February 24, 2007 1:13pm

sweetlarissa: hey

jimhalpert: hey

sweetlarissa: how was the hob-knobbing last night?

sweetlarissa: am I using that right? hob-knob?

jimhalpert: um I'm not sure, I've loaned out my "Slang from the 1940's" dictionary

sweetlarissa: :-P

jimhalpert: and it was actually kind of fun

jimhalpert: only because as it turned out the CFO was as bored as I was and asked me to play some hoops with him

sweetlarissa: wow, shooting hoops with the big boss ;-)

jimhalpert: yeah, he's actually pretty cool

jimhalpert: plus Karen was in her element, it was something

sweetlarissa: really?

jimhalpert: yeah, I didn't know she'd be that into socializing with the upper management

sweetlarissa: networking, smart girl ;-)

jimhalpert: she also played this ridiculous prank on me

sweetlarissa: oh yeah?

jimhalpert: yeah, she pointed out like 3 guys at the party and told me she dated them

jimhalpert: and when she got around to claiming she hooked up with the CFO I asked want the hell was up

jimhalpert: but she was just joking the whole time, she got me pretty good

sweetlarissa: huh

jimhalpert: you probably had to be there

sweetlarissa: yeah, I guess

jimhalpert: what?

sweetlarissa: I don't know, doesn't it kinda bother you that you so easily believed Karen dated half the company?

jimhalpert: I guess I didn't have any reason not to believe her

jimhalpert: plus I thought it was all before we started dating so it didn't matter to me

sweetlarissa: oh yeah, of course, because you know first hand that past relationships never have any bearing on present relationships

jimhalpert: are you being sarcastic?

jimhalpert: you know tone is very hard to convey via IM

sweetlarissa: are you avoiding the topic? because it seems like you are

jimhalpert: and what exactly is the topic?

sweetlarissa: Karen really likes you

sweetlarissa: and while I can tell you like the attention, you've really just been along for the ride

jimhalpert: okay, thanks for pointing that out

jimhalpert: though I'm not sure how you know this, seeing as you've been around Karen, what, twice?

sweetlarissa: yeah, that's true . . .

sweetlarissa: hey, I forget, how many times have I been around Pam?

jimhalpert: oh jesus, please please please do not bring that up

sweetlarissa: sorry, the correct answer is zero

jimhalpert: okay, I get it

sweetlarissa: to be fair it's not just the Karen and She-who-must-not-be-named situation

jimhalpert: Voldemort has a sister?

sweetlarissa: you're acting different, and have been for a while

jimhalpert: um, alright

sweetlarissa: I'm serious, Jim, sometimes you're almost like a different person from before you went to Stamford

jimhalpert: you mean when I was still a junior-level salesman after 5 years, making half as much money, driving a used magenta Corolla, and having practically no personal life because I was desperately infatuated with an engaged woman?

sweetlarissa: well, when you phrase it like that, of course it's not gonna sound great

jimhalpert: I think the word you're looking for is "pathetic"

jimhalpert: and maybe I don't want to be that guy anymore

sweetlarissa: fair enough

sweetlarissa: but I kinda miss that so called "pathetic" guy

sweetlarissa: he smiled a lot more

sweetlarissa: now, I don't know, sometimes you act like you're in a haze

jimhalpert: okay, look, you're not wrong about Karen

jimhalpert: I could stand to put a little more effort in to that

jimhalpert: any more unsolicited relationship advice before I head out?

sweetlarissa: none that doesn't involve me saying that one name I can't say

jimhalpert: the one with the tongue clicking?

sweetlarissa: yeah, that's right, keep being a smartass

sweetlarissa: makes my finger start hovering around the "P" area of my keyboard

jimhalpert: okay, okay, shutting up now

jimhalpert: gotta go, I'll talk to you later

jimhalpert: have a good weekend

sweetlarissa: you too