Best Company Moments

“I dedicate this to all the Indigenous kids in the world who want to do art and dance and write stories, we are the original storytellers and we can make it here, as well.” 

Congratulations, Taika Waititi, on a historic win at the Oscars. Thanks for another beautiful film.

Parts Unknown

Libraries are not just about books and education; sometimes a connection doesn’t come from a written word or common experience but the opening up of one’s experiences and becoming vulnerable. Libraries have all different mediums for these connections and sometimes the break in the sentence, flutter in the eye you experience directly adds to the depth of the spoken word that cannot be expressed by their writing. Diversity in writing, community and stories includes diversity of media.

Ugh; Anthony Bourdain’s Buenos Aires episode. I hope you can hear us all now, you did so much more than just shove food in your mouth. 

Highlighting the significance of how the food is prepared to the culture and history and individual--it’s why the show wasn’t called something generically--food “Unknown”, but parts unknown. 

Parts of diets we don’t know of, parts of the world we don’t know of, parts of ourselves we don’t know of. 

Thank you, I miss you--> I’ve been missing you

While not the best of ideas, in the pre-internet times--books sometimes were your only saviour. Even today, I still appreciate the new worlds, in some aspect better worlds books can take me to and inspire me to create

Best End Moments

1.  Season Six, Episode Ten: Murder

After the end of the Murder Mystery game(s) when Michael, Andy, Dwight and Pam are all still at the office, past six, trying not to get shot by each other because they all announced how they were double agents ….and Jim has to drag her away

2. Season Eight, Episode Twenty-Two: Fundraiser

When everyone thinks Kevin doesn’t realize his dog Ruby is dead because he tells them:

She’s doesn’t do anything, just lays there all day

She barely touches her food

She doesn’t really poop

She just lies there all day

He has to prop her eyes open to watch the tv

She smells horrible

3. Season Five, Episode Twenty-Eight: Company Picnic

When Jim and Pam find out they’re expecting

4. Season Six, Episode Twenty-One: Happy Hour

Hide’s story

“In Japan, heart surgeon. Number one. Steady hand. One day, Yakuza boss need new heart. I do operation. But mistake! Yakuza boss die. Yakuza very mad. I hide fishing boat, come to America. No English, no food, no money. Darryl give me job. Now I have house, American car, and new woman. Darryl save life. My big secret: I kill Yakuza boss on purpose. I good surgeon. The best”

5. Season Five, Episode Nine: Frame Toby

Dwight’s Perfect Crime

6. Season Three, Episode One: Gay Witch Hunt

“I was gonna quit, but Jan offered me a three month paid vacation and a company car. All I had to do was sign something promising I wouldn’t sue. We’re going to Europe. Kids, sometimes it pays to be gay”

7. Season Eight, Episode Twenty-One

After Ryan somewhat pours his heart out to Kelly in the parking lot, Pam searches the waste basket to find the love poem he wrote to her because of how bad Pam expects it to be but after reading the whole thing with Jim that they are both brought to tears Jim tells the camera team “Ryan can never know”

8. Season Eight, Episode Four: Garden Party

When Jim keeps leaving and re-entering the Garden Party so Dwight has to keep announcing him and knowing that Dwight is so committed to throwing a good Garden Party that he asks Dwight who he really think the best salesman in the office is and then timing to walk back into the party so Dwight’s answer comes out as “Obviously M—Mr. James Halpert!”

9. Season Five, Episode Twenty-One: Two Weeks

When after Michael and Pam quit, Charles puts Kevin on “phones” and to decrease the time wasting makes Stanley his productivity czar and be ‘on top of that’

10. Season Seven, Episode Ten: China

After Andy first texts Darryl about him and Michael wearing the same tie, Darryl tells Andy to text him less. Then when Andy texts him “Megan Fox?” Darryl holds Andy to one bad text away from getting blocked. Andy maintains his “good text status” by only next texting Darryl two pigeons eating ice cream.

Tom Riddle

Tom Marvolo Riddle, oh boy. 

What did we learn from him? About love, courage, bravery, compassion? ahhhhh. No one can say he had an uneasy childhood, and we don’t know if Harry had discovered his magical capabilities one his own without supervision, how he would have ended up or the choices he would have made. But I would believe that it wouldn’t be too different as it is our choices, not chance or circumstance that shows us who we are. 

Relating to him more as with other, previous, erroneous leaders it did always astonish me how the Death Eaters just followed him even thou they all knew him and themselves were less “pure blood” than they were. It ALSO drew me crazy that no one fighting him (except Dumbledore of course) would call him Tom, that would drive him CRAZY and knock him off his game, but, oh well. 

While again I’m not sure about the hypothesis that he couldn’t love because he was conceived under a love potion, I do agree that he really didn’t understand love. So while I agree he probably didn’t love Bellatrix, I do think he cared and admired her, or at least appreciated her loyalty to him. 

Happy New Year loves, please resolve to not be like Tom in the new year, and to do your best fighting your demons.

PS We did get reminded about not too much plastic surgery (hahaha) and with a final annoyance, with all his evil deeds, I am most upset about the timing of Tom Riddles return as Lord Voldemort as it’s influence on Hermione Granger. While I think she should be with Ron, once Lord Voldemort had returned she could not continue any real relationship with Victor Krum as she would focus on the second Wizarding War, she would have gotten to be her own (Princess Belle) great role model. What a GREAT role model as the girlfriend of a Quidditch star: a reader, someone for equal rights for “half breeds”, and a Muggle Born which  already had upset Igor Karkaroff. 

The Girl’s Guide to Hunting and Fishing

I got this book at a thrift store–which is a great practice on its own, just got a school textbook for less than $5.00—I didn’t get it thinking it was about Hunting and Fishing, but as I believed that it would be about raising strong women; but that it wasn’t either and I’m not going to lie, the reviews are right, this book is a bit of a mess but overall it reminds me a bit of Freaks and Geeks where it’s messy and authentic.

First on the mess, it doesn’t help and is unnecessary, the majority of the story is believed to be from one person’s point of view, but two chapters (one told from a character connected to the “main character”, and one not) are told from different people’s points of view. As the “main character” who actually isn’t depicted as the main character or is always portrayed the same but has memories from the earlier chapters—it’s the best you can go. This is confusing, and when I read this book the second time it was early in the second chapter that I remembered—oh right, this is why this book was annoying and confusing. But while poorly formatted and executed, that’s not really all that important, overall the story is snippets of most girls struggles with her personal romantic relationships, navigating different adult relationship as she gets older and changes, figuring out what she wants with her relationships and her changing relationship with her family.

What’s also crucial, and does make it a good story for young adult women and older, is that the love stories aren’t fairy-tale, they’re realistic. Loving someone you broke up with, how much pain can one handle or one should handle in a relationship, the weirdness of not wanting what you know is probably best for you, breaking up with your best friend; it’s not some dramatics of other books: woman finds herself after divorce, found her fiancé cheating, just got a makeover and became the ‘hot girl’ in school. It’s all the other parts of love, the common and more dramatic, heartbreaking and confusing stuff that there is no right answer for.

I’ve read this story a few times—and I still don’t get the title (really, it does not come up in the book, I’ve checked) but what’s great about it is that it’s accurate, and how you do feel the mess you’re in, isn’t unique to you—you’re not alone in feeling alone, even if no situation matches yours.

Oscar Martinez

Oscar’s Best Moment: Season Four, Episode Thirteen: Job Fair

When after Michael says that he wouldn’t say it to her face but he thinks Pam is a wonderful person who is a gifted artist; Oscar responds “Why--why wouldn’t you say that to her face?”

Oscar’s Worst Moment: Season Nine, Episode 11: Suit Warehouse

When he just ‘assumes’ Meredith would mispronounce espresso

“Actually, it’s pronounced Espresso. Wait. That’s what you said. I apologize. I just assumed you would mispronounce it. So..”

Oscar’s Second-Best Line: Season Nine, Episode One: New Guys

After Angela tells him if “if you pray enough, you can change yourself into a cat person”

And he responds “those guys always turn back, Angela”

Oscar’s Most Memorable Moment: Season Three, Episode Thirteen: The Return

“Part of me wants the people in this office to have learned their lesson and just shut the hell up, and part of me thinks ‘You know what? Keep talking. I’d really love a home theatre’”

And some days--I can't handle it. Books are entries to other worlds, but sometimes the brain is just fried, and on those days I watch tv, just listen to music, or with recent trend, color.

To taking it easy!

Ron Weasley

Ron Weasley is the cliche of cliches. He was the hero’s best friend, the one who (eventually) got the girl and who glowed up  from being a dumb bloke to a great man.

I don’t know if it was his early treatment of Hermione or seeing a bit off ass hat in him when I got older and re-read, but I’m not the biggest fan of Ron. But it might also just be that in comparison to other characters (Hermione’s love of knowledge, Harry’s home life, Neville’s bullying and Luna’s eccentricity) that I’m just missing that connection that I have with other characters. While over time I always felt that Ron was a good match for Hermione, and he would usually be with Harry through thick and thin, even when they’re going after a bunch of spiders but regardless, Ron always stood by Harry. After the first few weeks of school, let’s be honest, the cool factor of Harry Potter had settled (until he killed a Professor, rescued Ginny, was the youngest seeker in century, etc, etc.)Ron had his siblings and less drama, and could’ve had other friends but that first gesture by Harry and the kindness of Ron’s mother brought them together and Ron wouldn’t leave him behind, they had a real friendship. But even when he stood by Harry, he more stood by his truth. showing that you could do both, and that the true support of someone is being there for them, even if you don’t agree with them (within limits, obviously)

While there is a lot we saw of Ron, what we saw the most of and was his most important attribute, as how much he grew; he grew not just into a hero but also into a great person, a wonderful and exemplary human being. many readers have pointed out that Ron had similar viewpoints to Malfoy, he even momentarily got afraid and thought differently of Hagrid when he discovered he was half giant.  It’s important to know that even the classic mean girls or bullies aren’t the only ones who can have bad opinions or beliefs, people are shades of grey. But eventually, people can understand that there isn’t a difference of blood status or between creatures as their aren’t differences between races, genders, orientation; not to bypass, this change was also extremely important for Hermione. 

Along with understanding that the good, funny, charming best pal can be a bit of shit face and how people can change, Ron also matured a lot over the series, and became more comfortable with himself. With most growths there wasn’t a makeover or relationship that changed Ron, but overtime and with the help of his friends he became less jealous and more confident in who he was and that he wasn’t second class to his family or friends. This was important for us, for us to grow with Ron in ways we didn’t grow with Harry or Hermione. We grew with him, more than anyone else.

The Lottery

I was never too fond of happily-ever-afters, and as I got older and learned how fictitious they were I became more annoyed by them as I felt, and feel, that they present a falseness that others allow themselves to remain within at the cost of others. But before the true fairy-tales of Cinderella or the Pillowman, the first story is Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”.

This story brings us more into a different perspective than most, like Samuel Jackson’s character in Unbreakable. We start off just seeing a small town coming together for this very important event, how this is an important event in this town and others big and small. While we don’t know what the event is and an entire town meeting ina square seems odd to us now, we know it used to happen and draw connections to how the children act the adults’ gossip, and the changing of the event over time. As the story continues, an undertone becomes more prevalent, young men are just starting to draw for their families, and a woman mentions about how fast time goes by, using the event as a marker and how some towns don’t participate at all. 

What I love about this story is how much our perception changes as we learn more. We enter the story neutrally, then get excited and then try to hold onto that as we learn more. True artistry here comes from being able to challenge, surprise and have your reader’s perception and world be altered; and it is all down here. 

The Lottery: 

http://sites.middlebury.edu/individualandthesociety/files/2010/09/jackson_lottery.pdf