"Now I'm not just a good pooper, I'm a beautiful one."

You know what would really impress her? A shrine! Paste lots of her pictures on one wall of your cubicle, perhaps with letters cut from magazines that spell out your love and the belief that you will make babies some day!

Gowns, schmowns. I watch for the national costumes.

@pepe-silvia: I think it's pretty consistent with attitudes at the time about child-rearing (i.e., babies shouldn't be away from the mother for long periods of time, and men aren't capable of taking care of them).

@bluebears: I think you're right about that (Betty not being totally in the dark). I actually don't see either Betty or Don as physical manifestations of evil. They are very complicated, flawed characters that are a product of their upbringing and the times they lived in. The show is an amazing character study, really.

@BeckySharper: I thought (and I have no expertise in this area) that the theory that childhood masturbation is a sign of abuse had been discounted, and that it is now considered to be perfectly normal. Kids, even babies, do it because it feels good.

@SarahMC: Yep, one of the ways in which we haven't changed much as a society since the 60s.

@bluebears: It's possible, similar to the stereotype of the parent who only sees the child every other weekend being the "fun" parent because he/she spends the entire weekend taking the kid to do all sorts of cool stuff but doesn't have to do the actual, day-to-day parenting and disciplining.

@bluebears: I don't think Don should be given a pass. I do think, generally, that he has shown himself to be the more caring parent, so that might be part of it. But he's a pretty crappy parent himself.

@RenoMartini: As my mother said in her weekly Mad Men e-mail, "what kind of mother (who does not work outside the home) doesn't take her daughter to the shrink? Particularly on the first visit?"

I loved this episode so much it hurt. Just beautifully done all around.

See, the shoes are meant to distract everyone from the fact that she forgot to put her miniskirt on.

@la.donna.pietra: Seriously, my first thought upon reading this was "phew! Not going to be Scarlett Johansson."

@Pete Gaines: I stopped reading at the "born in 1985" part. I knew anything after that was going to make me feel very, very bitchy.

Is it Eat Brains Love or Eat Brains, Love? It makes a difference as to whether I'd want to see the movie.

We were listening to Guns 'n Roses, Appetite for Destruction. I'm pretty sure the actual sex started around "You're Crazy".

Wow. That Peaches Geldorf comment may be one of the assholiest things I've ever heard an asshole say.

I am currently reading Bonk, a book by Mary Roach about the study and science of sex. I'm reading it on a Kindle and am not sure if it is a good or a bad thing that I'm missing out on all of the Subway conversations that it could prompt.

I embarrassed at how embarrassed I am to have the same rain boots as Palin.

Black Velvet.