Those who didn’t succumb to tryptophan-induced slumber last Thursday may have noticed that The Office was not part of NBC’s holiday lineup. Although the devoted viewers among you could have switched over to TBS to catch some older episodes, Turkey Day provided no new material for this blog. So, instead of quantifying hypothetical litigation value, this post will draw upon the spirit of Thanksgiving and mention some things (and people) deserving of gratitude. Wait, don’t surf away yet! This actually has a lot to do with our favorite sitcom, as well as TWSS.

At the end of this blogger’s last entry in October, a cryptic reference was made to “where he look[ed] forward to spending some time later th[at] month.” Whether or not the “gilded cage” metaphor was apt (apologies to both my favorite Canadian band and the English painter Evelyn De Morgan), that location can now be identified as the set of The Office in Van Nuys, California! Thanks to the generosity of Rainn Wilson — who donated a two-person set visit to charity — and Glenn LaForce of LexisNexis — who shared his silent-auction spoils — I was fortunate to witness in person the filming of an upcoming episode. Even if that behind-the-scenes experience doesn’t improve the quality of my posts, it certainly left me with a much greater appreciation for how the production process works.