the fact that i just wrote an e-mail to Jeff Gerstmann baffles me.

There are only a few TV shows that I watch regularly that really truly affect me. The chief among these is Battlestar Galactica. BSG has single handedly reduced my entire work ethic to nil countless times. I could write an entire diatribe on how that show makes me believe in a higher televised power, but this week a former champ tried its best to retire the space war series. I finally was able to watch the entire fifth season of The Office over the past 3 days and it literally has torn me to pieces.

My belief has always been that watching regularly scheduled television is needy. Why should I promise NBC that I'll be there every Thursday at 8 PM if it isn't going to respond to my needs? It's become infinitely more practical to watch TV-on-DVD or through the Netflix Instant Queue. This convenience even overtook [adult swim] and its bullet-proof programming. Because of this, I have fallen into the one trap I promised myself I'd never fall into. Season 6 of The Office is currently being broadcast and well...I can't watch it in succession as I'd like. The great thing about the whole TV-on-DVD is that you never have to wait for the next moment, and well...Jim and Pam's wedding is something I'd love to see, but I'll have to wait until the DVDs hit way too late next year.

I'm afraid that I won't be cured soon seeing as how the second season of The Big Bang Theory is currently out on DVD as well. Another reason I couldn't stop watching was this.

I had forgotten how much I loved going to zoos and aquariums. Over the weekend I was able to take a trip to Cleveland (or "The Cleve" as some call it) to see the Cleveland Rainforest. I loved it. For some reason I just felt like a kid again. It's one of the only places you can really overcome your fear of spiders too. When there's inch-thick glass separating you from what looks like a genetic mutation of a daddy long legs, you can pretty much stand tall and be fearless.

Also, having the company of your 5-year-old nephew in tow can't help but make you marvel at all of nature's nightmares.

A week or so ago Kyle and I sat down (via video chat) and discussed the direction we're taking LAN'ded and possible ventures that may appear because of this. It felt good to get back to the core of Imaginary Trends once again. The virals I've committed myself to have been very fulfilling in a number of ways, but LAN'ded is the reason why we're both in this. Writing it feels so good now. I feel like we've found the flow of the ocean and we're putting up the sails.

I began to write some formal letters and e-mails today to some geek titans in the industry. Some of them asked them for support and some of them were written as a "We're onto something here"-esque format. What alot of them turned into though, was a formal thank you. I was basically writing thank yous to people are inspiring the project, and asking them if it'd be OK to mention or name-drop them in our sketches/scripts. I haven't heard back yet and I really don't expect to, but just knowing that I sent letters to people of that acclaim made me realize how big our projects could be if driven correctly.

For now though, the mission is to keep my head up, continue to fill my savings up with money for both the move to Chicago and the studio, and to endeavor to shape LAN'ded and other projects in the best possible way. I'd rather be saving up money to do the work I'm passionate about rather than waste my time on projects I'm apathetic towards.

I guess it all comes back to The Office, this time the BBC Version. Martin Freeman's character "Tim" said it best: "I'd rather be at the bottom of a ladder I want to climb, than at the top of one I'm uninterested in." That's not verbatim, but even in a shortened form Tim had some wisdom. Now if I can only stop myself from falling in love with the office secretary. I'm glad I don't work in an office.