Things I'm Going to Do When I Get Older

So, my thoughts on “The Office” finale. Very good...

oldmousetrapclothing — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:33:14 -0400

So, my thoughts on “The Office” finale. Very good — not GREAT, but it was satisfying (that’s what she said). I think history will judge it better than the end of “Seinfeld,” but it didn’t hit the heights of the UK original’s Christmas special & finale. “30 Rock” also exited better a few months back, and only took 30 minutes to do it. Dunder-Mifflin took 75 last night, hitting the ground running with a ton of happenings in the first act, but not a ton of meaningful storytelling at any point. We basically got the end we saw coming. I can’t really analyze a ton, because not much was left for viewers to mull over. But I bullet pointed some thoughts.

· The return of Michael Scott. Bestest mensch, indeed. Credit to Greg Daniels for using him precisely and perfectly. Credit to Steve Carell for slaying with two lines.

· Dwight & Angela’s wedding was predictably wacky but it was a needed note of closure. We see straightaway that Dwight will never be great at engaging with his subordinates, but do they like him anyway? Absolutely they do.

· If Andy Bernard made me upset to watch the last couple years, a lot of that’s been mitigated now. Scranton and Hollywood weren’t for him; Cornell seems like where he should be. His line about wishing you could know you’re in the “good times” before they’re gone was beautiful.

· In typical Pam/Jim style, they take another full year to realize they need to get out of Scranton. Hey, at least it only took one episode IRL. Darryl certainly seems like he’s made the most of that opportunity Jim gave him… who knew he was the office’s biggest go-getter?

· Lots of great season 1-2 throwbacks. Devon getting rehired. Nancy Walls back as the realtor. Jim’s last “talking head” wonderfully echoed his first.

· Oscar took over for Darryl… and is running for senator… against the guy he had an affair with, presumably? I’d wanna see that debate.

· Toby, pathetic to the end. Kevin becomes a bar owner. Perfect.

· Creed’s probably headed to prison. That’s perfect, too.

· Wow, Stanley’s Florida retirement shack. Had he saved no money, or was that the result of the divorce settlement?

· Anyone need to see Ryan & Kelly back? I sure didn’t. But BJ Novak and Mindy Kaling’s participation in the retrospective was very nice, although BJ’s comment about “when this show was great” was awfully loaded.

· Erin meeting her biological parents was an okay touch, but it didn’t do much to further illuminate why she was the way she was. I’d hoped for her to find a little more romantic happiness.

· The last act of “what did you learn?” talking heads went on too long. I wondered if it would ever end. Pretty good metaphor for this show, really.

digg: Simpsons creator Matt Groening’s mother Margaret Ruth...

oldmousetrapclothing — Tue, 07 May 2013 19:31:45 -0400

digg:

Simpsons creator Matt Groening’s mother Margaret Ruth recently passed away at the age of 94. She inspired Groening to create Marge Simpson. This is her obituary.

I know last night’s episode of “The Office” was the best in a...

oldmousetrapclothing — Fri, 03 May 2013 11:37:35 -0400

I know last night’s episode of “The Office” was the best in a long time because I’m actually still thinking about it this morning. I’ve been a fan since my friend Christine showed me “A Benihana Christmas” in season 3. I hung in there through seasons 5-6 when it was starting to go downhill, and mostly I’ve just tolerated seasons 8-9 out of sheer curiosity about how it would all end.

The Jim & Pam storyline is a wash. Everyone knows this show doesn’t end without them happily together, and their separation issues this season have felt forced and contrived. They arose out of nowhere, so of course they were mostly resolved out of nowhere. Whatever, forget it. They’re happily together. Moving along.

Watching Andy Bernard over the last couple years has been so frustrating because he hasn’t been there for the Scranton branch, literally for months at a time. Whereas Michael Scott was always pretty unhinged, he loved his employees and loved selling paper to the end. We’ve watched Andy come fully unhinged and hurt a lot of people in this office, and it was getting abjectly clear he hated his job (and was never much good at it anyway). So when David Wallace (excellently played as always by Andy Buckley) finally shows up to fire him, it’s hugely satisfying. Of course, Andy being Andy, he quits before David can fire him to pursue his “entertainment” career. Everyone in the office knows that’s doomed before it starts. There’s no helping him at this point, in part because they’ve enabled him so much over the years. As he waffles back and forth, Andy realizes how poorly he’s performed in light of not getting fired. His attempt to grope Toby in the annex is gloriously uncomfortable, but when he flips off David and poops on his car, it’s hard to tell if the breakdown is staged or real.

And that brings me to the two characters I’m surprised to say I care about the most. Dwight has been at peace for the last year, and has earned that. He owns the building, is running the family farm, and is seemingly in a good relationship (although maybe not, since his girlfriend may have been part of a transaction involving farm machinery, but that wasn’t his doing). Plus he’s the still the best salesman in the office. It’s actually nice to hear him say he has everything he could want. And with Jim seemingly back in Scranton to stay, it’s easy to see David putting him in the manager’s chair. But David for once rewards performance and loyalty, and on Jim’s advice gives the job to Dwight. The karate master’s acceptance is hilarious and wonderful, but unlike his first go in the chair, he immediately acts like an actual leader. He authoritatively moves non-performing newbie Clark back to the annex, giving Jim his old desk back, then further rewards his long-time nemesis for his loyalty by offering him assistant regional manager. Jim being Jim, he insists upon assistant to the regional manager, a great season 1 nod.

Finally, there’s Angela, who has fallen the most of anyone, out of a sham marriage with the senator into a studio apartment she can’t afford with an infant son and countless cats. Disheveled and covered in shed fur, the former head of the PPC is as powerless as she’s ever been when arguing with her landlord about her eviction. She is not too far gone because she realizes she has many problems, but on the verge of homelessness she is too proud to ask for help. The difference between the uptight stickler Angela of a few years ago and now is that her office mates care about her, in spite of her misguided intolerance and caustic asides, like caring more about her impounded felines then her child. So it’s appropriate she falls upon Oscar, the man who broke up her marriage, who has been directly in Angela’s firing line forever yet still cares too much about her to not give her a place to stay. It would only be fitting if she ended up with Dwight, who she finally admits she still has feelings for. For once, I actually look forward to seeing how it works out.

brianamatopoeia: I’d say my productivity level today is at an...

oldmousetrapclothing — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:41:44 -0400

brianamatopoeia:

I’d say my productivity level today is at an all-time high.

parislemon: bookofbourbon: A world of...

oldmousetrapclothing — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:15:13 -0400

parislemon:

bookofbourbon:

A world of bourbon.

Want.

Briana! Can we get this one?

brianamatopoeia: So, Adam is not only handsome and sweet, he’s...

oldmousetrapclothing — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:00:39 -0400

brianamatopoeia:

So, Adam is not only handsome and sweet, he’s also rather clever.

He runs this site called “Mousetrap” where he sells gear to Disney cast members. He’s got some stuff on there that even non-cast members might find funny. Anyway, just thought you’d like to know.

He’s got some new stuff in the works, but don’t worry, I will keep you all 100% updated, so you won’t miss a thing.

Never done. Just occasionally dormant.

weirdvintage: “Don’t walk on fish.” Soviet accident prevention...

oldmousetrapclothing — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:31:23 -0400

weirdvintage:

“Don’t walk on fish.” Soviet accident prevention poster, 1920s (via Retronaut)

judhudson: awkward-elevator: Swedish Chef Ramsay Oh god, I’m...

oldmousetrapclothing — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 20:20:55 -0400

judhudson:

awkward-elevator:

Swedish Chef Ramsay

Oh god, I’m in tears, specially the last one.

brianamatopoeia: I’m a first-timer. Fanfare was required. This...

oldmousetrapclothing — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 04:53:09 -0400

brianamatopoeia:

I’m a first-timer. Fanfare was required. This is Chaos Theory. (at Jurassic Park: The Ride)

nbcsnl: Before blogs, Siskel & Ebert gave SNL the first...

oldmousetrapclothing — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:45:19 -0400

nbcsnl:

Before blogs, Siskel & Ebert gave SNL the first live review of a television show still in progress.

nevver: Keyboard Sofa

oldmousetrapclothing — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:15:46 -0400

nevver:

Keyboard Sofa

GIGS2GO is a small set of ‘Tear and Share’ USB drives, about...

oldmousetrapclothing — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 11:28:10 -0400

GIGS2GO is a small set of ‘Tear and Share’ USB drives, about the same size as a credit card, that can be torn off and used or handed out to others… the four-pack of thumb drives is made from 100% post-consumer molded paper pulp with no plastic. You can tear off an individual 1GB drive like a phone number on a flyer for a cat-sitter.

“The closer he looks at the child, the less he sees … The more...

oldmousetrapclothing — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:58:59 -0400

“The closer he looks at the child, the less he sees … The more he looks at it, there’s nothing there. He fears that the more you look at him the less you see. There isn’t anything there.” - John Hughes