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This is a bit of a departure for me, but I figured out two things: I need to have a personality here on the Nerd, and I also needed to have something to put in the “Just For Laughs” category. I’ve been getting a little deep here lately, so I want to cut loose a little and talk about one of the most popular shows on television.
I fell in love with The Office during the Christmas episode of the second season (“YAAAANKEE SWAP!”). Since then, I have followed it regularly, and it has been an overall high-quality show. However, this season has been a bit different from previous seasons. I understand that changes need to happen to further the writing, and I don’t have solutions for all of these, but here are some things that are bothering me about the show, after watching last night’s episode:
Are there too many characters? I think Erin is great, but it stretches the show a little bit. Instead of focusing on how the office employees interact, we’re getting bits and pieces of stuff. We don’t hear much from Angela, Kevin, and especially Kelly and Ryan. Ryan seems to have these little jokes about how he dresses and stuff, but it’s all pushed into the background.
I’m torn about Jim as a manager. He had to do something, I get it. But Jim played the regular Joe really well. Now he’s a co-manager. On the flip side, awkward, babbling Jim is funny too. So I guess it’s a wash.
I can’t stand the guest stars. This show just isn’t for recognizable guest stars. When Jack Black was on in the movie-within-the-show, I couldn’t stand it. It screamed, “Trying to boost ratings!” And just like in The Blind Side, I don’t see any need for Kathy Bates. She annoys me, and any time I see her in anything, I just see Kathy Bates. I don’t see whoever she’s supposed to be. The Christian Slater appearance was perfect as the video satire, but the rest I could do without.
I already miss Dunder-Mifflin as a corporate entity. The buyout fell pretty flat for me, although it did give the opportunity for the great Hannah Montana “Party in the USA” parody. I like the whole Dunder-Mifflin world, and getting rid of all of that really stinks. It shrinks the Office world quite a bit.
Do we have to ruin EVERYbody that’s ever worked at corporate? David Wallace was extremely likable and well put-together. Now he drinks during the day and wants to market a toy vacuum called “Suck It”. I liked the interplay between Michael and Jan, and then Jan went way off-base. Ryan went crazy, and now this? Can we just keep somebody normal?
Dwight has gotten too broad. Good Dwight gives speeches on his favorite ping-pong players and tries to quietly take control of the office. Bad Dwight dresses up like Re-Cyclops (although we all know that’s just a forced storyline to appease NBC’s incredibly stupid “Green Week”) and demonstrates how he would fight himself. I like the idea of trying to get Jim fired – where is that storyline?
It’s STILL a good show, just wildly inconsistent! The show still makes me laugh. Everybody blames Michael getting to be “too much”, but I just don’t. I think he’s about the same, which is a good thing. If anything, he’s gotten a little more heart. But this season, we’ve had masterpieces like Jim and Pam’s wedding episode, immediately followed by the Mafia episode, which fell really flat to me, despite Andy Bernard dressing up like a mechanic wearing loafers. I worry about which Office is going to show up every week. Even last night, we had a so-so episode, but the Christian Slater video was great! I’ve seen orientation videos like that – ones that really tell you absolutely nothing about the company, but are trying to impress you.
All in all, I’ll keep watching. Definitely. I just hope that we can see more office-type storylines and the stuff the show was built on, and not over-the-top ridiculousness. Can we have another Dundies?
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Boy, do I hear this stuff a lot.
I’ve got friends and family who will ask about The Practical Nerd, and then they’ll spout off some reason why they don’t follow it and apologize to me. First, it’s not like I get offended for every person that doesn’t read what I have to say. My words aren’t for everybody (though, in most cases, they should be reading this stuff!). But as a blogger, you tend to thicken your skin towards that stuff. But the Cooler People of the world have an excuse for not reading a few blogs, and they think they need an excuse for everything. Just think of some of the long, drawn-out explanations you might hear for the following topics:
And the list goes on. Today, however, I want to go with the three reasons I hear most often for people who tell me they don’t follow The Practical Nerd, or blogs in general. Consider it my rebuttal to the Cooler People of the world.
Hey, back off! It’s only for nine months!
Yes, I have recently moved back in with my parents to save some dough before I get married and be a grown-up forever. But I want to list just a few types of people who have very successful blogs: brilliant marketers, people who have successfully morphed their lives into dream lives, sports commentators and pundits, best-selling authors, people who lost weight without having high-priced personal trainers scream in their ears while millions of people watch, and personal finance experts. These are not people who live in their parents’ basements. These are people who have changed lives and are darn good at what they do. They have valuable life experience and they share it with you. This leads to…
Bloggers do rant, there’s no doubt about that. But here are a few blogs I follow that have some ridiculously useful information:
That’s just the tiniest footprint of all the blogs out there. Sure, some are full of idiots who just want to complain about [insert topic here]. Some are celebrity rumor blogs like that piece of crap Perez Hilton. But some are honest, interesting people who are trying to teach and help. Those are the people I follow.
In addition, there are plenty that give you a good laugh after a long day, like 11 Points, Awkward Family Photos, Calvin and Hobbes (the best comic strip of all-time, every day).
This one is easily the most common one I get, and usually the word “life” is emphasized as a way to make me feel like some kind of loser.
Do you ever read a magazine? How about the newspaper? Ever watch anything on TV? Then you have time. It’s that simple.
What is the best use for your time? Is it watching another crappy fake “reality” show? These are shows with people who add nothing to society other than generally wanting a bunch of attention so that they can justify their giant contracts and sponsorships by playing to your emotions with overproduced crap. Why not experience the true reality of people’s lives and actually learn from and enjoy their experiences without corporate involvement? That’s what a blog does. The blog is the ultimate reality show. There are podcasts, video podcasts, and plain ol’ blogs that all exist for people to bare their lives. There are some captivating stories out there that would put the “I’m a single father with three kids and instead of getting a job I traveled all the way here to sing for you” stories to absolute shame. Put down the remote and belly-up to the monitor for a few minutes.
Newspapers and magazines are going by way of the dodo. Think you’re going to miss much? Most magazines have their articles on their websites, and most can be subscribed to. Same with newspapers. You can get your daily dose of news just about anywhere, and you can tailor it to just be news you’re interested in.
Then use an RSS subscriber like Google Reader to pull them in. Instead of searching through each individual website, it will highlight all the new content, pull it to the front, and you can move through it, skipping articles you don’t want to read and highlighting the ones you do. The other reason I use Google Reader is because it’s web-based, so I can access it on my work breaks or on my phone’s web browser, which is great for waiting rooms and other times where you just need to kill a little time. Plus you don’t have to carry around anything extra – you already have your phone! And finding that article from the past you were just thinking about is as easy and entering a few terms into the search box. All your sites are saved and past content can be searched in seconds.
The truth is, many blogs are written by respected, well-rounded people with inspirational and practical advice for you that can be read any time. You have the time. Start following a few blogs and see how your life will change for the better as a result. Or not. Then you can go back to sitting on the couch and watching Jersey Shore instead. I’m not here to judge.
If you are on Twitter and not following musician John Mayer, you’re doing it all wrong. Mayer continues to have some of the funniest tweets, but last night he had a beautifully-done series of tweets on how stupid the 2000s decade was as it draws to a close. Here’s a screenshot of the tweets:
Now, they are in reverse-chronological order, so they start at the bottom. Also, please try to ignore the side picture of him wearing a t-shirt with a plunging neckline and looking deep into your eyes. Unless you’re a lady, because I think that’s what he’s going for. What’s your view on the 2000s?
In 1996, a group of 10 guys from Indiana University put together a little a cappella group called “Straight No Chaser”. They had some fun, sang some local gigs, mainly doing cover songs of contemporary hits and well-known classics.
In April of 2006, one of the original members of the group posted a 1998 recording of them singing a comical version of “The 12 Days of Christmas” on YouTube, which incorporated various Christmas songs, “I Have a Little Dreidel”, and “Africa” by Toto. It rapidly became popular, scoring almost 10 million hits. One guy who saw it was the CEO of Atlantic Records, Craig Kallman.
Now they have a five-album deal. From a ten-year-old video.
They’ve put out two Christmas albums: “Holiday Spirits” and “Christmas Cheers”, which are both incredibly catchy, and also a quick bunch of songs called “Six Pack”, with a few contemporary radio hits combined with throwback classics.
I’m a sucker for great a cappella music – music that has no instruments – and Straight No Chaser is a new discovery for me. That said, I am already huge fans of theirs. So today, kick back, enjoy some holiday music mixed in with some catchy covers, and crank up the Straight No Chaser. You gotta love these guys! Here are some great covers, courtesy of Lala.com:
And here’s some of their holiday hits to put in the seasonal mood, including their bread-and-butter, “The 12 Days of Christmas”:
When one thinks of Facebook, a lot can come to mind: college kids, embarrassing pictures, giant wastes of time, or – God help us all – FarmVille. But Facebook has become so much more than that, if used properly. Facebook is a platform for a lot of good things, but unfortunately, a lot of potential is wasted. For example:
Remember those stupid little Tamagotchi things? The video pets that people carried around a few years ago? Would you walk around with one of those things? Pressing buttons to feed it and clean up when it poops and all that? No? So why are we doing this on Facebook?
I love a good game, I really do. But it’s one thing to play a game on Facebook, and it’s another to be obsessed with one. Hop on, play for a few minutes, and then get on with your life.
“Hey, somebody poked you.” “Now what?” “Let’s poke him back.” Yay.
I’ve actually seen a Facebook page for fans of “Not Being on Fire”.
However, after all of this, I think Facebook is a very powerful platform, and can be one of the most useful tools for communication on the internet today. In fact, after I check my email, I do hop on Facebook for a few minutes. Here are some ways you can be involved in Facebook without being a “Facebook Stalker” or a flat-out geek:
Facebook is a great platform for games where you interact with people. It’s fun to play card games, bowling, and board games with people without having to lug around the actual game wherever you go and accidentally offending Ukranians.
Pictured: Why Facebook was invented.
Games are a great way to interact and have a good time. Plus, many of them involve using a little brain power, like Scrabble, which is good for you.
Nobody cares about your number. No one. You’ve got 782 Facebook Friends? Yippee. I’ve got real friends.
Be friends with people you at least kind of know. Nothing is lamer than people who are friends with everybody that Facebook suggests just because they want to look cool. Be friends with people you want to communicate with.
There was a time when you had to write a letter and hand it to a guy on a horse with a flask and hope that it made it to your friend. Now? All you have to do is click their name and start typing. I’ve got friends in Arizona, Green Bay (but she’s coming HOME!!), Chicago, Florida, Taiwan, California, and New Mexico. You get the idea.
If this were a past time period, I’d lose touch with these people. I’d run into them at high school reunions and we’d talk about old times and marvel at how old we look and how many kids we have. Now, I can still share my life with these people, even if they’re far, far away. It’s awesome, and it gives me chills when I think about it.
These are people you care about, right? So you want them to see photos from your latest trip! When I went on my first trip to Taiwan, I took a boatload of pictures, and then I had to take them to three different households and present them, retelling the same stories over and over again.
On my second trip, I stayed overnight in a hotel in Los Angeles, and I loaded up all the pictures into photo albums and captioned them that night. Now, they can look at them at their own leisure, and I don’t have to repeat myself over and over again. Moments that you want to remember forever are great to share with the people you love.
If you have an interesting story, anecdote, or joke, post it on your status. If you’re just hopping on to talk about how much your life sucks, why don’t you wait a minute? Nobody wants to hear about it. Save it for a conversation. And on that note…
The night my fiancé and I got engaged, we spent over two hours driving around while on the phone, notifying our closest friends and family that we were getting married. Why? We wanted to beat Facebook to the punch. We knew that, had we gone to bed that night without doing so, somebody important was going to find out via Facebook, and we didn’t want that.
That also goes for things like relationship problems and discussions, big job announcements, and pregnancies. Pick up the phone and call somebody first. Let that human touch shine through a little.
I stole the term “throbbing brain” from morning radio show guys Bob and Brian, here in Milwaukee on 102.9 FM. When they need an answer, they go to the “Throbbing Brain”, which basically means they ask the listeners to provide the answer.
Looking for a car? A killer Blackberry app? Opinions on wedding halls? Post the question to your status and watch the responses pour in. The beauty of it: these are people whose opinions actually matter to you.
Found something you like? Instead of emailing it to everyone you know and clogging up their inbox, just use the Share on Facebook button. Now, anybody you care about can see it, and the people who don’t want to read it won’t resent you so much.
It’s easy to get caught up in the time-suck qualities of Facebook. But use it to your advantage, and it can be one of the most important communication tools you will ever use.
