Given that last week’s episode of “The Office” has made me giggle all week long, I’m more convinced than ever that it was an instant classic. And besides that, I feel like it’s given us so much to look forward to during the last couple of months of the season: Jim and Pam as new parents, Dwight and Angela (round two), Andy and Erin, Kevin and First Lunch, etc.

All righty – here we go:

1. “It’s St. Patrick’s Day, and here in Scranton that is a HUGE deal. It’s the closest that the Irish will ever get to Christmas.”

2. “What do we got here?” // “Mega desk.”

3. “Getting hooked on mega desk was my own fault. I don’t care about assigning blame. All I care about is mega desk. That is all I care about. Getting more mega desk.”

4. “The say that no man is an island. FALSE. I am an island, and this island is volcanic. And it’s about to erupt with the molten hot lava of strategy.”

5. “Whenever I’m sick it goes away in a few hours. Except once when I was in the hospital from age three to six.”

6. “Jo, I have an idea for suntan lotion soap.”

7. “Look at that picture that you drew. Nice job!”

8. “Let’s follow the chain of events: Jo likes Michael. Jo invites Michael to house. Jo doesn’t like Michael anymore.”

9. “I’m not surprised that Dwight’s using my baby to steal my desk. I’m a little surprised that it’s working.”

10. “You’ll probably feel better one you get some pants on.”

11. “Does her family owe your family something in terms of a past injustice?”

12. “Oh! Andy! I’m in my jammie jams!” // “That’s okay. I’m in my workie-works.”

13. “…if you’d like I can swing by your house so your baby can experience a strong male presence.”

14. “Drinks are on me!” (as Michael pulls out two different credit cards)

15. “They call it quad desk.”

All in all, this was nowhere near as funny as last week, but I guess Jo needed a send-off. And granted, the Jo character is charming, but she’s not particularly funny. So I guess it’s good she’s going back to Tallahassee. However, the fact that Andy and Dwight sang a short duet of “Cat’s In The Cradle” goes a long way with me. I’m trusting that next week will be better.

What did y’all think?

Just FYI: this afternoon when I was cooking supper I watched Crystal Bowersox’s most recent performance again. And I watched it not once, not twice, but THREE times.

And quite frankly I’m wondering if any of the guys can top it.

Guess we’ll find out over the next hour.

Lee Dewyze – “Fireflies” – I’m such a fan of his voice. I thought he was a little pitchy at the beginning of this song but really started to work it out when he hit the chorus. Can’t wait to see what he does in the theme weeks – I think his arrangements will have some interesting twists and turns. Also: he’s reminding me a little bit of Kris Allen in terms of how his confidence has increased by leaps and bounds over the last couple of weeks – that’s fun to see.

Alex Lambert – “Trouble” – One of the greatest songs ever – and probably Alex’s best performance so far. He is insanely talented, and when I hear his voice I cannot believe he’s 19 years old. But I really, really want to cut his hair. It won’t take me five minutes. Seriously. Just a quick cut. And America will thank me.

(Sidenote: raise your hand if you cried a single tear when Kara implored him to “Be you. Let go.” Because I totally cried a single tear. And then I held a single yellow rose and wistfully plucked the petals as I repeated Kara’s inspirational words: “Be you. Let go. Be you. Let go.”

Tim Urban – “Hallelujah” – Oh, if you’re gonna tackle this song, you’d better have some serious musical chops. And you know what? He really surprised me. There were a couple of moments where the lyrics sounded awkward, but I felt like he really rose to the occasion. And I was happy for him. Because like Didi last night, I think he bought himself some AI time.

Andrew Garcia – “Genie In A Bottle” – I give him big points for originality. The end of the song was actually my favorite – the little bit of a cappella there at the end was what I wish there had been more of in the arrangement. It seemed like it was in the wrong key – like he started off too high, almost. There was a little bit too much going on with the guitar, and I wish he pulled back a little. Maybe a blues-y version would have worked better? Regardless, I hope he makes it to next week.

Casey James – “You’ll Think of Me” – Listen. Casey James can flat-out sing a ballad. Yes. Yes he can. And that’s all I have to say about that.

Aaron Kelly – “I’m Already There” – This was maybe a little show-y for me. A little too earnest. And when you combine those two things with the fact that it was pretty rough vocally – well, it seemed like the song was too big for him. Good for him, though, for being such a competent performer at such a young age. Hard to believe he’s 16.

Todrick Hall – “Somebody To Love” – Between George Michael’s version and the Glee version – not to mention the original – this song comes complete with mighty big shoes the very few singers can fill. I thought the falsetto part was almost painful, and it felt completely disconnected from the main part of the song (I’m sure there’s a technical term for that – I just don’t know it). The song is infectious, though, and I actually enjoyed the more soulful parts. But I didn’t like the over-the-top background vocals; I thought they were a distraction.

Michael Lynche – “This Woman’s Work” – BRILLIANT song choice. And that was some falsetto. I was such a fan of this song way back when Kate Bush first recorded it (my friend Bubba and I used to ride around and sing it over and over and over), and I thought the R&B take on it was inspired. His very best performance so far – it was A Moment. Loved it a million times. And you’d better believe that I will download it tomorrow.

What did y’all think about tonight’s show? I think Aaron and Todrick may be in trouble, but Michael Lynche is here to stay, my friends. He may have even topped Crystal. And that is some high praise indeed.

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This is the point in the competition when I think we really start to see who has a chance to win this thing – and who doesn’t. And because of that, I’m sometimes tempted to fast forward through the contestants who will probably be gone in a week or two or three.

But tonight I will resist the temptation and soldier through every single performance because I am just that selfless.

Not to mention obsessive.

Katie Stevens – “Breakaway” – She did what the judges suggested last week and picked a song by a younger singer, but I don’t know, dog – it was a little pitchy for me. It was a lot pitchy, in fact. She has a big voice, and she seems to be finding her way in terms of wardrobe and stage presence and whathaveyou, but I felt like she took a couple of steps backward with her vocals this week.

Siobhan Magnus – “House of the Rising Sun” – Siobhan perplexes me. Because on one hand she’s very skilled technically, but on the other hand there’s something about her stage presence that’s a little off-putting. It’s almost like I appreciate her, but I don’t necessarily enjoy her. And to me this song was a wee bit boring. She was pitch-perfect, but somehow I wasn’t interested. And she’s so talented – don’t get me wrong – but there’s a piece of the Siobhan puzzle that I feel like I haven’t found yet.

Lacey Brown – “The Story” – For the first time I feel like she really showed us what’s special about her voice. It was a great song choice, and I thought, “Oh, I GET IT NOW – she has sort of a Susanna Hoffs / Kate Bush thing going on.” And tonight, it totally worked. She wasn’t trying too hard – just doing her thing. Loved it.

Kaitlyn Epperley – “I Feel The Earth Move” – I really liked her performance last week – loaded with feeling, a little moody – but tonight felt more like karaoke. Nothing interpretive, nothing new – just a bland cover of a song that most of us have heard a million times. It was almost too straightforward. I wish there had been a surprise WOW moment in there somewhere, but not this week. I hope she’s still around for another chance in the Top 12.

Didi Benami – “Rhiannon” – Oh, this was absolutely the right song for her. Great interpretation, great vibe, great voice. She reminded me of a young Shawn Colvin, and that is ALWAYS a good thing. I think this was a Big Moment for her. It got a little rough in spots on the chorus, but it was definitely my favorite performance of the night (so far). I feel strangely proud of her.

(And also: I think maybe Ryan has a wee crush on her? Anyone else picking up on that?)

Paige Miles – “Smile” – She was so tentative at the beginning, and then it seemed like she was about a half a beat behind her music once the tempo picked up. This performance was so much more hesitant than what she’s done in other weeks that I almost wondered if she’s having trouble with her voice? Maybe a touch of laryngitis? I want to hug her and bless her heart.

Crystal Bowersox – “Gimme One Reason” – In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that this is one of my favorite songs of all time. And it would be so easy to do a straight cover of this song – because it’s brilliant without a single modification – but Crystal put a very bluesy, original twist on it. She’s so talented. Head and shoulders above the rest of the girls. Didi may have been my favorite tonight, but I think Crystal was the best.

Lilly Scott – “I Fall To Pieces” – This is a song where quirky vocal stylings don’t necessarily work for me, and I thought the whole thing was a little weird. That being said, she probably did enough to make it through to next week.

As far as official predictions? I think Katie and Paige will probably be the two to go, but Kaitlyn didn’t do herself any favors in the Remember Me department.

What did y’all think?

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So I know I’m tardy to last week’s Office party (hey! that was another Teal Mousefives reference for those of you playing at home), but my lateness has done nothing to dampen my enthusiasm.

And as always, I’m hoping for an extra dose of ‘Nard Dog in this week’s episode. Andy makes everything better. Especially a cappella singing.

1. “Hey there. Dwight Schrute here. Listen. Uh, would you be interested in restocking on paper? My cousin came down with a case of that nasty new goat fungus.”

2. “Now I’m halfway through the Twilight cookbook. Last night I had Edward’s Cornflake Chicken.”

3. “Pregnant Pam and I, we get hungry at the same times, so we’ve been eating together a lot. Not all meals. Just second breakfast, lunch, second lunch and first dinner.”

4. “I do not plan on helping unless it’s a boy.” // “I cannot wait for that joke to be over.”

5. “Don’t get revenge on me, nerd.”

6. “Bear my child. I want to have a child for business reasons and I want you to be the mother. If you agree, say nothing. If you disagree, say anything.”

7. “Word of advice, speaking as a former baby.”

8. “I’m sort of a master of distraction. When I was little, my mom always received compliments from teachers about how I was able to distract others in class.”

9. “I can do the ‘Evolution of Dance’ dance.”

10. “Item 1: Child will be breastfed by the mother for exactly six months then weaned onto a nutrient-rich winter vegetable mash provided by the father, Dwight Schrute, hereafter referred to as Morpheus. Agreed?” // “Agreed.”

11. Meredith: “I have a shirt like that in my car.”

12. “I’m not crazy. She’s crazy. 5-7 minutes. 5-7 minutes. 6 minutes. Different. But not really.”

13. “We’re having a little girl.”

14. “Our Ultra Feast menu theme: Hollywood.”

15. “Are you kidding?” “Are you kidding?” “You can do this.” “You can do this.”

16. “Let’s check how dilated she is. THIS IS RIDICULOUS.”

17. Dwight in that TransAm – ohmyword it made me howl. And when he thew the sword out the window? Delightful.

18. “I’ve gotta go wash my eyes.”

19. “Love you. As a friend.”

20. “I searched everywhere, but I didn’t find it. What I did find was mold. And lots of it. So I did what anyone would do: I read a book, had a bath, got a good night’s sleep and made plans to eradicate it. I also made plans to ask Jim where he bought his marvelous sheets. Time to get to work.”

21. Meredith: “Like Clooney.”

22. “Oh good. You know everything.”

23. “Say nothing. You will learn to love me.”

24. “Read the fax. I’m asking you out.”

25. “I couldn’t find your iPod.”

Okay. So maybe not so much with the Andy. But it was a Dwight Showcase, and for that I am deeply grateful.

Plus: a sweet baby girl. It was an embarrassment of Office riches.

What did y’all think?

Anybody else’s ears still ringing from that last note Siobhan Magnus hit at the end of “Think”?

Sweet mercy. I think my windshield may have shattered.

Tonight was sort of a mixed bag for the girls, and I really wanted to hug Haeley Vaughn and Didi Bernami. Honestly, I thought the judges were a little hard on Didi, and you could tell that she was so stinkin’ frustrated in terms of trying to figure out how to please them.

But there were definitely some standouts. I really liked Crystal Bowersox (who’s in a little bit of a league of her own), Katelyn Epperly (yes, the song was slow, but it was interesting) and Paige Miles (her voice reminds me a little bit of Whitney – pre-Bobby B., of course).

What did y’all think? Any favorites yet?

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