After I watched the first episode of Mad Men last year, I went back to work the next day and couldn't help comparing my work environment to that of the early 1960s.

Gone are the days when men could kick back a few martinis at lunch, light up a Lucky Strike during a meeting and satisfy an afternoon lull with a drink from their own office bar.

Mad Men, the first original series for AMC (thanks to a miscalculated passing by HBO), premiered last summer.  Now, I would like to say that Lori and I began watching before the show received its critical acclaim and two Golden Globes (Best Television Series - Drama and Best Actor in a Television Series - Drama for Jon Hamm), but we were a little behind the bell curve on this one.  Luckily, AMC re-aired the first season early this winter, and we learned what all the buzz was about.

In an era dominated by cheap television, it's such a breath of fresh air to find a show like Mad Men.  Add this show to the ranks of The Tudors and Lost in terms of quality.  Not only in the writing and character development, but the visuals as well. 

That brings me to the architecture of the time.  Oh, how I love mid-century modernism -- so being set in 1960 New York, you can only imagine.  Every episode is just eye-candy for me. 

Back to the comparison of the times.  Sitting there in my cube at work, staring into the computer I stare at eight hours a day, I thought of what it would be like if I was born fifty years earlier.  Granted, there wouldn't be any technology (no iPhone 3Gs to talk about) but that's the beauty of it.  The simplicity of the time (just how it's reflected in the simple architecture). 

To imagine working in a world that isn't full of the nuances of being politically correct, rows of cubicles, and endless amounts of e-mail. 

Take me back.  (Now, if I was a woman, it might be a different story.)