“I like to move forward … I don’t know how much it would help for me to think about things too much. It just seems so fucking unfair. So I get on my elliptical machine and listen to some Rihanna and try to forget about this bullshit.” – Mindy Kaling on the death of her mother in New York magazine, Sept. 17, 2012

This should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone at all, but I adore Mindy Kaling. She is absolutely hysterical and so self-assured, and she’s an inspiration not merely as a woman or as an Indian but as a comedian and as an individual. If you haven’t yet, be sure to read her memoir, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns). She’s absolutely one of a kind and so, so high on my list of empowered females. She’s still writing for the last season of The Office, and she’s got her own television show (for which she’s showrunner, writer and star) on Fox, and the pilot alone boasts such big comedic names as Ed Helms and Bill Hader. She was the cover girl for last week’s issue of New York magazine, which may still be lingering on some newsstands, if you’re lucky. The profile is touching and sweet and hilarious, much like Kaling herself, and certainly worth a read.

And, embedded below for good measure, my favorite Kelly Kapoor moment from The Office.