Isn't There A House For Me?

Like most people, I love traveling and I wish I could do more of it. I'm kind of a schizo in that I don't like any one type of place in particular, but I like extremes. Extremely cold, extremely hot. Crowded, deserted, loud, silent, beautiful, hideous. I love them all, and I wish I could have a bunch of little houses around the country, so I could get to know each place personally, not just through a traveler's glimpse. Of course, there are plenty of places around the world I'd love to live in, but that list would take me all day. Besides, there's so much of my own country that I haven't seen, so many vastly different places I want to live. Here are some of them:

New York, NY: My hometown. No matter where I move or how long I live there, I'll always feel like a foreigner when I'm not here. I want to keep a studio in Manhattan to come home to, where I can fall asleep to honking taxis.

Athens, NY: A tiny town in the Catskills, in upstate New York. I've always loved the Catskills; it's an interesting mix of breathtaking natural beauty and depressing living conditions. The weather can be brutal, but I can handle it. I'd buy an old, run-down farmhouse and write from home. Also, my mother's ancestors lived there when they came over from Ireland, so there's a bit of family history.

Goldfield, NV: I've always wanted to live in a small town way out in the desert, and this seems like a good one. It has lots of historic old buildings from the gold rush, and a small artists' community. I'd have a little cabin on the outskirts, looking out on the mountains.

Boise, ID: I keep reading that this is one of the best places to live in America, so I guess you can't go wrong. It's an interesting place because it's a relatively large urban center, but it's right in the middle of the mountains, without the sprawling suburbs and highways we have here. It's the kind of place where you can go to a museum or concert downtown but then go kayaking or mountain biking only a short distance away. I'd want an apartment looking out on the mountains.

Washington, DC: I know this city very well, since my dad lived and worked there for a couple of years. It's a gorgeous mix of classic and modern architecture, plenty of parks and museums, and it's not crowded and frantic like New York. Plus, they have the cleanest and fastest subway I've ever seen. I'd have an old rowhouse in Georgetown, along the canal.

Fairbanks, AK: Like I said, I like extremes.

Los Angeles, CA: I've heard it's a terrible place to live, which makes me want to move there and understand why. I'm fascinated by the superficiality of their culture and they way they live. At least the weather is nice.

Oklahoma City, OK: Kind of like Boise, except that it's in the middle of the Great Plains instead of the mountains. It's also a very beautiful, safe, and cheap city, with lots of really pretty neighborhoods. I'd have an apartment in Bricktown, overlooking the canal.

Laredo, TX: Hot, dirty, one of the most crime-ridden cities in America. I'd like to give it a try.

Ypsilanti, MI: A weird little town with a cool name and an eclectic population. Plus, it's mentioned in Sufjan Stevens's "Michigan", which is cool.

we ♥ angela martin

e.m. & i have been discussing our love of angela martin, from the office, played by the lovely angela kinsey. (and can i just say that i *love* how they both have a wikipedia page. yes. yes i can.)

here are some of my favorite angela lines from the show:

"The Office: Women's Appreciation (#3.21)" (2007)
Angela: Sometimes the clothes at the Gap Kids are just too flashy so I'm forced to go to American Girl and order clothes for large Colonial dolls.

"The Office: Product Recall (#3.20)" (2007)
(gotta have one with Kelly Kapoor!) Kelly Kapoor: [singing to the tune of "Hollaback Girl" and clapping] This day is bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S! This day is bananas! B-A-N-A...
Angela Martin: [cut to Angela taking some aspirin] I don't have a headache. I'm just preparing.

"The Office: A Benihana Christmas (#3.10)" (2006)
Angela: [Dunder Mifflin party planning committee meets in conference room to discuss holiday party festivities for the office] Phyllis, I need you to pick up green streamers at lunch.
Phyllis Lapin: I thought you said that green was whorish.
Angela: No, orange is whorish.
[Camera pulls back to show Phyllis wearing an orange blouse]
Karen Filippelli: Uh, so I had a couple ideas to make the Stamford branch feel more at home. Each year we have a Christmas raffle.
Angela: It would never work here.
Karen Filippelli: OK. Um, another idea is karaoke.
Angela: No.
Karen Filippelli: A Christmas drinking game?
Meredith: Yes!
Angela: God help you.
Karen Filippelli: What?
Angela: These are all terrible ideas and none of them are on the theme of "A Nutcracker Christmas". I think you should leave.
Karen Filippelli: [Laughs nervously, unsure what to do] You are kidding.
Angela: You tried this out and it's clearly not for you. You need to leave. Now.
[Karen looks to Pam for help, but Pam awkardly looks down at some papers leaving Karen to fend for herself. Angela rises and shows Karen to the door. Karen leaves the meeting]

(one of e.m.'s favorites too) Angela: I don't go into your house and steal your Hello Kitty backpack.

"The Office: Michael's Birthday (#2.19)" (2006)
Dwight Schrute: [talking quietly to Angela with Ryan nearby, trying badly to hide their affair] What about that meeting later to... discuss finances?
Angela: Yes... but don't expect any cookie.
Dwight Schrute: [slowly] But what if I'm hungry?
Angela: No cookie!
Ryan Howard: [knowing what they were really talking about, stares into the camera at a total loss for words]


thank youuu imdb :P


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feel free to contribute! i am way behind on my office episodes *sad*