Snow and TV Shows

It's been a snowy weekend, so I had fun with my camera!








As far as TV goes, I'm so sad that Pushing Daisies has been cancelled. Now, ABC may not even air the last episodes. Boo, ABC, boo.

On the plus side, there's this new series on CBC on Monday nights (which I've heard will air in the US on SoapNet, but it's totally not a soap) called Being Erica. It's about a girl who gets sent back in time to moments she felt she screwed up to try to fix them or learn from her mistakes. The writing is really good, and I just got sucked into the show. The third episode was on tonight, and it's just so enjoyable. Plus, you get a lot of music from the 90s, which is so cool. The fact that the series is about a single girl in her early 30s living in Toronto and coming home to her cat and kinda of confused about it all might make me identify a tiny bit. ;) Highly recommended.

Chuck and The Office are also very enjoyable this year, and The Daily Show is on fire so I'm pleased as punch.

Oh, to end my post, here's a little cutie. :)

Free Jenna Fischer!

She has unfortunately been kidnapped by Rainn Wilson. She will not be given a peach smoothie unless we see Rainn's new movie. ;)

I Have Been Quiet in The Last Few Months...

It's odd how I used to blog quite regularly, but it seems to have just fallen out of my regular routine. I'm keeping quite busy as always. I did go out this afternoon, and went to see Definitely, Maybe, which I enjoyed even more than I thought I would. It's a very cute movie for a Saturday afternoon. :)

I've tried to pick back up my cooking of late, and I've made ratatouille and many other delicious dishes. I can't wait to buy myself a digital camera (which should be soon enough) to keep a visual diary of my culinary attempts.

Oh, and I finally, I've started watching Frasier reruns recently, and I had forgotten how much that sitcom made me laugh. David Hyde Pierce as Niles is particularly brilliant.



While I love shows like The Office, 30 Rock, and Pushing Daisies, I wish there were some good sitcoms in the vein of Frasier and Cheers still around.

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

I have been quiet around here lately. Haven't had much to say. Things have been busy between my dissertation, teaching, and my part-time job as a psychometrist. I'm going home this weekend for the holidays. I've been in a festive mood for a while. I decorated mid-November this year. I love having all the lights and the tree. It's just so pretty! :) During the break, although I do need to work, I plan to take time to bake, go to the movies, and sleep! :)

I'm bummed out about the TV strike because I had been enjoying The Office and 30 Rock a whole lot this season. Plus I found 2 new shows I love, Chuck and Pushing Daisies. Highly recommend all these shows. Hopefully, the strike shall end soon. I am watching the new game show called Duel on ABC right now though, and kicking serious butt. I would have won all the duels. I guess it sometimes pays off to know a lot of random facts! LOL The host, though, is utterly annoying.

Happy Holidays, everyone! Best wishes to you and your family and friends! :)

All Is Well. Mostly.

Term has begun. I am teaching a course, and have another part-time position one day a week to pay the bills. Besides that, it's me and my research. Oh yes, the demon is back. So it is.

I've started doing Yoga Booty Ballet recently. I know that it has the most ridiculous name, but it is fabulous. They're fun workouts and I'm already seeing changes in my booty and my ads. That's all a girl can ask for! :)

Besides that, tonight is The Office's season premiere. I can't wait. I watched Chuck on Monday night, and that's also a very enjoyable show I'll probably continue to watch. I love nerdy guys, which I am sure comes as a shock to all who know me. ;)

This Feels Like An April's Fool Joke...

but I guess it isn't: Falling in Love With Objects. My brain is broken by trying to understand this. How can you be in a sexual relationship with an iBook? I want to know. As much as they want to claim they're not fetishists, I beg to differ. Anyway, I am not going to judge too much because I was far too invested and happy on Thursday night, knowing two fictional characters were finally going on a date. ;) Well, you know though it is not a deep-abiding love for fictional characters and I'm not sleeping with Jim and Pam action figures as of yet. LOL Although I may as well come out and say it, I would date Jim Halpert if he were real. Ha!



How cute are they? Very cute.

I Wrote A New Office Fic...

entitled Paper Jam. It could be subtitled: "What I Wouldn't Do to Avoid Writing Reports and Do My Income Taxes." Hee. No, actually, I just felt really compelled to write that story, and more miraculously, I was able to finish it. I have at least five or six unfinished fanfics since September that are just lying dead on my hard drive. Sometimes, I just seem to have a chunk of story without anything else, and I usually don't force my hand to try to finish it. However, I do feel proud and satisfied of myself when I am able to write a whole story I feel doesn't suck totally. :)

Starbucks PR! Plus, Rules of Conduct Apply to You Too!

I used to be a Starbucks fan in my early years of grad school. In the last 4 years though, I rarely ever go to Starbucks since Second Cup coffee agrees more with my stomach and is closer to my house. However, by unusual circumstances, I ended up at Starbucks twice this week. I was walking from a meeting on Tuesday night and needed a little pick me up. The barrista was having a hellish time with the order of the previous customer so I ended up waiting about 10 minutes for my coffee. I wasn't in a rush though so I didn't really mind. But the barista felt bad so my coffee was on the house. I thought, "Nice." First comped Starbucks coffee ever. Tonight, I went to a totally different Starbucks near the hospital, because I needed a little fuel (Cinnamon Dolce Latte, to be precise) to finish my reports and it was 6 pm and everything was closed at the hospital. Anyway, again, I was waiting for my coffee, but the barista forgot about me, and it took a bit of time to get my coffee. But who cares, it is Friday night, and I am not in a rush. Nevertheless, he gave me a coupon for a free coffee. Is this a new policy at Starbucks thought up by the PR department? Or do I unconsciously put on a bitch face when I have to wait for a cup of coffee? LOL Although I guess the fact that you pay 4$ for a latte should probably buy some efficiency in the process of obtaining your coffee. But I will say that it is ironic that I never got free coffee when I was truly in a rush in the morning and I was actually genuinely annoyed at having to wait.

Speaking of being annoyed, as you may know, I help manage a fanfic archive in the Office fandom. Most of the community is great, but as always when you work with people, there are some who are a bit more difficult to deal with. Today, one of them decided to post a story that she knew was against the rules. It is not like she is a newbie who is unaware of the rules; she even acknowledged in her summary that she knew it was venturing in that territory that we don't allow. So I emailed her about it, saying I had deleted the story and explaining why. She actually replied back, acting all surprised and trying to challenge me on it!! I had started my email with "You probably know what I am going to say about story x", and she had the guts to reply "No, I don't read minds." Then, after arguing certain points with me, her defense was that she had no intention of offending anyone. I am not offended; I am annoyed. Because somehow, I actually don't enjoy feeling like I am talking to walls, and having to play bad cop with grown-ups who should know better. Shocking, I know. Why do some people disregard simple rules & then act surprised when people call them on it? Actions have consequences. What a concept.

Wig Gate and Party Music

Why do I enjoy the Internet? I'll tell you why. Because people can spend weeks discussing whether an actor is wearing a wig or not on a show, and they even provide evidence that his hair is much shorter in RL than on the show. Ha! I must say, regardless of whether it is a wig or not, John Krasinski's hair on The Office has been bugging me in the last few episodes because it does not look good. He was playing a 1920s football player at the same time he was filming The Office so they messed with the hair somehow. He needs to go back to his good hair days of Season 2 (how adorable!), although he was also looking good when he filmed License to Wed, which is coming out this summer. Which by the way, you know I will probably see, let's face it, because I have a hard time restraining myself in front of romantic comedies, especially when the only alternatives on July 4th weekend will be Bruce Willis being all macho again and 80s action figures.

On a totally unrelated topic, as I was running errands today, I was listening to music and felt like dancing. LOL Since dancing in public for no reason is not appropriate (ha!), I made a playlist in my head of 50 songs I'd like to dance to. I figure I can use that list if/when I have a party. If it is on my blog, it will be easier to find. By the way, I am fully aware I have music tastes that are pretty eclectic and sometimes veer towards cheesiness, but as Lucille Bluth says, I won’t hear it and I won’t respond to it.

So here is the list in no particular order: (I would have many more to add, but 50 is a good start!)

1. Sexy Back- Justin Timberlake
2. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)- ABBA
3. Like A Prayer- Madonna
4. Island in The Sun- Weezer
5. Love Shack- B-52s
6. Go- Indigo Girls
7. Brian Wilson- The Barenaked Ladies
8. Candyman- Christina Aguilera
9. Dress You Up- Madonna
10. Pour Some Sugar On Me- Def Leppard
11. Unwritten- Natasha Bedingfield
12. Thriller- Michael Jackson
13. You Drive Me Crazy- Britney Spears
14. Lady Marmelade- Christina Aguilera, Pink, Mya, and Lil Kim
15. Middle Of Nowhere- Hot Hot Heat
16. We're Not Gonna Take It- Me First and The Gimme Gimme
17. Since U Been Gone- Kelly Clarkson
18. They - Jem
19. Holiday- Green Day
20. Higher Ground- Red Hot Chili Peppers
    
21. Inside and Out- Feist
22. I Will Survive- Cake
23. Here It Goes Again- Ok Go
24. Kick Your Game- TLC
    
25. Astounded- Bran Van 3000
    
26. Canned Heat- Jamiroquai
27. Extraordinary- Liz Phair
28. Breathe- Michelle Branch
29. I'm Just a Gigolo- David Lee Roth
    
30. Born To Be My Baby- Bon Jovi
31. Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting- Elton John
32. Groove is in The Heart- Dee Lite
33. American Girls- Counting Crows
34. Rhythm Nation- Janet Jackson
35. Walking On Sunshine- Katrina and The Waves
36. It's Raining Men- Geri Halliwell
37. Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours- Stevie Wonder
38. For Once in My Life- Stevie Wonder
39. Where The Streets Have No Name- U2
40. Where's The Love- Hanson
41. Home for a Rest- Spirit of The West (The quintessential Canadian party song!)
42. If I Could Turn Back Time- Cher
    
43. I Want You Back- Jackson 5
44. New York, New York- Frank Sinatra
45. Rich Girl- Gwen Stefani
46. Crazy in Love- Beyonce
47. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun- Cyndi Lauper
48. Toxic- Britney Spears
49. You Shook Me All Night Long- AC/DC
50. Stop!- Spice Girls
    

Oh, and a slow song? Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight", TLC's "Red Light Special" or "To Make You Feel My Love" covered by Billy Joel.

My Laptop Is The Biggest Pain In The Ass

My laptop is yet again having fits. This time, the screen has decided to stop working. I swear to God, it wants me to throw it out of the window. Argh.

Anyway, to improve my mood, I went on YouTube and found this:



So funny! Bringing sexy back! Michael and Dwight are bringing on something, that's for sure... LOL

TV, Why Do You Make Me Sad?

I watch very few dramas and comedies on TV, and I now remember why. Dear God, I can't take the angst! On last night's episode of The Office, the Scranton and Stamford branches merged, and Michael is now in charge of them all so that means more friends for him, which makes him so happy! Ha! He even made a welcoming video called Lazy Scranton, based on the SNL clip Lazy Sunday. Hilarious. One of the new employees, Andy, played by Ed Helms of The Daily Show, is the ultimate suck-up, which gets oh so much under Dwight's skin. That was all great.

They are trying to kill me with the Pam and Jim relationship though. Pam was so happy to have Jim back in Scranton, because she finally broke up her engagement and seemed ready to start something with Jim. He was being distant most of the day (he got rejected by her before so it was understandable to be on his guard.) At the end of the episode, Jim announced to Pam he was dating someone else! Kill me. This is like the Mulder & Scully dynamic but at least 10 times worst. LOL The new girl in Jim's life, another employee from Stamford who got transferred with him, has no idea what went down with Pam so it should be fun when that blows out in the open.

Anyway, this made me so sad because:

1) A comedy shouldn't be bumming me out.
2) I can't believe I care enough about fictional characters to be feeling sad about their fate (they are NOT REAL!)
3) Seriously, I don't want them to hate each other. It is not fun to watch.
4) I don't think I can tolerate another Mulder/Scully or Ross/Rachel type of relationship again. Because, by the end, I didn't really care what happened to those 2 couples. It had dragged on so long that I wasn't too fond of them anymore.

Let's hope Jim and Pam make up sooner than later. Otherwise, I'll be weeping in my corner. LOL

Music Blog!

I got Sarah McLachlan's new CD yesterday, which is a Christmas CD, but has a lot of winter-themed songs on it. River, one of my favourite songs, is covered, and she does a kickass job. I also adored her cover of Happy Christmas (The War Is Over). She also included Gordon Lightfoot's Song For A Winter's Night, which she already had covered on Rarities, B-Sides, and Other Stuff, but which is so beautiful. By the way, I fully realize that by listening to this CD, I am listening to Christmas music in October. I just can't help myself! Christmas music is one of my favourite guilty pleasures.

I also got k.d. lang's Hymns of the 49th Parallel, which is a collection of covers of great Canadian songs. I have wanted it for a long, long time, and it happened to be on sale so I jumped at the chance. It is absolutely gorgeous so I was pleased with my purchase. Both CDs kick ass so it was a good music buying session!

This is definitely a music-themed entry because the other thing I wanted to mention is that Jim on The Office last night was singing "Lovefool" by The Cardigans to drive another character crazy. Do you remember that song? I have a distinct memory of listening to that song while driving in my mom's car on the highway on my way to school. It happens to be one of those songs that is a terrible ear worm. Once you start singing it, good luck getting rid of it. I have been singing it all day so I am now sharing my misery with you all. ;)

Ballpoint Pen + Hand Sanitizer = No More Ballpoint Mark on Sweater

I managed to make a big black ballpoint mark right in the front of my sweater this afternoon at work. I was not having the best day (pretty stressful), which led me to talk and wave my pen. Well, more than usual! LOL So I looked dumb with a big stain. I knew alcohol was the best way to remove this kind of stain, but I didn't have any handy...until I looked at the bottle of hand sanitizer on my desk. It probably wouldn't have clicked me with me had I not remember the season premiere of The Office where Meredith, the resident alcoholic, has a fondness for hand sanitizer. (That was a sad storyline.) Anyway, a little bit of hand sanitizer on my sweater, and the ballpoint mark is totally gone! Never let it be said that The Office is not useful in my daily life!

So yeah, today, hand sanitizer is my best friend, and not only because it keeps my hands germ free! :)

Work Fun on Friday Night

The department where I work at the hospital empties quickly between 5-6 pm, but none so more than Fridays. I was probably the only person left at 5, especially considering it is a 3-day weekend! It is Yom Kippur on Monday and since this is a Jewish hospital, we have the day off. Plus, Sabbath starts Friday at sunset so we are supposed to be leave before then, but since I am not Jewish, I am staying behind to get more work done, but laying low, of course. I have a couple of reports to write and I need access to the files so I need to stay here. I got myself a Starbucks latte, and it is nice and quiet. I have an office that I adore with big windows. Seriously, I couldn't be happier these days even if work is kicking my butt but good.

Oh, dorky me got all excited because I finally got some books I had ordered ages ago from Amazon. One of them is called Geriatric Neuropsychology, and I can't wait to read it. It looks like it will be so helpful. I also got the new edition of one of my work bibles called A Compendium of Neuropsychological Tests. It was like Christmas in September. Oh, and I had also ordered a DVD of a small movie called Lollilove because I am on an everything-Office-related kick and can't help myself when someone dangles a dark comedy in my face. ;) So that is what I will be watching tonight.

Speaking of The Office, they were killing me with the angst this week. It is funny, funny angst, but still... Too many sad/brokenhearted faces. I'll have to come back later to let that all out.

Back to work for me! :)

DVDs and Cooking

I love cooking. I love TV. When I do both at the same time, it is like heaven. I was watching some episodes of the Office from my Season 2 DVDs as I cooked tonight (made an awesome dinner, by the by). Could I love my Office DVDs more? I don't think so, because it would then be very unhealthy. There are about 2 and a half hours of deleted scenes, and they are pretty much all extra awesome. It is too bad the shows aren't longer because so much good stuff ends up on the cutting room floor clearly just because they can't fit them in timewise! The episode "Sexual Harassment" has some delightful deleted scenes. There is one in which Michael Scott compares the HR rep Toby to the devil. Hee. Michael has a irrational hatred of Toby, who is calm, sensible, and low-key. Basically, everything Michael isn't.

There is another scene where Michael suggests fictional harassment scenarios and one of them involves dating Pam, and she says she'd drown herself rather than date him. Hee. The funniest deleted scene though is between Pam and Jim; I couldn't stop giggling for 2 minutes:

Pam: I know we’re having that harassment thing this afternoon...

Jim: Yeah?

Pam: Sometimes when we IM, I send you that little winking face with the lipstick... *She mimics the face.* I realized that might be harassment.

Jim: Yes, it is harassment, and I’m going to be suing the winking face. I’ve hired the angry face as my lawyer, and you should be hearing from him pretty soon.

Pam: Okay.

Jim: Okay. *Jim dings her on IM.*

Arrested Development DVDs, Baby!

Season 3 for 21.99$ at Best Buy. Pretty sweet deal. I just unpacked them and they are sitting on my couch. I'll watch a few episodes tonight. Yay!

I am even more excited though for The Office Season 2 DVDs coming out on September 12. Ah yes, the Emmy award-winning Office! Jenna Fischer, who plays Pam, has updated her MySpace page with a bunch of pictures from the Office Emmy after-party. It is adorable.

My favourite picture of the Emmys: Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell having too much fun. They are very cute.

A Little Office Guide for Bee

The first episode of the American Office is pretty much word for word like the British one, but after that, the episodes become distinct. I mean, some of the plots have certain similarities, but once we get to the second season, it has diverged pretty much completely. (Although, I have a feeling that in season 3, we will see an arc already used by the British version, but it is pure speculation on my part.... The 2 versions of the Office are really mostly distinct shows, and the tone of the American version is certainly a bit lighter (again, especially in season 2), although Michael can be a huge jackass! My favourite episode of season 1 is called "The Alliance". It is pretty perfect.

In season 2, the show became really an ensemble show, and focused on everyone in the office, not just the main 4. Still, I LOVE season one.

Just in case, a British to American conversion of characters
- David Brent (Ricky Gervais) = Michael Scott (Steve Carell)
- Gareth Keenan (Mackenzie Crook) = Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson)
- Tim Canterbury (Martin Freeman) = Jim Halpert (John Krasinski)
- Dawn Tinsley (Lucy Davis)= Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer)
- Ricky the temp = Ryan the temp
- Keith, the weird guy = Kevin
- Lee, Dawn's fiancé = Roy, Pam's fiancé
- Jennifer Taylor Clark = Jan Levinson-Gould
- Chris Finch (Finchy)= Todd Packer

But there are tons more characters in the US series, who are there in season 1, but whom we get to know even better in season 2.
- Toby, sensible HR rep and Michael's archnemesis (Really awesome!)
- Phyllis, the sweetest employee & motherly figure in the office
- Angela, the bitchiest & most controlling accountant ever (She is the head of the party planning committee we often see.)
- Kelly, who never stops talking & loves everything pink and pretty
- Stanley, who is just waiting to retire and is in a 'run down the clock' situation
- Oscar, another accountant
- Creed, the weirdest employee ever
- Meredith, with the 2 divorces & a bit of a drinking problem (She is the one whose birthday they celebrate in season 1).
- Darryl, the foreman of the warehouse

Sigh.

I found this on the Office LJ community. How cute is he? Too much, that's how. So, so handsome. I want one like that. ;) For the record, I will admit to being totally pathetic by buying the magazine, and putting that picture up by my desk.

This Is A Post Without A Title Because It Is Full of Random Stuff...

My writing muse struck again: Wild Horses. There is something about certain songs that just inspires me. Incidentally, I wasn't listening to the original version of Wild Horses when I wrote this, but to the cover by Alicia Keys and Adam Levine (of Maroon 5). I highly recommend it. Anyway, it is just a beautiful song.

A fellow Office fan compiled the colours of Jim's shirts and Pam's cardigans across episodes just because I dared her to.(She had compiled Jim's tie patterns last week, and I was kind of joking around...) First of all, what better use of Excel is there? ;) Second, I am amazed there are some people as geeky as I, who think stats can be fun. Finally, I think I may have discovered myself some powers of persuasion that I can use for evil. LOL (Yeah, I wish.)

Rented a documentary called Stupidity last night. Eh. It felt full of filler, and for a documentary deploring the pervasiveness of stupidity, I didn't exactly it offered a lot of insight into anything.

I made some fresh salsa, and mint & shredded chicken noodles last night. So, so good.

Because YouTube is awesome as always, I found a clip of an old SNL episode with Justin Timberlake as host. I remember being surprised how good he was. It had a skit where he played Jessica Simpson. It still cracks me up...

Wednesday Night Is Alright For Working and Relaxing

A big hi to my girls Shri and Kir who found their way over here recently. Nice to have you here in my little corner of the Internet! :)

Life has been crazy busy recently, but I finally decided to go to the movies this week since it is one of my favourite things to do, and I hadn't been in at least 2-3 months. On Monday night, I went with my friend Jeremey to see Strangers with Candy, which was so wrong and yet so funny. It had been a while since I had seen a movie that made me laugh so much. I don't think I could love Stephen Colbert any more, and I lurve Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinello. They also recruited Matthew Broderick as an evil science teacher, Alison Janney and Philip Seymour Hoffman as science fair judges, and Sarah Jessica Parker as a wacky grief counsellor. Loved the movie.

Then, last night, I saw that there was going to be a free screening of Little Miss Sunshine tonight at theatre near my house so I decided to go. I saw the reviews for it from the Sundance Festival back in the winter, and I've been waiting ever since to see it. It was a dark comedy, just the way I like them. The ending was so funny! Basically, it is about a family who drives in a RV from Alburquerque to California to attend a child pageant because their daughter really wants to compete. Greg Kinnear plays a failed motivational speaker and his supportive wife is played by Toni Collette. I love those two. There is also Steve Carell plays the gay university professor uncle who has just attempted suicide and is under their watch. This is a pretty dramatic role, but he kicks butt as always. There is also Olive, the unusual pageant daughter, their teenage son who has made a vow of silence, and the wacked out grandfather. Seriously, it is all kinds of awesome. Very touching and very funny. Plus, any movie that has Steve Carell dancing is alright with me! (It wasn't boss of dancing awesome, but still good.)

Tonight I also treated myself to a bubblebath complete with pear/linden bubblebath, scented candle, and a drink. It was a beautiful thing. I'm so relaxed now. Yet, I have to get back to work. Such is the irony of life. *hugs to all my readers out there*