If I believed in God, I would thank Him for creating British comedians. What a week it's been for some of my most favorite-ist shows!

“Coupling”
This week “Coupling”'s Series 4 came out on DVD for Region 1. I wonder if Ari and I were the only ones going out of our minds with excitement. I preordered mine from Amazon (Thank you, Howard!), so it still hasn't arrived yet. But Ari, who got her DVD already, invited me over last night to watch a few episodes.

I wanted to hate it. Just a little. My most favorite character, Jeff, is no longer on the show, and I didn't think there was any way for it to go on without him.

Ari and I watched and started rolling with laughter. Even without Jeff, this show still kills us. The plotlines are super and the humor just top-notch clever. We can’t believe it’s still so good.

I attribute the success to the creator and writer Steven Moffatt. He’s gotta start making movies or something. Six episodes of “Coupling” a year is just not nearly enough.

More “Coupling”:
* The Giggle Loop
* A Scene from Coupling: Series 3: Faithless by Steven Moffatt


“The Office”
I am crazy about this show too. Just crazy. (And only driven more insane because I ordered all of it on DVD in October from a Canadian web site, and I still don’t have them! And I want to kill a Canuck for it!)

I saw “The Office Christmas Special”’s American premiere at the Museum of Television & Radio a few months ago with my friends Lisa and Mark. It was awesome. Ricky Gervais was on hand for a discussion. He only talked a little bit about the American version, because he’s not involved with it, but he did tell us it’s supposed to take place in Scranton, America’s Slough.

Anyway, I am practically losing my mind over this: The first episode of the American version is available on the Internet! [via]

*UPDATE: I don't think the file is available at the above link anymore. Sorry.

I haven’t watched the whole thing, just the first few minutes. The David Brent character is being played by Steve Carell, a comedian I am hoping will break out in 2005. I’m not convinced “The [American] Office” will be it for him, but I do wish him the best. He killed me in Bruce Almighty (his crazy scene gives me a serious ab workout every time I see it, I just can’t stop laughing) and Anchorman (I was disappointed by this movie, but Carell’s Brick character made me laugh almost every time he opened his mouth).

I don't have a lot of faith that the American version will fly. It could very well go the way of the American "Coupling": It aired four episodes on NBC before it was canned.

*UPDATE: [Review of Episode 1 "The Office: An American Workplace"] Steve Carell is too good-looking to be Seedy Boss. Part of what makes David Brent such a horrifying character is how he looks and carries himself. Carell is too polished and controlled to come across as truly awkward and repulsive. And that's what kind of person Seedy Boss has to be to deliver those lines. Contrastingly, the supporting cast of "American Workplace" is not as attractive as the BBC “Office,” which is surprising considering the history of ugly humor in the UK. Pair-by-pair, comparing UK and US character equivelants, the UK gives funnier performances. Like Steve Carell, their timing is close, but not quite edgy or spontaneous enough to be as hilarious as the employees of Wernham Hogg. The set design, camerawork, and writing were dead-on with the original.

I was just invited to my first orgy.

I politely declined.

Sassy: she uses props now with her dance routines
Me: omg
Me: that's hilarious
Me: what kind of props?
Me: top hats and feather boas?
Sassy: cat food for that one

Terrorize This!
"24" fans, Steve Silver asks, how long do you think it will be before the girlfriend is taken hostage again? I say by 4pm.

Freakin' Snow!
Chopper has a game for you. Can you identify the cars underneath the snow?

Dance, Voldo, Dance!
I'm not a big video game person. But one of my most favorite games ever is Soul Calibur (and its sequel). My friend and I used to go over to our friends' apartment every day after class to play with the boys. In it is a character named Voldo, who is ripe for mockery during gameplay. And well, I'll just let you watch. This was the funniest thing I saw all day. (And I suggest watching the whole thing. The funniest stuff is in the second half.) [via]

"Oh my God, Joey"
Kerry exclaimed, "I just looked down and realized I'm wearing one brown shoe and one black shoe at work, and one is pointier than the other!"

Gothamist's Wish Is My Command
Gothamist wrote: "Please, if any of our readers are in the Chelsea area, please take a picture of the igloo-for-diners outside of Basta Pasta at 37 West 17th Street. NY1 says that owner Toshi Suzuki builds an igloo every time there's a huge snowfall (this is his 4th in 15 years), and it apparently 'seats four comfortably.'"

I was a little too late. Said igloo had already collapsed when I walked by. I hope no one was hurt.

* Again, all of these pictures are totally stolen

More:
* Take Two, Part One
* Gothamist takes two

I decided to skip the birthday party in Brooklyn and stay in. I had three new Netflix, but only got around to watching one of them. I spent most of the time chatting online and reading blogs on my laptop, while lying in bed with a kitty under my arm. Emma and I had a pissing contest over whose room as was messier. Sassy, a personal-trainer-in-training, gave me some free [solicited] advice about flattening my tummy.

Late in the evening, Will came online, at the tail end of doing some law school work. Somehow we got talking about Star Wars. And before we knew it, we were simulcasting Empire Strikes Back in Massachusetts and New York, MST3King the whole thing over AIM.

Geekdom at its finest, I tell you.

[Luke has entered Cloud City and is looking for Leia & co. while evading storm troopers]
Will: luke is so sneaky
Will: do you think his internal monologue is "sneak sneak sneak"?
Me: hee
Me: R2 is not
Me: he's humping luke's leg
Will: R2 beeps and humps too much to be an effective sneaker

[Vader is calling Luke to join the Dark Side]
Me: now it's "father"?
Will: what would you call a guy who can choke you with his mind after he says he's your dad?
Me: bitch

[Leia & co. are blasting their way out of Cloud City, heading toward the Millennium Falcon]
Me: chewie carries a purse
Will: a purse full of a gay robot

[Fin]
Will: Vader's not happy
Me: he's going to mope
Me: which means kill someone
Will: and then sit in his egg
Me: to pout and pick at his scabby head

Jackson Heights, Queens, Jan 22 14:30


Jackson Heights, Queens, Jan 23 11:40

Other Views:
Howard in Union Square
Jessica on the UES
Toby in Williamsburg
Emma in Massachusetts
Ken in Brooklyn
Daniella in New Jersey
jennn in Philadelphia
Mary in Hoboken
Deb in Tomkins Sq. Park
TiTo-ThE-cHeEtO in Minnesota
Eleanor in Massachusetts

"Looks like breakfast, smells like your auntie."

I have several posts half-drafted but I can't seem to finish any of them. One is about my favorite lip balm. I also have another movie list. But I don't have time to write them just now.

So instead, you're getting this potpourri post.

* If Toby's doing it, then I will too. I write a daily newsletter. It's about whatever I feel like prattling on about: Brad Pitt & Jennifer Aniston, my adventures at the gym, Goober's paper shredder. Seriously, I get to subject half a million people to whatever I feel like babbling about! Every day! Muwahahah! Want a daily dose of me, with some fun content too? Sign up for About Today. (Also, as an interesting trivia note: This newsletter has been in existence for about six years or so. And in all that time, I am the first woman to ever write it. Hear me roar!)

* License (Plate) to Be a Complete Dork It's a good thing Keith is so adorable. I don't think most of us could pull this off.

* You love Howard, don't you? Of course you do. He's just so darn lovable. So help him out and toss these kids a few bucks.

* Some random pictures from my digital camera. (This was such a cool birthday gift. I must thank my parents again. And my brother: He got a bigger memory card for me.)


Foggy day on the 82nd St. platform (Another and much cooler picture of a foggy day in New York, definitely not taken by me)


My desk at work


My grandmother's engagement diamond


Lil' ol' me


Snow falling on the 61st St. platform

* Party! Party! Party!
Friday, February 25th
7 PM
Overlook Lounge
225 E. 44th St. (Bet. 2nd & 3rd Aves)

Jim: I didn't know you ran.
Lester: I just started.
Jim: Good for you.
Lester: I figured you guys would be able to give me some pointers. I need to shape up. Fast.
Jim: Are you looking to lose weight, or are you looking to increase strength and flexibility as well?
Lester: I want to look good naked.


More Links I Want to Share With You
* Amy Sedaris makes obscene gestures
* Bill Gates in Teen Beat [Update: Snopes - thanks Jessica]
* Peter Jackson to direct The Lovely Bones [more]
* First Spamalot, next Life of Brian?
* Overheard: "Ask a New Yorker to Explain This One"
* I love Defamer

Twixters
This story blows my mind. I'm a twixter! Who knew? Check it out. There's a good chance you might be a twixter too. (If you can't read the whole thing online, pick up the magazine today.)
* edit: Does this link work for non-subscribers? Grow Up? Not So Fast

Spamalot
When I first heard about this a few months ago, I could barely contain my excitement. Tickets are expensive, and I'd feel pretty bad asking someone else to shell out big dough to see this with me. I might end up going by myself, but I wouldn't mind. I'm sure it's gonna be spectacular. If it's not sold out already.

Cats in the Office

People's Choice Awards Attendee or Star Wars Character? [via]

[via]

I don’t think I got an extra spanking for good luck, but I can’t really remember. I lost count. I was trying to squirm away from the friend who had bent me over a chair in the East Village lounge to give me my birthday spankings in front of everyone at my party. I was hysterical laughing and he just wouldn’t let me get away.

I had an awesome birthday, and I’ve jumped ahead a bit.

Shortly before midnight on Birthday Eve, my visiting brother and I opened my front door. In walked Julie then Christina. Kiss hello, kiss hello! Emma and Eleanor. Kiss hello, kiss hello! I expected to see John, but the guy behind Eleanor wasn’t quite the right size. He had a pile of pillows in front of his face.

“Happy birthday, Pop Tart!”

I haven’t been called that in ages! It was Rob, a friend who lives in Las Vegas and who I haven’t seen in years. I don’t even know a fraction of the stuff Rob’s gotten himself into, but I know enough to often call him the wildest person I know. Either that, or he’s the biggest liar I know.

He’d been in Connecticut and these Boston friends had picked him up on their way down. What an awesome surprise to kick off the weekend!

Hours later, there was The Curious Incident of the Cat in the Night-Time. No need to get into it, but suffice to say I shed a tear before Emma sat up in the dark to say, “I have an idea!” and we hatched a plan to make it right. Thanks, Emmer.

We woke up, and I walked half the group to the subway so they could go off for a day of sightseeing. Yet another friend arrived from Massachusetts and we grabbed breakfast at a diner. On the back of my brother’s menu, the word BIRTHDAY jumped out at me. With proof it was My Day, I’d get a free treat. Whee! So at 11am, I got my birthday sweets: a vanilla sundae with hot fudge, on a doily, which my friends and I ate with long spoons. (None of us wanted the whipped cream, cherry and sprinkles. If you were there, I would have let you have it.)



We ice skated in Central Park, something I’d always wanted to do, but in my five years here, never got around to. Now I can cross it off my list. We took pictures of each other in front of the spectacular view.



After a delicious sushi dinner for a party of 11, we headed to my birthday party at an East Village lounge.

I was greeted by a dozen or so people who had already arrived: more visitors from Boston, coworkers, ex-coworkers and more. We had the half of the lounge to ourselves, and we filled it up!

I downed mixed shots with my guys, a group of college friends who had also trekked down from Boston. I thank them for being there, despite the urge to be somewhere else watching football. We smoked strawberry tobacco from one of the many hookahs in the lounge. (I quit smoking cigarettes.) I yelped when unexpected guests arrived, like Dahlia, who decided to ditch Stanford for the weekend to visit NYC.

So many people came. I had social ADD. I wanted to talk to everyone at the same time! I gave my digital camera its first real test. The pictures I take aren't that great, but I'm starting to get the hang of it. (So far, my biggest problem is washing out my subjects with the flash. How do I avoid that?)

“I need to borrow your neck,” a friend said, and before I knew it, a tequila shot appeared and I was pinned to the wall with a lime in my teeth, having salt kissed off my neck.

The crowd parted and a belly dancer appeared. Someone told her it was my birthday and I was goaded into dancing with her. It took me a moment to warm up to her, but it ended up being quite fun, even if I did look foolish.



And let’s not forget the spanking.

This morning, I saw all my houseguests off, and I took a nice long nap. My scaredy cats have slunk out of their hiding places. Good thing I have tomorrow off. I’m spent!

Thank you to everyone who came out to the party last night. I had an awesome time, and I hope you did too. Very special thanks to everyone who came from out of town to celebrate: Amy, Biren, Christina, Dan, Eleanor, Emma, Julie, Kristen, Matt, Rob and Sean.

It is Birthday Eve, and boy, am I excited!

I've planned an ambitious day for myself today, in preparation for arriving visitors and the big party tomorrow night. I woke up and started working right away. I brought my laptop home so I could work here today. Next came laundry.

I loaded my granny cart with my pre-sorted lights and darks and wheeled them to the basement via the elevator. I shared the lift ride with The Unhelpful Super, who was fixing someone's shower, I'd guess, judging from the pipes in his hand. Over the next hour, I made several trips up and down between my apartment and the laundry room, and most of those rides were with the super: he's emptying trash, escorting contractors, I don't know.

I finish my laundry and cart it all up here. And I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

I have bed head. Baaaad bed head.

I’m still in my PJs for goodness’ sake! I woke up, brushed my teeth, did some work and started on the laundry. A look in the mirror wasn’t among them. I’ve got a ponytail that’s migrated to the side of my head. My bangs are wrangled with a bobby pin, and the fringe leftovers spill out to the sides.

Just darling.

I have to get back to work. More newsletters to write and more junk to clean up, all before I pick my brother up at the airport and some Boston friends cross the Whitestone.

I’ll also take a shower and do something about this hair at some point.

* Rated PG
TiTo-ThE-cHeEtO is 12 years old and lives in Minnesota. She's going to take Creative Writing for one of her 8th grade electives next year. It's a snow day today and she has scored herself a four-day weekend. She's tied with a basket of kittens in the contest for The Cutest Thing Ever. Go say hello to her.

** Analogy has nothing to do with how my hair got the way it did, 'kay?

The Steam Room
I quit smoking cigarettes on January 1, and I’m afraid of gaining back the 12lb I lost last year. I joined the gym, and I love to take a steam after I work out. (And, maybe this is stupid, but I think being bare in the locker room will help me be more comfortable with my body. Is that dumb?)

My New Hair Straightener
I’ve wanted one for ages, and now I have one! Whee!

The Weather
In 2004 and 2003, this week was frigid. It’s my birthday week, so I remember. In 2004, I felt bad inviting people out to celebrate because it was so cold. Even I didn’t want to be out, but I knew that if I was home alone on my birthday, I’d be pretty sad. My friends rock and braved it to have Indian food and a few cocktails with me. In 2003, Heather and I headed out for a movie and sushi, but it was so cold that we turned around to watch a video and order in. And now, it's, like, not that cold, which for my purposes, means hot.

This Man


My Bed
I rearranged my furniture in December, to accommodate the sewing machine, and now the bed is by the heater. I wish there was another place to move it, but I can’t think of where.

These Blogs
The Opinion Chick
IRONPANTS
Defamer
Hacking Netflix

To the person who found this blog by Googling deep throat sewing machine:

What the hell?

I just got a digital camera (an awesome early birthday present). I'm still getting the hang of it. Please be patient with me. If you have any tips, let me know!

* Also, on the new design: It looks perfect in Firefox (I love Firefox!), but slightly off in IE. If anyone cares to help me figure out what's amiss, I'm happy to have the help!

* And another thing. I just realized that I posted a gigantic picture of my face sans makeup or even lip balm. At least you know you're getting the real deal!

* Heh, and one more. I must have been inspired. :)