Mrs. Blankenship: Dawn of a New Era

Yesterday, Susan Orlean sent out the following two tweets:

"Please strike Mrs. Blankenship with a fatal illness and remove her from the cast of #madmen. She's awful."

"I understand why Don has an old hag as a sec'y & value of comic relief, but Blankenship is almost slapstick; wrong tone for the show."

Here is my response:

Hi Susan!

I hope all your livestock is well.

When Mrs. Blankenship first appeared, I felt like you do, that she was a weird and disconcerting and didn't fit at all. But then, as the episodes progressed, I changed my mind.

Yes, that character would have been completely wrong in the Mad Men we've come to know. But, Mad Men is changing as the years progress. To me, Mrs. Blankenship seems like she was dropped in from some late sixties comedy thing, like Laugh-In or Monty Python. She's one of the discordant things popping up in Don's life, and the show, like the Rolling Stones suddenly thrusting themselves into the soundtrack.

The shots are different in parts of the show now. That whole fake-out scooter bit seemed like it was out of a Richard Lester film, especially Peggy doing donuts in the empty, rented studio. And all the Don journal voice-over stuff looked like the Graduate mixed with Goddard.

The parts of the show that still look like the original seasons are the scenes with Betty and home life with Joan, both of whom are still stuck in the old culture, though Joan is having to confront the new culture at work.

So, that's my two cents.

Yours,

Jen

PS - So, how's the book coming?

To Each According to Her Need...

I have been using the bathroom by myself for over three decades. At the risk of bragging, I'd like to state, for the record, that I believe I have mastered all the skills related to toilet time. My techniques are beyond reproach.

There is a local cafe that I frequent which seems to feel differently. While it is a friendly place, the staff does seem to wonder, on occasion, why they are required to wait on you, when you are obviously not as cool as you could be.

They are correct, of course: I could be cooler. Also, the coffee is pretty good, and they have sushi in the morning, which I enjoy, so they get a pass on their haughty demeanor.

Except for one thing: this note they have in the bathroom.

As I mentioned above, I am fairly secure in my privy acumen. Up to this point, only my mother has ever had any criticisms, and those came early on in my training. So, needless to say, I was taken aback by this bit of instruction posted on the cafe's bathroom wall:

Dear Customers: Please use only as much toilet paper as you need! The plumbing is very sensitive and these toilets get clogged VERY easily.

I am sympathetic to plumbing issues. In the house where I grew up, all visitors had to be instructed to "jiggle the handle" after flushing before they went into the downstairs bathroom. Signs in public restrooms with gentle reminders to not flush tampons, paper towels, small animals don't bother me. This little bit of instruction, however, goes too far.

Do the people of this cafe really believe that the general public is too decadent in its use of toilet paper? Do they imagine that we pull it off the roll like kittens, delighted as it floats on the air currents created by the exhaust fan, then let it settle in a loopy pile on the floor before stuffing it into their poor, beleaguered toilets? Or do they think they have some insight into wiping efficiency that others lack? Are they concerned that we have not fully analyzed our technique out of laziness or ignorance, and now their plumbing is paying the price? Did they initially consider hosting workshops in the proper use of the bathroom, then decided to settle for a simple sign, in the hopes of provoking thought and discussion?

Consider me provoked!