Things You Might Have Not Known About 'The Office'

Everyone loves 'The Office' for many of their own reasons, and some people may think that they know everything about the show. Even the biggest fans may claim that they possess every little fact about the show, but the truth is, not everyone knows everything about this show. Here are some things that might surprise you.

Bet you didn't know this either.

1.)  There are a bunch of Dunder Mifflin branches spread out among the northeast. Greg Daniels, writer for 'The Office' came up with a bunch of places that seemed to have a suitable environment with funny-named towns, somewhere among the size of the Scranton branch.

2.) 'Parks and Recreations' could have been an 'Office' spinoff! The producers of the show were considering this as an idea, but ultimately, 'Parks and Rec' would become it's own show. How were they thinking of accomplishing the idea? One of the executive producers brings up the copy machine in the show breaking, and a repairman tries to fix it. The broken machine is loaded in a truck and refurbished in a warehouse. Then, the copier is put on another truck and eventually shipped to Pawnee, Indiana.

3.) Dwight's backstory was inspired by Greg Daniel's grandparents, Rainn Wilson's family, and  'Amish in the City'. The idea of Dwight being very rural and white trashy came from a photograph that Wilson once brought in of his family. Daniel's grandparents used to grow beets, and that sparked the thought of Dwight owning a beet farm. If you know who Mose is (Dwight's cousin), then you would know that he helps Dwight run the farm. Then - executive producer, Michael Schur had been watching the 'Amish' show at the time, and he just thought that it was really funny and weird. That brought up Mose's potential character.

Jim, Dwight, and Mose on the beet farm.

These are a few things that you may have not known about 'The Office'!

~Alexis

Schneider, Michael. "10 Things You Didn't Know About." Tvguide.com. TVGUIDE, 9 May 2013. Web. 20 May 2016.

It's Great to Smile

In an earlier blog post, I discussed reasons for why people should laugh, and how the simple act benefits us. Following that would be a blog post dedicated to why it is good for us to smile. Smiling is a natural way of expressing, or showing our happiness.

Here are reasons for WHY YOU OR ANYONE SHOULD SMILE MORE OFTEN:

• SMILING IS CONTAGIOUS. Studies show that when you see a smiling face, whether it be your coworker, friend, loved one, or anybody else, that triggers a smile of your own. You smiling can make others smile too.

• Even when you aren't so cheerful, the act of smiling can change that for you. Smiling sends a message to your brain saying "I'm happy!" An article written in 1984 showed when people mimic emotional expressions, their bodies produce physiological effects that reflect the same emotion, like in breathing or heart rate.

• It may help with de-stressing. It can reduce symptoms of anxiety! A smile signals to your brain that you are happy, and that helps to slow breathing and heart rate. And reducing stress is goof for your body too - lowering blood pressure, improving digestion, and regulating blood sugar.

• It can lead to laughter. Laughing, as you may know, has it's many benefits, including lowering blood sugar levels, improving sleep, and reducing stress. These two are a powerful combination- smiling and laughing. They are like Batman and Robin.

SO GRIN, BEAM, SMIRK, SMILE, AND JUST BE FREE!






~Alexis

Walters, Jennipher. "7 Good Reasons to Smile." Sparkpeople.com. SPARKPEOPLE, n.d. Web. 17 May 2016. <http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/wellness_articles.asp?id=1529&page=3>.

Reasons to Learn Improv

Improv, more specifically known as improvisation, is a form of live theatre in which the plot, characters, and dialogue of a game, scene or story are made up in the moment. Steve Carell, lead actor of The Office and known as Michael Scott, used a lot of his own improvisations that worked with the T.V. show. The executive producer, Greg Daniels, wanted to ensure that the cast of The Office knew about improvisation and had a background in in it so that the show would "seem more natural." Now, the question is, why should I, or anybody learn improvisation? The first point is:

• It helps in creating more person-to-person interaction. Today, we live in a world where people are constantly looking down at their phones or technological devices, and it tends to drag you out of actual communication, which should be interacting with another human being in real life, not through random text messages or through social media. Improv is created by a group of people that work together to accomplish, as mentioned before, a game, scene or story, and so it helps in helping others to connect and communicate effectively with each other.

• It teaches you to be in the moment, and it helps you to react in a faster and more better way when facing surprises. If a group were to play a game of associating words and someone were to say 'cat', the next person to say 'dog', and the next person to say 'pig', you would assume that the group were stating pets, and you would try and think of a word related to the topic. But if the next person were to say 'a man', you would automatically have to transition from thinking of a word associated with pets, to a word associated with pigs.

• It disciplines you in becoming more patient and listening to what a person is saying. A lot of people, (I myself included) may start talking when someone else is talking, even before they could finish their sentence. This is a bad habit which could be seen as very rude to the speaker, but moreover, what the speaker was going to say may have had a change in direction in what they were saying before. It's important to wait until the end of a person's message, and what it has to get through.

• Many people are pressured into doing or saying the "right/perfect" thing, and it is a fear that many people share. In an improv class, you can fail without any fear. It is a place to grow and push boundaries into saying what you want to say, without being judged. This aids in building up courage and performing in a way that can help in different situations you may have in life.

These are all excellent example for why it is a good choice to join an improv class. It really gives you a new sort of perspective and a way of thinking, as well as expanding your creative imagination. It can be a fun way to interact with new people, and it could help in shaping the way you listen to other people (effective communication!) Happy improvising!

This is how Michael Scott got into improv:

https://youtu.be/XpuzzJxjzro

~Alexis

Asghar, Rob. "Four Reasons To Take An Improv Class." Forbes.com. Forbes, 12 Aug. 2015. Web. 13 May 2016. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/robasghar/2015/08/12/four-reasons-you-need-to-take-an-improv-class/#4991551f5664>.                         

What is Your Style of Humor?

If you have read my former blogs, you know that I am writing about all things 'The Office', or at least things that relate to the comedy television show. So in doing just that, I have decided upon myself to type up a blog on the different forms of humor! This post will be discussing cuatro types of the good-good, and they will enable you to see which type of comedy fits your humor.

So, let's get started.

The 1st type of humor..

1. Self-enhancing humor

This is a coping mechanism that involves being able to laugh at yourself, such as when you embarrass yourself, or to make fun of yourself in a good-natured way. It can help to relieve stress, in fact, it a known to be healthy way of coping with stress that can be overbearing sometimes. If you know Jon Stewart from the Daily Show, then you know of someone who uses this.

Jon Stewart, Daily Show

2. Self-defeating humor

Now, this is the total opposite of self-enhancing humor, and it is the same as self-deprecating humor. This belittles yourself in an aggressive manner, and in the world of psychology, it is known not to be a healthy form of humor. It's what some people use to put themselves down before others can pick jokes at them, and it is a way of self-bullying. The now deceased Rodney Dangerfield was known to use this form of comedy.

Yo, why???

3. Affiliative Humor

The one-and-only Jerry Seinfeld is an excellent practitioner of this comedic art. This involves humor that everybody can relate to - jokes made about the everyday lives of people. It is meant to be overall happy, and the jokes' purpose are to make everybody laugh.

Seinfeld, himself.

Lastly..

4. Aggressive Humor

This type of humor may make some laugh, and give others a feeling of discomfort. It is one used by bullies, and it targets the audience or individuals. It is negative and insulting to many people, so it may in turn harm others. Using this type of humor can leave a bad effect on you, as well as the people being effected by it.

The late Joan Rivers

These are 4 common types of funniness that are widely used in the world. What's great about humor is that it is universal, and it continues to give people joy in life. I want to know, what is your preferred type of humor? Comment down below :)

*In my next [post, I will be discussing how to be funny.

~Alexis


Martin, Rod; Patricia Puhlik-Doris; Gwen Larsen; Jeanette Gray; Kelly Weir (February 2003). "Individual differences in uses of humor and their relation to psychological well-being: Development of the Humor Styles Questionnaire". Journal of Research in Personality 37 (1): 48–75. doi:10.1016/S0092-6566(02)00534-2

Riggio, Ronald E. "The 4 Styles of Humor." Psychology Today. 14 April 2015. Web. 10 May 2016.

It's Great to Laugh

Laughter is one of life's best remedies it has to offer. This topic ties in with my blog because The Office is a show with content that promotes much giggling and guffawing, which in turn promotes health.

Laughter fights against pain and stress, and it helps in keeping you grounded.
This is a list of reasons why this medicine is so good for our health:
-It relaxes the whole body.
-Boosts the immune system.
-Triggers the release of endorphins (body's natural feel-good chemicals)
-It protects the heart.

There are countless ways that laughter can boost our health, and one interesting fact is that laughing with others is more powerful than laughing alone. This is a list from helpguide.org that shows what humor used in relationships helps with.

Be more spontaneous. Humor gets you out of your head and away from your troubles.

Let go of defensiveness. Laughter helps you forget judgments, criticisms, and doubts.

Release inhibitions. Your fear of holding back and holding on are set aside.

Express your true feelings. Deeply felt emotions are allowed to rise to the surface.

Some ways that you can become a happier and more laughable person is by going to the local shelter and adopting a furry pet, or hanging around children which are basically just free spirits who have an expertise in laughing without having a care in the world. The best way to really get a good laugh is by watching The Office.

Michael Scott's best funny face.

Making fun of yourself can also be a good way of expressing laughter, as long as the joke is not so self-deprecating to the point where it actually makes you feel bad. The point is trying to make yourself feel good, not put you in a bad place.




So carry on and crack a joke. Make yourself and others feel good. Roll on the ground and scream with everything that's left in you. Rip the hairs out of your head and make your eyes shed blood and tears - go on. Life is too short to be serious, and to make it last even longer, laugh!

~Alexis


Smith, Melinda, and Jeanne Segal. "Laughter is the Best Medicine." HelpGuide.org. 2016 April. Web. 6 May 2016.

A bit about Deadpan humor

The Office stems from a type of humor known as deadpan or dry humor. According to Wikipedia.com, the definition of dry humor is "a form of comedic delivery in which humor is presented without a change in emotion or body language to contrast with the ridiculousness of the subject matter." The Office is a widely popular show which is found to be so comedic because of the tactic the writers, directors, and essentially everyone on the show uses in order to make it the funny show that it is.

Some examples of deadpan humor are for one, Napoleon Dynamite. This is a classic and popular example of the genre that captured a lot of what makes up d.h.(By the way, 'd.h.' will be my abbreviated use of 'dry humor'.)



Steven Wright is known to be "The King" of d.h. comedy. Now, I'm not familiar with this comedian, but I'm sure that many people are. A quote by him goes: "You can't have everything. Where would you put it?"

Steven Wright

A lot of d.h. jokes are very clever, and they seem to leave people thinking "I've never thought of that before!" The jokes are typically meant to be witty, unlike that of slapstick which will literally leave the joke slapping you in the face. Dry humor can easily get confused with sarcasm, so sometimes the witty jokers have to go out of their way to make sure that the people they are joking with know that they don't mean to be rude, just funny.

If someone is not familiar with d.h., it can be hard for them to tell if the joker using dry humor is actually being serious or if they are just attempting to make the person laugh.

There are many different types of humor, and one that makes people laugh is deadpan, as shown in The Office.

Deadpan comedy in The Office
https://youtu.be/lG54HSGuidQ


Cossuto, Jenna."6 Signs You Have A Dry Sense of Humor." Lifedaily. 16 August 2015. Web. 3 May 2016.

Bromley, Patrick. "10 Deadpan Comedians." About. 30 August 2015. Web. 3 May 2016.

Elles, Brian. "Comedy 101: Deadpan Comedy." The Laugh Button. 1 March 2013. Web. 3 May 2016.

Gould, Rachel. "7 Struggles of Having A Dry Sense of Humor." theElizabethian. 18 June 2015. Web. 3 May 2016.

Wikipedia.com. "Deadpan." Wikipedia. 2 May 2016. Web. 3 May 2016.

Why Does Everybody Like Dwight Schrute?

Dwight Kurt Schrute III is his full name. He is also known as the "Assistant to the Regional Manager", and the Regional Manager being Michael Scott of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch.

Everyone that watches The Office knows that Dwight and his cousin/best friend Mose run and live in their family-owned beet farm, Schrute Farms, selling beets to restaurants, roadside beet stands, and stores. Everyone that has watched the "Product Recall" episode knows that Dwight takes an interest in bears, as well as the television show Battlestar Galactica. In the episode, Jim Halpert, Dwight's co-worker whom Dwight despises very much, dresses up as Schrute, and imitates him. It is from there that the very much loved "Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica" quote originates. I think that it's okay to say that those three words make up who Dwight Schrute is as a person.

Dwight (left) with his cousin Mose (right).

I think that Dwight is the strangest, but most amusing person to exist. Besides having a funny side to him, Dwight also has a side of him that shows loyal devotion to his boss, Michael. He devotes himself to making sure that Michael has a reliable assistant, and he makes sure to please his every need. In this way, it is shown that Dwight has a dutiful side to him. This would probably make him an excellent friend.

His words seem to inspire me as a person in more ways than I can imagine. Everybody needs that one inspirational person in life who just continues to open minds and tell words of wisdom. So with every episode comes the thought, I wonder what I will learn today?




Look at that smoldering gaze.

This man/farmer/assistant-to-the-regional-manager/whatever else he is also has a very appealing and striking physical appearance. His perfectly parted hair, bright white look, stylish glasses perfectly positioned on his face, and his signature mustard colored dress shirt and striped tie just scream 'hip".

That's it, folks. Dwight's persona, humor, words, loyalty, and attractive looks make him the likeable person that he is. Some may say that they dislike Dwight Schrute. False. FACT: Everybody loves Dwight Schrute.

~Alexis

"Product Recall." The Office. Writ. Justin Spitzer and Brent Forrester. Dir. Randall Einhorn.
NBC, 2007. DVD.

"Michael-Dwight Relationship." Wikia. 16 April 2016. Web. 29 April 2016.

'Dwight Schrute." Wikia. 22 April 2016. Web. 29 April 2016.

IMDb member."Dwight Schrute (character)." IMDb. 2011. Web. 29 April 2016.

"Dwight Schrute." Wikipedia. 28 April 2016. Web. 29 April 2016.

A Little Bit About Everyone's Favorite Boss - Michael Scott

"I'm not superstitious, but I am a little stitious." - Michael Scott

Hey friends. In this blog, I am going to talk about the one and only Michael Scott. And yes, he's that special, that I had to make a blog on him, because honestly, who doesn't love Michael Scott? That's kind of a rhetorical question because there is no answer to it, and it is not to be answered.

Michael Scott, a fictional character and one of the main characters, if not the main character and, (can I say showstopper?) of The Office. According to IMDb, "Michael Scott is the regional manager of the Scranton branch of a paper distribution company Dunder Mifflin. He has no sense of social awareness, has few friends, and is quite lonely. He thinks of himself as an office comedian, but his attempts at humor prove to be unfunny at best and are often inappropriate, and sometimes offensive or unwittingly mean. Despite all this, however, he ultimately means well. The character develops from a trying hard and annoying to a sweet person and we gradually commiserate."


Yep, we're talking about this guy.




 

Some interesting facts about Michael include
-him taking improvisational comedy classes, which some would say he's not the best at.
-His favorite catchphrase being the infamous "That's what she said!"
-His birthdate is March 15, 1964 (which makes him a Pisces!)
-He claims to be of German, English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry, and he also claims to be 2/15 Native American
-When he was younger, he was a kid star on the television show Fundle Bundle
-Michael once stalked an attractive lady into the office park of Dunder Mifflin, and he left with a job
-The longest relationship that he's been in was with Jan Levinson, his former boss, which I think was pretty weird

Take the quiz with it's link down below to see which Michael Scott Alter Ego you are.
http://www.zimbio.com/quiz/dijdUi0skyC/Michael+Scott+Alter+Ego

If you liked this blog, let me know! Last question: What is your favorite thing about Michael Scott?
Comment down below :)

~Alexis

Wikia. Wikia contributors, 2016. Web. 26 April 2016.
IMDb. IMDb contributors, 2016. Web. 26 April 2016.

Some General Info On 'The Office'

In my last blog post, I shared my opinion on why The Office is a show worth watching. Now, I am giving some info on the show.

The Office is an American television series that was adapted after the British series carrying the same name. The Office (U.K.) was created by the well-known comedian, Ricky Gervais. The American version of the show was adapted by Greg Daniels, the writer who worked on Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons, King of The Hill, Parks and Recreation, and of course, The Office. The mockumentary launched a pilot episode leading the first season, which had mixed reviews from critics. But, the second season is what really caught the people of comedy's attention. The series has 9 seasons, with 201 episodes in total. The running time for normal episodes is 22 minutes, with extra running time for "special" episodes, like the Christmas specials. The show's release date is March 24, 2005, and the show unfortunately came to an end on May 16, 2013. Some popular episodes are  "The Deposition," "Beach Games," "Stress Relief," and my personal favorite, "Dinner Party." Down below is a link to a little 24 second preview to the "Dinner Party" episode. It is also one of my most favorite scenes of the show.

https://youtu.be/4H8Gcvkqwjk

Some of the main characters of the show are Michael Scott (played by Steve Carell), Pam Beesly (played by Jenna Fischer), Dwight Schrute (played by Rainn Wilson), and Jim Halpert (played by John Krasinski.)

FACT: "The Office's creative team decided to develop Parks and Recreation as a separate series."

Wikipedia. 17 April 2016. The Office (U.S. TV series). 22 April 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Office_(U.S._TV_series)

~Alexis

What Makes 'The Office' So Awesome

As a child, I had my share of favorite television shows that inspired me and helped to grow the creative part of me. Some of my favorites were the good ol' classic, Tom and Jerry, the Flintstones, and the Pink Panther. Those were what I consider to be apart of the "good days." Coming home from elementary school, running inside the house to grab a pop, jumping onto the sofa, and watching those shows that held a special place in my heart made my childhood worth calling a childhood. As I grew, television just became something that was uncalled-for. My parents eventually cut off cable because no one was watching T.V. anymore, and the bill was just a bother. Then, a couple of years ago, my dad found out about something called Netflix. Little did I know, Netflix was bound to change my life.

During the summer of 2014, I was a bored, graduated eighth-grader. I had visited the pool too many times by then, and I was just waiting for high school to come around. There I was, sitting on the couch, checking out a couple of shows. I then sought out to find what I had in mind to be, the perfect show. I got onto Netflix, and it was all down-click, down-click, reading summaries, checking ratings, down-click until I found a particular show that I had heard about a lot in school. The Walking Dead. By the middle of the first episode, I realized that the show just wasn't for me. My quest for the p.s. continued as I fell upon another show that I thought I might've liked, Once Upon A Time. The show was great, and I finished two seasons, making that my choice of a T.V. summer show. Yet, I just knew that there was a show that was even better out there waiting for me.

High school started, so I stopped watching T.V. for another year, and summer came swinging around again. I was contemplating on catching up on Once Upon A Time, or continuing my ongoing search for the p.s. I decided upon checking out the comedy T.V. show section, and after a lengthy amount of time, I had finally found the one. The Office. If you have no idea what The Office is, click the link below.

http://www.nbc.com/the-office

I really think that God led me through everything. Unlike The Walking Dead, this show's first episode had me laughing on the ground, slapping my hand against my thigh. It was gold. It was my joy. I would make sure to watch at least one episode everyday. I finished up to the middle of season five, and I have to say, discovering the show has to be one of the best decisions I've made in my life. Several times, while watching the show, I would think to myself, what makes this show so amazing? My answer would always be, everything. The storyline is always promisingly hilarious, written by the brilliant writers of the show; the actors do an exceptional job at portraying their roles, and of course, Dwight Schrute, my hero.

Besides the obvious reasons for why The Office is amazing, there are also some of my own, more personal reasons. During that time, I was going through something exceptionally hard. The skies weren't always so blue for me. I would feel sad, mad, and empty many of those days, looking for happiness. I devoted my time to mainly becoming a better Christian, but also finding that happiness in the show. When I felt uncomfortable or gloomy, I would just think of "Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica," or a really funny episode. That would always help to lift my spirits. It also helped me with coping with my minor anxiety issue.

So there's a reason for why so many people appreciate this show so much. It makes you laugh. Why else would it have won four Primetime Emmy Awards including Outstanding Comedy Series in 2006?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Office_(U.S._TV_series)

So if you're reading this post and you haven't watched The Office, go and do yourself a favor. WATCH. IT. YOU WILL BE A CHANGED PERSON.



~ Alexis