I’m Jennifer Oldemeyer. My obsession with The Office began in 2008. Twelve years later, I created Pam’s Teapot Blog & Community to share my passion with others and create conversations. I also post Office poetry on Instagram – I hope to do one for each of the 201 episodes!
If you love The Office and want to take your passion to the next level, then this blog is for you. Subscribing to my blog or following me on social media means you’re a member of The Virtual Finer Things Club.
Join The Virtual Finer Things Club
The Wider Community of The Office Fans
In addition to running The Virtual Finer Things Club, I’m also an active participant in the broader Office fan community. In fact, I recently interviewed eleven Office superfans to learn about the inspiration behind their Office merchandise shops. If you’re looking for The Office gifts, be sure to check out that blog post!
My Inspiration: Pam’s Teapot is Full of Memories
When Pam opens her Secret Santa gift from Jim, it’s full of objects that, on the surface, are insignificant, but to Jim and Pam, they are meaningful – a hot sauce packet, a tiny pencil, Jim’s yearbook photo.
I want to give a “teapot” to all my fellow Office fans by reminding you of all the best moments from The Office. That’s why I write blog posts and poetry that is only meaningful to true fans.
You can view and share my poetry by visiting my Instagram account: @PamsTeapotBlog.
But what would this poetry be without a blog to go with it? My blog analyzes the characters and themes in The Office from a psychological and literary perspective.
This Website is Like a Virtual Finer Things Club
Pour yourself some tea and crank up the Vivaldi as we discuss sophisticated topics. (Sorry, Michael, no rock and roll here – just Toby with a stack of teacups.)
While The Office isn’t a piece of classic literature, it’s still a story with depth. As Pam said in the season finale, “There’s a lot of beauty in ordinary things.” (I analyze this concept in my The Office and Harry Potter crossover blog post.)
For me, The Office is not only a many-layered story but it is a celebration of awkwardness. In a world where almost everyone is afraid of awkward pauses and accidentally saying something stupid or boring, this show is a breath of fresh air. The show also has great character development – and even the weird characters are strangely inspirational.
“You have to be okay with the idea that you can’t please everybody all the time. I mean, do you think Kevin cares what people think about him – or Creed or Meredith? Oh my gosh, these are my role models now. You know what? I’m okay with that.” – Pam Beesly
I couldn’t agree more.
So, have a look around and share your thoughts. Each person’s interpretation of the characters and themes is unique.
If you’re a fan of Pam Beesly, I suggest starting with this post: Is Pam Beesly a Good Role Model?
Fun Facts About Pam’s Teapot (the real teapot)
- According to The Office Ladies podcast, hosted by Jenna Fischer (Pam) and Angela Kinsey (Angela), it was Jenna Fischer who chose the color of the teapot.
- According to the same podcast, the writers spent a very long time trying to come up with an object that could hold objects, that Pam would like and that Dwight would want to steal. They couldn’t have picked a more perfect object.
- Pam eventually uses the teapot at The Finer Things Club where she, Oscar and Toby “discuss books and art, and celebrate culture in a very civilized way.” This makes Pam’s teapot a perfect representation for my blog in more ways than one. It represents both nostalgia and literary analysis.
My Credentials
As I mentioned earlier, my obsession with The Office began in 2008. I’d never been much of a TV person, but as a freshman in college, I was open to trying all things new.
By 2010, I was so enamored with the show that I purchased the book, The Office and Philosophy, which analyzed the characters and themes from a philosophical perspective. I loved it so much I read it twice.
Since then, I haven’t gone more than a year without watching the series at least once through. I even watched the original UK version and quite enjoyed it. Watching The Office made miserable things, like eating salad or doing dishes, far more enjoyable.
So, yeah, I think I’m well-qualified to lead a Virtual Finer Things Club.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my husband, Sterling, for taking a few of the photos for this blog. He is a wonderful photographer who loves taking travel photos. He even has a really old 4×5 camera!
Anyway, I’m very thankful for Sterling’s photography skills because I don’t want to infringe on any copyrights (as much as I LOVE that screenshot of Pam screaming at the camera outside of Chili’s).
Pam's Teapot 