Mornin',

So i've made some of my first home pressed coffee by Peets. How long do you let it steep normally? The taste is all right. I wouldn't say resplendent- but good if I double the recipe. Like 4 scoops instead of 2. Is that excessive? I can't help it. I have allergies. Thee breathing smelling/taste thing? My eyes are red and I'm snarfing and hacking. Which makes me think I need to eat more honey if that does in fact work. I'm eating an apple and've had an egg and 2 ezekial bread toasts which would be better if there were nuts baked into the bread but anyway. And i'm watching the office- I'm not sure if it needed to be 40minutes long especially since Jim's sacrifice continued throughout the episode to make Pam seem like a selfish deluded hosebeast who had hopefully no one on her side- as it seemed as the episode progressed that there really is NO going back. Even for fictional characters. Am I right? And then when Andy was like... blah blah blah follow your dreams and Jim didn't even catch the correlation? Or was he just putting on a brave face? I do love davidwallace. And oscar and angela and the bit with stanley and phyllis at the end. Nice. I think the heavy actor issue of whether andy would be a success or not was a bit irritating-  especially since he is already "successful"- it would've been much better to have a discourse about inital fame and then what do you do "after"...

Meanwhile it's suppose to be blazing today which i'm not happy about because my body finally adjusted and i'm no longer freezing so that 95 is actually really hot and wilting- yesterday i attempted to do something and i was like ugh no. I do continue to move my parents a few boxes at a time. Progress is being made I have to believe. Though it doesn't really seem like it. Which messes with my productivity meter. But really bit by bit. Here we go on down the lane. Like my dad came over yesterday and was like blah blah LATER. As if the time was not now. Me being back is NOW. I am the ball in motion. Be the ball. Roll. You can do it. You're almost there.

The other day i rounded the corner to my bathroom and i was suddenly struck by my feeling 'old'/er now staunchly in my late 30's. And my drivers appointment made on the 8th (a bit late) so i can take that new picture- the one that hopefully will show a benchmark on the way down the lane. And who really knows what to do with myself. And there's a bump on my chin that was a blemish once and i think officially scarred? And is now a permanent discolored bump which drives me nuts. It's like if i were to make an analogy about Stanley from pro/run finally making it after a 3rd try out and then being so completely off his game that it was disasterous... and patricia and her trees? are you serious? I'm with Nina- wacky, whimsy but cohesion and sophistication- come on. Worst season of pro-run ever. Though i did love that zak guy. I guess I am in the right place to be the person I am. LA.

What else... oh puppy spaying and my cats all have fleas. Which they do and are now medicated on the necks waiting it out. Oh corruptable nature. with its nits, fleas, bedbugs (ambers apt complex), lice and cockroaches and ants and mites and whatever else... you just have to shake your head at. And thank a tidy 1st world order that eradicates such things.

Allright, let me go beeee productive. Or think about being productive? It's hard to say. Maybe i'll just stare at stuff and watch the day go by. Decisions, decisions.

m.


ps. for bruckner i think i'd actually ... hmm i could google image it and guess the address. that might be fun.



 

shocking report, by pen

Apparently Jenna Fischer has gone missing. Kidnapped by Rainn Wilson! It’s true. We can only hope that Pam will return to prevent yet another truncated season of The Office. In the meantime, we do have this seriously entertaining site to view.

 

summer schrute love

Luckily, there's another fan out there ambitious enough to scan the photos from Rainn Wilson's recent "Hero Worship" shoot with EW magazine. Saved me the trouble of having to upload them myself. I give you Reason #706 for Why I LOVE Rainn Wilson.

shirts recently purchased, by pen

I needed some new shirts (that actually fit? unbelievable concept, I know), and happened on a coupon on EW Mag for 80stees.com. It's a rad site. Here is the coupon, if you are so inclined!

discuss with me

***SPOILER ALERT: Do not read this if you haven't yet watched The Office and ANTM season finales.***


All right, so the season finale of The Office was a major, bummed out, buzz-killing disappointment. As m pointed out, the first 39 minutes were kind of fantastic, my favorite storyline in particular being Kevin as a passably "special" employee. Toby's exit was well-played, though we hope they check in with him next year in Costa Rica. His replacement offers all sorts of potential as a love interest for Michael, and for yet another personality for Michael to play off of; this chick is oddly like his mirror. I didn't really notice Andy being in the episode, and then, there he was. Stealing Jim's proposal thunder, and that's where it all went downhill. First J.Lo and I thought Jim would be fired just prior to proposing, and that would screw it up, but he brilliantly overthrew the coked-up, belligerent Ryan. They way the proposal botch did go down, however, was maybe the worst way they could have popped that happy bubble. Jim had it all set up, contributing the fireworks and such to Toby's going-away party, settling on an at-work setting for the proposal because work is where Jim and Pam have had all their "firsts." But then Andy steps up out of nowhere, taking advantage of the same perfect moment and proposing to Angela, who says yes in a sort of disgruntled way, and then is spied later "making up" with Dwight. I appreciate the revival of their storyline, think it also has lots of potential. But the Michael Scott storyline totally bummed me out as well, because really? Jan is pregnant, but by a sperm bank donor? I mean it was believable and yet almost over-the-line mean. Because as much of a tool as Michael can be, he seems like he'd actually make a pretty good father... As odd as that sounds. And it was just sort of horrible to see him crawling back to Serenity by Jan and supporting her baby treachery, simply because it's the closest he's going to get to the real thing. I kind of cannot stand Jan.

I'm sorely disappointed that Jim and Pam didn't get officially engaged, but I reserve final judgment until the fifth season premiere. The writers, brilliant as they are, can save this, should save it. Must save it. Somehow they need to turn the lost moment on its head and satisfy that huge romantic buildup for viewers. The story can't all be sunshine and roses, even in a comedy, but on some things, a payoff is non-negotiable. Jim and Pam's engagement is one of these instances. Turk and Carla over at Scrubs give me hope that they won't drag this out yet another season with all sorts of horrible tension between them, that they will just get married and live happily ever after, that the writers can step up and maintain an interesting storyline about the Married Jim & Pam... because frankly I can't take it if they break up, or even remain the same.

Dear Writers of The Office,
My Happy Jim & Pam Bubble has been burst. Please repair anon.
Sincerely Yours,
Penelope


Moving on to ANTM, Whitney was awarded the win, making her the show's first full-figured Top Model. Fatima got the boot first, thus making Kim and I dance for joy, and so Whitney and Anya battled it out. You're going to ask me if I think Whitney was chosen because she is a plus-sized model, and my answer to that is yes. Absolutely, yes. Don't get me wrong, I like Whitney, I think she had enough talent as a model to deserve the win, I think it's cool to see a plus-sized girl in there, it's great. I wasn't even bothered as much throughout the season at her alleged fakeness, because I kind of enjoyed her valley-girlish snark and felt like she was sincerely a cool person even if she needed to work on her facade. But was she a better model than Anya? No. Not even close, really. I like Whitney enough that this finale wasn't a disappointment, per se, but I felt nearly as dumbfounded as when Danielle or "Dani" was crowned over Joanie, or when Naima was declared winner instead of Kahlen. To me it just didn't feel quite "right." I feel like the judges knew they might not ever again get a chance to crown a plus-size girl, so they seized the moment before them. Whitney did deserve to be in the Final Two over Fatima and most definitely over HTM (Hot Tranny Mess) Dominique, but to win over the stunning, born-to-model Anya? Not so much. The consolation is that Whitney will make a cool Cover Girl, and Anya will certainly have a career. She's young, and it doesn't seem like she's going to throw in the towel. Unlike Kahlen, because where the hell is she? Congrats, Whitney. Can't wait till the next cycle begins.

News in Brief

*For the yard sale tomorrow, I'm trying some reverse-psychology tactics on the weather. I'm preparing for rain. I'm borrowing a canopy (thanks, erinhjones!), J.Lo's rigging up a tarp. In my mind's eye, I picture us all standing there, soaked and miserable. But really, I'm determined that we will pull this thing off, sell lots of stuff, and our efforts will totally be worth it.

*Library Book Sale this weekend!

*Claire deserved to go home this week on ANTM, but can we get rid of Dominique already? Chickie's got such an ego on her, and she's just... she's a hot tranny mess. I see Anya, Whitney, Stacy Ann, and Katarzyna as the final four.

*NKOTB was on the Today Show this morning, and even though they didn't sing (yet! coming up in May!), and even though I am old and they are old, and I can plainly see how totally ridiculous it was to worship them as a sixth and seventh grader, I still got a little chill. Like all time and age and reason filters just dropped away. I heart them.

*I didn't realize until Wednesday that The Office isn't new until NEXT week. Man. Also, I'm bummed because once again, the DVR and its limited recording abilities strike, and right now we are unable to keep up with Miss Guided. I hope they move the time slot. I heart Judy Greer.

*I cannot wait until next week's Survivor, seeing Eliza wave her little stick arms about the fake Immunity Idol. She's so smart. Annoying, but at this point in an almost endearing way.

*Lesson learned this week: One of my bad habits or character flaws is that I can't just let lost causes remain lost? I have to try to find a solution, work it out, because in my head the solution is just so obvious. Note to self: Don't do that. In the meantime, I feel pretty stupid for even trying to facilitate these hopeless situations. I'll be in the corner, licking my wounds.

order is being restored

I had a fantastic time on vacay, a great b-day (thanks for all the Blogdom well-wishes!), and feel... just, better. Like more ready to face life. Was it just me, or did February and January kind of suck. I felt like it was such an effort to muster up any sort of positive energy, much less maintain it? It was a dark spiraling vortex.

Now, Spring is around the corner. The warmer, happier weather, the daffodils, the chirping birds and flowering trees? I feel it in my fingers AND my toes. And, order is truly being restored to the universe with regularly scheduled programming. How I Met Your Mother! Top Chef! The Office in just TWO weeks! And the delightfully ridiculous America's Prom Queen. How one can resist a fluffy, apparently pointless show with Theo Von and Jai Rodriguez on the Judging Panel is beyond me.

Long live Spring!

it's not me, it's totally them!

Mid-week assessment re: Fall TV

So far my DVRroll barely has a chunk taken out of it as it it stacked like, 20 shows deep. Fall TV is hard, people. Your hopes are all high, there's so many new and enticing options, but you know you must be discriminating. You also don't want to be too hasty and chuck something good before it can hit its stride.

Speaking of "chuck," I really want to like the show Chuck. We did watch this one the other night, though Heroes and Journeyman still sit sadly untouched. I found myself getting very antsy during Chuck, and if and only if Journeyman really sucks are we going to give it a second go. I feel like the writing on Chuck is super-smart and the story has a lot of potential. But all the CIA stuff, which is, um, pretty key to that story? Eh. I don't know. I guess I would just rather stay with Chuck at his $11 an hour job and watch him fumble his way through relationships, banter around with his friends and family, etc. I feel like maybe this show is trying very hard to appeal to two different audiences and bring them together for a big viewership, but the end result may be that it only half-hooks each of those audiences, and everyone will be too bored to stick around.

I am also on the fence about Big Bang Theory and Gossip Girl. Big Bang falls right between How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men, both of which we do watch, but the magic of DVR means that we don't have to suffer through the sandwich filling if we don't want to. We could just eat the bread. I don't know if I want to eat just the bread, though; maybe BBT will be as tasty as a Fluffernutter and I have to give it more of a chance. Sitcom pilots especially can be slow... this one was definitely slow. But it did have some great lines, and sticking around could prove worth it. Although, looking back at last season, The Class started about just as slow and got better--but then right as we really got hooked, it was cancelled. And that is the worst possible scenario for your investment.

Gossip Girl is maybe being too hyped up and maybe from that I am expecting too much? Also, I admit I was only half paying attention yesterday afternoon when I had it on, which could be the problem. On the other hand, nothing on the show particularly wrested my attention away from playing on the Internet, sooo... I don't know. I think I'm axing it for now, unless and until I hear that it's a train worth hopping on board.

So I was beginning to think it was just me. I'm into Kid Nation enough to keep going, but all the other hopefuls so far have bombed. Maybe I'm just being a snob about these new shows because I already have my favorites and am rewriting history for when I first viewed their pilots, thinking that I was immediately and irrevocably hooked. It's just not true--The Office, my current absolute favorite show on TV, took me at least 3 episodes to really get into before I could get past the uncomfortable comedy of Michael Scott. And I'm so glad I did wait it out because the show is absolutely brilliant on several levels.

I still might be a snob. But, I am 15 minutes into Reaper, and I already know this one's a keeper. (Okay, I did not mean to make a rhyme there. Sorry.) It's funny, it's smart, it's got an interesting storyline, and it's fun. Directed by Kevin Smith, the show is about a 21-year-old guy in retail whose soul has been sold to the devil by his parents, but he doesn't know it yet. Fantastic. I'm going to finish watching, pronto.

Here's to the remaining hopefuls--may they, too, be worth it.

things that make me happy: 1

my associate producer rachel had the nerve to trapse across the world to indonesia... i've kept her meticulously updated on all the annoyances, comings and goings of bread and butter, so that during her 2 wk absence she wouldn't feel outof the loop on all the hubbub. yesterday we talked about getting her a cake or maybe welcome back pastries... the boys thought about boxing all her stuff, with a sign that says your fired- i said, um, rachel might cry you guys... and they both paused and said, yah, she would... so then "we" came up with this idea: some inspiration ala 'the office'- ever since i saw that awesome pic a few years ago on the website i have wanted to do just this... surprisingly 75ft goes pretty far. I have some left over. It's the best $3 i've spent in awhile if i do say so myself! and i do! I suranwrapped the chair but next time, if there is one, i'm buying 2 rolls and going for the chair and the drawers... Monday should be one of the best days, i can only imagine. It makes me happy just thinking about it.

love a good episode

Last night's episode of The Office was so exciting for me, I could barely stand it. It contained references to:

1. Harry Potter! Dwight's Beach Day Tribe was Gryffindor, and in response, Jim's team was Voldemort. Loved the way they taunted Dwight by chanting "Vol-de-mort," because he is, after all, "He Who Must Not be Named."

2. Survivor! Michael divided the workers into four tribes, and threw in random, totally out-of-context references to Tribal Council throughout the competition. It was fantastic.

3. Amanda Bynes. Kelly, in all her vapidity, referenced Amanda Bynes as a comedian (just like Bob Hope?). Then Michael said very seriously, "I love that movie, 'What a Girl Wants.'"

4. Willy Wonka. A few months ago, Andy confessionalled that the 5 Stamford branch newcomers were being picked off at the Scranton branch just like in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." I about lost it when he plopped into the water wearing his Sumo outfit and floated away, a la Augustus Gloop.

Then, to make it all even more worth it, Pam, jacked up on adrenaline after her coal walk, was brazenly honest to Jim about her feelings. She said everything she should have re: the wedding, Roy, their friendship, their relationship now. It was stunning. I cannot wait for next week's ep--except then it will be over for the summer. I predict Karen will get the NYC job and leave (effectively making her Charlie Bucket, winner of the grand prize, work-wise), and Jim, probably in a cliffhanger, will approach Pam so they can then live happily every after. Happy Vapid Kelly Sigh.

they make me happy, 2

Although grainy, here is a pic of K.Lo checking out The Office Valentines box. If you look closely, you may be able to make out Michael Scott holding a big red heart.

Also, why was I at Target again so early in the morning, and so soon after my last trip? Because clearly I have a problem, yes. But also because hello, the new SHINS CD, Wincing the Night Away, is out! And available for purchase this week at Target for $9.98. It's playing right now on my little stereo, and yes it's a good one.

Did anyone know, by the way, that Elyse from ANTM Cycle 1 dates Marty from The Shins? Huh.

they make me happy

I can't find a picture of them, but in the Valentine's aisle at Target yesterday, I saw 3 box sets of Valentine's Day cards, for friends and office mates. They feature Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, and The Office. How utterly fantastic. The packaging, the presentation, everything. I have no one to give them to, no reason to buy, but just seeing them there on the shelf added a little bit of sunshine to my day.

Thursday night lingo

J.Lo and I are plowing through the DVR'd shows from Thursday, and for some reason they're striking me as especially fantastic episodes. My Name is Earl/My Name is Randy/My Name is Joy/My Name is Crabman was pieced together so well and was freaking hilarious. The part with Joy smoking a cigarette and singing along in her car to Faith Hill? Man. The Office and 30 Rock were also hilarious, and from these two shows are two new words/phrases I feel everyone should incorporate into their vocabulary immediately:

1) "Schruted": botched with the flair of Dwight K. Schrute, as in "Boy, I really Schruted that up." Andy made up this term in his hint-dropping to Michael that Dwight needs to go, but how can we not love a verb dedicated to Dwight K. Schrute.

2) "Cheese and crackers!": exclamatory phrase similar to "Damn it all to hell!" or, "Motherf%cker!" but softer, more creative, and dorky-chic. As in, "Cheese and crackers, that really hurt!" Used by Kenneth the page when grease-burned by Tracy Jordan's malfunctioning Meat Machines.

And how about Dwight forlornly leaving the office holding only his bobblehead? Seriously, it just gets better and better.

calling all fans of "the office"

As part of my reorganizational spree that will surely continue into the New Year, I've decided that I need a new computer desktop wallpaper as well. And I've finally found desktop scenes featuring "The Office!" Check it out. They've got Jim, Pam, Jan Levinson, Michael Scott, and even Toby, who now resides woefully on my screen.

movie crossovers

In the lazy days following Christmas, J.Lo and I have been watching a lot of movies, both from Netflix and the Christmas Booty. Among them: Little Miss Sunshine, Talladega Nights, Pirates of the Caribbean 2, and soon (eeeee!) Zach Braff's The Last Kiss. What I so enjoy, for whatever reason, with movies and TV, is picking out actors and playing Where the Hell Have We Seen Them Before. It's like a game, I guess, and so much fun. J.Lo is much better at it than I, particularly with voices, but it does drive me batty when I can't figure one out, and I'll usually break for help from the imdb, lest I lose a minute of sleep. Anyway, with a few of these movies this week, the crossovers have been fantastic. Every time Davy Jones came on the screen, his tentacles twitching, I sang, I feel it in my fingers... I feel it in my TOES. And it made me laugh every time. I love Bill Nighy. Love Love, Actually. Oh--and how did we miss the first time that Borat (not that I've seen it yet, despite Kim's rec) is in Talladega Nights? As the snooty gay French NASCAR driver, Jean Girard? Crazy! And, of course, so is Bill Lumbergh, i.e. Gary Cole, as Reese Bobby, Ricky Bobby's dad... Oh, and then! So is Leslie Bibb, as Ricky Bobby's faithless trophy wife? And I so just wrote about Popular mere weeks ago.

The lists could go on and on, I'm sure. Summer Roberts is in The Last Kiss, the girl Jim dated briefly on The Office (Amy Adams) is Ricky Bobby's assistant and girlfriend after he gets dumped by Leslie Bibb... Peter Krause totally makes The Lost Room 1,000 times better than I'd normally find a Sci-Fi Channel miniseries, just because he was in Six Feet Under. Amelie spices up the DaVinci Code. Et cetera.

Now if only I could stay awake for the entirety of these films, I'd be in good shape. The plan for New Year's Eve thus far is a Harry Potter marathon, and I see myself making it halfway through the Sorcerer's Stone before passing out (is there a better nap than a movie nap?), but we'll see. Perhaps I shall triumph.

not too much

I thought I should post at least once more before being swept away in a holiday whirlwind of travel, twinkle lights, giving and receiving, family and eggnog and good cheer. Baby's first Christmas, yay! All the presents are purchased, wrapped and under the tree. I need to bake a cheesecake before we go away, and pack some bags. So far the stuffing veggies have been chopped, the aquarium water refreshed, and the living room dusted. We'll be returning Christmas Day for part 2 of holiday festivities, and I'll be cooking a turkey dinner. And yet what else is there to say? Just a random few come to mind:

-(Mis)Adventures has been updated to the new blogger. Experienced a brief formatting scare yesterday when updating the template, but switched computers and recovered. Phew.
-I got my $105 back from Wachovia bank. I think we'll still switch our accounts, with the exception of a CD, but for now, Hallelujah.
-K.Lo is fairly mobile now, and over the past few days has been into e v e r y t h i n g. The books, the CDs, the cupboards, the drawers, the yet-to-be organized recipes, the aforementioned presents under the tree. She can't yet walk and she doesn't crawl, but that baby can get around town using an ever-elusive scooch maneuver.
-A fish has died, and another 2 look sketchy. I don't know what's going on there, but I fear it may be the ich. Or whatever it is I've had possibly prophetic dreams about.
-On a positive aquarium note, however, 2 new algae-eaters have made their home in Greek-Ruins Central, and creepy as they look, we have high hopes for their scouring expertise. They won't go hungry in that tank, that's for sure.

-We've watched the Christmas party ep of "The Office" twice. I totally would have gone to the Committee for Planning Parties' party, rather than the Party-Planning Committee's party, but perhaps not before snagging one of Angela's brownies.
-Overall, it's been a peaceful week, filled with chores and holiday movies and Harry Potter, OotP, on CD. Can't think of anything better...

Merry Christmas, everyone!
xo,
pen