13 posts tagged “the office”
The digital short on last night's SNL was funnier than The Office's entire fourth season. Which probably isn't saying much, but the short is really funny.
I've been thinking lately of good shows that ended up falling apart in later seasons, and I'd like to do a series of posts on them. The first on my list is sadly one of my favorite shows: The Office. Maybe I'm being premature and the show is going through a rut before restoring itself to brilliance, but I'm not very optimistic. I think the writer's strike is actually the best thing that could have happened to the fourth season. Out of the 8 episodes in Season 4, I liked a grand total of two. TWO. And I believe there is one reason for the show's current woes: JAM fans.
Disclaimer: I like Jim and Pam. I think they are cute, and I wanted them to get together eventually (eventually = series finale). But I watch the show for Steve Carell, not to pine over two secondary characters. The JAM fans I scorn are freakish in their devotion. These fans are either young teenage girls or middle-aged women who probably have never had a relationship and thus have to live vicariously through two characters who do not exist. JAM fans will pan a perfectly hilarious episode if it didn't have more than one scene of Jim and Pam smiling at each other or shooting each other a three second look of intense longing. JAM fans cannot sit through two minutes of the show without demanding where their fucking JAM moment is.
The following passage epitomizes everything I hate about JAM fans:
JIM AND PAM ARE HAVING SEX IN LOVE. YOU GUYS THIS MAKES ME SUPER DUPER EXTREMELY GLEEFUL. Like, full on sex. He's passionate about it. He's in love with it. There were these girls sitting next to me who thought the episode was cheesy but you guys, JIM AND PAM ARE MADE OF AWESOME AND WIN AND IT DOESN'T MATTER ONE BIT. It was perfect. The person who said a really good fic writer is writing this show now? FACT. It is now fact and I am reaping all the rewards because love is love and it's just SO MUCH FUN TO WATCH.
This is my crack, you guys. Just... GUH. And Dwight read them Deathly Hallows and I am going to need to be rewatching that five seconds about fifty times before I am satisfied. SO CUTE. Seriously, did you see Jim holding Pam? That was just... GUH. And all... Eee! And PJs and Jim thinking about their first night away and Mose being a little creepy but cute too and irrigation room.
So, yeah. Jim/Pam sex just makes me happy. Plus, more adorable while at the same time hot sexy kiss of all time? Amazing. And, Jim!confession! I wish he would have waited a bit for Dwight to reciprocate, but I understand he had to go kiss Pam and make himself feel better. Although, a longer Dwim scene would have made me happy too. They cut out the bacon part. This upsets me.
"It's your turn." AHHH. You two kill me with your adorableness. I mean, it's like you were meant to be. It's amazing. Never change. *dies of awesome love*
I wish I could have made that shit up, but no. Some JAM freak wrote that all out in an LJ Office fan community. You wouldn't believe how many "omg I know!" comments it received. I think I was the only wet blanket who replied with, "OH GOD."
So why did JAM fans ruin The Office? The Office is supposed to focus on the subtle, awkward moments of cubicle life. But the writers had to write something definitive for Jim and Pam to shut the fans up. The second season was pure perfection-it had a terrific balance of cringe-worthy moments courtesy of Michael Scott and enough "JAM" to keep the freaks happy. The kiss between Jim and Pam during the second season finale definitely left the writers in an awkward position-how to handle it? With the exception of several rocky episodes in the third season, they handled it well. I honestly think that if the writers had waited until the third season to have the first Jim/Pam kiss, the pace would have worked out better. Again, I think the writers were under pressure to have SOMETHING HAPPEN.
The fourth season found Jim and Pam as a couple. The first ten minutes of the fourth season premiere had a really great premise, I thought-Jim and Pam were obviously a couple, but denied that they were to the camera and to their coworkers. I think the writers should have carried this out for the rest of the season, but JAM fans probably would have gone on a hunger strike or something.
I read a good commentary before the fourth season predicting that if Jim and Pam became a couple, all subtlety would be gone from the show and that the show would have to rely on over-the-top hijinks to make up for its lost emotional core. And did it! Michael ran over Meredith, Dwight killed Angela's cat, Michael drove into a lake and kidnapped a pizza boy, and Michael and Dwight snuck into Karen's office to prevent her from moving Stanley to another branch.
It's gotten too ridiculous and over-the-top for me to enjoy anymore. The quality is nowhere near what it used to be. I really hope that this is a premature assessment, but I don't think the writers can dig themselves out of the JAM hole.
First things first: I really hope that if any Voxers reading this right now are in California or have family there, that y'all are safe. I really hope these fires abate soon. I can't even imagine what the residents are going through.
I can't think of a good segue after something like that. (awkward pause)
So...the FE is on Saturday. I'm really hoping the night before, something (like alien abduction, getting bitten by a radioactive spider, having my brain cells pumped smarter by a group of tiny elves) happens so that I am miraculously smarter and prepared by Saturday. It can happen.
My presentation in Wetland Ecology was today. It wasn't bad, considering how much practice I had before it. I've given better presentations but I think I bs-ed it pretty well. Luckily, I think I'm the only engineer in class, so if I did make a blunder somewhere, no one could call me on it. And I always talk loudly and look at the audience, so there's some points for me.
Someone did ask me what "Blue Baby Syndrome" is at the end (there was no way I was going to try and pronounce "methemoglobinemia" during my presentation), and I mometarily blanked out. I finally spit out, "It's where there's nitrates in the drinking water...it affects the baby's blood...the baby can die from it. It turns blue." Someone was nodding vigorously as I was talking, so that's always a good indication. (I'll never forget a group presentation I gave in high school. My group really was "winging it" and it was so awful. At one point I was giving a definition for communism, and I saw my teacher and some other students shaking their heads with confused expressions on their faces. BAD.)
My creative writing class was canceled tonight, so I was able to stay at home. The Office was back to 30 minutes tonight, and I'm happy. After the semi-funny and somewhat boring hour-long episodes, tonight's episode was right back to form. I'm already tired of the Andy/Angela romance, but at least JAM was at a minimum this episode, so I'll stop with my quibbles. If all this season's episodes are like tonight's, then I'm definitely getting the 4th season DVD. My show is back!
I'm in love with this weather. It can be this weather for the next four months and I will be so happy.
Tomorrow is the Kappe Lecture. The topic seems really interesting. And there's always a free lunch. Huzzah.
I guess I'll go start cramming stuff I learned three or four years ago and have forgotten.
Peeps, tonight I owned on Halo 3. OWNED. I was playing awesomely and no one could believe it. I really hope I keep this newfound awesomeness. I really suck with the campaigns but I'm getting good with Slayer. Try to survive my beat downs.
I don't even care how nerdy that last sentence sounded.
You know why I hate Jim/Pam fans? YOU LOSERS ARE RUINING MY FAVORITE SHOW. The first three seasons were so amazing, and now the fourth season is sucking so badly right now. The writers are turning Michael Scott into this complete idiot, the show seems to be forgetting the fact that it's supposed to be a documentary (what's with all the weird multiple shots per scene?) and I DON'T CARE ABOUT JIM AND PAM'S ROMANCE. Yes, they are cute, and yes, John Kransinski is my secret baby daddy, but I do not watch the show to have a love affair vicariously through the characters. If I were that person, I'd be watching Grey's Anatomy. You want to know exactly how inane the hardcore "Jam" fans are? Take this sample comment from a community about The Office:
JIM AND PAM ARE HAVING SEX IN LOVE. YOU GUYS THIS
MAKES ME SUPER DUPER EXTREMELY GLEEFUL. Like, full on sex. He's
passionate about it. He's in love with it. There were these girls
sitting next to me who thought the episode was cheesy but you guys, JIM
AND PAM ARE MADE OF AWESOME AND WIN AND IT DOESN'T MATTER ONE BIT. It
was perfect. The person who said a really good fic writer is writing
this show now? FACT. It is now fact and I am reaping all the rewards
because love is love and it's just SO MUCH FUN TO WATCH.
This is my crack, you guys. Just... GUH. And Dwight read them Deathly Hallows and I am going to need to be rewatching that five seconds about fifty times before I am satisfied. SO CUTE. Seriously, did you see Jim holding Pam? That was just... GUH. And all... Eee! And PJs and Jim thinking about their first night away and Mose being a little creepy but cute too and irrigation room.
So, yeah. Jim/Pam sex just makes me happy. Plus, more adorable while at the same time hot sexy kiss of all time? Amazing. And, Jim!confession! I wish he would have waited a bit for Dwight to reciprocate, but I understand he had to go kiss Pam and make himself feel better. Although, a longer Dwim scene would have made me happy too.
They cut out the bacon part. This upsets me.
"It's
your turn." AHHH. You two kill me with your adorableness. I mean, it's
like you were meant to be. It's amazing. Never change. *dies of awesome
love*
WTF HOW OLD IS THIS PERSON? At least 12. Ugh. I hate internet fandom.
Speaking of internet fandom, apparently Dumbledore is gay. I can just imagine the HP slash writers going insane over this development.
Speaking of age 12: why do I have to make a mistake that belies my age? Hmph. As my dad said, "I think your brain went into the shredder" (since that's all I did at work today...hehe).
I bought this book today:
I don't like feeling guilty.
I'm tired. Sort of.
I have class on Thursday nights, which means I get to miss the first half of this season. But the episode was already online this morning (you can watch it at nbc.com if you don't mind watching small ads, but those drive me crazy. Fanpop.com is my favorite site; they have episodes up by the next morning.) Obviously, this post is going to contain SPOILERS, so don't read further if you don't want to know anything.
The episode was great. It is back to the zany Season 2 humor and doesn't seem as angsty as Season 3 (as great as Season 3 was, the Jim/Pam/Roy/Karen quadrangle gets a little tiresome). The cold opener was hilarious. Poor Michael, with the breakfast that Jan "made him" (cereal with milk), while she was passed out on his bed, presumably hung over. Then BAM-he runs over Meredith. After other unfortunate incidents, Michael fears his office is cursed, and hosts a fun run to evoke awareness for rabies. Oh, yeah, and we find out that Jim and Pam are dating.
I really liked the way the writers handled it in the first couple of minutes, where both denied being in a relationship. Of course, it was already obvious that they were. I wouldn't have minded if they kept it that way, but then the episode reveals solid proof that the two are a couple. Jim and Pam are cute and all, but I never watched the show for them-for me, it's all about Michael Scott. So as long as The Office doesn't become all about Jim/Pam or makes a big issue out of the inevitable breakup, I'm good. After all, Friends was still great when Ross and Rachel got together (and broke up 300 times).
I felt like the premiere would have been much better if it had been shortened to its half-hour length or even 45 minutes. It's a funny episode, but sort of stalls in the middle and end. Either way, I was not disappointed by the premiere, and I'm glad my favorite show is back!
I will open my post with some of this:
The last couple of days have been good. My poem was really well-received, which made me so glad. I mean, when English majors tell you that your poem is "great," you take that and run with it. I wrote more poems this past week than I have since high school. I finally found an idea I liked (swing dancing), and played with that. The workshop was really helpful and offered great feedback and critiques. The "worst" critique I received was someone who didn't like my title, but screw that, because I like it.
Went dancing Thursday night, and then I spent much of yesterday trying to get the labs organized. I like my new job. It's fun trying to get something organized and trying to figure out what to do with the hazardous waste the labs accumulate-perfect for the environmental engineer AND the OCDer in me. I am amazed how we still have chemicals in them from pre-1991. And is it so hard to label your chemicals when you had received/opened them?
I went shopping at Target. I spent about $20, which is still okay ($20 Friends DVDs are still out). They finally stocked up on The Office goodies, which I grabbed:
My back has still been bothering me periodically, so for the sake of my back, dancing, AND fashion, I broke down and bought these:
Those of you who know me IRL know that I never wear flats other than sandals. (I'm about 5'7" but I still have been obsessed with looking much taller since I was in high school.) Hence, I wear heels practically everywhere. It also doesn't help that my own heels-obsessed mother disparages the flats craze and refuses to wear them. But I know flats are in, and this is the first pair that does not make me look like I have clown feet. Reader, I bought them.
Last night, I went with some friends to the Rec to watch Surf's Up (a cute movie), and to eat some pizza. The weather was fantastic-we watched the movie by the outdoor pool. I have a feeling the weather is not going to be as nice today.
Well, there are a lot of items to check off my list today. And I still would like to walk to Barnes and Noble if my back feels better (in tennis shoes, of course). Have a great weekend, everyone.
Oh, and Happy 24th Anniversary to my parents!
Today I actually woke up with my alarm (7:20) without turning it off and going back to sleep. Maybe it's because I was on a mission to get THIS:
I had to get to Best Buy early before all the fans grabbed it. I'm not embarrassed to say I wore my Dunder Mifflin t-shirt in honor of the occasion. Luckily, the cashier seemed to be clueless about the show, and didn't comment on my nerdiness. "Is this for a friend?" she asked as she scanned the box. "Oh no, it's definitely for me," I replied.
This morning it was deliciously cloudy and cool. When I was walking back from the library, it was getting humid and sunny. But now it appears to be cloudy again. Good. Meg and I are heading for a run this afternoon, and I don't want to melt.
This weekend I had senioritis (grad-student-itis?) like whoa, where I didn't want to be here, this town is boring, blah blah blah, wah wah wah, etc. But then I counted my blessings and realized that a. I have nothing to complain about, and b. how can I expect to be happy up here if I'm being negative? So that moment passed.
I do worry incessantly about little things. It's dumb. I don't know where I got it from, because neither of my parents seem to. My brother is the polar opposite of me-he doesn't really care about anything. I like having control over all aspects of my life, and if there's something I can't control, I worry about it. It's stupid, right? I think the excessive amount of caffeine I have been drinking lately does not help matters.
I've started drinking tea at night. I need something to compensate for my caffeine addiction relapse. If you are a blueberry fan, have I got a tea for you:
So, I started work today. I woke up at 5:30 for the first time in ages. I was already pumped to start, so I wasn't that tired. I work out on the edge of town, so I need to take the freeway to get there. I am not particularly fond of freeways, but a. if I want to live in a bigger city, I need to get used to them, and b. I'm not a wuss, so I drove my dad's truck to work, following him since I still need to get the directions down. Getting back seemed easy enough-my dad told me the exit to take, no biggie. I walked into work.
I enjoyed my first day of work. It is not unlike the first day of school-new people, new places, new smells, new experiences. They are going to keep me busy and I know I'm going to learn a lot, which is great. Tomorrow we are going out to a hazardous waste landfill. My boss took me by a landfill today and filled me in on what we're going to be working with this summer. What was really cool is that I understood everything my boss was saying, thanks to Dr. B's hazardous remediation course this semester (and even some stuff from 609). My temporary desk is right across from my friend Jessika's. We had lunch at the Executive Surf Club, which was fun. I can already tell that working in an office is going to be much better than working in a lab. Working on projects simultaneously is perfect for someone ADD like me.
My adventure really began on my way back from work. I chatted with Jessika for about ten minutes after work, then headed out to the truck. I got on the freeway and I swear that I knew which exit to take. It's just that the exit came up very quickly, and I realized that I was in the wrong lane. I tried switching over but the traffic was too bad-I would have had to side-swipe someone to get in it. I figured missing an exit would not be that big of a deal. Now, keep in mind that my exit was a bridge that turned left back onto a freeway that would lead me home. I kept on going straight. Meaning I was leaving the city.
So I kept driving, hoping that somehow, I would magically come across the right exit or that I would still be on my way home. But once I saw the refineries, I realized I was on my way to San Antonio. I was already late, so I exited and kept on driving for awhile, trying to find a place to pull over and let my parents know I was going to be late (since I should have been home by this time). I figured once I did, I would just get back on the highway and head home.
I had two choices: I could call either my mother or my father to say I was going to be late. My mother would worry, but I knew my dad would just jump in the car to come and find me. I did not want for him to drive all the way out to get me, so I called my mother. I calmly told her that I took the wrong exit and that I was going to be home late. Everything went well until she asked me where I was. My dad called a minute later (with my brother guffawing in the background). I told him I knew where to go, but he said that he was driving out so that I can follow him home. I give crappy directions, so it took awhile for them to find me. To my credit, after my father and brother pulled up (laughing at me), the way my father took home is exactly the way I was going to go anyway.
So I followed them home, feeling bad that my dad had to drive all the way out to lead me back. My dad didn't seem to mind, but of course I was the butt of their jokes once we came home. Hey, Jennifer, can you find your way to your room? For the record, I KNEW WHERE I WAS GOING THE ENTIRE TIME. Just that I took the wrong exit. And drove for awhile afterward. But I've been driving for 6 years, I think it's pretty good that this is the first major time I've gotten lost taken a detour home. Either way, this story is going down on the list of other infamous stories my family tells about me.
But the season finale of The Office was the topping on a good day (it seriously was good. Even if I got lost misdirected, I got to drive for awhile, which is always fun). Um, spoiler warning:
Jim and Pam! Finally! But the rest of the episode was great too. Michael was hilarious, Jan was a mess, and I was completely surprised at who got the job at the end of the episode. What a great season. I can't wait until Season 4, and until this comes out on DVD!
Well, I am going to go relax until bedtime. Because I actually have to work tomorrow.
I'm trying to reorganize things in my room and unpack at the same time. While I have a bigger room than I used to, my closet space is much smaller. So it's a bit of a challenge, but this pack rat is actually throwing things away. So liberating.
The past couple of days were great because I was able to hang out with my pals. On Thursday I went to Pei Wei with Meg and Matt, and we headed to Dr. B's house (really gorgeous, historical home). We went to IHOP on Friday and then I was able to meet up with Andres and his girlfriend, Vanessa, for the Methanogenesis Reunion 2007. It was a lot of fun, since I hadn't seen him in a year. His girlfriend is very sweet, and they make an adorable couple.
The rest of the time I spent in a frenzied packing state. Now, as a grad student, I have this packing deal down pretty well. There are going to be times in your life when parents have to help you move; if they are like my parents, they always complain about how much stuff you have. Here are some tips I've learned over the years that can help you fool your parents into thinking that you didn't pack too much.
1. Do play reverse psychology. Don't tell your parents that you "don't have a lot of stuff," because you are only allowed to use this phrase if you literally have only one suitcase. Instead, make it sound like they need to bring a U-Haul to pick you up. That way when they do get there, they'll be relieved that you maybe only have three suitcases, three large containers, a television, and an Xbox.
2. Do use whatever space you have efficiently. I am the queen of packing an excessive amount of clothes and other random belongings in my suitcase. Sure, it's heavy, but it looks like I have less. That's the key. Be creative. For instance, after cleaning my trash can, I put three pairs of shoes in it.
3. Don't overuse the small plastic bags. You might be tempted to use all those old HEB bags for stuffing your hair dryer and pairs of shoes in. Be careful. Parents interpret any more than three bags as crap.
4. Do realize that first impressions count! Having belongings strewn all over the floor will give your mover a heart attack. Hide suitcases behind your larger containers. Place containers on top of each other. Try to take up as small of a volume as possible. There is a direct correlation between floor volume your belongings take up and complaints you hear from your helpers.
5. Don't make any promises you can't keep. If the steps above have done nothing to help you, you have several options. You can apologize for the excessive amounts of belongings, or you can try to cheer your parent up by promising not to pack as much next year. But be careful if you do take this step-parents can smell bullshit a mile away.
I used the above steps to my advantage since this time, my dad did not complain about how much stuff I had (I did try pulling number 5 on him, which didn't work). We went to pick up my brother in Austin and then came back home. I can't believe my dad put up with my brother and me on the way home. Starburst + Dr Pepper = extremely hyper Jenny, and my hyperness usually rubs off on my brother. I came home, and my mom and little puppita greeted us. It's great to be back.
Last week's episode of The Office was awesome mainly for this final clip (definitely a spoiler warning applies here). I don't think I've ever been that proud of a fictional character.
We-ell, I need to head back. Bye bye!
Video: Show us your TV crush.
Submitted by quornflour.Warning: the video contains spoilers if you are not an Office viewer!
There is a new Office episode on tonight, by the way.
