The Office Returns with a 'Fun Run' Premier!

I was so excited last week when these promo pictures surfaced from The Office's season 4, hour-long premier. It's called "Fun Run" and it looks rather promising and hilarious. So hold on to your hats, people because, on Thursday, September 27th, The Office returns for its fourth season with 4 weeks of special hour-length episodes (airing at 9pm/8pm central on NBC)!

NBC has not officially posted a synopsis of 'Fun Run' yet, but, judging from the title, it appears as though Michael is taking the Scranton branch on yet another one of his useless outings. This one is a "Rabies Awareness - Fun Run" and promises loads of outdoor shenanigans. If you look closely at the logo on their shirts (no doubt created by Michael himself), it reads:

"Micheal Scott's Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race for the Cure."


See? Already funny.


Despite the mention of the race being a "memorial" for Meredith Palmer, have no fear. Meredith is not necessarily dead. Angela Kinsey stated in her MySpace blog that Meredith will be around for a long time. She's not going anywhere. So I've just chocked that idea up to Michael being Michael. It's as though he's strung together every typical, cliche title for a fundraising marathon he could think of; using words like 'Awareness', 'Pro-Am', 'Memorial', and 'Race for the Cure' (It's even funny just writing it all out). I'm thinking that Meredith may have contracted rabies while trapped in a trash bag with the bat from the "Business School" episode last season and that she makes (or has made) a full recovery.



Oh! And check out this picture of Dwight and Angela. I am super anxious to find out what Dwight did to piss her off.












Oh and here's another one. Poor Michael looks a bit frightened by this dog.












What really sent my girly little heart soaring, however, was this picture of Jim and Pam taking a detour. (If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can kind of see that they're smiling. For an even larger pic see the link below).

Even though they're not smooching or holding hands, just seeing them together again, talking and being friends, bodes very well for this season. I've never let myself say this before, but it actually makes me "squee". (I used to think that sounded so dirty. So I never used it. Apparently I've succumbed to this little trinket of pop culture). Anyhow, seeing Jam together as friends (and possible lovers) makes me so happy. I CAN'T WAIT for this new season!

I've posted my favorites of the new pictures on this blog, but there are quite a few more; including behind the scenes shots and pictures of Andy's nipples bleeding (I kid you not). If you'd like to see them, click here.

Though we are getting closer and closer to the premier, it still seems a ways off. So until then, I suppose we can all anticipate the arrival of the Season 3 DVD next Tuesday, September 4th! It's got quite an array bonus features; including 14 minutes of bloopers, over 3 hours of deleted scenes, cast/crew commentaries from 8 episodes, and much more. You can check out all the features and watch two "Jim" bloopers at the season 3 DVD website by clicking here.

Are you as excited as I am?!

UPDATE: Watch NBC's latest promo with footage from the new season! Click here for the video!
UPDATE II: Here is the official synopsis from NBC (09/09/07):

Fun Run- A freak accident causes Michael (Golden Globe winner Steve Carell) to feel the office is cursed. He explores the religious beliefs of his employees before deciding to hold a charity 5K fun run. Meanwhile, further developments in the romances of Pam (Jenna Fischer) and Jim (John Krasinski), and Dwight (Rainn Wilson) and Angela (Angela Kinsey) are explored.

Cordially,
CayceAquaSheep

Fitter. Happier. More Productive.

Wow! I can't believe it has been over a month since I've posted anything. With The Office (and my other, newfound passion, Lost) on their summer hiatuses, my muse has been absent. So, instead of the usual TV banter (or "Please Save this Dog"), I'll describe a little bit about my boring summer.

Please keep in mind that I am very sleep deprived and my writing and it's contents will not be up to par. (Yawn).

Since late May, I have been determined to shed the 26 pounds I gained after my wedding from the stress of moving twice in four months (once to the apartment behind us and once to a new city that forced me to quit my job and get accustomed to a new town). Because of all that stress, I had become sloppy and fat in a short period of time. In fact, part of what compelled me to write so much this Spring was a deep sense of sadness and insecurity. I had to express myself in some way and I found my niche in writing.

Anyhow (getting more to the point), in late May I finally made the decision to get off my ass and lose weight. The problem is that I'm a very routine kind of person who, paradoxically, does not like to live by time tables or deadlines. I'm set in my ways and I tend to not do things if they're inconvenient or stray from my routine in any way. So coming up with a convenient way of working out has always been my struggle.

In my old town I lived in a quiet suburban neighborhood filled with sweet elderly folk and young families. So I'd ride my bike happily everywhere and lost all my yucky weight. In Austin, things are more hectic and metropolitan. Austin is also extremely hilly, which makes it very scary being on a bike here (although everyone does it anyway... except me). So, loving that method of exercise, I got my husband to hook me up with a bike trainer in order to make exercising more safe, easy, and (the magic word) convenient. Being able to ride my bike indoors also won't allow me to make excuses. If it's raining, I can exercise. If it's hot, I can exercise. If it's freezing, I can exercise, etc., etc.

So, after forcing myself to ride my bike three to four times a week and joining calorie-count.com, I have lost 17 out of the 26 pounds I gained this year along with 3 inches off my waist and hips and 2 inches off my bust (thank GOD). Yay! I'm only a few pounds away from where I was this time last year and I can't wait to fit into my old jeans!

I feel so much better in so many ways. I'm not depressed anymore. My sense of self-worth is much higher. I don't get stressed out as often. I feel fit and healthy. My mind is more alert. I feel sexy again. The positives far outweigh the negatives. I just need to figure out how to maintain this positive lifestyle, which is the hard part as I've always been a huge fan of junk food and comfort eating. That's what ends up killing me every time. That, and I'm just lazy. That's why I bought that trainer. I know I'm never going to make it out to a gym. I just don't work that way. I'm a homebody and I like to be able to meditate and "zone" while I'm working out. I don't want people watching me (or to feel like they're watching me).

Plus, as I said before, if it's not convenient, I don't exercise. After a long day at work how can I possibly steer the car towards a gym with sweaty, used equipment and people that look better than I do? I'm insecure enough as it is, folks, and with my ultra sensitive skin I get rashes and eczema so easily from those kinds of hot, sweaty surfaces.

So no thanks, Gym Membership. I'm heading home to work out in my guest room on my bike trainer with iTunes blasting and my dog sitting by my side. It's a much more peaceful way of working out.

And there you have it, folks. My first blog in over a month. I'm probably the only one who will ever see this, but I feel better having written it anyhow.

UPDATE: I've now lost 21 pounds!!! (09-03-07).

Cordially,
CayceAquaSheep.

Eliza Needs a Home

So with The Office on its summer hiatus I've decided to make a return to random posting. What is this blog about, you ask?


Well, folks, I've fallen in love. Her name is Eliza and she's managed to tug or paw at my heart strings. This adorable little lady is an eleven-year-old chihuahua who has lived a long, hard life of abuse and neglect. She was rescued by Safe Haven Animal Rescue in Round Rock, Texas (just outside of Austin).


Eliza was so mistreated that it caused her teeth to become infected and rot, which was causing her a great deal of pain and suffering.

Thanks to all of you who saw her story online or responded to my email and donated, Eliza has had her surgery and has fully recovered! They had to pull 19 teeth (poor thing), but they say she is feeling so much better.


Now Eliza just needs a home. She would make a wonderfully loving pet. She's been responding well to her house training. So that's something you wouldn't have to worry about. They said they didn't expect much from Eliza since she was so mistreated, but she surprised them. After being rescued she began to perk up and even tried to play a bit, but it's still a little rough for her. She loves to spend the majority of her time cuddled up in people's laps. Such a sweetheart.

Because she was abused in the past, Eliza is still a little hand shy and doesn't like sudden movements. Since she was outside all her life and wasn't properly fed, she has developed a skin disorder that has caused her to lose a bit of hair here and there. However, this condition is fully curable once she's been on a healthy diet for a period of time. Because she is missing so many teeth and because of her age and malnutrition, Eliza will need to eat soft, premium dog food for the rest of her years. Since she is still hand shy and timid, she also needs to be in a home without children and would prefer to be the only dog.

Eliza would be a wonderfully blessing to any household and I'm sure she would be thankful to you for the rest of her life. Since she is a senior, though, it may be harder for her to find a home. I would so much love to adopt her myself, but my own little senior chihuahua at home is in a similar situation of being frail and needing to be the only dog.

If you're looking for a loving little dog that you can spoil to your heart's content, Eliza is your lady. Please help us to find her a loving home. She deserves some happiness.

Here is a link to her page at Safe Haven: http://www.safehavenanimalrescue.com/dogs26.htm

If you have questions or would like to adopt Eliza or donate to her cause, contact Cindy at cindy@safehavenanimalrescue.com.

Please help this little lady out. She'll be glad you did.

Thank you,

CayceAquaSheep

A Job to Remember

As we approached the end of season three, my views on prime time television began to take a bit of a cynical turn. Somewhere around "Phyllis' Wedding" I began to lose hope for Jim and Pam. (Yes, again, I'm one of those). When Pam left with Roy and Jim held up his phone with a smile in support of Karen's singing, my heart sank a little. Every show after that left me a little more heartbroken than the previous one.

Until "Women's Appreciation."

Something about that episode turned my spirits around. Pam was showing signs of growth and determination. I knew something was going to give soon, but I was still trying to reason with myself; saying, "Okay. So this is a good sign, but don't expect them to get together. They'll throw us for a loop. They need ratings." So I resigned myself to be satisfied with Jim and Pam simply rekindling their friendship and tried my hardest not to expect more.

Thank God I was wrong.

(Now I know this review is a little late, but I got caught up in my actual life there for a while. Sue me).

So let's get to it:


"The Job" (Aired May 17, 2007 at 8pm/7pm Central)

There were two "jobs" in question for this episode. One job was to replace Jan in the New York office. The other, of course, was to replace Jan's old "chesticles" with her new ones. Jan's boob job, if you will.

Oh Jan, will reason ever find you? (Sigh).

The cast warned us that something "big" would happen to Jan and Michael and to take that literally. A boob job never entered my mind. My mouth actually dropped when they zoomed in on her her breasts. I was speechless. It was quite the spectacle. Very funny, though.

It was fun to see so much of Jan in the episode (pun intended). I love watching her go ballistic. What a dynamic character. I vote for more Jan every week. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole Jan/Michael story line here. The look on Michael's face when Jan gets excited about putting on sweat pants and waiting for him to get home from work everyday was uproarious (thank you, Thesaurus).

Creed Thoughts? Yes.

Best line of the show:

Creed: I find it offensive. Au naturelle, baby. That’s how I like ‘em. Swing low, sweet chariots.


Jim's new haircut? Well, I do love the classic "flippy-outties", as I call them (I like the shag), but this is nice, too. Very dapper. They were improving that wig every week, but I'm glad to see it gone. One point for JKras.


Dwight's short reign as Regional Manager was a delight to witness.

Schrute bucks,












Stanley Nickels,

So much whimsy in one office.



And Pam! Pam was completely admirable in this episode. She carried herself with dignity and class; generating good karma with her positive attitude and high hopes for Jim's happiness, whether or not that included her. Pam came into her own this year and that alone would have made this episode (and season) completely worth while.


Now for the really good stuff.

I don't even have words. Okay, it was FANTASTIC! When they went to commercial break after this scene I literally sobbed on the couch like a little girl. (Very reminiscent of the way Dwight cried in Michael's office). I'm glad no one else was home to witness it.

Take a look at this sequence of events. (This is where I dork out on you):

"Don't let them change you."

"She's nuts."

"Dunder Mifflin. This is Grace."



"Where do you see yourself in ten years?"

"I haven’t heard anything. But I bet Jim got the job."

"Um, are you free for dinner tonight?"

"I'm sorry. What was the question?"




OH! And who could forget this?

"We're done."



Best Episode Ever.



Cordially,
CayceAquaSheep

"The Job"

So it's finally here; the season finale to the third season of The Office. It's been a long year for Dunder-Mifflin and a lot has transpired. Let's recap, shall we?

At the beginning of the season we learned that Pam broke off her engagement to Roy ..... (Okay, this could get insanely long and detailed. Let me simplify):

Pam breaks off her engagement to Roy, but does not act on her feelings for Jim.
Jim leaves Scranton to work for the Stamford branch and makes a fresh start.
Oscar is outed by Michael and takes a long 'gaycation' from Dunder-Mifflin.
Roy pines for Pam.
Pam pines for Jim.
Jim pines for Pam, but is distracted by his cute coworker, Karen.
Dwight tries to steal Michael's job (and fails).
"Toby" kills a bird.
The Stamford branch closes.
Jim and Karen become an item.
Stamford joins Scranton.
Pam meets Karen.
Michael gets dumped by Carol.
Michael goes to Jamaica with Jan.
Michael and Jan become an item.
Andy sabotages Dwight.
Dwight resigns and goes to work for Staples.
Michael convinces Dwight to return.
Andy goes to anger management.
Oscar 'Returns' to DunderMifflin.
Karen learns Jim still has feelings for Pam.
They talk it out (much to Jim's dismay).
Ben Franklin hits on Pam.
Phyllis marries Bob Vance; Vance Refrigeration.
Pam, hurt by the sight of Jim and Karen, gets back together with Roy.
No one comes to Pam's art show (well, almost no one).
Ryan gets sent to the annex with Kelly after dissing DM in front of Michael.
Pam tells Roy about her kiss with Jim on Casino Night.
Roy freaks out.
Pam dumps Roy.
Roy tries to "kill" Jim, but is pepper sprayed by Dwight.
Roy is fired and apologizes to Jim and Pam.
Jim is uncomfortable and keeps his distance from Pam.
Andy returns from anger management and is shunned by Dwight.
Michael almost jumps off the roof pretending to kill himself.
Dunder Mifflin faces the crisis of "the water mark".
Phyllis is flashed.
Michael breaks up with Jan via voicemail.
Michael gets an opportunity for a promotion.
Everyone vies for Michael's job at the beach.
Pam walks on hot coals (who ever thought THAT would happen?).
Pam gains courage and confesses her feelings and frustrations to Jim ("I really miss you").

So there you have it, folks. Keeping it simple still takes a while as 22 episodes are not an easy thing to scale down. The question is, 'What will happen next?'

THIS WEEK:

This weeks episode is called "The Job" and should be the climax of the season (that's what she said). Here's the synopsis by NBC:

The office is still buzzing from the events of their day at the beach. A job opening in Corporate pits coworker against coworker as Michael , Jim, and Karen all head to New York for final interviews. In Scranton, Dwight's new regime institutes sweeping reforms, Pam plays an interesting role, and Jan comes in with exciting news.

The cast keep saying something "big" happens with Jan and Michael and that we should take that literally. (Whatever that means). I also can't wait to hear Jim's reaction to Pam's confession. I know they filmed two separate endings to the finale involving Jim/Pam/Karen. So let's hope for the best, but expect the worst.

LAST WEEK:

This season has gotten consistently better for the last few months. Each show seems to top the previous one. Last week's "Beach Games" was no exception.

Hilarity ensued as Michael put the employees through his 'Survivor'-like beach games. The Sumo suits were absolutely hysterical. The way Jim waddled in his suit was beyond words and the image of poor Andy Bernard floating away in the water was just too damn funny (and kind of sad).




The highlight, of course, was Pam's speech. Pam has done a lot of growing this year and after doing the coal walk she finally mustered up the courage to speak her mind. She said everything I have been wanting her to say all year and even confronted everyone about not coming to her art show. Then she told Jim how she felt.

Besides the fact that the speech was extremely well written, it was also brilliantly delivered by Jenna Fischer. Jenna deserves many snaps for her performance in this episode. She brought tears to my eyes and made me laugh at the same time. John Krasinski's performance was noteworthy, as well. People often overlook the art of listening, but he did a stand up job (sitting down).


The speech itself was perfect. It wasn't whiny or sappy. It was just very truthful and dignified. In fact, the speech was so well done that even if Jim and Pam do not reunite by the end of the season, I will be satisfied based on Pam's speech alone. Go Pam! Go Jenna! Go writers!


"Beach Games" was just wonderful all the way around. Here are my favorite quotes:

Stanley: I would rather work for an upturned broom with a bucket for a head than work for someone else in the office besides myself. Game on.

Andy floats away in his sumo suit.
Angela: I don't understand what you want from me?
Andy: Angela, it's pretty simple. Look at what I'm doing and go tell somebody it!
Angela: Sorry. Bye, Andy!

Pam: I shouldn't have been with Roy. And there were a lot of reasons to call off my wedding, but the truth is I didn't care about any of those reasons until I met you. And now you're with someone else...


Man, I just watched that scene again and my heart just pounds every time. I get so nervous for her. That's a testament to a great show, right there.

Here's to hoping for a great season finale! Remember it's an hour long and starts EARLY (7pm Central/8pm Eastern).

CayceAquaSheep

PS) Special thanks to 'memento_icons' and 'lavitaestbella' at LiveJournal for the wonderful icons.