BIG weekend...BIG...HUGE

Yeah, THAT big. Okay, so it was just another sweltering weekend here in New England. And not to jump on the already large "pig pile," but this tropical heat and humidity is NOT what I signed on for. I choose not to live in Florida and I'd appreciate it if New England weather would acknowledge that.

What was worth mentioning this week was television, mostly for the Season 4 premiere of my favorite (by a LONG stretch) show, Mad Men, on AMC. I watched a number of the Season 3 reruns to get myself back in the mood, but honestly, I wouldn't have had to. Their writers and creative folks do such a good job of keeping viewers interested and intrigued, watching a new season of Mad Men is like seeing your old friend from school--you catch up quickly and fall easily back into old rhythms and patterns. It just works when you do it that well.

No spoilers here, but it suffices to say that this was a pretty fantastic episode. No huge surprises, that's not their style, but narrative advancing plot twists, nonetheless. You really can't ask for more than that, only they add in characters that you don't just like and recognize, but some that you recognize and want to dislike, but can't. It can be deliciously frustrating when nothing is exactly what it seems on the outside...just like life.

As a quick side note--no time for a graceful segue here--I really do hope to write a little further on both the Harlem Valley Psychiatric Hospital and the Fairfield State Hospital Campus at Newtown. I'm finding it more difficult than I'd expected to address the topic with the right amount of seriousness while still commenting and discussing the architecture and mental health. As soon as I find the right balance, you'll see another post about one or both.

I'll leave you with one of the best lines from tonight's episode of Mad Men..."I'm from the midwest, we're taught that it's not polite to talk about ourselves."