Luna Lovegood

Best Jim and Dwight Moments

1. Season Five, Episode Sixteen: Lecture Circuit part 1

When Jim and Dwight explain to the camera crew (and us) what happened with the Party Planning Committee and Kelly's missed Birthday Celebration.

2. Season Eight, Episode Sixteen: After Hours After Dwight first works to seduce Nellie and then changes his mind, partially prompted by Jim, and Jim spends all night trying to get rid of Crazy Cathy, they end up eating dessert together and watching TV.

3. Season Four, Episode Four: Money First, Jim empathizes with Dwight about Angela by explaining that he really left Scranton because of Pam. How he couldn't eat, food didn't have taste and how he wouldn't wish that on anyone--including Dwight. Here, the heartbreaking and also crucial Jim/Dwight moment is that Dwight reached out to Jim after and was equally willing to be vulnerable. 

4. Multiple Episodes: whenever Jim realizes he knows more personal information about Dwight:

Dwight's Mother's name is Hedda (Season Eight, Episode Six: Doomsday)

Dwight's middle name is Kurt (Season Two, Episode Seven: The Injury)

Important comparison, Jim does not remember Andy's grandmother's name is Ruth,

5. Season Nine, Episode Thirteen: Junior Salesman Jim knew that Dwight designed a uniform for Dunder Mifflin

Bonus: It's four uniforms: Summer, Winter, Jungle and Formal

6. Season Three, Episode Twelve: Traveling Salesman After giving in his resignation to Dunder Mifflin for Angela, when he sees Jim outside in the parking lot, first they pause and then Dwight goes up and gives him and hug.

7. Season Seven, Episode Twenty-Four: Dwight K Shrute Acting Manager After Jim comments that it was the right call for Dwight to no longer be acting manager, but adds that while Dwight was Manager " In your one week, every single one of the orders went out on time, and I think that is shagadellic baby” which we know cheers Dwight up as he pauses and slightly nods.

8. Season Eight, Episode Eighteen: Last Day in Florida When Jim continues to physically block Dwight from going to the Board meeting about the Sabre retail stores so Dwight won't be fired. 

9. Season Five, Episode Seven: Customer Survey When Jim does make sure to emphasize with Dwight that he was "right" when it came to their customer service reviews, and that Dwight "Knew it the whole time, buddy"

10, Season Seven, Episode Eighteen: Todd Packer When Jim and Dwight team up to get rid of Packer.

PS--Yes, I see the majority of this list is Jim-action heavy. I wondered a bit about that and while Dwight didn't do much to 'mend' his relationship with Jim, he also didn't have to. While Jim mostly did things "in good fun" and continued to pull some pranks on Dwight, he was the one that had to do the more actionable changes for their relationship to thrive since he was the one who was childish in how he interacted with Dwight in the beginning.

"Words are, in my not so humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic, capable of both inflicting injury and remedying it."

JK Rowling

Words, like books, are everything. Every experience, almost every emotion that we experienced can be told to others with the use of words and we understand each other by reading and listening to the stories of others. The most beautiful love song, the worst phrases that turn a friend to an enemy.

Act with kindness, speak with compassion, and keep reading

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The first thing I remember about this book is that I was wondering what could happen next in Harry’s, Ron’s and Hermione’s lives this year, without Voldemort. The return of Voldemort in Year One and Two was a fluke, a coincidence, surely he wouldn’t be returning a third year, and for the most part, he didn’t. Voldemort’s lack of presence is also why this book is one of the most fun books in the series. While we’ve gotten a bit more used to magic, we get to see our trio start become teenagers (sigh, Hermione and Ron) and are generally having fun and goofing around as for the most part, there isn’t anything hanging over their heads—at least not at the level of their first two years at Hogwarts.

Similarly to a lack of Voldemort, I had in my head the possibility that Professor Lupin would stick it out more; he knew what he was talking about and the students adored him, so why not? Then!! Hagrid as a teacher, marvellous. While I don’t understand why we never got confirmation of Hagrid being able to use magic, him getting some of his life back and getting to teach at Hogwarts greatly improved his life and was well deserved, he would never have everything he deserved (lack of bigotry, a family of his own), but this was a great step, a comfort, and something that I know made him really, really happy.

On the other hand, this year wasn’t all sunshine, we started to see more darkness. Expanding from Hermione being called a Mudblood, Hagrid was insulted as a teacher, Buckbeak was sentenced to be executed, Dementors existed, and we learned more in-depth about the Azkaban prison that Hagrid was sent to the year prior (possibly also a reason why he was permitted to be a teacher, an apology from a world that had done him so much wrong). But while this year wasn’t great, it wasn’t not-great because of Harry and so there was a bit of a sigh of relief, until that awful night that really changed everything even more than we realized at the time.

There is both good and bad during Year Three, at all different levels; the best? Harry finds an elder he can really see and count as family, whose only allegiance is to him; the worst? Harry doesn’t get to have him, share him, use him. There is also a lot of growth for the trio as they learn more about their friendship with each other (Ron and Harry v. Hermione) and themselves (Ron and Harry v. Hermione, Hermione and the time-turner and Hermione and Buckbeak--> how did Trelawney miss that future!?) along with the reminders to us that, life simply is not just or fair, but that we should try to do what we can to make it so.

Dolores Umbridge

I was wondering what I could write about what we learned from Umbridge, did I really need to write about all the characters, did I learn from them? How people in power can be corrupt and self-indulging, how people can use their greatest insecurities or fears and inner hate as a foundation against others, these are things we know already from life and can see from other characters so why write about her. Well, there are two things—one is just a quandary. It is interesting that as she became more and more in power, more absolute in her hatred of others that she also became more ‘polite’ (a false-politeness as most is) and more ‘girly’ focusing on a love of kittens, the color pink and attempts in being fragile. Why? She didn’t want to come across as fragile or dainty.

Secondly, there are many characters that are hated for the level of pain or evil they caused: the Dursleys, the Malfoys, Pettigrew, while Voldemort, Bellatrix and Umbridge are usually at the top and considered the worst, Voldemort has never been considered high above Umbridge in this aspect, and for many falls beneath her.  Here is the man who split his soul into seven pieces (then accidentally eight), had Cedric murdered just because he wasn’t useful (seriously, just knock him out), tried to kill a baby who might one day kill him (good job on that one), murdered his entire family (both sides), he’s just an evil guy. So how is he not automatically the big villain Umbridge is? Why is she even able to compete? It’s a personal opinion, and choice, and one that fluctuates for most. Umbridge is so hated I believe, because of how much power she was allowed to have, and how she was able to slip in, remain and grow within the Ministry and be seen as someone with intellect, someone who should be compassionate, engaging and encouraging was narrow-minded and without individuality. In comparison, Voldemort had to fight for his power and to promote his beliefs, and people fought against him and disrespected him for it. Being forced to respect either Umbridge or Voldemort will make them hated, but as Umbridge was considered by many adults as one of the ‘good guys’ or that her crimes and hatred against others weren’t important enough to be obliterated and that she was supported makes us hate her and the system more.

The respect, power and approval by the ‘good guys’ she was given is similar to my earlier point in how her affection for kittens and delicate things was in opposition, and a falsehood, of who she really was. I cannot speak for others, but I do feel that giving someone with the same hatred and cruelty in her as Voldemort, giving her the power and respect he wanted is what makes her so hated—what she does is approved and while teachers under Voldemort’s rule would torture students, they did it as it went against their beliefs and because that’s who they were. They didn’t pretend it was for the benefit of the other students or under the guise of someone else. With all her arrogance and self-importance, she really had no confidence or true pride.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, is probably my least favorite book of the series. It may be because I read it within 72 hours while flying all across the country, or because I spent the majority of that time trying to figure out whether I should trust Snape or not, Harry’s ridiculous trust in the book that I kept thinking could be Voldemort all over again (seriously!?), and of course all the Hermione and Ron drama; but either way, I don’t look back on it fondly (and this was before I knew the ending).

Similar to the Fourth book, the opening of the Half-Blood Prince was entertaining and created a picture outside our normal understanding of Harry Potter. It was also interesting to see Dumbledore’s interaction with the Dursleys, Professor Slughorn who seemed to be a combination of Draco and Gilderoy Lockhart, and of course, seeing the twins great success and finally their mother’s approval.

Another thing I enjoyed in this story is how we slowly learn more about Voldemort along with Harry, seeing how he grew up and how Dumbledore slowly deciphered who he was and what he was up to. But overall, the story for me focuses on whether Harry is right about Draco and Snape, and for both, I feel the results are mixed. In the very end Snape was technically doing everything for Harry’s mother Lily and for Dumbledore, but at the same time he was a ‘double-agent’ and working with the Death Eaters even though his true intentions were very well hidden. Two things: I’d like to know how he convinced Voldemort he was still a true Death Eater as Voldemort seemed to hold him in high regard, and, how did Harry eventually explain all the true intentions of Snape to the others, did they believe him? They trusted in Snape as long as Dumbledore was alive but after that, they believed he had been fooled. With Draco, yes he was trying to do all these secret things to try and murder Dumbledore, but only because he had to, he really didn’t want to and while Harry had mostly matured this was something he couldn’t get past, he couldn’t see that while Draco was a prick, he also could be a victim.

What I do really appreciate about this year that was enjoyable, is the solidification of Harry’s friends, whether part of the Slug Club, Quidditch team or not, this year showed that those involved in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries were Harry’s true friends and he knew that: Neville, Luna and Ginny, along with his core friends Hermione and Ron. Regardless of whatever anyone else thought of him. This is seen even more so when Dumbledore tells Harry to only tell Ron and Hermione about the Horcruxes

Also, there was some fun magic in here: Felix Felices, the Unbreakable Bow, anything the twins created

Dementors

"Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope and happiness out of the air around them....get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory, will be sucked out of you...you'll be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life.’

It is with our introduction to Dementors that we really feel inside JK Rowling, even for those who dealt with depression, the aspect of it being temporary and out of ones control made the connection difficult--but is becoming more accepted overtime. While some stories show us new worlds, and other stories draw connections from different worlds to our own, others open our eyes to living a better life and all the different ways stories and books and conversations, sometimes we read to find ourselves as we look for ourselves in others. This is one of the best examples, of how JK connected us and brought us forward within ourselves as those right next to us. Her ability to openly and honestly portray pain, loneliness and loss are some of the most crucial elements that people needed to feel connected with in order to survive.

"You do care" said Dumbledore "You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it"--and we did, we have survived

Twins

Twins are incredibly interesting, as even those with very similar DNA and upbringing, can turn into very different people. We see this with all siblings: Lily v. Petunia, Percy v. the rest of the Weasleys and so not every set of twins ends up like Gred and Forge, a great example being Parvati and Padma Patil. Parvati and Padma were so different, they were sorted into different houses with Parvati being placed into Gryffindor and Padma being placed into Ravenclaw. Later on Padma would also be named Ravenclaw Prefect and was noted to be more serious than Parvati and was never noted to have such a close friendship with her sister or with anyone else to the extreme that Parvati had with Lavender.

But while their personalities were quite different, they did have both positive and negative traits in common. Both sisters bravely fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, joined Dumbledore’s Army early on and fought against Umbridge’s rein at Hogwarts. They also both showed to be somewhat superficial, agreeing with Harry when he was the chosen one or Triwizard Champion. More information about Padma would have provided more insight to how similar or different they really were, but it’s interesting with twins and siblings how some things just are how they are: people are born a certain way or a different certain way and very little can be done to change that

JK Rowling

Harry Potter and the Sorcerors Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blooded Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I literally grew up with the release of the books and films. From September 1st 2018 to midnight, July 21st, 2007 I grew up with Harry, Ron and Hermione. But even 20 years later children and adults around the world are growing up with them, learning from the characters, the books, the films, their friends, their families, their teachers, and their stories. 

We have learned about compassion, friendship, empathy, inner strength, how to persevere; we have learned about activism, to fight against inequality, to fight for more than just ourselves. It has been scientifically concluded that these stories have increased people’s humanity and lessened the possibility of hate from taking over. The generation that grew up with these stories, those who read them to us and those who have read them since believe and have a new understanding about those around them that aren’t like themselves due to religion, race, politics, economics, immigration and all the other things that make us beautifully different. What we learned from Harry Potter, what we learned from you over these past 20 years today (in the states), in these 19 years and counting, thank you JK Rowling. Thank you for the world you created in these stories, and so much more

Thank you

Krijasto

It should not be any surprise that a majority of the Happiest report countries in the world, also have the highest reported intellect, education and success. One such country, Finland, is consistently praised for various reasons. It has great access to nature (including the Northern Lights) and a clean environment, there is a real sense of community as it is not uncommon for people who have lost their wallet to have it returned and high parental leave for all parents; and there is a great freedom to express oneself as seen with the creativity that has pushed design boundaries, created mobile games and metal music.

While not the only foundation of these achievements, another instrument of this success is the love Finland has for their books and public libraries. Noted as the country that takes out/borrows the most libraries in the world these libraries truly are epicenters of the community where new and established residents may learn, explore, think, question and grow

(1) https://s3.amazonaws.com/happiness-report/2019/WHR19.pdf

(2) https://www.visitfinland.com/article/greatest-things-about-finland/

(3) https://www.buzzfeed.com/frankmartela/12-surprising-things-in-which-finland-is-the-best-fvkn

(4) https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/may/15/why-finlands-cities-are-havens-for-library-lovers-oodi-helsinki

Jo Bennet

Best Moment: Season Six, Episode Nineteen: St. Patrick’s Day

When she promotes Darryl; especially as she puts it as part of her townhall knowing that someone’s position at the office doesn’t represent their potential.

Worst Moment: Season Six, Episode Twenty-Six: Whistleblower

When he storms into the office about the printers and the whistleblower because they’ve now lost half their clients for “no damn good reason” and have them sign a form--probably binding--saying they didn’t.

This is wrong, first, because it wasn’t a ‘new issue’ and they hadn’t been upfront, and second, it does against all the morals and principle protecting whistleblowers who are already vulnerable as employees v employers.

Best Line: Season Seven, Episode Twenty-Five: Search Party Part One

When Dwight tries to text her his resume since she won’t consider him for a manager position

“ These are costing me ten cents apiece, you jackass--I’m roaming!”

Most Memorable: Season Six, Episode Nineteen: St. Patrick’s Day

When she lets us know the best way to become the most powerful women in Tallahassee is by working hard....marrying rich....or both like she did.