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.

My New...

Passion isn't exactly the right term. At this point, it would be more like "something I recently discovered that makes me happy", "my new thing to bring a bit of sunshine in my life", "something light and delightful I can indulge in occasionally". Actually, it is something old made new again. Ah yes, fanfic. Since I know a number of my readers know about my dirty little fanfic-reading secret because they shared it too (LOL), I don't feel too ashamed. Yes, I am a little fangirl trapped inside of a body of a grown woman... who still goes to school... who has a roommate... who owns a lot of mismatched furniture and no car. Anyway, technically, I'm a grown woman. ;)

My undergrad years, particularly in the summer, were prime time X-Files fanfic reading. Since then, I lost a lot of my XF interest so I have read very few (none really in 3 years at least). But I have now started watching The Office, which has plenty of UST (Unresolved Sexual Tension for those uninitiated), which is the ultimate trap for me to read fanfic it seems. LOL Mulder and Scully got me the first time, and now, it's Pam and Jim. I stumbled upon a board where people made fic recommendations, and oh. I have only read 3 or 4 short stories but I have fallen in love with it a bit again. Of course, I sadly don't have much time to read this stuff but that's all the more motivation to graduate. ;) LOL

By the way, there is a Saturday Night Live TV Funhouse retrospective airing on April 29. Saturday TV Funhouse was often the best part of SNL. The Ambiguously Gay Duo and The Ex-Presidents were always my favourite cartoons on SNL so I'm hoping to see plenty of both. Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert, who were the voices of Ace and Gary, aka The Ambiguously Gay Duo, recorded new material for this special. I can't wait to hear that!