That belt would make you a waist.

Is it wrong that whenever I see an ad for Se7en, I have to yell at the screen, "What's in the box?? What's in the box?!?!?!"

on second thought. Builds fort. out of Belgian Block. Lobs cans of Aqua Net.

spam bowling! Train tunnel fire UNDER THE CITY.

The USPS is trying to be hip. Their notification email is icustomercare.

I tutored tonight. Not really enough braincells, but I think she gets what an outline is supposed to do.

Not for me, but I can totally see you in that belt, ita.

Top 10 evillest people.

I'm a bit puzzled by Hirohito getting a mention. Isn't it widely held that he was a figurehead and Tojo was the one responsible for Japan's conduct in WWII?

I've seen A Clockwork Orange, Natural Born Killers, and The Last Temptation of Christ off that movie list. Birth of a Nation is the only remaining one that I have any interest in seeing.

Isn't it widely held that he was a figurehead and Tojo was the one responsible for Japan's conduct in WWII?

That may be the prevailing view, but there is considerable dissent regarding Hirohito's culpability.

I had the same response to Hirohito. I don't think there's evidence that Hirohito masterminded atrocities in anything like the way Hitler or Pol Pot did.

What Matt said about Hirohito. He certainly wasn't a hero, and I've read at least one biography that suggested that he could have stopped things if he'd pushed hard enough (based on his having halted at least one military-organized massacre of Japanese politicians by completely losing his temper), but others are more deserving of a place on that list.

Of the 10 controversial, I've seen Last Tango in Paris, Birth of a Nation, and in college a long time ago, Clockwork Orange.

Can't say I cared for Last Tango. I kept asking myself, what's the point? Which is frequently my reaction to lives of quiet desperation.

Birth of a Nation starts out as a relatively passable Civil War melodrama. After about 45 minutes to an hour, it turns its attention toward Reconstruction. And by the hour and a half mark, you start thinking it couldn't get any worse. But it does. And it does again.

I remember Clockwork as a movie with something to say, though I may be confusing it with the book, which I had read a short time before but haven't read since. At worst, I'd place it in the category of valiant efforts of the early '70s -- movies that tried to use the greater freedom to tell a story that wouldn't have been allowed on screen a few years before, and so deserves some respect for what it tried to do even if it didn't quite succeed. Though I should probably see it again before I try to defend that opinion.

Matilda News Update: First steps today!

Actually, Emmett was watching her while I made him a quesadilla and he started yelling excitedly. So I came out and she walked three steps to me.

When we reported this to JZ she told us that Matilda had also walked at daycare today.

Ambulatory danger baby!

First steps today!

WOOT!!

Go Matilda!