Fun Run Review & Entertainment Weekly

Call me a girly girl, but I cannot stop glowing over last night's Office premier titled, "Fun Run." On the Jam scale, I give it an eleven. It deserves that extra number on the volume dial. Eleven, indeed.

First off, I'll say that the episode was good even without the Jam aspects and I'll dive into that later. For now, though, it's all about the Jam. I'm sorry. That's just the way I feel. I've got to get this out and then I can move on.

I love how they were adorably and naively trying to hide their relationship from the documentary crew. How long did they expect that to last? Heheh. I also love the paparazzi-like way they were busted. I wanted to giddily cry like a little girl again when Jim snuck into Pam's car and kissed her, but I wasn't alone this time and had to simply let out a girlish, "Awwwww," followed by an ear-to-ear grin that never came off my face through the entire episode.

Here is that squee moment:

I am so impressed that the writers are brave enough to let Jim and Pam finally get together and be happy (and man, were they happy). They (like me) were glowing and smiling the whole way through. And the hand holding? It was so damn sweet that I thought my heart might just imploded in on itself.

Jenna Fisher says that Jim and Pam are in a "courtship" and I'm sure they will experience a few small ups and downs that generally come along with new relationships and I can't wait to see them progress. Like Jenna Fisher says, I think Jim and Pam represent the idea of true love and if any TV couple can keep you interested and invested without having to do the "break up/get back together" dance a thousand times, it's Jim and Pam. I am SO HAPPY to see them happy. Bravo, Office writers.

Okay, now I can move on. Phyllis's quilt? Did you catch that? It was hilarious. She had sewn on the faces of a raccoon, a bat, and something else to honor Meredith's rabies. Awesome. Andy's nipple chafing was a little gross, but funny nonetheless. I love it when he ducked behind Kevin to alleviate wind resistance.

And Dwight killed Sprinkles! How could he? Well, you could kind of see it from both sides; although I side with Angela on this one. Dwight is a very black-and-white thinker. If something is not working he fixes it and moves on. He thought he was fixing her cat problem, but he was not. Poor Angela. I think Angela will hold this grudge for quite some time AND, I suspect that the love triangle Jenna mentioned will NOT be a Jim/Pam/Someone Else thing. I think it will be a Dwight-Angela-Andy situation. I think, during Angela's resentment towards Dwight, Andy will swoop in and "lay on the charm." Mark my words.

Having said that, I may back off of my initial idea that Ryan will hit on Pam; leaving Jim a little jealous. That may happen, but if it does I think it will be a one-time thing. Maybe, but you never know...

I loved Jan snapping at Pam for allegedly trying to see Michael naked. I need more Jan. She's such a dynamic character. I can't wait to see her unravel even more.

Oh yes, and the male nurse at the hospital deserves a good mention. His line got the loudest laugh of the night from me. "Oh, so that's where her uterus went." It wouldn't have been all that funny, but he gave the camera a look like 'I made a joke' and then he realized no one thought it was funny and got awkward and shy. That was hilarious to me. Way to milk that small part, Male Nurse. Awesome job.

Michael's "carbo-load" was ridiculously good, as usual. Carbo loads are supposed to be done the night BEFORE a big workout. Not right before. When he burps and says, "Fettuccine Alfredo." Uuuggghkkkk! Disgusting. Hehehe.

Toby won! (But nobody cared). Poor Toby.

Great episode and terrific season opener. My only complaint is that I'd like to see more scenes that are actually in the office. It is called The Office, after all. The outside excursions are great fun, but I'm excited for more awkward office scenes. I think Ryan will be upset about the 'Fun Run'. We'll find out next week, I suppose.

Until then...here are some pictures from next week's edition of Entertainments Weekly.



There will be four covers to choose from: Jim and Pam, Angela and Dwight, Michael and Jan, and Kelly and Ryan. I plan on buying two of each; one of each to keep whole and one of each to frame.

Oh, and here is a link to an ADORABLE interview of Jenna Fisher and John Krasinski. They have so much chemistry even off the show. So wonderful. You will love this 3 minute video. Check it out right here. (But you have to click on the image of Jenna Fisher on the phone over to the right. Or you can just watch Rainn Wilson and Angela Kinsey, but...I highly recommend the Jenna/John).

God, I love this show. I can't express it in words, but my love just continues to grow and grow. I'm on cloud nine. I cannot wait to see what season 4 has in store (that rhymed).

Cordially,
CayceAquaSheep

"Dunder Mifflin Infinity"

There's a new sheriff in Scranton town. His name?
Ryan Bailey Howard.

Excitement ensued today as I stumbled upon new Office promo pics from Episode 2 of season four this morning. Two pictures in particular have intrigued me. (See pics below). I'm very giddy about it.

The episode is called "Dunder Mifflin Infinity" and it's centered around Ryan's triumphant return visit to the office; this time as Michael's' boss. Ryan has all sorts of new ideas for bringing Dunder Mifflin into the modern age. So he has created a website called Dunder Mifflin Infinity to help the company succeed in an "increasingly paperless world."

Here is the official synopsis from NBC:

Much to the dismay of Michael and many of the employees, Ryan returns to the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin to bring the company into the digital age. Angela is still upset about her cat.

And now for the fun part. Here are some of my ideas on these new promo pics:

First off...

Jim is back at his old desk (with his old hair)!!!! WooHoo!!!

Secondly...

(I'm probably totally off here [so don't hold me to this], but I believe this may be a slight jealous look coming from Jim. If you watch the deleted scenes from season 3's "The Job" there is a scene where Ryan and Pam have a bit of a flirtation that does not go unnoticed by Jim. So I'm wondering if, now that a newly single Ryan has acquired an inflated ego as the new bossman (and since Pam has enhanced her wardrobe), Ryan will start to flirt with Pam on his visits from corporate. With Jim back at his old desk he would have to witness every 'move' Ryan makes.

What fuels that theory even more is that I also have a feeling 'Jam' may be keeping their relationship [or dating-ship] under wraps for a while, as Kevin/Brian let it slip in the OfficeTally Chat Room that he [Kevin] is conducting an investigation to find out if Jim and Pam are dating. So, with all that being said, I think this picture is of Jim noticing Ryan flirting with Pam [see headlining picture above] and experiencing a teensy bit of jealousy; leaving him unable to object, since he and Pam are keeping things secret. Like I said, though, don't quote me on that [unless it turns out to be true. Then please tell everyone what a genius I am]) .

Third?...

Okay, I have no idea what's going on here. Looks funny, though. Dwight and Michael (or "Dwighchael", as I like to call them) look very triumphant and very dirty. Have they intercepted this gift basket from Ryan?

(For the other two pictures click here).


*As an interesting side note, if any NBC show creates a fictional website for an episode, NBC is obligated to then buy the rights to it (as we learned from Conan O'Brien's HornyManatee.com incident. Check it out). So, as you can guess, NBC has already bought the rights to the real DunderMifflinInfinity.com and has got the website up and running. It's still a work in progress, but it's certainly available to play with for the time being.

In an attempt at maintaining the show's popularity, NBC has wisely decided to make Dunder Mifflin Infinity a place where fans can create their own branches of Dunder Mifflin and compete against each other in weekly challenges. Each branch earns Schrute Bucks for their victories, which I'm supposing will enable to them to make purchases later on. Winning teams will also be given certain rewards.*

I've already jumped on this bandwagon and have been hired on as a temp (pending permanent employee status) at an existing Dunder Mifflin branch, which shall remain nameless (You'd never guess which one anyhow). I'm pretty excited about it, though. I've already got a profile set up and I can't wait to participate in these weekly "challenges".


Well, I hope you've enjoyed this new information as much as I have. I just love speculating about these episodes. It's been four months (and far too long) since I've had a fresh helping of The Office on my plate and I can't wait to see what's in store!

Cordially,
CayceAquaSheep

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