young, dumb and in love: an april/andy fanmix

01. it’s tough to have a crush - ok go
02. my love - the bird and the bee
03. kiss that grrl - kate nash
04. let’s do everything for the first time forever - of montreal
05. oh it’s love - hellogoodbye
06. love somebody - schuyler fisk
07. friday I’m in love - dean & britta
08. can’t stand it - nevershoutnever
09. all I want is you - barry louis polisar
10. the book of love - the magnetic fields
11. perfect two - auburn
12. this is the beginning - boy
13. you and i - ingrid michaelson
14. young dumb and in love - mat kearney

{DOWNLOAD}

Lyrics and individual download links here.

love and some verses - a leslie/ben fanmix

01. king of anything - sara bareilles
02. that’s just what you are - aimee man
03. stray italian greyhound - vienna teng
04. sideways - let’s go sailing
05. tatooine - jeremy messersmith
06. i was made for sunny days - the weepies
07. sunlight in a jar - the lucksmiths
08. our way to fall - yo la tengo
09. we’re gonna make it - the orange peels
10. o girlfriend - weezer
11. even if i don’t - rachael yamagata
12. and darling - tegan and sara
13. I want to hold your hand - t.v. carpio
14. love lost - the temper trap
15. paperweight - joshua radin and schuyler fisk
16. beautiful morning light - fruit bats
17. love and some verses - iron and wine
18. the way I am - ingrid michaelson
19. count on me - mat kearney
bonus: all this time - onerepublic

{DOWNLOAD}

Lyrics, individual download links, and a picspam here.

Two birds holding hands
So much better than one

“As a mature, reasonable adult I understand that this will be the last project Ben and I will be working on together. So, please join us for the grand opening of Pawnee’s smallest park on November 12th, 2070.”

He’s a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight.

“Hermia and Helena” by Washington Allston (1818)

So we grew together,
Like to a double cherry, seeming parted,
But yet an union in partition;
Two lovely berries moulded on one stem;
So, with two seeming bodies, but one heart

“Guys love it when you can show them you’re better than they are at something they love.”

LESLIE: Thank you, Chris. I’m wearing a tuxedo vest with no shirt on underneath. Uh-oh.
ANN: Can I get you a drink? I love every single beverage. In the world.
LESLIE: I would like some wine. And oops, my vest popped open. Just like the budget needs to pop open. And you need to pour it into my parks department.
-3.01: Go Big or Go Home

LESLIE: Oh President Reagan, my blazer popped open!
-3.16: Li’l Sebastian

When they pan back to Ben and Leslie following the Reagan/Thatcher phone message, for a split second you can see that Adam is totally breaking. Amazing. They probably did a squillion takes of this scene and I pray to Schur that we get to see some those botched takes on the season 3 DVD gag reel.

“I am the regional manager of Dunder Mifflin Utica branch. Turns out it’s a pretty easy gig when your boss isn’t an idiot and your boyfriend’s not in love with someboy else.”

I wrote this meta awhile ago for a meme that asked me for my top five underappreciated ladies in television, but I never ended up posting it. @falulatonks encouraged me to do so, so here it is! Thankfully the fandom for The Office isn’t nearly as vitriolic as it used to be with regards to Karen, but I think the argument still stands as the hate directed towards Ms. Filippelli is symptomatic of the asinine haterade constantly directed towards various ladies in fandom. Karen bashing was my first exposure to fandom hating on a female character for the crime of merely existing, and sadly fandom hasn’t really shaped up since her episodes aired.

Lopsided love triangles, in which one side of the triangle is clearly designated as “meant to be”, always contain a character that is destined to be hated by fandom. In many instances the writers are “good enough” to make the odd man or woman out despicable so that the audience can feel secure in the knowledge that they are in the right for hating the obstacle in the way of their beloved OTP. But on occasion the third wheel happens to be a perfectly normal and often delightful human being, yet fandom hates them anyway just because they dare to exist.

Karen Filippelli from The Office suffered such a sad fate. Karen really did nothing wrong other than fall in love with Jim Halpert (How dare she! Didn’t she know he belonged to Pam?). I’ve yet to see one argument for hating Karen other than “she’s a stupid bitch who needs die because she got in the way of the Jim/Pam ship.” Yes, she got jealous when it became clear that Jim was in love with Pam. Yes, she called Pam a bitch that one time. Yes, she took several shots at Jim in talking heads and had a moment of satisfied glee at Jim’s expense when he embarrassed himself at her place of work. But these were all completely natural reactions in my opinion given her situation. Were they petty in some cases? Sure, but they were very human reactions and let’s not forget that Karen was the wronged party. I love Jim and Pam, both separately and as a couple, but they did not do right by Karen in season 3. Karen had every right to be mad at them and I think she was remarkably mature given that her boyfriend left her for another woman who he was in love with the entire time they were together.

The whole triangle mess aside, I think Karen was pretty rad on her own merits. She was ambitious, intelligent, funny, and quite frankly adorable. I’m really, really glad that she’s well-established in her career and happy in her family life because I think she deserves it. I’m also really happy that she and Pam were able to resolve their differences like adults. They’re both awesome ladies and I wish the show had had more scenes of them being friends together, because if there is one thing The Office is lacking it is a strong female friendship (I love “A Benihana Christmas” precisely because Pam and Karen are so wonderful together).

Basically, you don’t have to love Karen or her personality, but the vitriol thrown her way is ridiculous considering she’s not a horrible person. Like, at all. As I said above, the hate may have lessened since season three aired but I still occasionally catch people calling Karen a bitch and, even worse, hating on Rashida Jones for playing the character. I also bet the same people who ragged on Karen are now the people who call Pam a “smug bitch”. Fandom, you are the actual worst.