Modest Mouse

When I can work out how it was
Then I'll tell you
TV stained my memories, yeah
I don't think it shows
Remember through sounds
Remember through smells
Remember through colors
Remember through towns
With fear and fascination
On what was here
And what's replacing them now
Interchange causes a mall
And crowded chain restaurants
More housing developments go up
Named after the things they replace
So welcome to Minnow Brook
And welcome to Shady Space
And it all seems a little abrupt
No, I don't like this change of pace

These are the lyrics to Novocaine Stain by Modest Mouse. The lead singer/songwriter Isaac Brock frequently talks about urbanization in his work. Here is a particularly good song that just points out how fast change seems to hit. He says that all of a sudden, it is hard to remember how things used to be, before the area began to develop. Life in its mundane self seems to distract from the change around you, and even blur your memories (TV stained my memories). Also a nice note to the clever way Isaac noticed how we do seem to tear down land, and then name the area after something in nature, whether it be a cruel joke on our part or simply a wish the nature was still there.
I personally can relate to this song as the land around me, which when I was young was nothing but woods and fields, soon turned into neighborhood after boring neighborhood. So I must agree, that when I too work out how things used to be, I'll be sure to tell you all about it.

I can no longer tell the difference between real life and The Office.

alternative title: I cried at Jim and Pam's wedding.

The hour-long wedding special of Jim and Pam from the Office was probably the master piece of the writing staff. Every element of each character was brought forward and thoroughly displayed. Angela was her prude self, Dwight was a completely sociopath, and Michael Scott was ridiculously inappropriate.

This show was not for someone new to the office, but rather a treat to the loyal viewer, as it made much more sense if you knew the cast well. I am not the type to become entwined with any sort of fictional character, simply based on the fact that in the back of my head I know fiction is fantasy. But the Office dulls the line with their newest special and creates a sense of realism that will at least momentarily lead you to believe that you are observing real people doing real things.

If you ARE in the mood to give some of your precious life to the mechanical box sitting in the living room, you might as well choose the Office on NBC at 9pm on Thursday to do it.