'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!
I would much rather buy an actual cd for a couple more dollars than purchase it online. This is why my Amazon.com Wish List has over 150 CDs (and counting) on it. Someday, I'll own you all! Until the day I become fabulously rich, I have to decide what music I want the most right now. For a music junkie like myself, it's an almost impossible choice. Here's what I would buy this instant if I had an extra $50 or so. (Weezer's Red Album would be on here if it weren't for the fact that it doesn't come out until the day of my birthday, which is exciting.)
1. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, Neko Case, $12.97
One of these days, I'm going to write a sonnet about how much I love Neko Case. Hint: It's a LOT.
2. The White Album, The Beatles, $25.97
I cannot believe I don't own this yet, but I just...don't. We all know it's amazing. 'Nuff said.
3. Raising Sand, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, $11.99
Plant and Krauss have to be two of the most unlikely collaborators. It's like putting salt and honey (guess which ingredient represents which musician?) on a piece of homemade bread. You think it'd be weird, but it's actually really good.
Because I'm first and foremost a geek at heart, I'm really excited for this list. w00t!
1. R2-D2 Speakers, Think Geek, $39.99
"R2-D2, you know better than to trust a strange computer!"
2. Fruity Oaty Bar Shirt, Stylin' Online, $18
Miranda... (Next time I play laser tag, my code name is so going to be River Tam.)
3. Library Science Tote Bag, QC Merchandise, $12
It's poetry in motion! (I could only get a picture of both bags, but it's the library one I want. Actually, out of all these gifts, it's the one thing I'm mostly likely to buy when all is said and done.)
For more geeky love, check out Jenn's site Must Love Geek!
I'm no Shoe-ru, but I like to think I know a good pair when I see one.
1. Betseyville Bernidette Pumps, Betsey Johnson, $99.95
If I could define my summer by a pair of shoes, I'd want it to look like these.
2. Showoff Sandals, Steve Madden, $49.95
The appeal lies in the simplicity.
3. Mary Jane 'Twins' Flats, Camper, $159.95
The concept of these sounds like they'd only be suitable for a 5-year-old girl, but they manage to look totally twee while still coming off as grown-up. The cameos are removable, but I don't know why anyone would want to do that.
Now I'm gonna write up the rest of this week's posts (mostly just gift lists...we'll be back to normal blogging next week). Maybe I'll study, too. I know this was a bit ramble-y, but I just needed to write something.
Edit: Oh, I forgot to mention that Tib's having a surprise giveaway. Go check it out!
I like to look at jewelry more than I like to wear it. I think these serve both purposes.
1. Silver Forget Me Knot Ring, MOMA Store, $65
2. Typewriter Necklace, QA Creates, $12.99
3. Chalcedony Cascade Earrings, Linda Trent Jewelry, $38
The lovely Brooke over at Oh My Seven tagged me for the six things meme. I thought about doing another six degrees theme, but that was kind of an effort to link it all together and today is not a "put-forth-effort" kinda day. Instead, you get:
Six Random Things About My Name
or
This is actually a lot more interesting than it sounds
1. "Gretchen" is German for "little pearl." It's a pet form of Margaret. (Margaret + chen (meaning "little") = Gretchen...I'd never put that together before just now.)
2. In numerology, my number is 7 and my soul urge number is 9. ("Soul urge" sounds like more of a musical movement than a test of my character.) My inner dream number is 7. The whole analysis is scary accurate. "You dream of having the opportunity to read, study, and shut yourself off from worldly distractions. You can see yourself as a teacher, mystic, or ecclesiastic, spending your life in the pursuit of knowledge and learning. At full maturity you are likely to be a very peaceful and poised individual." Heck yes!
3. I took a New Testament course my freshman year. This marked the first time where I WAS NOT THE ONLY GRETCHEN IN THE CLASS. Holy cow, this threw me off! I think it threw her off, too, since the prof would be all, "Gretchen, what did you think about this verse?" and we'd both start to talk. It was a bit of a blow to my ego, since I'm so used to being That Smart Girl With The Weird Name.
4. Over the years, I've garnered quite the collection of nicknames. Gretch-a-sketch (naturally), Gretch, Gretcher, Gretchie, Fetchin' Gretchen, GretchieGAL, Gretchizzle, and Hen.
5. I've had my own personalized version of "Hey There, Delilah" sung to me on the radio. You see, my friend Dan interned as DJ at his local Minnesotan radio. (Quick backstory on Dan: We met last summer and he could make me laugh like no other person I know. He's on a mission right now in Argentina. He's a couple years younger than me and apparently carried this massive torch for me...but it was sadly unrequited.) Anyhow, he got some friends together for the background vocals and at approximately 2 AM in the morning, the following song airs. "Hey there, Gretchen/What's it like in [hometown], Utah/You're a thousand miles away/But girl, tonight you look so pretty/Yes you dooooo/Temple Square can't shine as bright as you." He even managed to sneak in a "That's What She Said" during his dialogue. The whole thing was so amazingly cool.
6. Remember Recess? And the character Gretchen Grundler? I'm convinced her character was based off of me. In high school, I was a proud member of MESA, because I guess I needed to be even nerdier. So we buy our hoodies and in a moment of dorkiness, I decide to get "Grundler" embroidered on the hood. Two weeks later they arrive and I have one of those "Oh crap what have I done" epiphanies. I spend the rest of the year with the tip of the hood tucked in, so the name isn't visible. I'm not sure what I was so afraid of, becuase I'm sure the fact that I was wearing a Math, Engineering, and Science Achievement sweatshirt entirely NEGATED any minorly geeky cartoon reference I could have made. I still have it, too, but these days? I wear it with pride.
My previous tags (Elise, Marlayna, and KK) still stand, because I haven't seen your six random things yet, girls!
I took these a couple weeks ago during our neuroscience lab on "photography as a tool in science." Yeah, you got me. Still, I had a lot of fun re-living the photography days of my youth. (I won the New Mexico State Reflections Contest in photography during 8th grade, with a completely staged picture of the Lil' Bro whispering secrets to a sunflower. He probably hates me for bringing that up.) Enjoy!
