Thank the Good God for Netflix. I saw The Princess Bride for the first time last night. My favorite part?

Vizzini: I can't compete with you physically, and you're no match for my brains.
Westley: You're that smart?
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Westley: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.

Do you hate homosexuality? Well, you should because it's illegal in 48 states. Those unhealthy people are polluting the world. Tell Hallmark how much you hate them, too.

But seriously.

This is not a Christian nation. It's a democratic nation. Anyone can do anything they like, as long as it doesn't interfere with the rights of another.

So I say, thank God for the assholes—we know we are free!

I really enjoyed The Counterfeiters. The main complaints I've read from reviewers are that it's "nothing new," and there is too much ambiguity in the characters. I think there is nothing wrong with something being similar to others. Fresh ideas and creations are exciting, but what if those were all we emphasized? As for the ambiguity, I think more stories would benefit from indefinite characters and incidents. They are more true.

I'm very sick. Mucus, chills, and so forth. It's the first week of student teaching, of course.

When explaining how to make the best of a not so great situation:

Me: We only get 1000 copies a semester. So that's why we print the homework and quizzes two per sheet, sort of small.
Her: So you can double that resource.
Me (very seriously): Yeah, or even quadruple if we do it front and back.

Moment of silence, then laughing and coughing.

Dear John McCain,

My friend, what the hell is wrong with you? As much as I can't stand your position on issues and your face and voice and word choice and your voice and that voice of yours, I almost feel bad for you right now. Sarah Palin? Really? Sure, she's anti-abortion and thinks gay marriage is icky, but you've got your health to consider. I don't think conservatives want to risk this. John, you could die at any moment. They don't want a woman president. They won't even let them talk in church. And I think as an appeal to undecided, center-swinging voters, this is poor at best.

Then again, look who we're talking about.

Good luck at the debates.

Brian