the care and thinking of the children, now has her business (and thus family life) ruined by an idiotic law. Here is Jolie Fay of SkippingHippos.com guest posting at AmendTheCPSIA.com

I called the lab, got the quote and did the math. CPSIA-mandated testing costs for my little product line was over $27,000 for just over $30,000 worth of product. I cannot express the horrible feeling I had when I realized that I had made a mistake that was going to cost my family all of our money. .....

I have invested thousands of hours in trying to get the CPSIA changed to allow crafters – young and old – to continue their craft. The time I spent trying to bring common sense to the CPSIA was time I was not investing in my business. I was afraid to let up the fight because I was not seeing anyone else fighting for ME.

Where was my Senator, who told the crowd “folks, we did this for safety”?

Where was the ombudsman to help guide the way at the CPSC? (Surprise! There STILL is not a position at the CPSC to help the crafters, the stay-at-home moms who use skill and time to help feed their kids).

Where were the Congressmen who represent me and the seniors who have made SAFE children’s products for 50 years, and who can barely afford lunch and would NEVER be able to afford testing?

Who is looking out for the children who will learn from their mothers how to nurture their entrepreneurial spirit?

Last July I hit bottom. I had to turn my children over to daycare workers and join the work force just to keep us in our tiny rented house. My little business that helped us buy a home, that kept me at home with my kids to help them learn and grow, was no longer a safe investment of my time.

This is happening all across the county; women just like me, who are making safe kids’ products, are being forced to end their stay-at-home businesses. Mothers who want to obey the law, who are afraid of the consequences of NOT obeying the law, are making the choice to give up their dream to keep their children warm and fed.

We need a law that does not make us criminals. We MUST have a law that does not criminalize the old, young, and poor because they make safe products that they cannot afford to test.

I understand that government is important, I get that we need government. But these kind of laws, that harm businesses (and what politicians, like Obama, fail to realize is that businesses are owned by people, every time he demonizes a business venture, he demonizes the family the business is supporting), that are completely self-serving in nature, to make the politician look as though s/he is compassionate are disgusting.

Song of the Day

Metric - Calculation Machine



I feel like this song hypnotizes me. Not sure why I like it, but I do. (I also like Metric's song Succexy, and while the lyrics are retarded (with a capital R), it's still a great song.)

The Perspective Of A Russian Immigrant

A must read.

There is no perfect society. There are no perfect people. Critics say that greed is the driving force of capitalism. My answer is that envy is the driving force of socialism. Change to socialism is not an improvement on the imperfections of the current system.

The slogans of "fairness and equality" sound better than the slogans of capitalism. But unlike at the beginning of the 20th century, when these slogans and ideas were yet to be tested, we have accumulated history and reality.

Today we can define the better system not by slogans, but by looking at the accumulated facts. We can compare which ideology leads to the most oppression and which brings the most opportunity.

When I came to America in 1980 and experienced life in this country, I thought it was fortunate that those living in the USSR did not know how unfortunate they were.

Now in 2009, I realize how unfortunate it is that many Americans do not understand how fortunate they are. They vote to give government more and more power without understanding the consequences.

via Hot Air

This Might Be More Appropriate Commercial For The Weekend

Oh and I'm pretty sure my guy uses Old Spice.

Also: How the commercial was made.

Freak Out!

It's Friday! Before a long, warm, summery weekend. Everyone jump!