Dear Jim,

First: OH. MY. GOD. I need that picture of Michael's tattoo. It's after Tuesday. Did he go through with it? Oh, God, Michael with a tramp stamp. The suspense is killing me here. I want to fly home just to see it. Is that wrong? A little sad? I don't care either way. Just knowing about it made my week AWESOME. Thank you.

Also, thanks for the compliments on the paintings. I put a few more pictures of some new stuff I'm doing (oil paintings) in here this time. I hope you think they're as good. Once I finish (like, really finish) one of the watercolors I'll send it to you. You won't be my first customer though. Maddie snapped up one of my paintings. I was showing her what I did all day and she really liked one of them, so I gave it to her. I would have liked to have done some more improvements on it, but Maddie insisted it was beautiful the way it was. That made me feel really good, like I'm not wasting my afternoons like some people say I am. Also, she introduced me to a professor friend of hers. Good news - he's only 40! So, the younger friends are just piling in, ha ha. I'm going to meet his wife next week - she teaches art classes at a community college here, so I'll have someone to talk about my art with. I'm really excited!

Maddie told me about the job she was working on for me. It turns out that after Maddie got out of the movie business, she opened an antique shop near the beach. It's a half hour away from the house and she stopped driving a couple years ago, so she just closed it up. Her son goes in once a month to clean, but it hasn't been open for business in a while. She thought I might like to run it for her. Obviously I don't have any kind of experience, but she's confident she can teach me the ropes, so... I think I'm going to do it. It seems like it'd be fun, I could paint during work hours, and Maddie has offered me a great salary, so why not, right? Do you have a rich benefactor yet, Jim? 'Cause you should really think about getting one if not.

How's work going this week? Did Dwight get his tongue pierced or something? I'm glad to hear the new receptionist is normal. It's always good to have at least one person in the office who isn't insane. I bet she could do her thesis on the office. I can see it. Dunder-Mifflin: Insanity and Neuroses in the Workplace. Has a ring to it, right?

I also think I should let you know that I am pretty much a master chef at this point. The Food Network called. They're interested. I'll try not to leave you in the dust. ;)

I miss you.

with Love,
Pam

P.S. My win rate for solitaire is now 82%. Try not to get your tears of jealousy all over your reply letter, thanks.