Sunday, September 30, 2007

Postsecret



I always wondered...

More at Postsecret.

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Friday, September 28, 2007

The Office - Season 4 - Episode 1 - Fun Run

OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe this show is back!! It has only been a few months but I really missed The Office. And I was just DYING to know what was going to happen with Jim and Pam. And we will get to that shortly...

But First, let's get an update from the other employees of Dunder Mifflin.

What's going on with Michael? Seems like he is up to his same old hijinx.

Michael: I did not get the job in New York. But I got the real prize — domestic bliss.

Him and Jan have moved in together. And she isn't looking too good...

But Michael is in a really good spirit. Things couldn't be better...until

Ouch, that is gonna leave a mark. And that brings us to Meredith, who started this season off on the windshield of Michael's car.

Michael hits Meredith in the parking lot of the office, and when he gets into the office he breaks the news to the other workers.

Michael: The doctors tried to save her life. They did the best that they could. And she is going to be okay.

He tries to play it off like he had nothing to do with it but the truth must come out.

Michael: I was able to be on the scene so quickly because I was in the car that hit her.

The entire office turns against Michael (except Dwight, of course) and they start planning a visit to see Meredith.

Meanwhile, Kevin and Oscar are like two gossiping girls, speculating about Jim and Pam. They are starting to sound like the viewers!

Kevin: Are you kidding me? Pam and Jim are totally hooking up. All they do is smile.

Oscar: There is no evidence of intimacy.

And what happened to Karen? Jim broke up with her after the interview in NYC. She came back to the office the next day and told him that she wouldn't give up everything because of this (I guess that meant her job in Scranton), but then the next day her desk was cleared. And at this point of the episode Jim is playing it like he is single and looking and Pam says she just talked him through his break up.

Meanwhile, the other member of the accounting department has her own stress with her little kitty Sprinkles. Apparently Sprinkles is having multiple types of ailments and Angela has been having to watch the kitty very carefully lately. She almost skips on seeing Meredith in the hospital so she can check on Sprinkles, but Pam convinces her to go to the hospital and Angela sends Dwight off to check on Sprinkles instead.

What is Angela and Dwight's take on the Meredith incident? (Quote from a later part of the episode)

Angela: I have to visit the alkie.
Dwight: Check to see if she’s faking. If a car hit me, it wouldn’t crack my pelvis. You know what. I bet she cracked it at home. Jumped in front of the car to get some worker’s comp.
Angela: I wouldn’t put it past her.

All the insanity over in the office makes Michael want to do something for the staff to make them think he isn't all that bad. He calls corporate (Jan's old position), who is now Ryan (the former temp/Kelly's ex) to see what corporate can do for him.

Ryan: Did it happen on company property?
Michael: Yes. It was on company property, with company property. So, double jeopardy. We are fine.
Ryan: I don’t think you understand how jeopardy works.
Michael: Oh, right. I’m sorry….What is “we are fine”?

Ryan seems like his head has gotten a little inflated over at corporate.

Ryan: People keep calling me a “wunderkind.” I don’t even know what that means. I mean, I know what it means. It means, very successful for your age. So I guess it makes sense, but, it’s a weird word.

Michael interrupts a staff gathering (where they are trying to figure out when to visit Meredith) and insists that everyone go at the same time together to see Meredith. This has trouble written all over it.

So they all get to the hospital and it seems like Michael had a reason to get everyone there at the same time.

Michael: You know what I was thinking might be sort of fun? Is if you forgave me in front of everybody.

Michael: You know what they say in the bible about forgiveness? Forgiveness … is next to godliness.

Meredith is not in the mood for forgiveness. Michael screws up her IV and practically crushes Meredith by forcing a hug on her while she is still lying in bed.

When they return from the hospital Dwight informs Angela of some bad news.

Angela: Any problems?
Dwight: Well you left the TV on. And your cat is dead.

He put her in the freezer to stop the odor.

Michael now thinks the office is cursed because of all the bad things that happened that day.

Michael: It is up to me to get rid of the curse that hit Meredith with my car. I’m not superstitious, but, I’m a little stitious.

He gathers the staff so they can talk about religion to see if anyone brought this curse upon them. And this meeting introduces us to the new IT Tech Guy. He remains nameless in this episode but he was seen already earlier getting celebrity porn off Pam's computer. So far in the episode he had more lines than Andy (who up to this point was visible but completely silent in every scene). But as a little trivia, he was in an episode early on from Season 2, and his name is Sadiq.

IT Tech Guy: If you’re going to reduce my identity to my religion, then I’m Sikh. But I also like hip-hop and NPR, and I’m restoring a 1967 Corvette in my spare time.

Michael suggests ways to break the curse on the office.

Michael: Maybe there’s some sort of animal that we could make a sacrifice to. Like … a giant buffalo. Or some sort of monster, like something with the body of a walrus with the head of a sea lion. Something with a body of an egret, with the head of a meerkat. Or just the head of a monkey, with the antlers of a reindeer. With the body of a … porcupine.

Can you imagine what that would look like?



After the meeting Michael sends Dwight off to go visit Meredith in the hospital. At the hospital Dwight learns that Meredith actually needs a rabies shot because she was bitten by a bat (because of Dwight last season) a raccoon and a rat.

Michael takes this as a good sign and finds a reason why Meredith needed to be hit by a car.

Meanwhile, Kevin can't stop talking about Pam and Jim.

Kevin: Oh well. If they aren’t together now, then they probably never will be. I thought they’d be good together. Like PB & J. Pam Beesly and Jim. What a waste. What. A. Waste.

And this brings us to the most important scene of this episode. The camera follows Pam leaving the office in her car. She drives about a half a block, pulls over, and picks up Jim. He gets in and then we see the moment we have all been waiting for!!!!

YES!!!

Michael then decides to organize a run to raise money for a cure for rabies. (Something that already has a cure) He calls it Michael Scott's Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run For The Cure. You can start buying merchandise for MSDMSMPMCRAPFRFTC (the fun run) at NBC.com.

Michael has the entire office working on getting pledges and making quilts.

Kevin doesn't want to run because he doesn't have the right type of clothes to run that day and Andy is really afraid of "nipple chaffing". And this is actually the first thing we hear from Andy all episode.

Andy: I’m petrified of nipple chafing. Once it starts, it is a vicious circle.

We get a little more information on Angela's relationship with Sprinkles.

Angela: This is Halloween last year. Just a couple of kittens, out on the town.

She is really torn up. She has a suspicion that Dwight killed her cat.

Angela: When I got home, Sprinkles’ body was in the freezer, where Dwight said he left her, but all my bags of frozen french fries had been clawed to shreds!

And in a very meta moment, Jim and Pam are talking about their strategies for the race and the camera comes up very close to them. The camera seems to be suspicious of their relationship. Then they cut to the conference room and they are watching a video of themselves from the earlier scene when Pam picks up Jim a block away from the office in her car and they kiss. And Pam spills the beans and admits they are dating.

Pam: Yeah, I gave him a ride home because … we’re dating.
Jim: Wow. There it is.
Pam: Yeah. We haven’t told anybody, but it’s going really great. Right?
Jim: It is going really great.

Jim did not expect that but they are both so damn cute and happy!!

After another confrontation about the cat between Angela and Dwight, a conference is called between Michael, Pam, Jim and Dwight to talk about the charity money and the 5k run.

Michael: I always imagined it with a giant check.
Jim: Yeah, I mean personally, I am definitely on board with the giant check.
Pam: Giant check it is.
Dwight: I don’t know. On the other hand, it does leave less money for bat birth control.

Michael really wants to hand off a giant check to a rabies doctor. Two problems - 1) They only raised about $500 (which is almost entirely Michael's money) and a giant check costs $200 and 2) there are no rabies doctors. Jim suggests a nurse by the hour.

Before the race, Pam is working on the last minute details and she sees a problem with the 5K sign (it is 5 kilometers, not 5,000 miles). She knocks on Michael's door to ask him a question and she thought she heard "come in" so she opens the door and gets an unexpected surprise.

Pam: So I closed the door, but the image of his …
Jim: Baguette.
Pam: … dangling participle …
Jim: Ooh.
Pam: … still burned in my eyes.

Michael tries to play it off but the truth is Michael was naked in his office. Jim makes fun of Michael by taking off his shirt during a side interview.

Then the race begins. Michael talks a little about rabies and the need for a cure (that already exists).

Michael: Myth: Three Americans every year die from rabies. Fact: Four Americans every year die from rabies.

Michael: It is truly the silent killer. No, it is the foaming barking killer.

They ended up hiring the stripper Elizabeth (from the Benjamin Franklin episode) to dress like a nurse and accept a giant check for $340. The check was made out to "science."

Michael loads up on carbs (fettuccine alfredo) so he can be ready for the race. Dwight puts Imodium in Toby's drink to make him go to the bathroom and slow him down, but turns out he was supposed to put ex-lax and the Imodium actually helped Toby not have to go to the bathroom during the race.

The race begins and Stanley, Oscar and Creed jump in a cab, get a drink and are driven to the finish line. Andy's nipples bleed the entire time. Michael gets terrible cramps because of the fettuccine alfredo, Kevin runs in a suit, Phylis ran with her husband, Bob Vance, and Jim and Pam went shopping at a garage sale and got a great lamp!

Dwight and Angela again talk about Sprinkles and Dwight admits he killed the cat. Dwight did it because he saw an animal in pain and that is what he does as a farmer to animals who are suffering.

Angela: Cat heaven is a beautiful place. But you don’t get there if you’re euthanized!

Oh, and Toby won!

Toby: And the winner is Toby Flenderson!
Kelly: Have a seat. I’ll write it down.
Toby: Where are we?
Kelly: I don’t know. Like five kilometers from the office.
Toby: He couldn’t have made it a circle?

In last place, Jim and Pam stroll hand in hand and see Michael sitting down. The food really got to him.

Michael
: I ate more fettuccini alfredo and drank less water than I have in my entire life.

Jim and Pam motivate Michael to finish the race, which he does. Then he has to go to the hospital for dehydration. In the hospital he sees Meredith and she forgives him because of all he did for her with the fun run.

Michael: While I eventually puked my guts out, I never puked my heart out. And I’m very, very proud of that.

***

So what are your thoughts on Jim and Pam??? I am so happy they are together and I hope this season doesn't end up splitting them up for a stupid reason. It should be interested to see their relationship actually flourish. And what about Dwight and Angela? Looks like Angela needs some kitty counseling. Will she be able to forgive him?

(Pictures from Office-Caps, Quotes from The Office Tally)

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Quote of the Day

"I am not superstitious, but I'm a little spicious."

-Michael Scott, "The Office"

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Thursday, September 27, 2007

What If You Spent Every Day of the Last Year Following Every Rule of the Bible?

You would look like this guy.

For a year A. J. Jacobs lived his life by every rule set out in the Bible. That includes the prohibition of certain hair cutting, as seen in the picture above. But what wasn't he able to cut out? Coveting.

But he did manage to stone an adulterer!

From a Newsweek interview:

What rule was the hardest to follow?
Two kinds of rules were hard. Avoiding sins we commit every day like lying, gossiping and coveting was hard, and then there were the rules that were hard to do in modern life, like stoning adulterers. But I did manage to fulfill that one. What happened was, I was in the park, dressed in my white garb, and this man in his 70s came over and asked what I was doing. I explained I was trying to follow every rule in the Bible as literally as possible, including growing my beard, not mixing fibers, stoning adulterers, and he said, “I’m an adulterer, are you going to stone me?” I said, “Yeah that would be great.” The Bible doesn’t say what size the stones have to be, so I had been carrying around these pebbles in my pocket for just such an occasion. I took the pebbles out of my pocket, and he instantly picked one up and threw it at me, so I decided, an eye for an eye, and I tossed one at him. It did provide an entry for talking to people about capital punishment and the Bible. How could they stone adulterers, what was life like back then, does it apply today. I tried to say to the guy, you shouldn’t sleep with other women, but I don’t know if it sunk in.

I like how now his perception has shifted and he appreciates good things that happen and how he sees his life as one of responsibility rather than rights and entitlements. I guess that's the real point of religion? To give your life some meaning and to help you get through the days when they are hard.

Learn more about A. J. Jacobs and his new book, The Year of Living Biblically, at Newsweek.

(via Boing Boing)

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What Happened?


Geez what happened to Carrot Top? Steroids much? One arm is bigger than his hair!

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Quote

"Nothing will work unless you do."
- Maya Angelou

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Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Reminder

New episodes of The Office and My Name is Earl THIS THURSDAY!!!! Each show is 1 hour this week.

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*


The news never stops about Barry Bonds' record-setting homerun.

Last week, fashion designer Marc Ecko bought the ball for a ridiculous sum and then started a website for fans to decide what happens to the famous ball. The choices were, donate the ball to the Baseball Hall of Fame, brand the ball with a asterik and then donate the ball to the Hall of Fame, or shoot it off to space.

What won? Big shock: The asterisk.

It Isn't Always Bright and Sunny

Check out these dark low lying clouds over Miami today. This is what late summer/early fall often looks like. Makes you wish there were changing leaves instead.

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Quote

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
- Thomas A. Edison

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Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Heroes - Season 2, Episode 1 - Four Months Later...

And We're Back! After a long summer without our immortal friends, the heroes are back and they have multiplied!

We open with Mohinder Suresh's voice over the various flashback and flash-forwards of the many heroes. Then we see he is giving a lecture in Cairo to raise money for his research. A crazed man comes up to him asking for his autograph. Suresh recognizes the man because he had been at 4 lectures already. The man asks Suresh to meet with him for a drink because there is a job for Suresh. Suresh says he has been down that road before but decides to go anyway.

And then suddenly we are transported to Honduras (we are getting even more international!) to a man and woman running from a car. Looks like we have 2 new heroes on our hands. But they are wanted for MURDER and are trying to get the United States to find "the doctor" that can help them. What could be wrong with them?

Next we are taken to Claire and Noah, who have moved to Costa Verde, California. Claire is starting a new school and is taking on the new last name of Butler. Claire is told to stay under the radar and to be as un-extrodinary as possible. And then we get our first car plug - daddy gives Claire a new Nissan Rogue. And then she almost gets hit walking over to school by someone we will learn more about later.

Boom! Hiro drops from the sky, just as we remembered him from the end of last season. He is in 1671 Japan and about to be hit by arrows when his superpowers shield him. Takezo Kensei is in the distance and Hiro decides to save him from the attackers.

Back in NY, we see Matt Parker in a bullet proof vest shooting people. Turns out he is in a test to become a NYPD Police Officer. He uses his powers to read the mind of the people who he is about to kill and passes the test with flying colors. They award him a badge.

Claire is in school checking out her cheerleading classmates. The boy who almost ran her over in the parking lot sits next to her. They flirt! He asks if she is a "robot or an alien"? Claire doesn't know the answer but is just trying to keep to herself. The teacher asks about a quote regarding evolution and nobody in the class knows the name of the person who said it. Claire writes down "Charles Darwin" on a paper and the teacher, disappointed in the class for being so dumb, tells the answer. The new boy-toy, named West, sees this and assumes Claire is a "robot" because she doesn't want the class to know she is smart. He just has her all figured out!

Back to Honduras, the two runners, Maya and Alejandro Herrera, meet up with a shady guy who will drive them to a point 600 miles from the border of America. They pay up a lot of money and the driver insists Maya sit up front with him. She refuses and they get in the car anyway.

So it looks like Matt has taken Molly under his wing. He is now divorced and recovering from some serious bullet wounds. Molly is in school and Matt comes to pick her up. Her teacher pulls him over and expresses concern for Molly because she has fallen asleep in class (who hasn't?). She shows him pictures that she draws of scary eyes and that weird squigle symbol. Matt says he knows she has nightmares but she is an imaginative child and he can't stop that. The teacher worries that Matt isn't the right parental figure for Molly. He insists they are fine.

Back at the scene where the "bomb" occurred at the end of last season, Ando and Hiro's father sit and wait for Hiro to return. It has apparently been a long time and they are still expecting him to show up in that very spot. Ando goes to get a newspaper from Kaito Nakamura's office and a picture falls out. From this picture Mr. Nakamura knows he is about to die.

Angela Petrelli is in a dark room looking at a picture of her sons. A drunk and bearded Nathan walks in looking very homeless. His wife and kids left him and he is punishing himself for what happened to Peter. Angela asks Nathan to get it together and move on with his life but he only sees Angela as evil and dismisses her. As she leaves the apartment she sees a picture of herself just like the one Kaito saw in the previous scene. The two pictures seem to be torn apart from one single picture.
Hiro is still in Japan and he transports TK to safety. But, then it turns out to be some other guy dressed as TK. That guy escapes and TK comes out from hiding. TK takes off his mask to reveal he is a white boy from England! TK reveals himself to be a dirty trickster who is just out to make money. Hiro is disappointed in the man who fueled all his hero fantasies. He tries to convince TK to change his ways and save the town of Otsu and take the town's swordmaker's daughter as his princess. TK could care less while he drinks down some alcohol. The down of Otsu denounces TK as their village burns down.

In California, Noah is working a dead end job at a copy center. His boss is a prick.

Suresh meets with "Bob" and Bob reveals he has the midas touch (he can turn anything to GOOOOLLLLDDD). He can give Suresh as much money as he needs to do his research as long as Suresh does the job they need. Suresh agrees and later calls Noah and says their plan is working. Suresh is trying to get into this company so they can bring it down.

Matt and Molly eat pizza for dinner and Matt confronts her about the pictures she is drawing. She gets angry at him and refuses to discuss it. He lets it go and she leaves the room. Later he finds Molly having those crazy nightmares. He tries to read her mind and she is very frightened. There is a voice telling Molly he can see her. Matt wakes up Molly and she cries in his arms.

Back in a very dark Honduras (maybe?), Maya and Alejandro are asked to get out of the car. The shady driver wants more money and for Maya to sit in the front of the car. After they refuse they beat up Alejandro and drive away with Maya.

Claire tries to adjust to her new school but is distracted by the cheerleaders. Her partner in a game of badminton is teased by the cheerleaders. They tell her to do a backflip from the tower and Claire asks them to leave her partner alone. Claire then says she will do the backflip so they leave her partner alone. She climbs the tower and as the crowd gathers around, Claire realizes she is calling attention to herself and chickens out. When the crowd leaves she does it and hurts her leg. Her healing powers quickly come in and help her. And then West walks in and sees her and realizes she did the jump.

A very smug Noah is taking a coffee break at work. His jerky boss comes in and insists he goes back to work. Noah flips the guy over and tells him he will take his breaks when he wants to. A nervous boss walks out the room and Noah finishes his coffee.

Kaito and Ando sit on top of the Deveaux building. Ando leaves to get Kaito a sword so he can fight off who is about to kill him. Angela then shows up and they wonder who is going to kill them. Kaito reveals that along with Charles Deveaux, Mr. Linderman, and Mr. Petrelli, he and Angela were part of a group of twelve people that tried to find evolved humans. Kaito warns Angela to leave town.

At the "Butler" household, the family eats dinner together and we see that mom and son are safe with the family. None of the family members have anything to say about their days and are putting up the front that they are being "normal".

Alejandro is seen running and finds the car that Maya was in. There are people dead all around the car and he finds Maya crying. She apparently has some power that can kill people. They take the bodies to go bury them and continue their travel to the US.

A lonely Claire calls Nathan and he doesn't want to speak to her. He is drunk at a bar and she is just reaching out for some type of connection to someone like her. He hangs up on her and looks into a mirror and sees himself with a burned version of Peter's face. After a double take the burned face is gone.

Then outside of Claire's window we see a stalker-ish West. But then it is revealed - he can fly!

Kaito is waiting for Ando to return and a man appears. Kaito recognizes him and is surprised it was this person. Kaito is pushed over the edge and then Ando appears and sees Kaito's body on the ground many floors below.

In the final scene, three thieving men are in an Irish shipping yard looking for a certain crate. When they open up the crate they find a man in the corner with no shirt on and handcuffed to the side of the crate. It is Peter! The men threaten him and Peter protects himself with his powers. He doesn't remember who he is or where the contents of the container went. He is wearing the helix symbol around his neck.

Pictures from Heroes-Pictures.com

***

So what did you think of the episode? How are Peter and Nathan alive??? Who is in Molly's dream? Who killed Kaito? Is Angela next? Will Hiro convince TK to change his ways? What is up with the 2 new characters? Will Jessica/Nikki be back?

Until next week!!!

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Quote

For all you Harry Potter fans out there:

"It's a dangerous business going out your front door."
- J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

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Monday, September 24, 2007

Redefining Reality TV

Last weekend, our favorite network, Current TV, was awarded with a special Interactive TV Emmy for their outstanding and original work. I couldn't be prouder of the men and women who are behind this wonderful - and seemingly only - bastion of real news and issues on TV. And, of course, the viewers who help create the pods that are the fuel of the network.

This past weekend, Current re-aired a lot of their coverage of the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert. While I still barely understand what Burning Man really is, Current did its best to show off the wild weirdness of that cooky sudden city in the middle of the desert. All of the pods were brilliant, especially any pod showing off the pre-festival creation of some of the elobrate art work or those following the "virgins", the first-timers.

While some competing networks (Ii'm looking at you, VH1) poke fun at Current for some of its off-the-wall content (*cough, Supernews), those who watch it know that it is the perfect mix of comedy and serious business. It's practically the only place on television to get honest, unbiased news about the global war on terror and all the fronts not covered by the mainstream media like Somalia, Colombia, and Syria.

If you still haven't taken the chance and watched some Current, it's never too late. The content is at its height, highlighting the best in culture, music, art, and news. Check your local listings. Prepare to fall in love.

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Look Familiar?

Here are some photos from the filming of the Sex in the City Movie. The above photo looks like it could be a flashback. Or perhaps the ladies are checking out their younger competition?

Anyway, this movie is probably going to be cheesy but I'm still looking forward to it.

Check out more pictures at Daily Mail.

*By the way, what is Kim Cattrall wearing? Are we filming another Mannequin sequel?

Update - add to the confusion - below is a picture of the younger sex and the city girls with Carrie walking by them. Hmmmmmm....

(from Celebrity Smack Blog)

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ANTM

I know there are many fans of America's Next Top Model out there. And although I do not watch the show during its first run (but I have to admit I watch past seasons in rerun on MTV/VH1) I still love to check out Four Four's review each week.

This guy has the best reviews of every single reality cheese-fest out there. So if you haven't jumped on the train already - be sure to check out Four Four's review of the first episode of the new season (Cycle 9) of America's Next Top Model.

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Quote

"Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality."
- Jules de Gaultier

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Sunday, September 23, 2007

Postsecret

Funny enough, last night my family was discussing how there is a large community of Asian Jews, I think in China (or was it Japan?). Either way - this person is not alone! According to this article - Asian Jews are everywhere.

Check out more cards this week at Postsecret.

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Friday, September 21, 2007

It's Fasting...It's Fasting Time!

Here it is again...that time of year when us Jews have to take on the guilt of every bad word, sin, and pork product consumed this past year and fast for Yom Kippor.

So to start off the holiday here are a few funny Jewish t-shirt images to celebrate one's inner jew-ness:

From MazelTough.com:
From Shirts and Ladders.com:
From Shalom-Shirts.com:

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