My favorite soccer blog, Du Nord, is being kept up by various guest contributors while its proprietor vacations in Ingerland. In the middle of a long Sunday post by indie-musician-turned-(via an interlude in the advertising business)-landscape-architect Matt Olson, one encounters this arresting passage:
I found myself sitting in the lobby of a large, super cool ad agency here in Minneapolis called Fallon Worldwide waiting for the woman who’d later become my wife to finish up some work late on a Saturday afternoon. There were very few employees around so, I felt comfortable putting on a large, authentic NYC Fire Dept helmet that was sitting out. I picked up a laptop, sat down at the baby grand piano, checked eBay for vintage Bjorn Borg Fila… nothing in my size, so I started playing some gentle, Arvo Part inspired, piano music. While I was pretty sure Amy would get off the elevator and find my little scene cute, I was really scared when the firms founder and namesake showed up. When he smiled and said he wished he could afford to have me sitting there playing piano, just like I was, all the time, I knew I was home.
So there you have it: Just acquire an FDNY helmet, and the ability to play Arvo Pärt-inspired piano music (actual Arvo Pärt music might not do the trick), and you’re all set to join the Mad Men.