The Office: Moroccan Christmas

This week's episode was back to the great Office that I know and love. This season, so far, has been just a little disappointing to me. It hasn't been as laugh-out-loud funny as the previous seasons. But this episode completely changed that. I laughed non-stop and loved every minute of it!


It starts with a new, classic Jim prank on Dwight. Jim has wrapped Dwight's entire desk and chair and everything on his desk in great holiday wrapping paper. Dwight acts completely unimpressed and says that he can unwrap it all within 5 minutes. So he sets his briefcase down and sits in his chair and the enitre desk and chair both collapse. Jim had obviously replaced Dwight's work station with all cardboard stuff. This whole scene made me feel like I was back watching the great Office pranks and I knew that this was going to be a great Christmas episode.


As the new head of the Party Planning Committee, Phyllis has picked a theme for the Christmas party: Nights in Morocco. She is still very eager to make Angela's life a living hell, just like Angela used to do to her. She makes Angela put away her nativity scene that's at her desk because it is not part of the theme. We can see Angela slowly getting more and more irritated with Phyllis and she tries to tell her that she can't blackmail her anymore. Phyllis says it's not blackmail because there is no formal letter and we just continue to see the tension between them. I personally love how Phyllis is treating Angela because she completely deserves it in my opinion. Angela treated Phyllis so horribly for too long, and she's just getting her turn.


Dwight has found this holiday's hottest gift: Princess Unicorn. While personally disgusted about the improbability of a doll that's half-human and half-unicorn, he is excited about the money he is about to make. As he does every year, he has researched the demand, bought out the stock from local stores, and is awaiting the stream of desperate parents who will show up to buy the toy. Throughout the episode we see many clients come to buy the toys. We later see Toby talking to his daughter on the phone asking her about the doll. She is so excited when he mentions it and he can't wait to get a better gift for her than his ex-wife will get. So he cheerfully goes to buy one from Dwight, only to find out that Darryl has just bought the last one. Toby pathetically and heartbrokenly asks Darrly if he can buy it from him and Darryl agrees to sell it to him for $400, when Dwight has been selling them for $200. Toby quickly agrees and when Darrly gives Toby the doll, it is a black doll instead of a white princess. There is an awkward silence as Toby takes it all in and Darryl asks him if anything's wrong. Toby just says that it is even better than what he had imagined.


The party is underway and Mixmaster Michael is making some amazing drinks for people. He makes Meredith something he calls "One of Everything." It includes part scotch, absinthe, rum, gin, vermouth, triple sec, and two packs of Splenda. Meredith loves it and downs the whole drink in just a few seconds and asks for another. As the party continues, we see Meredith completely trashed and bellydancing around the office. She ends up getting a little too close to a decorative candle and catches her hair on fire without even noticing! Firefighter Dwight comes to her rescue and puts it out with a fire extinguisher. Michael recognizes that Meredith's drinking has gotten out of hand and he decides to hold an intervention, which he says is a surprise party for people who have addictions. The staff gathers around to confront her but she will have none of it. She swears that she is not an alcoholic, but she does admit to an addiction to porn, which repulses everyone. Michael insists on helping her even after everyone else has given up. He tricks Meredith and leads her to believe that the two of them are going to a bar to have some drinks together. But he really drives her to a rehab center and has to chase her all around the parking lot and drag her into the building, where he learns that you can't check someone into rehab against their will.

Back at the office, people are still trying to party and have a good time while Phyllis still bosses Angela around. Angela finally gets fed up and calls Phyllis out, saying that she would never tell anyone about her and Dwight. Angela is quite wrong though, as Phyllis blurts out to everyone that Angela is having sex with Dwight. Unfortunately, Andy is completely out of earshot and in a different room practicing songs on the sitar. But everyone else in the office finds out and looks completely stunned, except for Dwight who looks completely pleased with himself. Andy then comes in to play "Deck the Halls" for everyone and doesn't understand why nobody claps for him at the end. Angela quickly asks to be taken home and Andy never finds out what was said.

Favorite Moments:

• Jim wrapping Dwight's desk and Dwight collapsing
• Michael's creation of "orange-vod-juice-ka"
• Meredith lifting up her shirt and "bellydancing"
• Meredith continuing to dance while her hair is on fire.
• Finding out that Michael privately celebrates Groundhog's Day
• Kevin nicknaming Meredith "Fire Girl"
• Michael: "What are you going to do when you come in to work and you're dead?" Dwight: "I would stab her in the brain with a wooden stick."
• Michael chasing Meredith around the Rehab parking lot and dragging her into the building
• Phyllis actually telling everyone about Dwight and Angela
• Michael: "I need to find ways to push Meredith to the bottom. I think I can do it. I did it with Jan."

What to look forward to next week:

• Will Andy finally find out about Dwight and Angela?? I hope so! It needs to happen soon!
• Is Ryan gone forever? Will Kelly start dating Darryl again? We didn't see much of her at all during this episode.
• When will Jim and Pam set their wedding date? We know they don't want a long engagement.
• Will Jan ever come back into the picture?

The Office Christmas Episodes

The Office christmas episodes have been great in seasons 2 and 3, so I have very high expectations for this week's episode "Moroccan Christmas." I just wanted to give highlights of the previous christmas episodes before this new one comes on, just to get in the spirit!

Season 2: Christmas Party

Michael and Dwight attempt to carry a christmas tree into the office. It is extremely big and does not fit in the room. They cut off the top of it and Michael says that they are going to sell the top of the tree to charity because it is a perfectly good mini tree.

Jim got Pam's name for secret santa and got her a teapot that he knew she really wanted and filled it with inside jokes and got her a card that revealed his true feelings. Michael got a bonus for firing Devon and bought his secret santa a video iPod for his secret santa even though there was a 20 dollar limit. They start the party and turn off all the lights and count down to the lighting of the christmas tree. When the christmas lights come on, everyone is disappointed because Phyllis got tiny mini lights and they can barely be seen.

Secret Santa is going great until Ryan opens his iPod and Michael admits to getting a bonus and buying something great. Then when Michael opens his gift from Phyllis and finds a homemade oven mitt, he gets extremely upset because he thinks that Phyllis only loves him an homemade ovens mitt worth and he gave Ryan an iPod. Michael decides to turn Secret Santa into Yankee Swap. Everyone gets upset because they bought presents for specific people and now random people are getting their gifts.

Because the party is going so poorly, Michael buys 15 bottles of vodka and everyone starts drinking. Kelly kisses Dwight and Angela gets pissed off and goes outside and throws ornaments on the ground and stomps on them. Pam ended up with the iPod but traded with Dwight to get her teapot. Jim is very surprised and happy and shows Pam the inside jokes and she can't stop laughing.

Funny moments:

• Kevin: "Why did you get the tree so big?" Michael: "A, that's what she said...."
• Darryl wanting to be Santa for the day, but Michael wouldn't let him because he doesn't look like Santa.
• Dwight running around with an elf hat and ears all day.
• Jim getting one of Creed's old shirts for secret santa.
• Michael: "Happy Birthday Jesus. Sorry your party's so lame."

Season 3: Benihana Christmas

Michael's girlfriend, Carol, comes into the office because she is upset with Michael. He had made a Christmas card with a photshopped picture of him with her and her 2 kids. He had put his face in the place of her ex-husband's. She doesn't know what to do about this action and about his proposal, so she breaks it off, leaving Michael with a pair of tickets to Sandals Jamaica

Pam tells Jim that she's been sending secret letters to Dwight pretending to be from the CIA and that his Christmas present is to send Dwight on his top secret mission. Jim declines because he doesn't feel that he should do such things now that he's been promoted.

To get Michael out of his depression, Andy insists on taking him to Benihana and Michael drags along Dwight and Jim. Dwight gets separated from the group and Jim plays pranks on him all night, making him realize that it was wrong of him to decline Pam's present.

Angela kicks Karen off the Party Planning Committee and Pam feels bad for being cold towards Karen since she started working there, so she reaches out to her and the two of them start their own Committee to Plan Parties. Their party is a smash hit while Angela's is boring and unsuccessful. They later agree to merge the two parties, once Pam and Karen realize that Angela is upset.

Michael and Andy return with "new girlfriends" from the restaurant who they think were their waitors, but they are really different girls. Michael then can't even distinguish between the two girls that they do bring back and can't tell which one is "his girlfriend." So he finds his girl and marks her arm with a Sharpie. The girls end up leaving after Michael offers his girl a trip to Jamaica, which she declines, because they say the party blows. Jim consoles Michael by telling him that he'd just had a rebound relationship. He says they can be a fun distraction, but at the end of the day, you're left thinking about the woman you really love. You can tell that he knows that Karen is just a rebound.

Before they leave for the night, Jim tells Pam that he's sent Dwight a message that tells him to wait on the roof for a helicopter to take him to a welcoming party at the CIA. Dwight waits on the roof and receives a text on his phone telling him that he's been compromised and he needs to abort and destroy his phone. So he throws his phone off the roof and leaves.

Funny Moments:

• Michael: "Attention everyone. Christmas has been canceled." Stanley: "You can't cancel a holiday." Michael: "Keep it up Stanley and you'll lose New Year's."
• Michael's talk on bros before hoes.
• Michael listening to the same 30 seconds of a depressing song on iTunes because he doesn't want to buy it.
• Angela stealing the karaoke's power cord.
• Jim playing pranks on Dwight at Benihana's.

These episodes have great moments in them and I only hope that this week's episode has fun pranks and meaninful moments, just like these.

Schrute Farms

While browsing the NBC Office website, I found this great clip of Andy touring Schurte Farms. It was on Andy and Angela's Wedding Site, which you should definitely check out if you get a chance. It has their gift registry and stuff about the bachelor party and the wedding dress and honeymoon and all sorts of great hilarious stuff. But I thought this clip was so funny because it let us see even more of Schrute Farms, which is always enjoyable. We know that Dwight lives a pretty old-fashioned life, but this just helps prove it even more. There are many kinds of animals that he's obviously had stuffed and placed around his house. And the random decorations and old-fashioned technology are quite amusing. I hope you enjoy as much as I did!

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The Office: Frame Toby

I must admit that I was very upset on Thanksgiving because I felt that I had nothing to be thankful for...The Office was not on! But luckily, the episode that aired the week before was a great one and I have watched it on NBC many times since then. I will recap this episode and help remind you what's going on since we had a whole week off.

The episode starts with the office is having some sort of party, who knows what for, and Kelly mentions taking a brownie to Toby. Michael thinks that it is so funny that Kelly would ever say such a thing because Toby is gone. He starts laughing about how funny it is and Jim has to break the news to Michael that Toby has been back for about a week. Everybody assumed that Michael knew this, since he is the boss, but of course Michael's excuse is that he never goes back to that corner because it reminds him of Holly. He makes his way back to "Toby's" desk and doesn't see him and thinks it was all just a horrible joke, but then he turns around and there he is. Micahel's face is indescribable and he then starts yelling "NOOOOO" over and over again right to Toby's face.

When the show comes back from commercials, we see a classic Michael moment: him staring out at Toby through his blinds in his office. He then texts David Wallace saying 911 so he thought that there was an emergency. David then finds out that the emergency was that Toby is back, and he is just amazed that Michael could go a week without knowing that someone works there. I want to know how David can go months without knowing that Ryan is back at Dunder Mifflin. Anyway, Michael tries really hard to pretend to be friends with Toby and goes to talk to him and tell him that he was missed while he was gone. He asks about Toby's vacation to Costa Rica and attempts to listen to him, but just can't take it for too long. He said it was like trying to be friends with an evil snail and he feels like he is dying inside.

Michael and Dwight then try to figure out ways to get Toby fired. They find out that he could get fired for sexual harassment, so Dwight offers to be the bait and get Toby to hit on him. When Michael shoots that idea down, he decides to make Pam the bait. He gives her a note to give to Toby without reading it. Of course she is smart enough to read it first, and it says that she is in love with him and wants him to kiss and hug her no matter how much she might disagree. When that fails, he decides to try to get Toby to physically hurt him. He finds Toby trying to show Ryan and Kelly his Costa Rica pictures and takes the pictures and throws them on the floor and starts yelling at him and telling him to go ahead and hit him and just tries to egg him on. But Toby would never hit Michael, so that idea was a bust as well. So Dwight has one last idea....framing him for possessing drugs.


Michael goes to purchase drugs from workers at Vance Refrigeration (the guys who smoked the joint that was found in the episode Drug Testing). They sell him a bag of 2 lbs for $500. He then places it in Toby's drawer and Dwight makes a call to the police station telling them that there are drugs in the office being held by a man named Toby Flenderson. Then he tells the police that his name is Andy Bernard, I loved that! Dwight always knows how to stay out of trouble. The police come and Dwight takes control and takes him back to Toby's desk. Creed talks to the camera and tells them to pretend to talk to him until the police are gone. Oh Creed. Toby gets really defensive and does not want the police to search his desk because they don't have probably cause. Michael gets really nervous and starts to panic and tries to tell them to leave but they find the bag and Michael tells them that it's his bag. He actually thinks that it's weed and he tries to take the blame! I was amazed! But the police then tell them that it's a bag of lettuce and Michael just blames Toby for ruining everything. I love how it's always Toby's fault. Toby realizes what Michael tried to do so they try to talk things out.

Michael doesn't understand why Toby said he was leaving and then came back. He just gave Michael false hope and Michael now feels betrayed and lied to. Michael's great quote: "Do you want to hear a lie? I think you're great. You're my best friend." And then he gives a cute little smile that he does whenever he messes with Toby.

Pam has kind of a strange side story going on. She goes to microwave something and it is completely messy and disgusting inside. So she writes an anonymous note saying that people need to clean up their mess and that whoever left it is rude and inconsiderate. Most people think that the note is more rude then the actual mess is, but of course Angela likes the note. Pam complains about the microwave to Jim and you can tell he really just is not interested in her story. Ryan tells her that he agrees with her note, but that somebody is going to have to end up cleaning it..hinting that she should just clean it. But she comes back with a great line of, "Well I guess that's why we have a temp." I loved it!

Jim has told people in the office that he has bought his parents old house for him and Pam and that he is going to show Pam that night after work. We see him touring the house and see that it is pretty run down and has shag carpet and a hideous clown painting that won't come off the wall. He surprises her after work and the whole time he is showing her the house, you can't read her expression. I had no idea if she was happy or completely terrified and upset. Because the house wasn't the nicest thing and he just bought it without asking her first, so I could understand that she might be a little upset. But when he takes her to the garage and shows her that he has started turning it into an art studio for her, I was sold. I thought she had to love it or I was going to be really mad at her. And sure enough, she tells him that she loves it and that she can't believe he bought her a house! Then they kiss and it's really sweet, and she asks if they can please not sleep in his parent's old room and if they can take the clown picture down. It's very adorable and I loved seeing the love between them again.


Ryan and Kelly are making out again and he back away and tells her that they are over and that he is going away on vacation with his friends. She gets mad that he made her break up with Darryl for him and then dumps her like a week later. But he tells her not to be mad and to have sex with him one more time before he leaves and to give him some little extra cash. And she just agrees. Poor Kelly.



Favorite Moments:

• Dwight: "It's a good day, I'm wearing my mustard shirt."
• Michael yelling at Toby in the beginning
• Michael and Toby sitting next to each other and talking to the camera
• Pam being a smartass to Ryan
• Pam loving the house
• Dwight saying that he loves catching people in the act
• Michael peeking through the blinds
  

What to look for next week:

• Well we didn't see anything about Angela or Andy, but I hear that they will be visitng Schrute Farms this week....something to look forward to I'm sure.
• Ryan is leaving, but will he be back? I never know what to think of this guy.
• Will Kelly get back together with Darryl?
• Hopefully we will see Jim and Pam in their new house. And when will this wedding take place? I'm sure it won't be a long engagement...hopefully.
• Is Jan ever coming back? It's been a long while since we've seen her. And Michael said that he would end up going back to her. I'm sure she's coming back soon.

Top 10 Jim Pranks on Dwight

Everytime I watch The Office, I am waiting to see what prank Jim is going to pull on Dwight. It has probably become one of my favorite parts of the show. The pranks are always so funny and creative and Dwight's reactions are what make them perfect. It was extremely hard for me to narrow it down to my top 10, but I tried my best. They are in no specific order because I love them all equally!

The Pilot:
Jim puts Dwight’s stapler in Jell-O. This is a classic prank, since it is the first one we see. I think Pam's giggle in the background makes it even funnier. Favorite line- Jim: "You know what, I'm sorry Dwight. Because I have always been your biggest flan."

Performance Review:
Dwight has replaced his office chair with a fitness orb. He is bouncing up and down and talking about the great benefits of his new exercise ball and being annoying, as usual. As Dwight continues to brag about his quick reflexes and improved sex skills, Jim asks how much the ball is and when he finds out that is only $25, he decides to take his scissors and pop the ball while Dwight is completely unaware and just bouncing away. We see Dwight fall quickly to the ground as it deflates and it is hilarious! Favorite line-Dwight: "Forget everything you thought you knew about ab workouts." Jim: "Done."

Booze Cruise:
Jim puts all of Dwight’s stuff in the vending machine, including his wallet. So Dwight has no money to buy back any of his stuff. Jim hands him a huge bag of nickels and Dwight actually stands there and starts buying back everything tha'ts his. Favorite line- Dwight: "You know what, I know it was you because you're friends with the vending machine guy." Jim: "Who, Steve?"

Branch Closing:
While Jim is away working at Stamford, he sends Dwight faxes using Dwight's stationary that he stole and took with him when he left. Dwight thinks that he is receiving messages from himself, from the future. In this specific fax, Dwight is told that the coffee is poisoned and he tackles Stanley just as he's about to drink some coffee. Favorite Line- Jim: "Dwight, at 8 a.m. today someone poisons the coffee. Do not drink the coffee. More instructions will follow. Cordially, Future Dwight."

Back from Vacation:
Dwight is recording their meetings while Michael is gone on vacation. So Jim decides to have some fun and start saying that Dwight is holding a knife and taking off his clothes and wearing a babby bonnet. Favorite line- Jim: "What is this?" Dwight: "Tape recorder" Jim: "For what?" Dwight: "Uh, for recording."

Product Recall:
Jim comes into work dressed as Dwight. He has the yellow shirt and hair parted down the middle and huge glasses and watch. He even pulls out a bobblehead from his briefcase and talks about beets and Battlestar Galactica. Favorite line- Jim: “Michael!!!” Dwight: "Oh that's funny. Michael!!!"

The Fight:
Dwight comes into work and his desk has been moved. He is about to go tell Michael when Jim starts giving him directions to get to his desk by telling him if he's getting "hot" or "cold". Dwight finds his desk in the bathroom and sits down to answer the phone as Jim calls him. Jim even asks Dwight for some amounts of paper products and Dwight gets out the information and starts working at his desk. Favorite line- Jim: "Hi Dwight, what sort of discounts are we giving on the 20 pound manilla paper?" Dwight: "Jim, I've given you this information like 20 times."

Gay Witch Hunt:
After finding out that Oscar is gay, Michael and Dwight start to wonder who else is gay in the office. Dwight remember Jim telling him about a thing called Gaydar that could tell if people were gay. So they call Jim to see where to get it. Jim pretends to look it up for them and tells them that it's sold out. Dwight is extremely disappointed. Later that week, Jim sends him a metal detector and says that it's Gaydar. Favorite line- Jim: "Oh gaydar, yes, I think they sell it at Sharper Image. I'll check for you. Oh, they're soldout." Dwight: "Damn. I'll try Brookstone."

Performance Review:
Dwight happens to think it’s Friday, but it’s really Thursday so Jim decides to mess with him and purposely say things to make Dwight keep believing that it's Friday. Jim pretends to call a friend and ask him what he's going the next day, Saturday, for lunch. Pam also helps him out and talks to Jim about watching The Apprentice the night before, since it's on every Thursday night. Dwight is then late to work the next day, after obvioulsy realizing that he had been wrong. Favorite line- Dwight: "I went out and got drunk with my laser tag buddies. Damn, I never go out on a Thursday night, what was I thinking?"

Casino Night:
Jim tells Dwight that he has been able to control things with his mind ever since he was a little kid. Dwight tells him to prove it by moving the coat rack with his mind. Pam helps him by using her umbrella to move the coat rack and Jim pretends that he's doing it. Later, Dwight tries to move his bobblehead using his mind powers. Favorite line- Dwight: "I don't believe you. Continue."



This video is kind of long, but it shows clips of most the scenes I have described as well as other great ones! Enjoy!

Michael's CD Mix Tape

As I was browsing The Office's website on NBC, I noticed that you could see the songs on Michael's Mix CD from the episode "Employee Transfer." I was of course interested in what they are because all we got to hear on the episode was "Life is a Highway" at least 5 times. The website opens up your iTunes store on your computer and shows you the playlist. It also has playlists of Pam, Ryan, and Jim's favorite songs. It's pretty funny because it gives a reason for why the characters picked each of their songs. If you can't find the link on the NBC website (things seem to go on and off there randomly), then go to your iTunes store and just search for Celebrity Playlists and then look for The Office Employees. Here are just a few of the songs that are on the playlists and the reasons why they were picked. Go check put the rest of them!

Michael Road Trip Mix:

"Life is a Highway": "Perfect song to start the mix. Not only does it get you pumped, but it's about driving and life, so it works on lots of different levels."

"I'm Like a Bird": "This song only works if you're a bird that flies. Penguins and ostriches just have to face their own problems head on."

"Hey Ya!": "You're driving, you're getting sleepy, then this song comes on, and BAM! You're singing and clapping and dancing. It's saved my life several times."

"Whoomp! There It Is": "I know ALL the words!"

Jim Halpert's Picks:

"Chicago": "Heartbreaking and great. Plus, I love any song whose titly is a city that isn't Scranton."

"Rich Girl": "Yes, I am a music snob, but my ex-girlfriend Katy put this on a mix for me when it came out, and I got hooked. Try to listen to this song without smiling and/or singing along. I dare you."

"Ghost": "Buy the whole album. It's incredible. If you don't like it, I, Jim Halpert, will give you a free box of Dunder Mifflin 8 1/2 X 14 legal pads. (Then I will be fired. So, win-win.)."


Ryan Howard's Picks:

"When I Get My": "There's a guy I work with, I'm kinda friends with him, really nice guy, but...I don't know, sometimes I want to leave this song anonymously on his desk."

"I Turn My Camera On": "You know those five minutes or so on your drive to work, after you've shaken off the grogginess of waking up and after your cup of coffee has kicked in - but before your day turns into absolute soul-crushing drudgery? This is my theme song for those five optimistic minutes."

"Kokomo": "Whenever I am having a really bad day, I come home and put on this song. This song is so bad tha tit makes my day look okay by comparison."

Pam Beesly's Picks:

"At Last": "This is going to be Roy's and my first dance at our wedding. Kind of fitting, after our 42-year courtship."

"Phone Call #27": "This is the only time where I like the sound of a phone ringing in my ear."

"Those Sweet Words": "I have this CD-playing alarm clock, and I wake up to this song every morning. It's soothing and pretty - it sort of pulls me gently out of my sleep. My fiancee hates it."

Another Great Michael vs. Toby Moment

So after tonight's episode, which I will do a full post on later, I must quickly add a moment to my Top 10 list of Michael vs. Toby moments. Tonight, when Michael found out that Toby was back and working at the office again, he went back to check for himself and started yelling at Toby. He just kept yelling "NOOOOO," and he looked like he wanted to kill himself. It was an amazingly funny scene and I loved every minute of it!

Hilarious Office Videos

I found many hilarious Office youtube videos that fans have made by taking clips from random episodes and making them into different movie trailers and such. These are just a few of the many great videos. Hope you enjoy!

What The Office would be like if it were a crime show:




Brokeback Office:



Vantage Point:



The Office in Threat Level Midnight

Christmas Obsession

Besides my huge obsession over The Office, my main other obsession in life is Christmas. I love everything about this holiday and this time of the year! Here is why Christmas is so special to me.

1. Buying people presents: I absolutely love nothing more than making my list of what I am going to buy people for Christmas. I go crazy and spend way too much money, but it is so worth it to see people happy when they open your gift. I'm all about getting the "inside joke" gifts for friends and making cute meaningful things for my boyfriend and my family. It isn't all about getting something expensive and amazing, it's about taking the time to think about each person individually and come up with something unique that you know they would love.

2. Decorating: Putting up the Christmas tree is the next best thing about this holiday! Getting everything down from the attic is exciting enough, but then unwrapping all the ornaments and hanging them on the tree makes it even better. Every year I feel like I am seeing all the ornaments for the first time and I love strategically placing them on the tree so your favorite ones can be seen and the others are hidden in the back. I also love putting up our Christmas Village. My mom and I collect village pieces and we have houses and churches and ponds and stores and people and animals and all sorts of great stuff. It looks so pretty at night when we turn on the lights to the village and the christmas tree lights and turn off all the lights in the house. I love sleeping on my couch during Christmas time because I love falling asleep with those lights on around me. I brought a mini tree up to school with me last year and other decorations like garland and lights to put in my room and I left everything up until at least March!

3. Making cookies: I don't necessarily love the taste of Christmas cookies all that much, but there is nothing more fun than making dozens of them just for the hell of it. I love using the cookie cutters and making fun-shaped cookies like reindeer and santas and snowmen. Then decorating them is the best! I put on so much sugar and icing and I love buying the cute sprinkles that are shaped like snowflakes and chritsmas trees.

4. Getting together with family: This is the one time of the year that I see most of my family. I love spending time with them all and the food is always delicious as well. I have at least 4 different family Christmases and they are all unique in their own ways. One of grandparents plays certain games with me and all my cousins every year and it is something I always look forward to. One of my aunts has us over for lunch Christmas day and we watch all the movies we got for Christmas. It's just nice to have different traditions and things to look forward to every year.

5. Getting presents: Who doesn't love getting presents? It is just so fun to have something wrapped in front of you that you have no idea what it is. I love surprises and I am always surprised with my gifts. I make a list every year of things that I want, but I always get many extra random things that I was not expecting and it makes it even better. I love keeping my presents under the christmas tree for at least a week after christmas before putting them up. It's fun to walk by and look at them all and it makes me feel like they're still brand new. Once you put them away, they lose their Christmas spirit and they just become things that you own and only look at every once in awhile. I love wearing all my new clothes and watching my new movies and playing my new games! Getting presents is just a great addition to the other great aspects of Christmas!

6. Snow: If it snows on Christmas Day, my day is perfect. I love the snow and the way it looks and feels and smells. It is so fun to go outside and get all bundled up and play in the snow for hours and then go inside and make hot chocolate and watch movies. It is the best part of Christmas time!

The Office: Customer Survey

After his sad breakup with Holly, Michael copes by telling everyone in the office that they are engaged. Everyone is gathered in his office congratulating him and they make him call his mother to tell her the good news and he finally breaks and tells everyone that he was joking. Kelly had bought a bridesmaid dress already and so asked Michael if he would give her money for the dress but of course he didn’t. I wonder if Michael ever told Kelly she could actually be his wedding, or did she just assume like she has in the past.

Jim and Pam have decided to spend every minute of their day on the phone together, using a really small Bluetooth that no one can notice. They don’t tell anybody so sometimes they will be talking to each other but everybody around them thinks they are talking to themselves. I loved this storyline because I loved seeing Jim and Pam being cute together and it really showed how much they are missing each other. I loved when Kelly told Dwight to get out of her nook while Jim was there and Pam yells “That’s what she said, that’s what she said!” But the Bluetooth can also be a problem because while Pam is at work, her guy friend who we’ve seen her with a lot this season comes to visit her and ask her to stay in New York. He tells her as a true friend because he doesn’t want her to leave so soon after finally getting to study art, he thinks she needs to stay and continue her career in New York. After he tells her this and leaves, Jim and Pam don’t say anything to each other. It left me pretty worried, but he does have a point. I hope she goes back to him, or maybe Jim could go work at corporate in New York.

The main story line in this episode was a big mystery. Every year Kelly conducts customer surveys for all of the salesmen and this year, Dwight and Jim got surprising results. They both did horribly; people said Dwight was abrasive and Jim was arrogant. It was very shocking because Dwight is the top salesman and Jim is always very personable. Jim was mainly upset because he wanted a bonus to help him buy his parents’ house for him and Pam, and Dwight is just upset because he knows he is amazing and he is sure he is being sabotaged. When Jim tells Pam that he didn’t do so well on his customer surveys, Pam says it’s probably because he spent the whole year flirting with the receptionist. Michael decides that he must need to manage Jim and Dwight more personally and makes them pretend like they are on the phone together and that Dwight is the salesman and Jim is the customer. Jim tells Dwight that his name is Bill Buttlicker and puts him on hold and tells him that he is hard of hearing and makes Dwight scream at him. It is a hilarious scene and Jim is just egging him on while Michael takes it very seriously.

Dwight is paranoid all day and thinks that people are listening to every conversation he has with anyone and ends up confronting Kelly about being the person who is conspiring against him. Jim thinks Dwight is crazy but then starts to think he might be on to something when he tries talking to Kelly about her relationship with Darryl and she answers with one word and then leaves. Pam points out that you can never have a conversation with Kelly without it lasting 15 minutes at least. Jim asks Ryan if he knows why Kelly might be mad at him and ends up noticing that Ryan has a mug just like Andy’s that has their faces on them. He finds out that the mugs are from a party that Kelly had over the summer and Pam remembers that Jim didn’t go. Jim starts putting things together and realizes that he and Dwight are the only two people in the office who didn’t go to her party. The two of them confronted Kelly and told Michael and she finally admits that she messed up the customer surveys because they didn’t come to her party. Michael can sympathize with her because he has a huge problem getting people to come to his parties.

I actually didn’t like this plot; I thought it made Kelly seem like such a small person and I don’t believe she would do something like that just because two people didn’t come to her party at least 3 months ago. I thought it would’ve been better if it had been Ryan who screwed them up or if he had helped Kelly mess them up because he would at least have a real motive. But, it still had some funny parts to it, like Dwight and Jim’s fake phone conversation. And I liked seeing Jim and Dwight actually work together for a change. They seemed to enjoy each other a little bit.

Andy finally booked a person who will make a tent for their wedding and all the walls and the ceiling will be gray, per Angela’s request. Angela lets him book it under certain conditions: it must be placed in a hand-plowed field, have a barn that you can see the stars through, have antique tools to look at when you roll over, and it must be in a 5-8 mile radius. Andy finds the perfect place…Schrute Farms! I didn’t understand why Angela would want to get married there and I still really don’t, but when they met with Dwight to talk about the wedding, he was extremely excited about it as well and they kept exchanging small mischievous grins. Why does she keep stringing Dwight along?

All in all, I thought there were many funny and cute parts, but I definitely was not in love with the episode. I feel like there may be too many deep story lines this season so it is hard for them to move the stories forward while maintaining the unique humor of the show. I hope they step it up a little bit and start adding more humor and maybe moving the stories along a little quicker.

Favorite Moments:

• Michael throwing away Kelly’s bridesmaid dress receipt


• Jim: “You wouldn’t know it by looking at her, but Pam’s a Goldigger.” Pam: “ Hey, New York ain’t free!”
  
• Pam: “What color mustard is his shirt, yellow or Dijon?”


• Kelly: “Dwight, get out of my nook!” Pam: “That’s what she said, that’s what she said!”


• Jim and Dwight’s fake phone conversation
  
  

What to look for in the next episode:

• So Pam should definitely be back by now! What will happen…will she stay in New York or come back to Jim?
  
• Is Michael going to go back to Jan? Will we hear about Holly again?


• What about a replacement for Holly? They didn’t mention that at all this episode.


• Will Angela really go through with the wedding? She obviously still has feeling for Dwight.

Dunder Mifflin Store in Scranton, PA

The NBC store, which sells all official NBC merchandise, will install a kiosk on the first floor of The Mall at Steamtown (the mall Michael took all the women to in the episode Women’s Appreciation) starting Nov. 1 and continuing through Dec. 31. This store will be selling specifically The Office merchandise since it is in Scranton, PA and will be named The Dunder Mifflin Store. But for those who aren’t necessarily diehard fans of the show, the store will also sell some select merchandise from a few other NBC shows such as Heroes, Saturday Night Live and even Saved by the Bell!

The kiosk will be selling Dunder Mifflin work shirts and T-shirts, hats, mugs, key chains, magnets, and of course the infamous Dwight bobblehead, along with many other amazing products. They say that if the store does well during the holiday season, it may become a permanent fixture in the mall. I can’t wait to make a trip out there!

Top 10 Michael vs. Toby Moments

Michael has hated Toby since the beginning of this show and nobody really knows why. But it adds a lot of humor and some of the best quotes ever. I love the relationship that they share and find it absolutely hysterical. So I compiled my top 10 favorite moments that are shared by Toby and Michael.

Casino Night:
Michael: Oh, and another fun thing. We, at the end of the night, are going to give the check to an actual group of Boy Scouts. Right, Toby? We’re gonna…
Toby: Actually, I didn’t think it was appropriate to invite children since it’s… You know, there’s gambling and alcohol, and it’s in our dangerous warehouse and it’s a school night… And, you know, Hooters is catering. You know, is that enough? Should I keep going?
Michael: Why are you the way that you are? Honestly, every time I try to do something fun or exciting, you make it not… that way. I hate so much about the things that you choose to be

The Negotiation:
Toby: “Where are we going?”
Michael: “I’m going to smack you in the head with a hammer.”

Money:
Michael: No one asked you anything ever, so whomever’s name is Toby, why don’t you take a letter opener and stick it in your skull.

Goodbye Toby:
Michael: "Who do you think you are?”

The Deposition:
Lawyer: “Who is this ryan girl”
Toby: bursts out giggling

The Fight:
Toby: "Michael…"
Michael: "Hey, Toby."
Toby: "Any word on those time cards?"
Michael: "I’ve got an idea: why don’t you leave right now. Why don’t you walk away from the room, ‘kay?"

The Deposition:
Toby tries to be nice to Michael in the cafeteria after his diary has been exposed, and as nice as Toby’s trying to be, Michael just can’t take it and throws his food on the floor.

Branch Wars:
Michael: "I'll tell you what, I'll give you Toby. He is amazing, he is the best….nope I can’t even lie about it, he is horrible"

Michael’s Birthday:
Toby: Who brought in donuts?
Michael: Somebody got donuts for my birthday.
Toby: Happy birthday.
Michael: You didn’t know it was my birthday.
Toby: I guess I forgot…
Michael: Well I guess I forgot to give you a donut.

Boys & Girls:
Michael: "Everyone. Guys. Circle up, please. Come on over. Bring your chairs. Toby, come on over. You’re a guy… too… sort of. Let’s do this!"


Here is a youtube video of many great Toby and Michael moments!

The Office: Employee Transfer

So I’ve heard a lot of controversy on this episode. Some people loved it, some people hated it. I honestly have to say that I was pretty much right in the middle. The more I think about it, the more I liked it, but my first reaction was a little bit of disappointment. It wasn’t as side-splittingly funny as the past few episodes, but it did have a lot of deep plots and meaningful story lines. Overall though, I would have to say it is definitely the weakest episode of the season so far.
The opening was great though! It was Halloween in the office and everyone was dressed up!

Stanley: rubber mask from Creature from the Black Lagoon so he can sleep at his desk
Phyllis: Raggedy Ann
Kelly: Carrie from Sex and the City
Ryan: Gordon Gecko
Oscar: Uncle Sam
Meredith: Cheerleader
Angela: her usual cat outfit
Andy: a “kitten”, dressed in a costume from the musical Cats
Jim: wears a nametag revealing the name “Dave”
Creed: A very creepy and realistic Joker
Kevin: A funny and poorly put together Joker outfit
Dwight: Another creepy Joker costume, except for he kept his glasses on
Pam: Only person to dress up at corporate. She dresses as Charlie Chaplin and can’t take her hat off because then she becomes Hitler

The running joke about everyone dressing up as the Joker this Halloween was really funny and I loved Jim’s non-creative costume and Kelly trying to walk around in her stilettos as Carrie Bradshaw. It was also great how Pam is just so used to dressing up and that she ended up being the only one in the corporate office. But that was all we got…a minute and a half of Halloween costumes and we didn’t even get to see Michael dressed up! I was so looking forward to see Michael and Holly dressed up together as something really cute and corky but I was disappointed.

We then see Michael and Holly getting ready to move all of her stuff to Nashua, New Hampshire because she has been transferred after David Wallace saw them kiss and found out that they were in a relationship. Michael has made a goody bag for the long 7 hour car ride, which includes puzzles, string for Cat’s Cradle, a mix CD, and puppets. Only Michael could put together such a terrific goody bag. I was wondering why Holly didn’t stay in Scranton and find another job, and then she talks to the camera about what happened. Apparently the two of them had a conversation about it and he asked her to stay and she asked him to move to Nashua and then he said “I asked you first,” and she said “first” at the same time as he did and then called Jinx and they haven’t talked about it since then. Sounds about right for a conversation with Michael about something so serious.

Darryl drives them to Nashua in the company’s truck and helps move all of Holly’s stuff. This episode made me really appreciate Darryl because he never does nice things for Michael! But he was really sweet throughout this whole episode! The first song we hear from Michael’s mix CD is “Life is a Highway” and they all start smiling and singing along. It is very cute. When they are halfway to Nashua, Michael asks Darryl to pull over so they can find a place to stay for when he and Holly will meet in the middle. There is absolutely nothing there. They get back into the car and “Life is a Highway” comes on for the fourth time and Holly starts crying. Michael asks if it’s because Darryl touched her….hilarious moment! She says she just doesn’t see how they could stay together while living so far apart. Michael starts to freak out and starts screaming about how they can’t break up because then he’ll go back to Jan and he hates Jan.

After Holly is all moved in, Michael decides not to stay with her and ride back with Darryl. It was so sad to see him leave her, but he still won’t admit to Darryl that they are broken up. He thinks they are still together which could cause some more pain for him in the coming episodes when he has to realize that it’s really over. I was so sad to see Holly go; I guess she was just too good to be true.

Dwight comes into work that morning wearing a Cornell sweatshirt, solely to piss off Andy. And it works. Right away Andy yells at Dwight for wearing the sweatshirt and we find out that Dwight is applying to Cornell. Throughout the day, Dwight keeps pulling out more Cornell stuff such as a mug, Big Red bear bobblehead, a Cornell banner, etc. Andy calls the Cornell admissions office and gets to run Dwight’s interview. He asks all sorts of random questions and as he is critiquing Dwight, Dwight starts to critique Andy’s interview skills to send in to Cornell. It was great to see how much Dwight really wanted to get under Andy’s skin. He will do anything to piss him off and I don’t know what that’s going to do to help him get Angela back, but maybe he has a plan.

Andy comes into work the next day dressed in overalls and carrying around a huge basket of beets. He states that he now has his own beet farm and tries to bite into a raw one. It reminded me of when Jim came into the office dressed as Dwight and then Dwight came in the next day dressed as Jim. These are both priceless moments.

We finally get to hear more about Jim and Pam’s engagement! Jim’s two brothers come to New York City to take Pam and Jim out to lunch to celebrate. Pam invites them to meet her early so they can pull a prank on Jim. She wants to tell Jim that she lost her ring during an art class but the brothers think it would be funnier if they just joked about Pam being an artist and not making any money. They think it will be funny but of course it only pisses off Jim and I loved seeing how Jim stood up for Pam and got angry at his brothers for their comments. As they keep making comments about Pam’s horrible decision about being an artist, Jim gets more and more angry until they start laughing and saying how it was a prank and all Pam’s idea. She just willingly follows along and says that it was her idea. At first I wasn’t sure if Jim was going to be mad at her or not, but then we see them walking out of the restaurant and she had explained everything to him and they were just laughing about it. It was great to see them together again!

Favorite Moments:

• Seeing all the great Halloween costumes. I honestly think Phyllis as Rageddy Ann was my favorite. She didn't get enough attention from the cameras! But Creed's was definitely the best....man is he creepy!
• Michael's goody bag for Holly, so sweet!
• Darryl singing the blues with Michael
• Michael admitting that he hates Jan
• Michael having a nightmare in the car
• Dwight pulling out a Big Red bear bobblehead!
• Andy wearing a straw hat and overalls with no shirt underneath

What to look for in the next episode:

• More tension between Dwight and Andy? Is Dwight ever going to let it go and move on?
• Is Holly really gone forever? It was supposedly Amy Ryan's last episode, but maybe they'll surprise us. I just hope he doesn't go back to Jan.
• David Wallace didn't say anything about Ryan working there, I'm still waiting for that moment to come!
• Also still waiting for Pam to come back!! She better hurry!

Behind the Scenes

So we all love the TV show The Office, but how did it become so great? It all has to do with the cast and the people who are behind the scenes. So I decided to research the main people who make up The Office and tell you a little bit about each of them. I will soon do another post on the supporting cast and some more behind the scenes people, so stay tuned!

Producer:

Greg Daniels: Before adapting the popular BBC series of The Office for NBC, Daniels was a writer for Saturday Night Live for three seasons, then moved on as a writer and producer for The Simpsons, and then co-created King of the Hill. He has won an Emmy for SNL and The Simpsons and The Office. Fun Fact: He attended Harvard University and wrote for the Harvard Lampoon with Conan O’Brien.

Writers:

Michael Schur: He wrote for six seasons of Saturday Night Live before moving to The Office. He also went to Harvard and was a member of the Harvard Lampoon. He appears in a few episodes of The Office as Dwight’s cousin Mose. Fun Fact: He is married to Jennifer Philbin, Regis Philbin’s daughter.

B.J. Novak: After graduating from Harvard in 2001, he moved to Los Angeles and began working clubs as a comedian. His acting career began on MTV’s Punk’d; he was the lead accomplice on the show’s second season. He now stars in The Office as Ryan Howard and has written many episodes. Fun Fact: He attended Newton South High School with John Krasinski (Jim Halpert).

Paul Lieberstein: After writing for a few small TV shows, he became a producer and writer for King of the Hill with Greg Daniels and also worked on The Drew Carey Show and The Bernie Mac Show. After working with Greg Daniels, he was asked to come on the staff of The Office as a writer and to play Toby Flenderson. Fun Fact: His sister is married to Greg Daniels and his brother is married to Angela Kinsey.

Mindy Kaling: She attended Dartmouth College where she was a member of the improvisational comedy troupe and the a cappella group, as well as the creator of a comic strip in The Dartmouth college newspaper. Along with writing for The Office, she also plays the character Kelly Kapur. Fun Fact: Her real name is Vera Chokalingam.

Cast:

Steve Carell: He originally wanted to be a radio broadcaster, but then found his career as a performer after performing with the Chicago troupe The Second City where he first met his wife, Nancy Walls (plays Carol Stills in The Office). In 1999, he became a correspondent on The Daily Show and remained as a regular on the show until 2004. In 2005 he signed on to star in The Office as Michael Scott. He has starred in many movies such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Little Miss Sunshine, Evan Almighty, Dan in Real Life, and Get Smart. He has also written two episodes of The Office: “Casino Night” and “Survivor man”. Fun Fact: He auditioned for SNL but lost to Will Ferrell.

Rainn Wilson: He has a theater background from Tufts University and University of Washington and has taught acting classes. He holds an MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and was a member of The Acting Company. Along with starring in The Office as Dwight Scrute, he has appeared in episodes of CSI, Entourage, and Monk and recently starred in the comedy The Rocker. Fun Fact: He originally auditioned for the role of Michael Scott.

John Krasinski: Before college, he took a semester off to teach English in Costa Rica. He then went to Brown University where he graduated as a playwright. He moved to South Carolina to pursue his career in acting where he did commercials and readings of off-Broadway plays. He spent the summer of 2000 as a script intern on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. He currently plays the role of Jim Halpert on The Office. He has appeared in many movies and starred in License to Wed and Leatherheads. Fun Fact: He has two of his friends filmed the footage of Scranton, Pennsylvania for The Office, including clips shown in the opening credits.

Jenna Fischer: She was born in Fort Wayne, IN and received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Truman State University. Prior to joining the cast of The Office, she guest-starred in shows such as Six Feet Under, That 70’s Show, What I Like About You, and Spin City. She then joined The Office as Pam Beesly and would like to stay on the show for as long as possible. She has been in movies such as Employee of the Month, Lucky 13, The Brothers Solomon, Blades of Glory, and Walk Hard. She was married to James Gunn for 7 years and they are recently divorced. Fun Fact: She was #37 in People Magazine’s 100 Most Beatiful, 2006 issue.

The Office: Crime Aid

This episode crammed a LOT of information into only 2o minutes, I couldn't believe it! There were so many things going on, and it still kept its humor. This episode also showed what I love most about this show: it's ability to mix genuine emotional moments with some of the sharpest, wittiest comedy on TV. I will recap the episode for those of you who missed it, but be warned, it will take awhile for me to recap everything. And if you've already seen the episode, scroll down and read my favorite moments and find out what I'm looking forward to for the next episode!

This episode starts with Pam working at Corporate in New York! She was running low on money and instead of selling a kidney she decided to let Michael get her a job. Michael calls her all the time because he now has a number to reach her and it is actually kind of sweet. He of course is annoying and calls her “Paaaamelaaaaaaa” over and over again, but he tells her how much he misses her too!

In the beginning of the episode, Jim gets an accidental call from Pam in the middle of the night while she is out partying with her friends in New York. While he’s listening to it he turns to the camera and smiles while saying, “The future mother of my children.” It is a very cute moment and I love that he talks about having kids with her! I was glad that he wasn’t weird and jealous at that point, he seemed happy for her that she was making friends and you could tell that he thought she was still the cutest thing in the world.

The main storyline in this episode is definitely the Michael and Holly and I loved to see how happy they are together! There is a very cute opening scene of him asking her when she can go out with him again and she tells him very eagerly that she is free that night. They share some cute little moments and then we see Michael telling the camera that this will be their third date and that usually the third date is when he has sex. They talk about what they are going to do on their date and decide to go to the mall and eat at the food court. When talking about what they are going to get to eat, Michael says that a lot of it depends on if they have sex or not. He laughs awkwardly and asks Holly if she thinks they will have sex that night. For a second you can’t tell what Holly is thinking; I was afraid that she was going to find it really inappropriate that he asked her, but then she suddenly answers “hell yea.” It was a great moment and it made me so happy for Michael! When they leave work late that night, they are headed out to the parking lot when Holly says she forgot her keys inside. When they go back in to get them, the camera crew stays outside, leaving them alone inside. It was all part of Holly’s plan because as they go back inside she locks the door behind them and gives the camera a very excited and mischievous grin. She then pulls Michael into the stairwell and they go to turn their microphones off so the cameras can’t hear them but Michael, not being the smartest person in the world, turns it up all the way instead.

The next morning, there are police cars at the office and the place had been robbed during the night! Dwight has of course already taken charge and has his little notepad out with all of his observations written down. He says it looks like the classic 7 man job, the security tapes were stolen, and possible motives were financial or vintage HP computer collectors. Holly puts it all together and asks to talk to Michael privately. She realizes that she never locked the door the night before when they left the office and Michael says he didn’t either. Michael’s great line after that is “so much for sex without consequences.”

Michael and Holly obviously feel really bad about what they let happen so Michael decides to hold an auction to raise money. They will auction off people’s talents and invite people from all over Scranton and call it Crime Aid. The two of them share a cute moment while talking to the camera about the auction and we find out that Michael "got" Holly twice the night before…

The auction is hilarious and is a classic Michael event! He makes many corny jokes while standing up in front of the microphone. Watching him struggle to talk fast like an auctioneer is extremely comical. The auction includes a yoga lesson from Holly, a trip to the bar with Darryl, Creed, Kevin offering to do someone’s taxes, the security guard’s CD of him playing guitar, a weekend at David Wallace’s place in Martha’s Vineyard, a hug from Phyllis, and fake Bruce Springsteen tickets.

David Wallace shows up to the auction and Ryan tries to hide from him. It is obviously not known that Ryan is back at Dunder Mifflin. Also, David sees Michael and Holly kiss at the very end of the episode and it is obviously not known that they are dating and you can tell he is upset.

Jim bid on the trip to the bar with Darryl and while they are out, Roy shows up and it is a little awkward at first. Roy asks how Pam is doing and Jim slowly tells him that they are engaged and Roy is actually genuinely happy for them. Or so it seems, until Jim is telling Roy about how Pam loves New York and was out with her friends until 8 a.m. the day before and Roy fires back, “I thought you were her friend.” It was so unnecessary and made me mad at Roy. At first I was really excited to see him again, but then the jerk side of him came out! I am so glad Pam got away from him!! Roy’s comment obviously got to Jim because we then see Jim driving to see Pam late that night. Luckily, Jim is an amazing guy and realizes that he’s not “that guy” who gets jealous and doesn’t trust his girlfriend so he makes a U-turn and drives back home.

While all of this is happening, there is a side story with Dwight, Phyllis, Angela, and Andy. Dwight gets a save-the-date for Angela and Andy’s wedding and Phyllis sees that he is upset and tries to talk to him about it. He will have nothing to do with her. But later in the day, he walks into the kitchen and pretends to get something out of the refrigerator, but ends up talking to Phyllis about how many amazing things Angela introduced him to, such as, pasteurized milk, sheets, monotheism, presents on your birthday, and preventative medicine. He reveals that he just doesn’t understand why she is marrying Andy, and Phyllis intelligently replies, “Angela’s not really a risk taker, and Andy’s not really a risk.” Dwight looks like he’s about to cry and then just shuts the fridge and tells Phyllis that her meal is really fattening! He later makes her get in the elevator with him and asks her how to get Angela back. She tells him to give her an ultimatum and make her choose between him and Andy. He gets off the elevator and leaves her on the wrong floor! He finally confronts Angela and tells her that she can either” dump that singing buffoon and apologize and start dating him, or she can say goodbye to this (as he points to his body).” He gives her until 6:14 to make up her mind. She chooses Andy and I still cannot believe it! There is no way the writers can let her marry Andy!

Favorite Moments:

• Creed’s super creepy quote.”Nobody steals from Creed Bratton and gets away with it. The last person to do this disappeared. His name…Creed Bratton.”
• Michael hitting the gavel at the auction and it making a squeaking sound
• Anytime Michael and Holly are on camera together
• Michael talking fast like an auctioneer and saying complete nonsense
• Phyllis's hug going for $1,000
• Jim getting to tell Roy that he is engaged to Pam
• Dwight's list of things he learned from Angela
• Phyllis smacking Dwight

What to look forward to in the next episode:

• What will David Wallace do about Michael and Holly? It is supposedly Amy Ryan's (Holly's) last episode, she was only signed on to do 5. So will she be fired over this or transferred to another branch? And if so, why couldn't she and Michael keep dating? I hope she stays around!
• Will we finally get to see Pam and Jim together again? I hope he honestly has nothing to be jealous of. I know Pam wouldn't do that to Jim, but I might be a little worried too.
• Angela can't seriously marry Andy! I hope that Angela comes to her senses and gets back together with Dwight.
• Will David Wallace say anything about Ryan working there? I know he had to have seen Ryan in the warehouse during the auction.
• Will Jan find out that Michael and Holly are dating? I hope she doesn't ruin things!
• When does Pam get done with school in New York?? I thought she was only supposed to be gone for 3 months and she's been gone since the second week of the summer!

Well, stay tuned!! I can't wait for the next episode! This season is going by really fast!

The Office Trivia Board Game

I was surfing NBC's website one day this past summer and looking at all of the Office merchandise that they have and I found a trivia board game!! I was so excited and automatically told my mom that we had to buy it and we ordered it right then and there. When it came, we played it at least 3 times that night. I had been expecting a fun game, but it was so much more intricate and detailed than I would have ever guessed! The goal is to race around the office and collect a Dundie from every room by answering a trivia question correctly in each room. You must also win the Fun Runs and end with all the Dundies AND the Support the Rabid bracelet!

You get to pick what character you want to be, and they don't just have the main characters, they have everyone you can think of! You cannot be Michael though, because his role is to slow you down by following you around and asking you questions about himself. So, you start by picking your character and then rolling the colored die. You then place your person in the room that is the same color as what you rolled and that is where you begin the game. The player who was born closest to Scranton, Pennsylvania gets to go first. There is also a "Support the Rabid" bracelet from the episode Fun Run and the person who owns the game gets to start off wearing it. Every player also receives a token that reads "That's What She Said" and you can use it during the game if someone makes a comment that could then be followed by "That's What She Said." The other players get to decide if it was worthy or not, and if you comment is approved, then you get a Dundie of your choice to help you win. This is how my mom won our first game...I said that one of the questions was really hard...and she got the last Dundie that she needed to win!

Whenever it is your turn, you roll the colored/numbered die and move that number of spaces to try to enter one of the rooms. Once you're in a room, you have to wait until your next turn to roll again and answer a question. You have to then roll the other die, which has the Dunder Mifflin logo and Michael's face on it. If you roll Michael's face, then he enters the room with you and you have to answer a question about him. If you get it right, then you get to move on to your normal trivia question. If you get it wrong, then you are stuck in that room until your next turn and you have to try again to answer one of his questions before you can move on. If you roll the logo, then you get to skip the Michael question and go right ahead and answer the trivia question.

As you race around to answer questions from every room and collect all the Dundies, you must also worry about landing on a Fun Run space and stealing the bracelet. If you land on Fun Run, all of the characters "race" by moving to one end of the board and taking turns rolling the die until someone gets to the end of the finish line first. So you could land on Fun Run but not necessarily get the bracelet. It's hard to worry about getting the bracelet and all of your Dundies, especially because the bracelet can get taken away from you so easily.

That's basically the premise of the game and it's a lot of fun and really fast-paced! There are also 2 questions on every trivia card, one of which is easier than the other, so even people who aren't obsessed with the show like me could have a lot of fun playing the game! The board is really colorful and fun and there are random spaces along the way that make you lose a turn or move you ahead while referring to different scenes from random episodes. For example, one space says "Jinx! You can't talk until your next turn!" The game covers seasons 1-4, so it is really current and I feel that anyone who has watched the show would love playing the game! There are 698 questions so you can play many times before getting repeat questions. There is also a DVD trivia game with clips from the show which I'm sure is also extremely fun! Check them out!

The Office: Baby Shower

Last week’s Office episode was back to its old form. It was hilarious from the first second and just never stopped moving! It didn’t disappoint me once and I never wanted it to end! The writing in this episode was perfection because it kept you guessing as to what would happen and it ended perfectly.

The main storyline in this episode was that Michael was having a baby shower for Jan in the office. The episode starts with Dwight pretending to be pregnant and Michael is practicing what he is going to do when Jan calls to say she’s in labor. Dwight has a watermelon strapped to his stomach and is talking about having contractions and his water breaking and all sorts of graphic things. Dwight then proceeds to have the “baby” and when it comes out, Michael is supposed to catch it and mark it with a sharpie so they know it’s theirs. When Michael goes to catch the watermelon, he drops it!! Dwight said he put butter on it to make it slippery like a baby. It is a perfect scene and had me laughing the entire time!

So we see Phyllis acting as the head of the Party Planning Committee again and bossing around Angela. The tension between them is great and whenever Michael says he doesn’t like something, Angela will softly tell him that it’s all Phyllis’s fault. Michael then goes to talk to Holly and tell her that Jan is coming in and that she is pregnant and very fat and since Holly is pretty, he is going to treat her meanly all day just so he won’t hurt Jan’s feelings. He says he is treating Ryan the same way as well. Michael’s not-so-secret crush on Ryan continues to grow even when he has Holly there!

Jan then enters the office….pushing a stroller! Turns out she had already given birth to Astrid (Michael thought the name was Astird) and decided not to tell Michael; she said her birthing instructor did not think it was a good idea. You find out there was some tension between Michael and the birthing instructor because Michael says the guy had no sense of humor. Michael is obviously upset and you feel so bad for him when you see his disheartened face. Jan allows him to hold the baby, but only while she’s still in her carrier of course. He then proceeds to introduce the baby to everyone in the office by holding her above his head in her carrier like they do with Simba in the Lion King.

The baby shower starts and Michael wants to play games. Kevin says the games are ruined because the baby is already born but Michael won’t have it. So Kevin asks everybody the question, “So when do you think the baby will be born?” The games obviously were a letdown so Jan starts singing a song to her baby about a person losing their virginity by a church for at least 20 minutes. Jim goes to call Pam to tell her about it but she is in a Laundromat and can’t hear a thing. They had been playing phone tag all day and you can just feel the tension between them as they wish they could be together already and not have to get upset over little things. They both just admit that they must be having one of the off days.

While Jan takes a nap, Michael is allowed to actually hold baby Astrid and when he holds her, he feels nothing. He finds this odd and goes to talk to Darryl, another “baby daddy”, who tells him he obviously doesn’t feel anything because it’s not his baby!! Jan leaves and asks Michael to do him one big favor…not to date Holly. Michael awkwardly tells her that he has no feelings for her but then goes inside to Holly and just holds her. Holly’s eyes tear up and as he pulls away, he asks her if she wants to go out! He tells the camera that he didn’t feel anything when he held the baby, but he definitely felt something when he held Holly. I cannot wait for this interesting relationship to start, even though it may be very short-lived since Amy Ryan is not supposed to be in the season for too many more episodes.

It ends with Pam and Jim calling each other at the same time and so they get each other’s voicemail and leave a message. It is so sweet because they are talking about the same exact things in their messages and it goes back and forth between the two of them so it makes it seem like they’re having a conversation. The main thing I love about this show is that the writers keep it so close to real life and don’t necessarily try to please the viewers. They will make you feel mad at Jim or Michael or whoever, but they are just making it out like it would happen in real life. Any two people who were in a long-distance relationship would have their off days and it no matter how much we know that Michael should be with Holly instead of Jan, it would be hard for someone to figure that out on their own after everything they’d been through with that other person.

Favorite quotes/moments in the episode:

• Dwight: “I’m crowning!"



• Michael: “Andy, would you like to have my baby instead?”



• Michael dropping the watermelon and then eating it while Dwight puts his pants back on right next to him



• Andy thinking that Phyllis’s baby picture is Angela’s



• Stanley rubbing his nipples



• Dwight: “Jan had the baby and Michael wasn’t there to mark it so the baby could be anybody’…except for Michael’s.”



• Michael’s face when he realizes the baby’s name is Astrid, not Astird



• Clips of Michael holding other people’s babies…so cute!



• Dwight testing the baby stroller by trying to destroy it



• Jan sprawled out sleeping on the couch



• Michael holding Holly and asking her out
  
  This has definitely been my favorite episode so far and I cannot wait for more to come! If you haven’t seen it yet, you should definitely watch it now! I hope you enjoy!