TRANSCRIPT
Office Ladies | Episode 291: Travel Journals
Jenna [00:00:04] I'm Jenna Fischer,
Angela [00:00:05] and I'm Angela Kinsey.
Jenna [00:00:06] We were on "The Office" together,
Angela [00:00:08] and we're best friends.
Jenna [00:00:09] And now we're doing the ultimate Office lover's podcast, just for you.
Angela [00:00:13] Each week we will dive deeper into the world of The Office with exclusive interviews, behind the scenes details, and lots of BFF stories.
Jenna [00:00:21] We're the Office Ladies 6.0.
Jenna [00:00:00] Howdy, everybody!
Angela [00:00:01] Howdy, howdy. We have a really delightful episode today. Can I say that it's delightful? Is that being braggy?
Jenna [00:00:07] I don't think so, and you know what I don't care because I'm in my 50's and when you're in your 50's you get to give zero f**ks and toot your own horn.
Angela [00:00:16] There you go. Well toot, toot, toot. I had a really fun time making this episode.
Jenna [00:00:22] Good.
Angela [00:00:22] So here's what we're doing today. Our show was inspired by two things. Number one: Michael Scott's travel journal from the episode "The Deposition" in season four, and you guys who listen and write in your suggestions.
Jenna [00:00:37] That's right. We have gotten so many requests over the years to do an episode of Office Ladies where we read from our journals. Specifically, Angela's journals.
Angela [00:00:51] Oh my.
Jenna [00:00:52] Let me just read a few. This doesn't even scratch the surface. These are just a few! Amanda from Rhode Island said, "Hello, Office Ladies. I have been loving the 6.0 episodes so much, I wonder if you could please, please, PLEASE, have time for an episode of just ANGELA'S JOURNALS." Amanda said, "I myself have been journaling since age 12. I am now almost 31 and I'm completely obsessed with Angela's journals. I BEG OF YOU. We need more of this in our lives. Much love, Amanda." Amanda, thank you. Yasmin Y. from Dallas, Texas said, "Please do an Office Ladies 6.0 about the journal entries of Angela and Jenna. It can be broken down into categories, like award shows do. We could feature the classics, like 'The Bagel,' or the one where Angela was sick on the plane in first class, and ones we've never heard of!" Frey N. from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania said, "More of Angela's journal please." Jackie K. from Pittsburgh said, "I love an Angela journal entry." Bethany P. from Virginia said, "I would love to hear all journal entries from Angela's Journal and Jenna's Journal." Lady, there are seriously more requests. Kenna M. from Utah, Angie F. from St. Louis, and Holly B. from Salt Lake City all said something like, "Consider this another vote for Angela's journal to be one of your upcoming episodes."
Angela [00:02:31] Oh man, no pressure.
Jenna [00:02:32] I mean, I don't even know how many I just read, but there were dozens.
Angela [00:02:35] Thank you everybody.
Jenna [00:02:37] So everyone, a few weeks ago, we were talking about some family trips we had coming up for spring break. And I said, "Why don't we journal about our travels and then share them on the pod?"
Angela [00:02:50] And you guys know how much I love a travel journal, so we did just that. We both journaled about our travels. We're gonna share them with you today.
Jenna [00:02:59] But before we get to our journals, we also wanted to share with you about the new format for our show. I know some of you have been wondering what exactly our show is now that we're done with the official The Office rewatch chapter of the podcast. And well... So were we.
Angela [00:03:17] Yeah. You may have noticed that we've been trying a few different things, but we think we figured it out.
Jenna [00:03:24] So over the past few months, we've been tinkering and we decided to create a new structure using some of our favorite things. They're things that you've told us you love. So here's how we're gonna structure our Wednesday 6.0 episodes: We're gonna start with a chit chat. We've already been doing this. We love it.
Angela [00:03:44] Love it.
Jenna [00:03:45] We get our suggestions from you and we love them. Then at the end of each episode, we are gonna feature Around the Town and an Office question of the week.
Angela [00:03:56] And the Around the Towns are going to be a mix of the digital messages you send in, plus some of the old-fashioned post office mail we get. Then, of course, our Office Question of the Week is our chance to answer any Office-related questions you might still have for us.
Jenna [00:04:11] So now that brings us to the middle.
Angela [00:04:13] Yeah. What is the middle?
Jenna [00:04:15] The meat, the protein. The middle of the episodes are going to be a mix of different things, like interviews with Office cast and crew, writers, directors, or maybe even famous fans of The Office. We've got one of those coming up. Or sometimes, just someone we find inspiring. We might invite someone to play Two Truths and a Lie. Maybe we'll do a deep dive into something that interests us, or explore a fan theory about a moment from The Office. Basically, the middle of the episode is our chance to mix it up. It's our chance to have fun and be creative.
Angela [00:04:56] Exactly, and we're still planning to do more of our All About The Office character episodes. Also, we love a good movie breakdown, y'all. So we're gonna do those a few times a year or two. We especially love getting suggestions for episodes from you guys. So please write to us. I know I've said it a gazillion times, but one of the things we cherish the most about Office Ladies, truly, is this amazing community. You guys, we love you.
Jenna [00:05:21] We do. We love this community and we love working together. So we hope you will stick with us as we move into featuring episodes that might be more Office adjacent than Office centered. Like today! This episode today is inspired by something you've told us you want to hear more of: Angela's journals.
Angela [00:05:41] And listen, for those of you who just want straight up The Office, you're just like, "Ladies, I just want to hear about The Office." Our whole entire rewatch library will always be there for you. It's on every Monday, we are going in order. All of the seasons will be featured in our Monday Second Drinks. And you know Second Drinks means new fun stuff at the top.
Jenna [00:06:01] Alright, so let's get started with this episode. We are starting with our chit chat suggestion.
Angela [00:06:07] Here it is, it's from Alex S. from Canada who said, "Hi ladies, I love your podcast. I think you should discuss your journals for a chit chat. I'd love to know everything about your journaling style. Do you use stickers or stencils? Have you ever tried bullet journaling or junk journaling? Where do you store them? Where do your store your supplies? Do you have a special pen you like? As a lover of The Office and your podcast, I was delighted to find you ladies also love to journal. I love when you read your journal entries as well. Maybe you could do a deep dive on journaling. Thanks so much, ladies. Lots of love from Canada."
Jenna [00:06:43] Oh, Alex. I love this question. One, I love that it aligns with our episode today, because you know I love it.
Angela [00:06:49] That was a great find.
Jenna [00:06:51] It was. But also, I do have very specific journal habits. Do you, Angela?
Angela [00:06:57] You might be surprised, or not surprised. I don't have any specific journal habits. I'm pretty free form. I guess if you could say anything, I'm sort of observational, you know?
Jenna [00:07:08] Sure, you have a point of view.
Angela [00:07:09] Yes. But what about you, Jenna, if you have these specific habits, what are they?
Jenna [00:07:15] Well, first of all, yes, Alex, I have a specific pen I like to use. Or a specific type of pen. I like roller ball ink pens. I get grumpy when I have to journal with any other pen.
Angela [00:07:30] I will say, I don't like to journal with any pen that smudges and then gets on my hand.
Jenna [00:07:36] Same. I also have multiple journals and they have categories. Some of them I write in with pen and some are typed. I'll explain. First of all, I have a creative journal. This is where I write down quotes from books that I feel like might inspire me in the future, if I'm working on a creative project, like, maybe for a character I'm playing or something.
Angela [00:08:01] Oh, that's so you and I just love it.
Jenna [00:08:04] But I'll also have an observation, and it'll go in my creative journal. Like, this morning, I set my to-go coffee on the hood of my car. Then when I got in my car, I had to open my door and get it because I'd forgotten it. And it was a little too far for me to reach, but I could reach it.
Angela [00:08:22] Did you spill it?
Jenna [00:08:24] No, I didn't spill it. But what I thought was, "Oh my God, if I ever have to play a character who puts her coffee on her hood, I should put it a little too far because it's more realistic that you have to reach for it. I'm gonna make a note of that. I'll put that in my creative journal and I'll unpack that sometime." So if you ever see me in a movie reaching for a coffee on the hood of my car, you'll know where it came from.
Angela [00:08:47] This is very much the artist in you.
Jenna [00:08:51] Oh my goodness. Well, anyway, so that's a pen and paper journal. I also have a personal journal. That's where I try to process life stuff. That's also pen and paper. For that journal, I love a prompt. There's a lot that you can find on the internet. Sometimes I'll look up a prompt and I'll use that for my personal journal. But I also have a journal for each of my kids. I keep those on my computer. I go to it from time to time and I just write about them. It's something that I wanna give them when they're older. I'm really glad I did this because when I scroll back to an entry from when they were really little, and I will have recorded some funny phrase they said. Or the name of their treasured stuffed animal at the time, and it's stuff that you think you will never forget, but I had actually forgotten.
Angela [00:09:40] You do though, you do, you forget.
Jenna [00:09:43] Yes, and I so wish that I had written even more, but I'm grateful that I did it at all, and I'm always backing it up and printing it out and making sure that it doesn't get lost. That's my one anxiety about that journal. But then I also have a separate travel journal, which is also on my computer. I love making photo albums of our travels and then I include the travel journal in the photo album. So yes, I have a lot of journals and a lot of habits and organization for my journals, Alex.
Angela [00:10:12] Well, I guess I wasn't really thinking about some of the other things that I document, but I had a journal given to me as a gift. This is a great gift, by the way, if you have a friend or family member who's having a baby. I was given a journal and it was like "quote of the day from your kids."
Jenna [00:10:29] Oh yeah, a one line a day journal.
Angela [00:10:31] Yes, yes! I went in and wrote all these fun things and I still have that and Isabel and I just love it. We go back through it from time to time. Then actually I did this thing, lady, because you know I have all my digital clutter. I would send a weekly update to my mom and dad about what Isabel was up to, with a little picture. So I went and I compiled all of those emails and I have them on a folder on my laptop. That is all these snapshots of her life.
Jenna [00:10:59] That is such a great idea. I wanna go through my digital clutter. I'm not as good at keeping digital clutter as you. I bet I could pull even more stories to add to it.
Angela [00:11:08] Yeah. What was really special for me is, you know, since my dad has passed, were his responses. So that's really special. When I was younger, when i was single, like, college age, and in my 20's, I would keep a journal on my nightstand. I had a top drawer in my night stand, and I would write in it in the evening. It would be just a little bit about my day. I haven't done that for years.
Jenna [00:11:38] Well, you know why I bet? I think that's what phones have robbed us of.
Angela [00:11:42] Oh, right.
Jenna [00:11:43] Because I used to do that, too.
Angela [00:11:45] And now I scroll, and see what's happening today. Cause I don't check my phone throughout the day, but at night sometimes I'm like, "Well, what happened today?"
Jenna [00:11:52] Exactly.
Angela [00:11:53] Yeah, you're so right. Well, you know, Alex, I also loved your chit chat suggestion because it got me curious. I didn't know what junk journaling was. I'd never heard the term. I guess it's a type of journal: one that you craft from recycled, found or discarded materials. So it looks like this old book, in a way. Then I found this amazing, wonderful website called artjournalist.com. It's made me want to journal even more. I mean, the person that created it gives you prompts, lady. There's prompts for so many different types of journaling: art journaling, photo journaling. And we both do scrapbooks. So I do think that's a type of photo journalling.
Jenna [00:12:32] 100%.
Angela [00:12:32] But then they have prompts for holidays, lady, like Thanksgiving or one word prompts. And she has a whole section for prompts for travel journaling!
Jenna [00:12:43] Well, Angela, Yasmin suggested that we revisit this journal idea with different prompts. We totally could.
Angela [00:12:52] Well, let's see how today goes.
Jenna [00:12:54] Alright. Well, I love any excuse to start a new journal. One other thing, dare I say, I think this podcast is a kind of journal.
Angela [00:13:02] Oh, it is.
Jenna [00:13:03] Especially as we did the rewatch.
Angela [00:13:05] It's an oral journal of our memories.
Jenna [00:13:08] Or as you say, "Sometimes we journal out loud to one another."
Angela [00:13:10] I do.
Jenna [00:13:11] We find things. We process things through our messages to one another. Well listen, everyone, why don't we take a break? And then it is time for us to share our travel journals.
Angela [00:13:25] I think we'll have to hear Michael Scott's journal, too.
Jenna [00:13:28] Oh, it's the best.
audio cue [00:13:29] [musical sting]
Angela [00:13:32] Okay, we are back. Before we dive into our travel journals, it is time for Michael's. It's from the deposition, you guys. It's just one of our favorite moments. Jan's lawyer is gonna read from Michael Scott's journal. Let's hear it.
clip from The Office - Jan's Lawyer [00:13:48] We'd like to enter into the record a page from Michael Scott's personal journal.
clip from The Office - Michael Scott [00:13:52] Whoa, whoa, whoa whoa. What are you doing with my diary?
clip from The Office - Jan's Lawyer [00:13:55] This is plaintiff's exhibit 107. I quote from an entry dated January 4 of this past year. "Just got back from Jamaica. Tan almost everywhere. Jan almost everywhere, hee hee. Oh, diary, what a week. I had sex with my boss. I don't know if it's going to go anywhere. Jan was very specific that this is not going anywhere, that it was a one-time mistake. But we had sex six times, so you tell me. I am definitely feeling very eerie."
clip from The Office - Michael Scott [00:14:27] Irie.
clip from The Office - Jan's Lawyer [00:14:27] Irie, sorry. "More tomorrow, XOXO Michael."
Jenna [00:14:33] Amazing.
Angela [00:14:34] [laughing It's so good. It just makes me laugh because I talk to my journal the same way.
Jenna [00:14:39] I know you do.
Angela [00:14:40] And I did it before Michael Scott did it, you guys. Alright is this the time where we share our travel journals?
Jenna [00:14:48] I think so and lady I believe you should go first because you're the one that everyone wants to hear.
Angela [00:14:53] Oh gosh. Okay, no pressure. Well, you guys, it's nothing special. It's just me traveling, okay?
Jenna [00:15:04] Sam and I are so excited right now. And Matt, this is gonna be your first time hearing an Angela travel journal. I'm excited for you.
Matt [00:15:13] I can't wait.
Angela [00:15:14] I feel such pressure. Here we go, okay. I titled it "Travel Journal."
Jenna [00:15:20] That's a good title for it.
Angela [00:15:22] Oh wait, first, you guys, I wanna just share with you that my trip was multiple flights, as we did college tours, okay? So multiple destinations over spring break, but it started with me going to Texas to see my family. I just feel like you need to know what my trip was and here we go. "Monday, March 23rd, 2.37 p.m."
Jenna [00:15:45] First of all, I just love that I know what time it is. I love it so much that you put the time, every time.
Angela [00:15:52] "LAX to Dallas-Fort Worth, American Airlines."
Matt [00:15:58] [laughing] These are book reports.
Sam [00:16:00] [laughing] This is how these start.
Angela [00:16:01] Here we go. "It's been a while since I've journaled on a plane. But Jenna suggested we do travel journals, since we are both taking trips over spring break. Old me would explain to you that I do a re-watch podcast called 'Office Ladies' with my BFF, Jenna. Jenna Fisher. We were on a TV show together called The Office."
Sam [00:16:20] [laughing]
Angela [00:16:20] Okay. "So I'm heading to Texas to see my mom and sisters. I'm traveling alone, and then I'll meet up with Josh and the kids in Colorado to start some college tours. I like to take a few trips a year to see mom by myself. I love having that one-on-one time with her, separate from big family gatherings and holidays, etc. You get it."
Jenna [00:16:46] Your journal is like, "I gotcha."
Angela [00:16:51] "I think travel journaling is my favorite type of journaling. Maybe because at home I get lost in chores and school activities and work and it's hard to find time to just sit and be still and write. But maybe, also, it's because I love travel and being a spectator to new places and people. I love people watching. I also love people. I love meeting new people, talking to new people. I find people fascinating. So here goes... The couple next to me have on matching T-shirts. Her's says 'Belle,' his says 'Beast.' Do we think they went on vacation to Disneyland and are now flying home? I think yes! Took a nap at takeoff. I have a meal update. I got the pita chips and what I thought was hummus. Was not hummus. No idea what it is, but I'm eating it. Maybe some type of cream cheese dip? Bought a full flight wifi for $19. Then it went out! Pilot came on and said the satellite they used for Wi-Fi had switched its orbit. WTF. He said it takes a while to reset to the new orbit. Mmmkay."
Matt [00:17:58] Are we gonna have time for, like, the rest of it? We're still on the plane.
Sam [00:18:02] Yeah, I know!
Angela [00:18:04] I'll speed it up.
Sam [00:18:09] No, don't you skip an ounce.
Angela [00:18:09] "There is free entertainment. Just picked the movie 'Divergent.'" Oh my God, I want to break this down on the podcast. I have so many questions and need to discuss. "Also, the man next to me seems nice, but he isn't chatty. He ordered a Heineken. He's sleeping now. He got some cheese plate snack. It looked good. I wish I could have had some. He did not get the mystery dip." "Friday, March 27th, 2:45 pm. Dallas to Los Angeles, American Airlines, flight 1744."
Jenna [00:18:36] Wait, we're already on another plane?
Angela [00:18:38] You guys, I just travel journaled, so all my entries are from the airport. Should I have said that?
Sam [00:18:44] Yes! Yes, you should lead with that.
Jenna [00:18:47] You just wrote from flight to flight?
Angela [00:18:48] Okay, I'm going to talk about my trip on the next entry.
Jenna [00:18:50] Okay so where you journal is the airplanes?
Angela [00:18:53] Or airport.
Jenna [00:18:54] Got it.
Sam [00:18:55] But you do speak about more things than the planes? OK, good.
Angela [00:19:00] "I had such a great visit with my mom. Each evening I was home, we sat on the front porch with my sisters and my niece and her new little baby girl. We watched the sunset and just visited. One day mom and I went driving around our little town of 1800 people and she just pointed out different things; like, who got a new carport or who's moved. Or how this young couple from church is looking to buy their first house, and maybe the fixer upper by the elementary school. Or what's happening at the feed store and who's building out by the Dairy Queen. You know, stuff like that. I hung on her every word."
Jenna [00:19:33] I loved that. That was beautiful.
Angela [00:19:36] Well, thank you. "Monday, March 30th, 9 a.m., LAX to Denver. Now flying with my daughter to meet up with Josh and the boys in Colorado. I'm kind of obsessed with people's travel outfits. Like today, there's the purple lady: purple carry-on, purple tie-dye t-shirt. She's holding a purple Stanley mug. And then there's the hat ladies. They're in a group and they're all wearing this sort of straw type of cowboy hats with ribbons. Who are these ladies? Where are they going? What are they celebrating? I think they're in their 50's, they clearly are having some type of themed vacay. I so want to go up to them and say, 'Tell me everything!' Still waiting for our flight. Ugh. It was delayed because of some gate issue. At a food court, I just paid $6.34 cents for a small bottle of water. I'm really bummed I forgot to bring my own water bottle. And a guy in front of me ordered a lobster sandwich. Why? I mean, seriously, why would you order a lobster sandwich at an airport? Big nope from me."
Sam [00:20:37] It's these moments where you're breaking the fourth wall, for me. Where you're like, "Ugh." Everyone who's reading your journal, at once, we're all frustrated.
Jenna [00:20:47] I love all the observations. I truly love them. It's very very good.
Angela [00:20:53] Okay, well there's one more from this entry. "On our flight, there's a man across the aisle with long stringy hair. Like, crazy long, but he doesn't have much of it. Like, it's super thin. He has it pulled back into the saddest ponytail. I'm looking at the pen I'm writing with and his ponytail is about the same width. Bless his heart."
Matt [00:21:16] ...Wow.
Angela [00:21:16] [laughing] I got a groan from Matt. "Wednesday, April 1st, 2.59 p.m. Flying from Denver to Seattle on United. Our college tours are going well. We had a great time with Josh's family in Colorado. We're waiting for our flight to Seattle, to go toward the University of Washington. Josh is super excited because it's supposed to be overcast with a chance of rain there, his favorite kind of weather. Hold up. Oh my God. Right now, they are paging a passenger over the intercom at the Denver Airport. Y'all, this is amazing. They are saying, 'paging Idris Albee. Passenger, Idris Albee!' I mean, come on! I need Idris Albee and Idris Elba to meet just once, am I right? Now on our flight. So on United, you get a choice of three snack boxes. They are $10. Here are your options. The Tapas box: hummus, pita chips, bruschetta dip, rosemary, crackers, green olives, and almonds. The take-off box: salami, garlic and herb crostini, Gouda cheese spread, crackers, fig spread, almonds, hazelnut wafer. The recline box: potato chips, beef and pork stick, fruit, gummy bears, Oreo cookies, almonds." Guess what I picked? Anyone?
Jenna [00:22:30] The hummus one again?
Angela [00:22:31] "I got the tapas box. It was delicious. Also just a heads up, this United flight offered Samuel Blanc and not Chardonnay. Yasssssssss." Okay here we go last entry everybody. "Friday, April 3rd, 11:35 a.m. Seattle to San Francisco. Waiting for our flight. The man next to me is talking loudly on speakerphone. He's excitedly talking to someone named Claire. He keeps saying, 'Oh, Claire' and then laughing. I sh*t you not. When he hangs up the phone, which I hope is soon, I wanna say, 'So Claire and you still a thing, huh?' Anyway, where was I? Oh, Seattle was amazing. First of all, it-"
Jenna [00:23:15] Wait, wait, wait. Is "Anyway, where was I?" Something you just said, or did you write that down?
Angela [00:23:20] I wrote that.
Jenna [00:23:21] I thought so.
Angela [00:23:23] Because I think I'm talking to someone.
Jenna [00:23:25] Anyway, where was I?
Angela [00:23:27] Because I'm ridiculous. "Anyway, where was I? Oh, Seattle was amazing. First of all, it was cherry blossom season and there were rows and rows of trees blooming. We walked under this pink canopy, just gorgeous. Hands down, our favorite thing we did as a family on this trip was a floating sauna. We stayed at the Woodmark Hotel, which I kept calling 'the Woodward' and annoying Josh. It's right on Lake Washington. Thanks to Joel McHale for the recommendation. We loved it. Okay. Our first day there we went for a walk and saw these people coming out of what looked like a little house on the water and then they ran down this long pier and jumped into the lake and howled and laughed. Josh said that whatever that is, we had to do it. Turns out you can go into these little tiny floating saunas and do a cold plunge right off the dock. They have a ladder and everything to climb back out of the water. It was called 'Vaughan Sauna' and we did the 'social sauna,' where you just book your seat and you get an hour. So our family was paired with a couple celebrating a birthday. But I guess if you want to get fancy, you can rent the whole thing out as a private sauna experience. But the couple we met was lovely. So save your money and go for the cheaper social sauna experience." And then I wrote, "and Jenna, I know I'll read this to you, but I thought about you the whole time. You would have loved this. I wasn't sure if I had the courage to do the plunge because I hate being cold. It's a thing anyone who knows me knows about me. My sister Janet once bought me a sweatshirt that said, 'I'm cold' on it. But I did it! It was overcast and raining off and on and in the mid-50's outside, but we went to that little sauna. By the time we came out of there, we were so hot. We ran down the pier and we jumped in. The whole family did it and I asked a guy who worked there what the temperature of Lake Washington was. He said probably around 46 degrees. OMG!"
Jenna [00:25:10] Wow!
Angela [00:25:12] "I'm glad I didn't know that before I jumped in, but honestly it felt so refreshing and invigorating. We all ran back to the sauna and then we did it all over again."
Jenna [00:25:20] Lady, can I say something about your journal? It is very clear to me why you love David Sedaris, because your writing reminds me of his writing.
Angela [00:25:30] Well, that's a huge compliment.
Sam [00:25:31] That's very true. I never noticed that.
Jenna [00:25:33] Yes, it's true. Just all of the little slice of life details, but then you'll hit me with watching the sunset with your mom and sisters and other details that just tug at my heartstrings. It's such a wonderful experience.
Sam [00:25:48] And the way it's written, the "bless your heart" on the tail end of the ponytail thing was a perfect David Sedaris level button to go to a next chapter.
Angela [00:25:57] And I didn't mean to be snarky to that man, but I just was like, "What's the point? That little rubber band is not holding much," but he needed it. He needed that ponytail. So anyway, that was my travel journal. Sorry, Matt.
Matt [00:26:16] I loved it. Also, I'm going to Seattle and I'm definitely gonna do that sauna.
Angela [00:26:21] Oh, you have to! I'll share the link in stories, but I'll send it to you. It was great, it was not expensive, I would do it again.
Matt [00:26:28] It looked amazing.
Sam [00:26:29] Jenna, how much of your journals are about snacks?
Jenna [00:26:32] I actually have quite a bit of food in my journal, actually.
Angela [00:26:36] Oh, I can't wait.
Jenna [00:26:38] I mean, you guys have never heard me read a travel journal.
Angela [00:26:40] No, I'm so excited to know this part of you, lady.
Jenna [00:26:44] I hope you guys like it. It has a few Angela qualities, I think. We're not that different. I don't know what you'll think.
Angela [00:26:52] Oh, it's going to be great.
Jenna [00:26:54] I feel shy. Well, should I start?
Angela [00:26:56] Please.
Jenna [00:26:56] I also titled my journal "Travel Journal." I said... "Hello from Tokyo. Specifically from the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, which is the greatest hotel in the whole world for so many reasons. First, the location is great. The beds are firm, the pillows are soft. They have these blackout shades that overlap when you close them, so there are no gaps."
Angela [00:27:22] Ooh.
Jenna [00:27:22] "These are the things that I appreciate in a hotel. There is a clock in the bathroom. Thank you. Also pajamas. They lay out pajamas each night and they have an amazing shower gel. I was gonna write on the airplane, but instead I read my book, which I am loving, 'The Poisonwood Bible,' and I watched 'The Running Man,' which is still kind of haunting me days later. And once we got here, we hit the ground running. This is probably our most ambitious travel itinerary and I'm really impressed with how the kids have jumped in. Our first day, we toured around for 11 hours straight."
Angela [00:27:56] Wow.
Jenna [00:27:57] "I had a little time this morning, so here we go. First of all, the thing I'm looking most forward to about this trip is being stuck all together, as a family of four, for two solid weeks. No work, no friends, nothing but the four of us. I'm also so excited that I don't have to manage our family calendar. For two weeks, we will all be doing the same thing, all together, every day. I'm excited for our actual vacation and also excited that I don't have to figure out how to get everyone to all their different activities every day. It's one calendar. One plan! I think Lee is excited he doesn't have to cook any food. He does breakfast for everyone each morning and I'm currently watching him sip coffee and look out the window at the Tokyo skyline and I can tell he's so happy he doesn't have to take anyone's breakfast order. Also, I am most comfortable in my little family unit. I don't get social anxiety. I feel really safe. Two weeks of immersing in this part of my life is heaven."
Angela [00:29:00] Oh that's so truly you, lady.
Sam [00:29:02] That was very... Is it the scientific method that you learn in school? Where it's like "observation, ask a question, research, form a hypothesis, conduct an experiment, analyze, draw conclusions, and then communicate results?" That's yours.
Jenna [00:29:16] That's my journaling style?
Sam [00:29:17] Yes, it's perfectly to a T. "This is where I was, this is where went, this is what I saw."
Jenna [00:29:22] Well, I go on. I say, "It's only our second day here and we have already been laughing a lot and making inside jokes and family memories. Ack, I just love it. It was a little brutal our first night. We didn't sleep on the plane, but we arrived at 7 p.m and just had to stay awake for a few hours. We did it. People were a little short-tempered that first day. We spent a lot of time figuring out how to buy a train ticket to see this giant Buddha. When you are jet-lagged, it makes machines even harder to understand. Me, Lee, and Weston were able to use this app on our phone, but it wouldn't let Harper use it because she's under 13. So we had to get her a physical ticket or card every time we rode the train. That was a whole thing. The train ride to the Buddha was long, and the Buddha is fine, but maybe not worth two hours there and two hours back on a train. Sorry, giant Buddha. We did enjoy the little town and had a pretty cool lunch."
Angela [00:30:15] This is something that would also be great on TripAdvisor.
Sam [00:30:19] Yeah, this is perfect.
Jenna [00:30:21] Okay. "Everyone is in a good mood today after a good night's sleep and a great breakfast buffet. I'm not sure it gets better than a breakfast buffet on vacation. Something that has already surprised me is just how darn good the pineapple is in Japan. I looked it up and I read that 90% of Japan's pineapples are grown in Okinawa and that yes, they are really sweet. I can confirm. Also, Japanese melon, which I can't quite figure out. It's sort of like honeydew melon, but not exactly. It's also really sweet and delicious. The coffee here is good, but they only served us one small cup at breakfast, and they didn't come around and ask if we wanted more. I think it's because maybe the Japanese don't pound coffee like Americans do, because I remember being in France and their whole thing is like, 'one small great cup of coffee is all you need.' And I'm like, 'I beg to differ. I'm used to three or four decent cups of coffee.' Anyway, this has become a real tangent, but I am fascinated by cultural differences when I travel. Oh, like for example, there are no trash cans in Japan. They were removed after the subway gas bombing of 1995. So, if you acquire any trash in your day, you have to carry it around until you get home. Like, let's say you get a Starbucks. First of all, no one walks around and eats or walks around in drinks in Japan, you can get a food or drink item to go. But you have to just stand to the side and eat or drink. Also, no eating or drinking on the trains. On the bullet train, it's okay, but not on the subway. So, let's say you grab a hot can of coffee from 7-Eleven (because that's another thing, the 7-Elevens have hot cans of coffee)" -
Angela [00:32:04] There's 7-11's?
Jenna [00:32:05] Oh yeah, famously, 7-Elevens.
Sam [00:32:07] Yeah, they're huge there.
Jenna [00:32:09] They have all these snacks and sushi...
Sam [00:32:11] Yeah, the 7-Eleven, is it Egg Salad? Is supposed to be world renowned.
Jenna [00:32:15] You guys, I didn't eat it. Can you believe it? Me, lover of eggs. Every day, my son was like, "Mom, are you gonna get that egg salad sandwich today?" And every time I was like, "I just don't feel like eating eggs right now." I was always like full, in the moment. And you can't walk and eat. So you have to wanna eat it right then, you know? So I can't believe I went all the way to Japan and I didn't eat the egg salad sandwhich. But anyway...
Angela [00:32:43] Back to your journal!
Jenna [00:32:45] "There's a whole section that looks like it's refrigerated and filled with cans, but actually they are all hot. So let's say you get a hot can of coffee, you stand and drink it. When you're done, zero trash cans. You have to carry that can around. You might be thinking, 'Could I throw it away in a public restroom?' Because I thought that, I thought there might be a trash can in there. No, most public restrooms didn't have paper towels or trash bins. They had hand dryers. If they did have a trash bin, it is not considered polite to throw anything other than feminine products or paper towels in it. So, you carry around your trash, in a bag, in your purse, in your pocket. I found it sort of fascinating because you really get a sense of how much trash you produce when you're forced to carry it around with you all day. Here's the other thing: the city is spotless. Everyone picks up after themselves. I was actually trying to imagine a Japanese person going to New York City and seeing the city through their eyes and I shuddered at the thought. And listen, I love New York, but it's so dirty. Okay, I should go. I'll write more later if I'm able."
Angela [00:33:54] Ah-ha! You were talking to your journal, like it was your friend! "Okay, I gotta go!"
Sam [00:34:00] I hope you guys realize both of these fit together like puzzle pieces. If you erase the places that you went, this could be the same story. Yours is all about how you got there with nothing about what you did while you were there.
Angela [00:34:12] I talked about it in hindsight, what I did in places.
Sam [00:34:17] True, but not to the extent of Jenna's. You didn't mention once how everyone's moods were.
Angela [00:34:21] No, I didn't talk about like other people. I didn't talk about my family dynamic.
Sam [00:34:26] Yeah, but you guys see that you fill in each other's stories like that?
Jenna [00:34:28] Maybe this is why we're BFF's.
Sam [00:34:31] It's really fascinating.
Jenna [00:34:32] This is why our points of view meld so well together into a podcast.
Angela [00:34:36] We complement each other.
Jenna [00:34:37] We do. I have more.
Angela [00:34:39] Please.
Sam [00:34:41] Oh yeah, please don't stop.
Angela [00:34:41] I want you to read the entire thing.
Jenna [00:34:43] Okay, here's the rest of it. Ready? "We love Tokyo! We head to Kyoto tomorrow, and we kind of wish we had another day here. Lee and I came years ago, just the two of us, and we liked it. But visiting it again, we've fallen in love. One of the things we are discovering is how vertical the city is. You have to get off the ground level. The best stores and restaurants are up. The other night, we ate at a wagyu barbecue place near Ueno Park, and one of the best parts of the meal was riding the elevator to the 11th floor. We stopped at a bunch of floors along the way, and every time the doors opened, they opened into a different restaurant."
Angela [00:35:19] Oh, cool.
Jenna [00:35:20] "And you would get this tiny glimpse into a whole new world. A whole vibe with new smells and sounds, and then the doors would shut and take you up to the next spot. I wanted to stop at every floor. One time the doors opened on a giant fish tank. That's all. Just a fish tank! We are still all talking about it, days later. I keep thinking about it. It was like riding in a real life choose-your-own-adventure book, each stop having the potential to change your destiny. Another highlight of the trip was going to the Tokyo Dome to see the Tokyo Giants play the Tigers. I don't know where the Tigers were from, but I know it was the Giants versus the Tigers, and this is a big rivalry. We got to the game and bought some Giants hats and were all so excited. Then we realized we were sitting in the Tigers section."
Angela [00:36:07] Oh no!
Jenna [00:36:09] "So it was kind of hilarious, because they have dedicated sections for fans and they have all these chants they do during the game. It reminded me of the chants at the LAFC soccer games. Just constant chanting, but so fun. There is a small theme park surrounding the dome. It is smaller than Six Flags or Disneyland, but they do have a log flume ride and one of those big swinging pirate ships. And it has one of the tallest continuous roller coasters in the world, currently ranked number 10. Lee went on it with Harper. They loved it. They said the initial drop was insane. And of course, there was a place with a gazillion crane machines. We spent a lot of yen trying to win a plushie but went home empty-handed. Maybe the coolest thing we did in Tokyo was our Shibuya food tour. We had a local guy take us through the underground food stalls of the food show beneath Shibuya train station. He explained that all of the foods stalls were pop-up versions of some of the best restaurants, from the best chefs in Tokyo. There was a placed selling bento boxes made by a three-star Michelin chef. Our first stop was a six-stool ramen place that had been voted 'best chicken ramen in Tokyo' for several years in a row."
Angela [00:37:21] You're making me so hungry.
Sam [00:37:22] Also, you're describing a place I've always wanted to go to. I know exactly what you're referencing right now.
Jenna [00:37:28] Sam, it was amazing. That's the next line in my journal. "And it was a amazing."
Matt [00:37:35] "Sam, it was amazing."
Jenna [00:37:39] "They served the ramen with a slice of lemon, and we were told to squeeze the lemon into the bowl about halfway through, as a way to change the flavor complexity of the broth. Afterward, our guide walked us through the supermarket attached to the food stalls. He showed us these fancy cantaloupes that cost around $70 or $80."
Angela [00:37:57] Whoa!
Jenna [00:37:59] "He said the Japanese give fruit as a gift, and the nicer-looking the fruit, the higher the price, even though they taste the same. With the cantaloupe, the deeper the grooves, the more expensive. He also said that if someone is in the hospital, you give fruit or cut flowers, but never planted flowers or anything with roots because that implies you want them to put down roots in their illness. We ended with a trip to a teppanyaki restaurant. We were the only tourists there. No one spoke English, no English menu. So it's a good thing we were with him. I feel like we would have been too intimidated to go to this restaurant otherwise. He ordered all the food and it was seriously all amazing. My favorite were the meat stuffed green peppers, the fried ginger root, and the chicken thighs. We are so sad to leave Tokyo. We wanted to ride more elevators and see what the doors opened onto. I really wish I could have explored more of the Shibuya and the food market. I wanted to buy one of those bento boxes to eat on the train tomorrow, but they made it very clear you had to eat it the same day. Maybe one day. I am excited to get out into nature a bit. And we have fun stuff planned for Kyoto. We are gonna make pottery with a local artist and then he fires the pieces and sends them back home to us. I can't wait. This has already been an incredible trip and we are making great memories."
Angela [00:39:19] Oh, I love that lady.
Jenna [00:39:21] And guys, I have to tell you, when it was time for us to fly home, our flight was delayed by five hours. So we got to spend extra time in Tokyo. We went back to the Shibuya food. I got that bento box.
Sam [00:39:37] Good! How was it?
Jenna [00:39:38] It was so good. They're not expensive, that's part of the thing about these food stalls.
Sam [00:39:43] That was one of Anthony Bourdain's favorite spots.
Jenna [00:39:47] Really?
Sam [00:39:47] That's why I know about it. Yeah, he raves about it
Jenna [00:39:49] I mean, I never wanted to leave. They also had this crazy thing, they have lockers. So if, in the morning, you want to go shopping and buy stuff, you can put it in the locker and they are refrigerated.
Angela [00:40:02] Oh, nice.
Jenna [00:40:04] They have refrigerated lockers and they have a little section where you can warm stuff up in a microwave and eat it.
Sam [00:40:09] That's incredible.
Jenna [00:40:10] Amazing.
Angela [00:40:11] So smart. Well, Jenna, I loved your journal, and it's like a combination of trip advisor and just wonderful specific details, but then just hearing your heart being so happy with your family, I love it.
Jenna [00:40:26] Oh, thank you. Well, I love your journaling. I truly love it. Not that we need to justify the importance of journals, but we did get two letters and I want to share them with you, Angela, because they really touched my heart and they are about your journalling. Kaylee W. from Sarasota Springs, New York said, "I started listening to your podcast in 2022 when my daughter was born and I was up all night breastfeeding and pumping. You ladies kept me company through the long nights and I am forever grateful for that. Fast forward, my daughter's almost three and she's had a tough time falling asleep lately so I've been popping in an air pod and listening to old episodes. Last night I was listening to episode 139, "Christening," and I knew I had to write in. I was laying in bed trying to be so quiet, waiting for my daughter to settle when Angela started reading her journal entries. I burst into laughter and had to get it under control so fast, I legitimately felt like I was going to cry from trying to stifle my laugh. I wanted to write you both for a couple of reasons. My husband and I recently started talking about how we find our daughter so unique, funny, and passionate. We don't want her to ever lose that sense of herself, but know it often happens when kids start school. Personally, I can never even reread my old journal entries because I feel too embarrassed. Hearing you do it on such a public platform," This choked me up, Angela, because this is true. Kaylee said, "Hearing you do on such a public platforms made me stop and think about how I hope my daughter is that confident in herself. And I'm going to do my best to instill that in her." It's true. That is you giving us your whole self. That takes a lot of courage and it takes a lotta confidence. And I love that Kaylee pointed that out.
Angela [00:42:30] Oh, Kaylee, thank you so much.
Jenna [00:42:32] Alright, here's one more. Andy D. from Georgia said, "Hello, I wanna say I know Angela gets a lotta grief for her journal entries, but those kind of documents are things that historians love because they document, in detail, normal life activities that are difficult to get just from general historical records. If/when the zombie apocalypse that Jenna is always prepping for happens, the people putting humanity back together are going to be thrilled to find Angela's journals."
Angela [00:43:05] Oh no.
Jenna [00:43:09] "I love you guys very much. Thank you for all you do."
Angela [00:43:13] That's so sweet. Thank you for writing in, both of you guys. That's very funny to think about. I'm picturing a whole new civilization. Whenever they see a tiny ponytail saying "Bless their heart," because they think -
Jenna [00:43:26] They'll think that's what you're supposed to do. Well, should we take a break? And then when we come back, we will do our Around the Town and Office Question of the Week.
Angela [00:43:36] Alright.
audio cue [00:43:36] [musical sting]
Angela [00:43:40] Alright, we are back, and our first Around the Town comes all the way from Lewis, England. Loic T. writes and says, "'Hi, Office Ladies. I've been a listener since day one and have enjoyed every episode since. I thought I'd let you know about one of the biggest sources of pride from our small town in East Sussex, Lewis. The local ladies' football team! I believe you may call them a soccer team. In 2017, Lewis FC became the first football club in the entire world to pay the women's team the same as the men's. The investment (of course) paid off as they rose up to championship level in 2018. I'd also like to shout out the pies and pints from local brewery Harvey's, founded in 1790. At their grounds, The Dripping Pan, which makes for a fabulous weekend outing. Keep up the good work, Loic."
Jenna [00:44:35] Alright, that's pretty darn cool.
Angela [00:44:38] I know, I'm just getting more and more hungry too, because now I want pies and pints and I want everything you talked about.
Jenna [00:44:46] Uh oh. My Around the Town has food in it.
Angela [00:44:47] Does it really?
Jenna [00:44:49] Yes! Page R. from Richmond, Virginia said, "This month, the Richmond Flying Squirrels baseball team will start their 2026 season in their brand new stadium, which was built in the parking lot of the old stadium. Tragic news, however, is that the infamous Big Dill Dog, a hot dog stuffed inside of a whole dill pickle, will not be served at the new stadium. People are not okay with this. It's me, I'm the people. In unrelated news, I will be purchasing a Costco-sized jar of dill pickles this summer and many hot dogs."
Angela [00:45:22] They put a hot dog inside a pickle? Oh, I would love to try that.
Jenna [00:45:27] Yeah?
Angela [00:45:27] Yeah.
Jenna [00:45:28] Do you put relish on your hot dogs anyway?
Angela [00:45:31] I don't, but I love pickles.
Jenna [00:45:34] Because I like my hot dog with mustard and relish. Although I did really like the Chicago dog and they put all kinds of stuff on that.
Angela [00:45:43] I would try it. Okay. So our next Around the Town is from our snail mail. I guess that's what we'll call the post office mail. I would like to congratulate Becky G. and her husband, Matt from Peregold, Arkansas. They are who sent this in. They were married last year and Becky sent us a wedding invite with a lovely letter and I'm gonna share some of it now. Becky said, "As a police dispatcher for a small agency, I have some long bits of downtime. That time has awarded me the chance to listen to your podcast multiple times and read through the Office BFF's book." She goes on to say, "I've lost count of the number of times I've gone home and I'd recount my day to Matt and end up saying, 'Oh, the ladies said this about that.' I was super stoked to discover you ladies doing this podcast and continue to share your life with us. Thank you for that. I know you guys can't possibly make it to our reception. But just know, you ladies are with me as I walk down the aisle at our elopement chapel to the mashup of Canon in D and the Office theme song, Thank You For Being You, Love, Becky."
Jenna [00:46:47] Oh, congratulations, Becky and Matt!
Angela [00:46:49] And you know, lady, we get so many wedding invites and I think in our Around the Towns we could have an opportunity, every once in a while, to give a shout out to a happy couple.
Jenna [00:46:58] I love that. Alright, next up is Demi S. from Homewood, Alabama who says, "Hey ladies. Over the course of the past few weeks, pink tutus have been popping up on trees, statues in parks and city centers, and pretty much anything that can be tutu'd. No one has figured out who is doing the tutuing. A sneaky nighttime artist, perhaps? But it has certainly brought a lot of joy to Birmingham residents and a smile to my face every time I see a new tutu. We are hoping that their next target is Vulcan, a giant iron statue whose bare butt faces Homewood."
Angela [00:47:38] Oh my goodness.
Jenna [00:47:39] "Maybe they think he could use some modesty." Hmm, is this a job?
Angela [00:47:43] For mom detectives? Ooh, road trip to Alabama.
Jenna [00:47:49] Maybe.
Angela [00:47:50] Alright, and now it's time for our Office question of the week. It's from Jasmina D. from Montreal, Canada, and she sent in an audio clip.
Jasmina D. [00:47:59] Hi Office Ladies, my question for you is, what do you think Pam and Angela's social medias would look like? Do you think they would have social media at all? If they did, what kinds of things would they post about? Would they post often? What kinds of thing would show up on their feeds? Thank you for all the great laughs, both on The Office, on Office Ladies and on all of your other great projects that you've worked on over the years. Thanks.
Jenna [00:48:23] I loved thinking about this.
Angela [00:48:24] Me too, it made it so fun to just let the show age up into modern times in my brain.
Jenna [00:48:32] I had two very specific and immediate thoughts about this.
Angela [00:48:36] Okay, I had one as well, you go first.
Jenna [00:48:39] I think Pam definitely has a private Instagram.
Angela [00:48:42] Mm-hmm.
Jenna [00:48:43] Because I think she posts a lot of pictures of her kids, but you have to know her in order for her to give you that access. I just felt like she was that kind of person. But since they're living somewhere other than where (I think, we presume) her mom and dad are living, Jim's family is living, this is how people are gonna get access to their little everyday moments of the kids. So I think there is a private Instagram account with all that stuff on it. Then I think has a public account for her art. Because I think she's been doing more stuff, I think she's painting more nurseries, I think she has been doing murals, I think she is gotten into graphic design, I think she kind of learned some stuff. So I really think that's taken off for her and so she has this way that she gets her artwork out to people.
Angela [00:49:32] I love that. Okay, well, here's what I think. I think Angela Martin runs the social media accounts for Shrute Farms.
Jenna [00:49:42] Oh my gosh, yes, she does.
Angela [00:49:44] Uh-huh, cause they have the bed and breakfast and who knows what else they harvest and sell for the farm? But I think she runs it. I think privately she has some type of Instagram account, but it's private. But she proudly tells people, "I don't have any social media for myself. I only do it for the farm." But then she can then, you know, secretly just...
Jenna [00:50:11] What do they call that? The person who has an account but they never post, but that way they can see stuff.
Sam [00:50:18] Lurking.
Jenna [00:50:19] So she's a lurker.
Angela [00:50:20] I think she has a private lurking account, but then she has the public Shrute Farms account that she does all the business posting on.
Jenna [00:50:31] Does she respond to negative comments and stuff?
Angela [00:50:35] I don't think so. She doesn't like strangers. She doesn't want to engage with people, but I think she's curious and judgy. So it gives her something to just get her going.
Jenna [00:50:45] I see. Okay. Oh, very fun.
Angela [00:50:48] So fun. What a great question, Jasmina. Thank you so much.
Jenna [00:50:52] Alright, everyone. There you have it. That is our episode this week, Travel Journals. Let us know if you want to hear more journals and let us know if there's a category you'd like to hear about. Next week we've got a pretty exciting episode for ya.
Angela [00:51:08] We do. We have one of the biggest The Office super fans coming back to the podcast.
Jenna [00:51:15] Should we say it together?
Angela [00:51:15] Yeah.
Jenna and Angela, in unison [00:51:16] One, two, three. Billy Eilish.
Angela [00:51:20] Alright, we'll see you then.
Jenna [00:51:21] See ya!
Jenna [00:00:17] Thank you for listening to Office Ladies.
Angela [00:00:19] Office Ladies is a presentation of Audacy and is produced by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey.
Jenna [00:00:24] Our senior producer is Matt Beagle. Our audio engineer is Sam Kieffer, and our associate producer is Aynsley Bubbico.
Angela [00:00:32] Audacy's executive producer is Leah Reis-Dennis.
Jenna [00:00:35] Office Ladies was mixed and mastered by Bill Schultz.
Angela [00:00:37] Our theme song is "Rubber Tree" by Creed Bratton.