Of Mad Men and My So Called Life

Everyone I work with talks about "Mad Men" - last season it was "Heroes" and "Lost" - which is why this article surprised me. It seems that while AMC's Emmy award-winning drama is loved by many, the ratings don't reflect that. What this tells me is that the television taste of people I know must represent a very small subsection of America.

My favorite show of all-time was on for just one short season when I was in the 10th grade, "My S0-Called Life." Much like "Mad Men," the program was critically acclaimed. In my opinion, no program before or since had so accurately captured my 10th grade angst. After just one season, ABC nixed the program, due to poor ratings, leaving viewers to wonder Angela Chase's fate. I often think that if the show was on now, it would have made it longer than a season. After all, shows that seem much worse seem to have much longer shelf lives. On the other hand, "MSCL" was unique - it captured a certain honesty about high school that probably wouldn't cut it in this day's lineup of "Gossip Girl" and the new "90210."

Another similarly critically acclaimed show which met a similar fate was "Freaks and Geeks" - another show that I loved. I didn't watch it when it was on television, but rather on DVD, years later.

Historically, I have always had one favorite show at a time, which usually comes out on top as another jumps the shark. "Saved by the Bell" was the original favorite - then they all went to the same college and it eventually went off the air. "MSCL" followed suit, giving me my favorite season of television ever. I don't recall loving another show until college, where a different one seemed to replace another each year - in rapid progression - "90210", "Party of Five" (until Bailey became an alcoholic and Charlie got cancer), and "Dawson's Creek." By the time "Dawson's Creek" ended and Katie Holmes married Tom Cruise, I had moved onto "The O.C." Once Mischa Barton died and Ryan was a cage-fighter, I had adopted "One Tree Hill."

There was "Laguna Beach" and "Newport Beach" - the second certainly less interesting than the first and later, "The Hills," which God knows why, I still watch. I just discovered, as a matter of fact, that my DVR records nothing in the top 20, which means all of my favorites are subject to cancellation: "One Tree Hill', "Gossip Girl", "Army Wives", "The Hills", "Entourage" and "Rescue Me."

Just don't take "Intervention" from me ...

Anyone have a stray cat?

"I'm 23. Remember how old 23 seemed when you were little? I thought people would be traveling in air locks and I'd have five kids. Here I am, 23. Things are...They're basically the same. I think time's running out to do something bizarre. Somewhere around 23 bizarre becomes immature." —Bridget Fonda as Janet Livermore in Cameron Crowe's Singles.

Today is my half year birthday. I am officially closer to 20-10 than I am to 29, and that thought is beginning to terrify me.

I should rewind and point out that I don't have this date marked on my calendar. Rather, it has always been my parents' tradition to celebrate our half-year birthdays with a cupcake and some small random gift.

On Friday, I went home for the weekend, as my brother got married. My mom handed me a small box and said, "I was afraid your half-year birthday would get lost in the shuffle this weekend." Appalling. How could they forget my half-year birthday on the weekend of their only son's wedding? Too funny.

Regardless, 30 seems that much closer and I feel as though I have much to accomplish in the next six months. I want something big to happen - something exciting and life changing. I dread getting to the age where it seems that I should have done it all already, that I should have gotten it all out of my system. When I once mentioned wanting to move cross-country, my brother commented that "people don't do that at 30, they do it at 22." So I missed my chance?

So the lesson is ... start filling out my social security forms. Begin collecting stray cats - dozens of them. Happy 29 and a half to me :)

Of Routines and Vh1 in the Morning

I am a creature of habit - I get ready for work in the exact same order every morning. I walk to work the exact same way each day. I love knowing that you can get the free song on iTunes every Tuesday morning (even when it sucks ... which it often/usually does).

Since college, I have listened to Vh1 in the morning. While I don't watch the videos unless something catches my eye for a particular reason, it serves as decent background noise. In 2003-2004, when I ran in the gym, I used to run to Vh1. For that reason, I will also associate "Hey Ya" with that period of my life.

I consider my taste in music varied and somewhat eclectic. While I am happy to come across a song that few people have heard of, I will just as often fall victim to a tune on iTunes that I heard on XM's 20 on 20 or Vh1, for that matter.

The problem, as of late, is that some of these songs are just terrible. I find myself distracted, listening to a song on Vh1, just thinking, "Who is this artist and why should I be forced to listen to this?" Much like word association, the first three which come to mind (and oh, these songs/artists are truly atrocious) are Chrisette Michel, Thriving Ivory and that Kid Rock song about "summer in Northern Michigan."

Just for fun, let's see what the public thinks is popular these days by checking out Vh1's Top 20 Countdown ...

20. Rihanna - Disturbia: Dear God, this song is awful and the video is downright creepy. It also seems to be the top ringtone in nail salons and malls.

19. Robin Thicke - Magic: Honestly, I don't think I know this one. I'm hoping I tuned it out. I remember his last song ... and that he is a R&B singer whose dad was on "Growing Pains."

18. Adele - Chasing Pavements: This song isn't terrible. HOWEVER, Vh1 hyped her as a "new artist" everytime they played this song and I can probably recite every word, verbatim, of her speech about London and this song.

17. Gavin Rossdale - Love Remains the Same: Actually, I like this one. I even bought it from iTunes.

16. Jennifer Hudson - Spotlight: Again, I don't think I know this specific song. I just don't like her, though. While she did a decent job in the "Sex and the City" movie, I abhor her singing.

15. Staind - Believe: I thought this band disappeared with Creed? No?

14. Little Jackie - The World Should Revolve Around Me: I can't decide if this song is catchy or if I hate it. The guy in the band is creepy looking, though. He's a little slackjawed lookin'.

13. Kid Rock - All Summer Long: Where to begin ... I hate Kid Rock, I hate Michigan, I hate that this video is filled with skanks on boats wearing Confederate flag string bikinis. This song actually has the ability to ruin my morning. I'm hoping that all the kids in Northern Michigan will stop buying it now that their summer is clearly over and it will fall off the charts. Then he can go back to doing what he does best - getting in fights in Waffle House.

12. Natasha Bedingfield - Angel: I liked her first song, way back when. Her next one aka the theme song to "The Hills" became the definition of overplayed. "Pocketful of Sunshine" drove me insane. This one, whatever. It's not as bad as her last one.

11. O.A.R. - Shattered: I was unaware that anyone other than frat boys really liked O.A.R. - but this song is also in the iTunes top 100. Shocking. It is almost as lyrically intense as "Hey Girl."

10. Pink - So What: Okay, Pink is obnoxious and also cheesy as hell. But the sentiment of the video appeals to me - basically she's just out to piss people off and some days, I can relate. Carry on.

9. 3 Doors Down - It's Not My Time: This song won't go away; I swear they've been playing it since January. The video is rather annoying, too.

8. Estelle - American Boy: Another song that I can't tell if I enjoy it or hate it. I think I was just excited when I mastered both parts of the song while sitting in traffic.

7. Lifehouse - Broken: Okay, the secret is out. I'm actually a closet Lifehouse fan. While I don't own any of their albums, I have bought a few on their songs on iTunes, this being one of them. Sadly enough, I think I heard it on "Laguna Beach" or maybe "Newport Beach." Also, Kiefer Sutherland directed this video - wonder how that came about. I just don't see them running in the same circles.

6. Jason Mraz - I'm Yours: Ah, another summertime guilty pleasure ... one of the few songs that actually makes me smile almost every time I hear it. Every other song he has ever written seems to consist of lyrics resembling "skeet bop doo wop skat" and this one keeps that babble to a minimum. Good job, Mraz.

5. Jordin Sparks - One Step at a Time: I despise Jordin Sparks' music. While I have never voted on "American Idol" (I take that back. I voted once last season AGAINST David Archuleta.), I have no idea how this girl became America's Idol with songs like these. This song is seriously one of the most irritating songs ever written. It needs to be in High School Musical or Degrassi High. That is the only place it has any hope.

4. New Kids on the Block - Single: Seriously? I wish I could explain this comeback phenomenon. I am only grateful that I was into hairbands and metal during the first coming of NKOTB.

3. Crush - David Archuleta: Speaking of the devil ... I was so grateful that this weirdo didn't win American Idol last season (although I saw a combined eight minutes of the season). This video actually makes me laugh. It shows him hanging out in a "High School Musical" esque outdoor cafeteria setting (where the athletes hang with the show choir kids) and he is the BMOC. I'm sorry to say, but I doubt anyone at his school was knocking down his door before he was on American Idol. But now, the whole world has a crush on him. Indeed.

2. Leona Lewis - Better in Time: This should be called "Better than My Last Song." I can't even remember what her debut song was, but it would get stuck in my head. Ah, yes, "Keep Bleeding." She's another "talent show" winner, except America isn't responsible for voting this one into stardom.

1. Daughtry - What About Now: This video is annoying. It's another one of those "let's inspire the masses through music video and make the world a better place" attempts. While he doesn't suck quite as much as the other Idol rejects (i.e. Archuleta, Sparks, Hudson, etc.), I can't dignify this song with a number one rating.

So what's good right now ...

• Helio Sequence - Lately
• The new Ben Folds album, "Way To Normal" - not his best but still fun, if you're a Ben fan
• The soundtrack to "Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist", especially the We Are Scientists and Takka Takka songs
• The Fratellis - Shameless (total catchy goodness)
• Death Cab for Cutie - Cath ... (not new, but I love it this week

119 Cans of Red Bull

Well, the good news is that it would take a lot more caffeine that I thought to put me down -- 119.44 cans of Red Bull, to be exact.

I'm recovering from mono and to be quite honest, it really sucks.

I'm probably at about 60% back to normal and I would do anything for a daily afternoon nap, a la preschool. I've been trying my hardest to be cautious with my (lack of) energy, but some weeks such as this one, I can't win.

Tuesday night was the Ben Folds concert, which was totally amazing. Going to bed after 1 a.m. and getting up at 6:30 a.m. - not so much. Wednesday was Chef Gala - also fun and also, another six hours of sleep that night. Thursday was just long, stressful and exhaustive. I felt hungover yesterday - with the added bonus of having not drank anything.

I tried to compensate this week with copious amounts of caffeine - which really didn't work. The list was long and varied: Red Bull, Coke, yellow Vitamin Water, Starbucks, Starbucks and more Starbucks. I realized that I'd had too much when I was tapping my foot repeatedly during Chef Gala registration ... and when I thought "If I drink, I'll sleep tonight." I think I learned that from watching too much "Intervention" - only I don't think they were talking about caffeine.