My 'Office' Romance

Over at the fag-tastic The Pen15 Club, the boys link to a paparazzi spoogefest of candids starring John Krasinski and Rashida Jones of The Office as they ...walk around.  (Dirty birds!)  This brings up speculation that Krasinski and Jones, who formerly dated, could very well be back together.  If this were indeed the case, the mental layers of how this relationship would possibly be too much to handle, as Krasinski and Jones's offscreen romance would mirror their onscreen romance as Jim and Karen!  "Does!  Not!  Compute!"

If you don't watch The Office (which you should), you already know that Krasinski's Jim Halpert provides most of the heart-tugging on the show in his wobbly non-relationship with receptionist Pam (Jenna Fischer).  The Jim/Pam romance has become nothing short of a phenomenon, complete with shirts that root for Team Pam and Team Karen (Jones, whose character completes the triangle).

My love for Jim, however, is two-fold. On one hand, Jim Halpert is the kind of character whom you'd swiftly adopt immediately into your life upon meeting, if you were lucky enough to do so.  On the other hand, Jim Halpert is the kind of Everyguy who Pen15 labels their posterboy for "Why don't gays come like that?"

Good question.  Good question, indeed.

I can't find a decent guy in New York.  Don't get me wrong, I've dated as much as any fumbling, 23-year-old, socially awkward gay dude might, but let's face it:  I can't really deal with most gays.  I've spewed about this topic before, but I can't shake the frustration.  I'm not a bad-looking guy (although some have suggested that my newly sported beard would make me mere bait in the bear community, although hairy and obese isn't much my type).  And believe it or not, I can carry a conversation off the internet!  Seriously, I'm a catch:  nice, cute, smart, and the best damn dog-sitter you'll ever meet.

So where are the good guys?  Well, they're not at the bars because they, like me, likely hold no interest in standing around and nursing a beer while hoping to a) be approached or b) get drunk enough to approach someone else momentarily ignoring the sobering knowledge that you probably look like an asshole.  The good guys aren't at the clubs either because that would be...well, gay.  In my world, gay dance clubs still equate to the term "discotheque" because that's how much sense they make to me as a public place where dudes gather in a collective attempt to broadcast a mating call emulated in hip swerves as The Pussycat Dolls blares overhead.

Everyone has a different idea on how to land the right guy, the most popular being to exude confidence, which would be a no-brainer had I any genuine confidence to exude.  Don't get me wrong - I'm fine with myself, but in an environment in which so much emphasis is placed on the physical, an overly sensitive bloke like myself will quickly cower in fear after glancing through a copy of Instinct at the gym.  I find the whole situation so intimidating that I almost always lapse into full Woody Allen mode.  But that's why I need a Jim Halpert.  My Jim would appreciate my neuroses, perhaps even playing into them for fun!  We could hold hands together on the subway to avoid having to touch the germ-infested poles.  My Jim would be totally cool with my preference for middle aged Black women.  My Jim would never restrain me from taking a jog dressed like the offspring of a gang member and professional clown.  My Jim would encourage my unhealthy need to pet every dog with which I come into contact - heck, he'd do the same thing!  My Jim, my own personal Jim Halpert, would be just exactly as John Krasinski plays him on the office:  sweet, gentle, immensely funny, and the kind of guy one would be proud to call their boyfriend (not to mention their partner in babymaking).

Please share any knowledge you have of a gay Jim Halpert because, apparently, he's not on MySpace, he doesn't partake in seeing regional theater productions of Cats, and he doesn't read Fast Hugs (and, if he does, he's likely my platonic friend or already in a relationship). 

And, hey, if he has the same auburn-hued wavy locks or pillowy lips as John Krasinski, more power to him.

Unsatisfying Jim/Karen Romance Spills Over Into Real Life [The Pen15 Club]

The Office Real Life Romance [Just Jared]

Comments

[Megan]

Aw, honey, if those boys can't see how special you are...
Trust me, you'll find your Jim Halpert eventually. It's just that he doesn't exsist yet. He needs to age into the maturity you want. I know it's hard, but don't be impatient. He will find you when you're both ready. At least, that is what I tell myself when I get lonely and contemplate buying 8 cats (one for every day of the week, two on Sunday).

[Bob Loblaw]

as a similarly awkward gay man, I can relate. I'd probably hit you up if I lived in NYC. But I don't.