Hello, it's been a long time since I've posted. I've either been busy or just didn't care. Well, I have some free time this week so I might do a few posts in between doing nothing.
The man you see above is named Don Draper, played by Jon Hamm, on a show called Mad Men. The show is set in the 60's at a New York based ad agency called Sterling Draper Cooper Price (after the four partners at the firm). Don is a man with a complicated past and a lot of secrets. Over the four seasons, the viewers have learned a great deal about the man. His fellow characters are slowly learning about him too.
Season five started last night. In it, Don's second wife, the much younger Megan, decided to throw him a surprise 40th birthday party. As viewers, we know this will not sit well with Don, and Don's pupil Peggy tells Megan as much. Still, Megan persists saying it will be the kind of party people go home from and have sex. Okay, whatever that means, sounds swinging.
Anyway, she goes ahead with it and Don is predictably upset afterwards. Even though Megan did this (totally embarrassing and kinda cute) thing:
Don didn't like having these people (co-workers and "friends") at their home. Besides that, Don had actually turned 40 six months earlier. See, his real name is Dick Witman. He took the Don Draper identity after the Korean War from a man he served with that died. Megan knew this (he told her between seasons apparently), as do a few other characters, but not many. To Don/Dick, his birthday isn't a big deal. In fact, most people don't even know when it is.
How does this relate to my birthday? Well, like Don/Dick, I don't really do much for my birthday. I haven't since I was a child. I'd also rather not have a surprise party (nor have I had one). Like Don/Dick says to Megan after the party, "I don't need to be the center of attention." That's Dick Witman speaking, because Don is constantly the center of attention at work.
I'm similar in that way as well. At work, I'm very personable and friendly. People like me, but I do that because I have to. Few if any of them know any more about me than someone that I would meet today and give a quick overview of my life to. They don't know when my birthday is. I have friends that don't know (most of them). Just this weekend one friend asked if I had a birthday recently (only if 5 months is recent sure).
The point being that I no longer see a need to celebrate my birthday. Part of the reason is that, like Don/Dick, so few have even known when my birthday is to even celebrate it. I also see no need to inform people of when it is. If they want to know, they can ask.
The day is more important to my mother than anyone else, which is nice. Don/Dick doesn't even have family that knows or cares about his actual birthday.
I can say one thing for sure, if my attractive wife did care enough to give me a surprise party, I wouldn't be mean about it like Don/Dick was last night. In fact, I would thank her for it. I still wouldn't want it, but isn't it nice to know someone actually cares enough about you to do that? I'd think so.
No comments:
Post a Comment