The three winners of the Office giveaway are allthewine, CDP, and j*amy.
Email me at lady.luck.05(@)gmail.com with your address by Sunday. Congrats!
And now...a meme! This one comes tagged from Stephanie Perkins. I've just recently started reading this blog and she's so hilarious and insightful. Plus, she's a librarian and a writer, so naturally we're friends.
1. What are your nicknames?
I've answered this before. But since you asked so nicely... Gretch-a-sketch, Gretch, Gretcher, Gretchie, Fetchin' Gretchen, GretchieGAL, Gretchizzle, and Hen.
2. What was the first movie you bought in VHS or DVD?
My mom probably bought The Lion King for me, but it's the first one I can consciously remember waiting for. I was eight and I knew the exact release date. Some things never change.
3. What is your favorite scent?
If I had access to Amorententia, I'd smell laundry soap, brownies, and rain on the desert dirt.
4. What one place have you visited that you can't forget and want to go back to?
Either Chicago or Seattle. Probably Chi-town. Chicago bloggers, I love your city. I just needed you to know, once.
5. Do you trust easily?
Why are you asking me all of these questions?
(In all seriousness, I don't trust easily, but once I do, it's unwavering.)
6. Do you generally think before you act, or act before you think?
I'm a thinker. I try not to be sometimes, but I can't help it.
7. Is there anything that has made you unhappy these days?
Oh jeez. You don't really want me to unload right now. Uncertainty sums it up pretty well.
8. Do you have a good body image?
I'm female. Enough said. ("It's as if the Dove commercials never happened!")
9. What is your favorite fruit?
Fresh peaches, strawberries, clementine oranges, and Asian pears.
10. What websites do you visit daily?
It's ridiculous how many. But I couldn't live without twitter.
11. What have you been seriously addicted to lately?
Window shopping for boots online, buying STUFF, and banana peppers.
12. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
She appreciates the Hot British Man, which I think is enough to vouch for the character of a person. Stephanie's the kind of person I meet on the internet and think, "Wow, we'd so be friends in real life."
13. What's the last song that got stuck in your head?
OneRepublic's "Apologize" (Getitoutgetitoutgetitout)
14. What's your favorite item of clothing?
Pac-Man pajama pants represent!
15. Do you think Rice Krispies are yummy?
Oh man, that sounds good right now. Yes. Yes, I do.
16. What would you do if you saw $100 lying on the ground?
Turn it in. I'm a good girl, I am! (But for fun, let's just say I didn't have to turn it in. I've got this ever-growing bookmarked list of "Things I Want" and it would go towards a magical pair of boots.)
17. What items could you not go without during the day?
I get the shakes when I don't have access to the internet.
18. What should you be doing right now?
So, so many other things than this. At this exact moment, I should be cleaning the bathroom, which is the bane of my existence. We have guests tonight, so I can't procrastinate either. Boo!
*obligatory tagging*
I'd like to see this from Melissa, Melina, Carla, Q, Alishka, and Ashley.
Happy first weekend of Rocktober! (And thanks to Maxie for introducing me to the term "Rocktober.")
Two quick items of interest:
1. My "Office" supplies giveaway closes today at six. Get your entries in and don't forget you can earn an extra entry if you blog or twitter about it!
2. Handbag Planet is opening up shop on October 15th. In celebration of this, they're giving away 24 gorgeous purses. Check it out! (I call dibs on the 4 AM blue purse.)
"Office" Supplies Giveaway
Here's the dealio, kids. I've got these nifty gifty packs to give away. Kind of like swag (Stuff We All Get), but only three of you actually get something. The rest of you get my love and admiration and well, that's all one can hope for in life.
The Michael Package
(1) TWSS Mini Legal Pad
(1) From the desk of... Magnetic List Pad
(1) TWSS Sticky Notes
(1) Leadership notebook
The Pam Package
(1) Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam Mini Legal Pad
(1) Dunder Mifflin Fridge Magnets
(1) This is Pam Sticky Notes
(1) Pam Beesly Quote Pens
The Dwight Package
(1) DWIGHT Mouse Pad
(1) DM Crew Mini Legal Pad
(1) Dwight Head Stress Ball
(1) Information is Power Sticky Notes
Unfortunately, there is no Jim Package. Yeah, I went there. But I will give you this!
How To Win
1. Leave a comment on this post about your favorite tv show.
2. If you have a blog or twitter, post about it to earn one extra entry. Make sure you let me know if you did this so I can count it.
3. Only readers from the United States and Canada. Sorry if that's not you, but you know how it is.
4. I will close comments at 6:00 PM Mountain Standard Time on Thursday, October 2nd.
5. If you do not have a blog where I can reach you, please include a valid email address.
6. Winners will be selected using random.org.
7. I will announce the winners on Friday, October 3rd.
8. Winners will be responsible to contact me with the necessary shipping information.
9. If one of the winners does not contact me within three days, then a new winner will be selected.
10. No kicks to the groin and home by dinner.
Here’s the next installment in Enna Isilee’s big birthday contest, since she's wonderful and I love to help out my bloggy friends. (For the uninitiated, Enna Isilee is the name of a character in Shannon Hale's Bayern books.) Today’s mode of entry is:
Do you prefer writing long-hand, or on a computer, or not at all?
That’s all you have to do! Just leave a comment on this post with your answer and you’ll automatically have 2 entries towards this week’s prizes and the grand prize. This week’s prizes will be announced on Monday, and the grand prize will be announced on Enna Isilee’s birthday, September 22nd.
Have fun!
Happy Labor Day, y'all! I'm not quite sure what to think now that it's September. Crazy!
Anyhoo, because I firmly believe in supporting the teen book community (and because mentioning it gives me an extra ten entries...), I thought I'd let you know that Enna Isilee from Squeaky Books is starting this massive contest that culminates on September 22nd. Lots of books to be given away and an awesome grand prize. Find more details here.
Michael reminded me the other day that I had yet to pick a winner for his awesome, really cool, beyond-belief-amazing guest giveaway. Yeah, I think that sums it up pretty well. The deal was that I would get to pick the person who left me the nicest compliment. In return, those people get a compliment from me! And then we will all hold hands and sing Elton John.
To Michael: Thanks for doing this--it was really cool. You're crazy talented with web design and you crack me up with your tweets.
To Elisabeth: If I had to cite the people that influenced me to start a blog, you'd be very high on the list. I love how you're so knowledgeable about so many things.
To Brooke: Dude, you've got some pretty mad mixtape skillz yourself. I know I've said this before, but we would so be friends in real life.
To Golfwidow: Chuck Norris guest blogs for Golfwidow.
To Jenn: You're a fantastic blogger. It's the perfect mix of personal anecdotes and cool web stuff all tied together with your quirky humor.
To Edge: I think you're going to be a very famous author someday.
To Chilly: My dear Chilly, I heart you! You're a great photographer and the best internet friend a girl could ask for.
To Srah: Incredibly witty--you know how to tell a good story. Also, you sent me a ton of Dr. Horrible flair on Facebook, which rocked.
To Dr. Bolte: Like you said, you're a rebel! I am sure of the fact that you're a remarkable inspiration to many people.
If I could, I'd give you all something, but the prize goes to Edge. Yay! Your compliment was sweet and sincere. You're going have a blast at college--hopefully some new music and other fun stuff will help with the transition. Shoot me an email or facebook message with your address and I'll pass it along.
Alright, who's up for a little Someone Saved My Life Tonight?
I'm baaaack! What'd I miss?
You'll get the annotated vacay recap on Monday, because today I'm going to Lagoon (Utah's sucky amusement park, but it should still be fun) and tomorrow is Nancy Pearl Wannabe's Choose Your Own Blogventure! It's going to be EPIC. And I mean that in the truest sense of the word.
Can we give a massive round of applause to my guest bloggers? I love those guys like today's fat kids love Oreo Cakesters.
Speaking of guest posts, go say nice things about me on Michael's post and win some great stuff, like a Starbucks gift card, his sister's homemade bath stuff, and music. I'm a sucker for compliments and just to up the ante, if you leave me a comment, I'll write a post saying nice things about all of you! It's an idea made of win-win-WIN.
I'm hoping to debut my tumblr blog and review blog both next week. Get psyched.
I need a new tv show to obsess over. I've narrowed it down to Buffy or Lost. Which should I pick first?
Because my parents live in the 1990's, our home computer has dial-up. It's so annoying...every time I sign in, I want to cut the internet like a taun-taun. We're talking about getting high-speed, but it might be a couple weeks. Hence, commenting and twittering may be sparse. This is killing me softly and slowly.
Still, it's good to be back. I missed you guys.
Hey, this is Michael from It's 3 o'clock in the morning! For some reason that I have yet to figure out, Gretchen has deemed me worthy to post on her blog. ("That blog has wohds on it..") (20 points if you get that quote) One thing that I am always afraid of when I guest post is the regular readers being all, "OMGWTFBBG? Who is this guy, and why did Gretch-a-sketch let him post? That was pointless!" Think about it. None of you guys reading this post subscribed to her blog so that you could hear about my life. Who the heck am I anyway?
Let's play a game I like to call Pretend.
Ok, so you open up your reader in the morning and you see... *GASP* A new post from Gretch-a-sketch!! Holy Blog Post Batman! I love that girl! You open up the post, get cozy with your cup of *insert favorite morning beverage*, and begin to read.
What.
This is not my favorite blogger!
This is some nasty old GUY!!
I'm sorry.
If I could make it up to you I would.
HOWEVER, I have an idea. Since dear sweet Gretch-a-sketch is gone for a while, let's all gossip about her!
Everybody say one (or more) nice (true!) things about Gretch-a-sketch, and I will personally reward the nicest comment with a gift. I don't know what's gonna be in the gift, but expect a treasure trove of random useful and useless stuff, including, but not limited to: A starbucks gift card, some French Vanilla Coffee Scrub, your very own cd with a lot of what I like to call cool music, and some other random stuff.
The winner will be the person that Gretch-a-sketch decides left the nicest comment. (Surprise, surprise, G-Dog!!)First off, I'd like to congratulate Sandy, the winner of the tumblr giveaway. Yay, Sandy! Email me your address, letter preference, and whether you'd like black or white earrings before Friday. Also, if you didn't win, remember you can get 10% your order with the code "Gretchen."
Okay, next item to cover. The hair adventure went well, except it's much darker than I wanted. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but it's not quite as obviously red as I had hoped. In the right light, though, you can tell it's very deep and burgundy. It's actually kind of vampy, so overall I'm a fan.
I'm off to traipse around the Ohio and New York countryside for a week. There are some really, really, really great guest posts coming your way, so stay tuned.
First stop: Cleveland!
(video embedded in the post)
P.S. +25 Cool Points to the first person to identify the movie my title line ("To Business!") is from.
You have until 5 PM MST to get your vote in for my Tumblr Blog and to win sweet earrings. I'll announce the winner early tomorrow morning.
In other news...
1. I have my degree now. Yay! Graduation was amazing. The speakers were good and we drank of Mormon wine in celebration. (Mormon wine=Martinelli's Sparking Cider) Thanks for all your well-wishes.
2. My car broke down on the way home. It's currently at a Tunex in Ogden Keep your fingers crossed that we can fix it!
3. I have a dentist appointment this morning. Blerg!
4. I haven't been able to see either The Dark Knight or Mamma Mia yet.
5. The fact I have no homework anymore is incredible.
6. I'm dyeing my hair again tonight to be more reddish. I've always wanted to do that, but I'd be lying if I said Penny/Felicia Day didn't have an impact on that choice.
7. I took the most amazing nap yesterday. Take that, three years of sleep debt!
8. The Morning Benders' new album Talking Through Tin Cans is lots of fun. Speaking of, I'm thinking about starting a blog just for my reviews. I really like reviewing stuff and now I have the time to do so. It's not set in stone, but I thought I'd throw the idea out there.
9. I have so much stuff to unpack. Part of me just wants to get rid of it all and start anew.
10. I can't think of a #10, but the list felt incomplete without it.
I caught myself thinking the other day, "Man! I can't wait to finish up school so I can finally have time for a Tumblr Blog!" Sad, but true. Here's where you guys and gals come in--I'm undecided on a name. I believe in rocking the vote, so I'm going to employ the tried-and-true "pick your favorite" method. Also! I'll pick a random entrant to win a pair of gorgeous typewriter key earrings. (Details below.)
Here are my current choices for a title.
1. Ink In My Veins--I've had this quote from C. Astrid Weber rolling around in my head for a long time. "The coroner will find ink in my veins and blood on my typewriter keys." I love the imagery and it seems appropriate for the giveaway.
2. Tantalize--Simple, but also evocative. If I had my own perfume, I'd want it to be named this.
3. All Things Bright--It's a good allusion to Cecil Alexander. I also like that your brain just automatically fills in the "and Beautiful" without the words actually being there.
4. Set To Stun OR Set To Stunning--It has both a sci-fi and fashion flair. I'm so there. (Unintentional rhyme.)
5. An Everywhere of Silver--After my favorite Emily Dickinson poem.
6. Ampersand Girl--Elisabeth said it would make a good superhero name. I have to agree and thinks it suits me.
7. ???--Suggest your own!
I want a Tumblr Blog to post things like pictures, quotes, music, stuff I wish I could buy, and cool articles. It fills the space between twitter and blogging. In other words, I get more than 140 characters but I don't have to worry about cluttering my blog with stuff that's ultimately unrelated to my life. I'd like it to be classy, edgy, and maybe a tad bit haphazard at times. It also means I can focus on writing better content for my real blog. I'm excited to see what you guys think.
The Rulez
1. Leave your favorite title in the comments.
2. Anyone can enter. Yes, anyone. Anywhere in this whole wide world.
3. If you don't have a blog that will allow me to get in contact with you, please leave a valid email address.
4. I'll pick the winner using random.org.
5. The post will close to new comments at 5 P.M. MST a week from today. (July 28, 2008)
6. The winner will be responsible for providing me with a shipping address within three days of being notified or a new winner will be drawn.
7. The winner will be the proud owner of these fantastic Vintage Typewriter Key Earrings. (In white or black and with the letter or number of your choice.)
The people at QA Create make hand-made jewelry that's cunning and lovely. They offer free shipping in the United States, which is incredibly nice.
If you don't happen to win then you can still get 10% off your purchase using "Gretchen" as your coupon code. (How excited am I to have a coupon code in my honor? Pretty freakin' excited, that's what.)
Go!
Have you watched Dr. Horrible a hajillion times yet? I have!
Anyhow, since you like winning free stuff and I like winning free stuff, here's a compilation of all the free stuff you can win in the blogosphere as of late. (Yes, I have no shame.)
Stephmodo is gifting one free subscription to the new "Seeing the Everyday" magazine. Closes 7-16.
Katria is giving away something handmade. She hasn't decided yet, but I'm sure it will be cute. Closes 7-26.
Chilly just reached 300 posts and is giving away Pirates of the Caribbean Monopoly. Closes 7-19.
Mama Sparkles has a TON of giveaways going on right now, including my personal favorite of capes for kids. Closes 7-18.
D. Sharp makes these great Eiffel Tower candy containers and is giving away three. Closes 7-22.
Mindi is giving away a Kohl's gift card and some other prizes. Closes 7-28.
Jamie has yet another dazzling etsy giveaway for a cozy sister Venetian glass ring. Closes 7-18.
And I'm giving away typewriter earrings--what are you waiting for?
I won the lovely CityStream's fabulous giveaway! It's mostly because I shared a rather mortifying story that will not be repeated here, but the point is, it worked. I took my $40 gift card to Wal-mart last week and went ka-razy. I was overdue for some pampering and here's what I picked up. Oh, and the adorable tote bag is from Target. I bought that with the gift card I got ages ago from Jenn's hilarious paint contest.
There was also a Peach Mango Fuze, but I drank it already. I'm proud of the fact that I'm the kind of girl who can buy the movie Airplane! and the latest Vogue without blinking an eye. Also, if you want to see something really funny, compare my haul to Seven's. She won the second place prize and we're clearly on the same wavelength when it comes to shopping sprees.
I'm not done spending it yet, but it's probably going towards stuff like bread and milk, because I'm still a poor college kid who needs her cereal in the morning. Thanks again, CityStreams!
Okay, you want to hear something else awesome? One of tumblr's best music sites is Tuneage. They held a contest to come up with the next theme for their podcast a while ago with some severely sweet prizes. I submitted something along the lines of "You guys should do a podcast about the songs that first got you interested in music. You know, the albums that changed your life, when you knew you'd never go back to just being a casual music fan." I knew it was a good theme, I just didn't think it was first-place good. But I guess it is. So I get a 1GB Product Red iPod Shuffle and the following, courtesy of Asthmatic Kitty:
My Brightest Diamond’s album Bring Me The Workhorse Castanets album In The Vines
Castanets DVD Tendrils
Half-handed Cloud’s album Halos & Lassos
Sufjan Stevens’ album Illinoise
Shannon Stephens’ self-titled album
Encyclopedia Asthmatica DVD
Asthmatic Kitty T-shirt
HOLY SMOKES. The music junkie in me is freaking out.
In honor of this, I made a mixwit of my own personal 'Heart Songs.' (Holla, Weezer!) Well, I thought I made a mixwit, but it didn't save it or something. Grrrr... I'll try and re-do it later.
The professor I TA for: "Well, I'm not really up on 'pop culture' or anything like that, but is your hair supposed to look like Uma Thurman's in Pulp Fiction?"
Me (stunned that my straight-laced prof just referenced that movie): "Um...no. I didn't actually have anyone in mind when I got it cut."
Prof: "Okay. At least I tried!"
Me: "I appreciate it."
Via the Lil' Bro's birthday postcard--the front reads "National Procrastination Week has been moved to next month"
On the other side: "Hey look! I didn't procrastinate your birthday. Congrats! 21! You can now legally buy liquor and gamble. Hats off."
[I don't know why, but the deadpan "Hats off" slays me everytime.]
Text conversation with the BFF:
Me: If there were two guys named Hambone and Flippy, which one would you think likes dolphins more?
Her: I'd say Flippy!
Me: Well, you'd be wrong. It's Hambone.
[I love that we get each other.]
Roomie #1: "You should blog about it." [I don't remember what "it" was, to be honest.]
Roomie #2: "Yeah, Gretchen, that would rock. But you know what they say...thou shalt not covet thy roommate's weblog."
Me: "Yeah... I think that's like Commandment #56."
On the local pizza joint's sign:
BEETS ARE BACK.
LEAVE ME ALONE.
-MATT
[1. Um...what?! 2. A part of me hopes it's a beet pizza that pays tribute to Dwight.]
Don't forget to enter the contest by tomorrow afternoon!
Woohoo!
Because who doesn't love a chance to win stuff?
Here's the deal, guys. As a culmination to my gift lists, I'm giving away a present to one lucky reader! I believe in options, so the winner will get to pick one gift from the following three choices.
1. Typewriter Necklace, QA Creates, Comes in a variety of designs and all letters A-Z
2. Library Science Tote Bag, QC Merchandise
3. iTunes Gift Card, Apple
Also, the winner will receive a happy (un)birthday card and a mix cd made by me. I have these crazy good playlist skillz, so that should be just as coveted as the other potential prizes.
Just to sweeten the deal, two (2) additional commentors will get a card and a mix cd!
That's three prizes, just waiting to be won!
The rules:
1. To enter, just leave a comment on this post and tell me about one of your birthday memories.
2. Only one comment/entry per person.
3. Only readers from the United States and Canada. Sorry if that's not you, but you know how it is.
4. I will close comments at 7:00 PM Mountain Standard Time on Thursday, June 5th.
5. Please include a valid email address.
6. Winners will be selected by using random.org.
7. I will announce the winners the morning of Friday, June 6th.
8. Winners will be responsible to contact me with the necessary shipping information.
9. If one of the winners does not contact me within three days, then a new winner will be selected.
10. Is it obvious by now that my mom's totally a lawyer? I get it from her.
Spread the word--share it, link to it, love it, crave it.
Y'all are the best! Thanks for reading!
'Member how I mentioned the other day that I won one of Meg Cabot's t-shirts? And how I promised to blog my winning entry? This is me coming through on that promise, even though my entry was slightly embarrassing. She asked who we would trade bodies with if we had the chance and it was right before the Office finale, so I was a tad side-tracked from any of my more rational choices, like Tina Fey or Grace Kelly (albeit, an alive version of Grace Kelly) or Ina Garten. Instead, here's what I told her.
"Dear Meg,
Body swapping? Hands down, I'd pick Jenna Fischer. I don't really think I need a reason beyond the fact that she gets to KISS JOHN KRASINSKI.
In case that's not enough, I do have additional facts to back my choice up.
1. She's super down-to-earth, which you don't see a whole lot in Hollywood.
2. She's got an amazing figure, but isn't obsessed with her body image. (See: what you don't see a whole lot in Hollywood.)
3. She gets to spend her days being a great actress on the set of The Office.
4. She's, like, bff with Angela Kinsey.
5. She still shops at (and adores!) Target. Me too!
6. Her wardrobe is absolutely fabulous--she wears amazing dresses to awards shows and the rest of the time rocks the jeans and hoodie look. This is my ideal style--dressed way down or snazzed way up!
7. We both broke our backs in the past year, so I can totally relate to that.
8. She's got this ambition that I admire so much--it'd be great to have the courage to up and leave your home in St. Louis to move to L.A. to pursue your dream.
And lest we forgot...she gets to film multiple takes of smooching the dreamy JKras!
I rest my case."
I believe that is referred to as "writing for your audience." I've read (and loved, actually) plenty of Meg's work, so I tried to tailor my entry to what she'd be likely to write. Much to my surprise, it actually worked! I'm rather enamored by the irony of wearing a shirt that so boldly states AIRHEAD.
As a major bonus, the ever-so-awesome Pixie volunteered to send me her ARC of Airhead, which I'd been really looking forward to reading even before the t-shirt debacle. It arrived today, so I know what I'll be doing this weekend! (Other than homework, Capture the Flag, a possible haircut/dye, and the Beatles Tribute concert, of course.)
Who would you trade bodies with?
Also, while we're on the subject on winning stuff, City Streams is having a very generous giveaway, so go enter! (Wal-mart giftcards! I'm mostly opposed to Wal-mart on moral grounds, but my love for free stuff overrides almost any opposition. Plus, it is quite literally one of the four big stores in town, so I rarely have a choice but to take advantage of their always low prices. Always.) Happy weekend!
