Projects Due

OK, so there are several things that I'm supposed to do that I have not:

• Office Recap - this is very emotional for me, I don't think I'll ever get around to doing this unless I hear that the season's back on.
• Poem Explication - I had to do three papers on Margaret Atwood's poem, Siren Song: a bio on the poet, an analysis of the poem, and an explication of the poem. I only did the first two. I am so tired and drained that I can't even get myself to write it (which also explains the lack of posts). I don't know if I'll ever turn it in. Probably, we'll see.
• Marriage Ceremony - it's this thing that I have to do for my friend. This one I really have to work on.
• Review for TOEFL - I was a FOB at one point so I have to take this exam so I can complete the requirements to transfer schools. I didn't think I had to review since I have a pretty good grasp of the English language, but then I tried one of the self-tests and I almost FAILED. Sad, but true... I guess I really am becoming an American.
• Christmas Stockings - we were asked to make a Christmas stocking at my part-time job. This one I'm all over... I'm too excited that I even volunteered to make some of my friends' stockings.
• Organize my Christmas list - I half-assed did this already, maybe I should revisit it and see if I could get away not giving gifts to some people. Not only am I cheap, I'm also broke. LOL.

Anyway, I'm sure there's a lot more things I can add to this list, and less things I could take off. Alrighty then, back to procrastinating.

Still grieving

I'm still grieving over the fact that Thursdays won't be the same anymore. Sure there's a couple more new episodes of 30 Rock (which has been totally brilliant this season), but Thursdays from fall thru spring won't be the same without The Office. :(

Then I see this news. Horrible.

Tomorrow, I'll try to write my uber-late recap of last week's episode. "Try" being the operative word.

Still working on it

I have not finished writing my papers for my English 1B class. It's due tonight. I had two weeks to do it. The funny thing is, I am not really stressing about not being able to turn it in on time. I've been so busy that I had to stop and not do a thing yesterday.

Anyway, back to work.

Bittersweet Thursday

Sigh.

Tonight is the last new episode of The Office. Me really sad. :( I don't want to be selfish and all, and I'm sure I'm not alone hoping that the writer's strike end soon.

Anyway, I guess I have to go back and attempt to do homework now.

"No More S'mores, No More S'mores!"

I liked this episode. Although, I think this one of the episodes that would have flourished better in the 1-hour format. In addition to that, I like the "communal birthday party" dilemma better than the survivor man-arc of the episode. I'm not saying that the Michael Scott scenes weren't funny, I just liked the office dynamic in this episode. As an office bee myself, I can kinda relate.


This episode to me was short and sweet. Here are some of the scenes I loved about this episode:

• The cold opening. I loved how Pam, Phyllis and Toby reiterated that Michael wasn't invited to the Wilderness Retreat. The scene where Toby was doing his talking head and Michael knocked on the glass was hilarious.


• Dwight going around the office, showing the camera crew where he hides his weapons. Favorites were the Rambo-knife filed under "A.Knife" and the blow dart hidden in the toilet tan. I still can't stop cracking up just thinking about that.


• Dwight as the Overkill killer. Very creepy and very Dwight.


• Dwight hitting Michael with his shoe.


• Creed and his peach cobbler: "Tell him it's for Creed, she'll know..."


• Michael and his cut-up suit and the duct tape. Reminded me of The Simpsons episode where they joined a country club and Marge got a Chanel suit from an outlet store and kept on "re-configurating" it to fit in with the other country clubbers. (also, hmmm... sand wedge")


• Oscar giving the Jim-look.


• Pam's "Conference room?"


• Michael wearing a Battlestar Galactica sweater.


• Creed skipping around the room. LOL.


• The sweet exchange between Michael and Jim.

And my favorite of the episode... past birthday (surprise) montage:

Picture, again, courtesy of Best Week Ever.

(I was looking for a video clip, none available yet)

The last new episode is this Thursday. Me sad. Me very very sad.

I think I'm getting shunned

Ooops. I got too excited posting about The Office, and commented aboutlast night's episide "off-topic" on a post about "Kraft Single" . Anywho, the first time I get a sort-of reply from the editor and I get a slap on my typing-too-excitedly-about-The Office hands. Oh well.

Snap. LOL.

Me wants to see Leslie :(

I totally effed up in buying Feist tickets on time. There were too much stuff going on that I totally effed up. Oh well, she's a hardworking musician, she always tours. It is actually her second visit to SF this year. Maybe next year she'll come back.



In mourning, I will be playing her songs the whole day tomorrow at work. I'm sure it's going to be lots of fun at Nob Hill Masonic at 8pm tomorrow, while I fold merino sweaters or offer fitting rooms to lovely people or rummage through the stock room for good sales. Me so sad.

Here's a pick-me-up:

From the Frontline...

Hwaaaah! They've officially shut down production of The Office! Does this mean viewers will only get a short season? I hope everything gets resolved.

Anyway, here's a clip with Greg Daniels, Michael Schur (Mose), Mindy Kaling (Kelly), BJ Novak (Ryan) and Paul Lieberstein (Toby) explaining to us what's really going on.



These words from Michael Scott best explains how I feel about the whole thing:
“It feels like somebody took my heart and dropped it into a bucket of boiling tears and at the same time, somebody else is hitting my soul in the crotch with a frozen sledgehammer and then a third guy walks in and starts punching me in the grief bone and I’m crying, and nobody can hear me, because I am terribly, terribly, terribly alone.”

Strike!

Strike!
Originally uploaded by ricksterbot

Vance Refrigeration guy (The Office writer Gene Stupnitsky) and Andy (Ed Helms) lending their hands to the WGA.

WGA vs AMPTP --- Let's get it on!

So what is this Writer's Guild strike we've been hearing so much about? How does it affect me? A regular person like me?

In a nutshell, this strike is causing a lot of TV shows, movies, etc. to halt production and it affects me because I am such a fan of the entertainment industry. I love watching TV and I enjoy going to movies (despite the ridiculous price tag). Movies won't feel the effect right now, but some TV shows are already playing re-runs since the strike started yesterday, November 5.

Late night shows that I love: Letterman, Conan, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report do monologues and satire on current events, so obviously they get hurt by the strike first. I mean, what if Britney accidentally chokes on a burritto while driving on reverse and wiping her windshield on a stuck paparazzo... who would make fun of her? My point exactly.

The other thing that I am nervous about this ongoing strike is The Office. Most producers of the show are writers as well, and three writers also play characters in the show. What happens then? News is, Steve Carrell and Rainn Wilson decline to come in to work because they are also members of the WGA. Greg Daniels joined the picket line, despite his executive producer spot in the show. As of this time, there is only one script that is left unproduced. I don't think that's necessarily good news.

I'm all for the writers receiving residuals on profits made from DVD's and new media, I think it's just fair. What I want is for this strike to end and that the writers and the producers/studios come to a happy agreement. It's a win-win-win situation, writers win, producers/studios win, and most importantly, I win. Besides, who wants to see reality shows taking over my TV. I am already living a reality, a real reality, not a fake, sometimes scripted (I'm talking to you Lauren Conrad!) reality.

For more info on stuff I don't really know much about, please click here.

Can I also adjust my biological clock to fall back one hour?

Earlier today, I checked my e-mail and found out that one of my college friends is pregnant. I have not heard from her for like, a year or two, so it was quite a surprise.

Her baby daddy is a 23-year old boy (she's 28, like me) they met when she acted in a play that he directed. I never knew that there was a performing artist-side of her the same way I never knew she'd get it on with the play's director. :P

A couple of weeks back, my younger brother and his wife welcomed their baby boy. A friend asked me what was it like becoming an aunt again. My reply: It felt like I just got kicked in the ovaries. My friend just LOL'd. I don't understand, I really felt like my ovaries shrunk a bit, is that weird?

My point? Babies ruin the lives of single people.

I kid, I kid (no pun intended). I love babies. I'd like to have seven someday. Or maybe a puppy.

“Wanted: Middle-aged black man with sass. Big butt. Bigger heart.”

I would have posted this last Friday, but I was not feeling entirely well… again! Over the weekend, I lost my voice and I have been coughing incessantly. Not feeling any better today, but I always feel like crap on Mondays anyway so what difference does it make, right?

Anyway, back to The Office. This episode it not my favorite, nor is it my least-liked. I am kind of confused on how I feel about this episode, to be honest. I like the fact that Karen was back. I’m Team Pam all the way, but Karen is a cool girl (in my head, she is the same Karen Rashida Jones played in Freaks and Geeks, who I think is so bad ass, by the way). I don’t like that this episode was a bit cartoon-y with the “panty raid” and fake moustaches, but I also like it because of the said “panty raid” and fake moustaches. So yeah, like I said sentences ago, I am confused.

Also, The Finer Things Club. A lot of viewers have been ragging about how they hate this idea. I liked the FTC, I wish I could be part of it someday, the same way I want to be part of an inside joke. Currently, there is a FTC in Facebook (started by a fan/blogger). I don’t have a Facebook account, but I might consider opening one just to be a part of the FTC. I have been invited to join Facebook numerous times by different friends, but I have not relented. Now, when I have to beg a stranger, I think I would, only to be a member of the FTC. Pathetic, no?

Here are some stuff I liked about the eppy:

• The Michael Scott dummy ala Ferris Bueller and Stanley’s opinion of it
• The FTC being the 2nd gayest thing about Oscar, the first being ‘having sex with men’
• Michael’s reaction to seeing Toby wearing a bow tie
• Pam slinking away after Michael got shot down by Ben Nugent
• Dwight’s Mr. Pringle-like ‘stache
• Dwight cutting his penis on the soda can lid
• Andy trying to get in the FTC, 2nd choice: Party Committee; Safety: Scrantonicity II
• The Karen-Jim awkward exchange
• Jim hiding the fact that he did not read Angela’s Ashes

My favorite, although totally ridiculous, was the walkie-talkie conversations between Michael and Jim. Too funny.

Pic courtesy of Best Week Ever blog

"I do, in fact, like helping miserable children, Mr. Sedaris."

Last Monday, I went to An Evening with David Sedaris in San Jose. Granted I was late a good thirty minutes, but all was worth the trip and the embarrassing journey to our designated seats.


One entrance was for even numbered seats, the entrance on the other side of the building was for odd numbered seats. I looked at our tickets, and of course, it said: Seats 1 and 2! What are the chances, right? Our seats were smack in the middle of the balcony! WTH. It would have been fine if we weren't late, I turned to the usher and gave her a pleading look of seating us somewhere else. She got what my eyes where whining about and told me, "It's a full house, you have to seat on your assigned seats, and we can't have you sit on the steps." That ended that.


So, for what seemed like an eternity, I gathered up the strength to walk through several feet of people laughing, blocking some people's view in the process. With every seat I pass, I had to do the customary, "Excuse us, I'm sorry". It didn't help at all that the balcony was just one long row after another. Seriously, if I ever watch a show at that place again, I would never eat Mexican food... nor drink lots of water prior to the show. OR maybe, that's when the Stadium Pal can come in handy... at least for the water consumption, Mexican food is still a no-go.


Finally, we got settled in: We laughed at Mr. Sedaris' funny stories. May have wiped tears off my eyes once or twice. Applauded non-stop (I did stop... eventually).


I don't know when I'll get to see him read again, I did enjoy it a lot. I had three books signed by him... it was so surreal. At one point, I thought to myself, "I am actually exchanging words with David Sedaris!". Here's a memento from that unforgettable night:



Everything was just so unreal and I was so giddy with excitement. When I got home, I saw a package (and the name of its sender) that it hit me, I did not get a book autographed for my friend. Sob. I was feeling so horribly selfish as I wrap myself in the tartan throw the same friend gave me from his recent trip to Scotland. An autographed book could have been the perfect Christmas present for him. For a minute I was tempted into whiting-out my name and replacing it with his name, but then I realize, that's worse. LOL. He was the one who convinced me to skip school to see the show, and this is how I thank him? What a friend I am. (I scoff at myself)

Wanna be my friend?