I Hate Surprises, But I Love John Krasinski

I hate surprises. No, really, I do. I would rather watch a movie I've already seen or read a book I've already read. I like knowing what's going to happen. Even when the surprises are supposed to be romantic, or fun, I don't really enjoy them. I don't like not knowing what to expect. (China hasn't beaten this out of me yet.) I want to know upfront what you want. The men who get anywhere with me are direct, and don't spring anything on me. (Sorry, but this is one chica who does not like the swoop-and-surprise-Predator-drone kiss. I actually have a funny story about one such kiss. Another time I'll have to share it.) So, when I read this quotation from John Krasinski, I swooned:

"I'm a huge classics fan. I love Ernest Hemingway and J.D. Salinger. I'm that guy who rereads a book before I read newer stuff, which is probably not all that progressive, and it's not really going to make me a better reader. I'm like, "Oh, my God, you should read To Kill a Mockingbird." And people are like, "I'm not 15." Still good, though."


Yes! John can't be the only guy out there like this, can he? Oh, and John? I love To Kill A Mockingbird. Call me!!

Rugburn, English Names, And My Broken Heart

I learned something heartbreaking today: John Krasinski can't dance! Para nada!  In this week's episode of The Office, he looked like an awkward 12 year old boy. So sad. And true story: I've never met a man who was a bad dancer who was also a good kisser. Bad dancer = bad LOTS of things.

Busy Bee Suzy asked me about English names for Chinese students.  All English majors choose an English name to use throughout their college career, and even many non-English majors do too. Their Chinese teachers make them choose, this isn't a foreign teacher thing. They often choose random words instead of traditional names, so I have students named Sin, Xanadu, Sunfree, Seabird, Jelly, Apple, Little Mosquito, Devil, Stone, Hip, etc. Some of them will choose a more traditional name if they plan on working with foreigners. For example, the secretary of our Foreign Affairs Office goes by Cassie and her Chinese family name when she deals with foreigners; her email address reflects both her English and Chinese names.

You must call a Chinese person by their family name, then their first name; it's a serious faux pas to use their first name only. But they know Westerners use first names, so they like to follow that trend, a sort of "when in Rome" thing. Also, they know Chinese names can be hard for Westerners to pronounce, so it's a bit of hospitality on their part to use an English first name when dealing with a foreigner.

But my first name is difficult for them to pronounce, so a lot of students just call me by my family name. One student tried to call me Rebecca, but it came out as "Rugbert," so the other volunteers started calling me "Rugburn."  The name is more interesting than it sounds!  I have no rugburns, I swear.

Jim and Pam Sweetness

From the most recent episode of The Office:

Pam, to Jim: "[My father] said that you told him how much you love me, about how you feel when I walk in a room, and about how you've never doubted for a second I'm the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with." 

[hugging and tears between Jim and Pam here]

Pam, to the camera: "When you're a kid you assume your parents are soulmates. My kids are gong to be right about that." 

Awww....

Yeah, I know, it's just a show. But here's what I love about Jim and Pam: the sweetness. They don't always say and do the perfect things, they've been not-so-sensitive to each other on occasion, they've experienced awkwardness and uncertainty about each other, and they've both had moments of heartache. Pretty realistic stuff. But they both care, and they both try. Of course, this is tv, so things finally have worked out in the end, but still...it's one of my favorite depictions of fictionalized romance. 

(And yes, I do aspire to have someone think that when I walk in the room, they are the luckiest man alive. I aspire to feel the same way about him!)

Silence

There's this guy I knew. I loved him. I enjoyed the silent moments with him more than actually talking to any other guy. Quality of silences means something to me. Silences tell the story between two people.

One thing I like about The Office is its willingness for silence. You'll notice how little talking there is in these scenes. Much more realistic than always having the perfect thing to say. (And yeah this video is cheesy, but I can't find any other clips that show the silences as well. But I really like this song.)