Quick Update & People Magazine

First of all, despite the "undivided" title of this blog, I've decided it's quite possible that not all my readers are interested in long lists of giveaways. For that reason, I've created another blog for listing giveaways. I'll post links to new giveaway posts here, perhaps, but the whole lists don't necessarily belong here. The giveaway listings can be found here.

And now, to the People magazine story. Today, I went to the dentist (which I HATE) and was flipping through magazines in the waiting room. My choices were an Avon catalogue, Better Homes And Gardens, a copy of Readers Digest that I'd already read at my grandmother's house, and a few copies of People. I picked up a copy of People, and read mindless celebrity gossip (why are people famous for doing nothing? Famous for talent, I get, but, Paris Hilton? Nicole Ritchie? Kim Kardashian? Someone explain, please!) for a few minutes, when I noticed something:

A topless model in an ad for maternity clothes was wearing a wedding ring.

Why did I notice? I wasn't sure at first, but then I flipped through the rest of the magazine and realized that none of the other ads featured models wearing obvious wedding rings. Okay, some of them might have been wearing wedding rings but the crop of the final photo didn't show their left hands--but no ads except the maternity clothes and an ad for cotton featuring Zooey Deschanel (who actually is married, I think, and a celebrity, not a nameless model for the purpose of advertising).

So what does that say? I would assume that marketing firms have done research into this, that it wasn't an arbitrary decision, because few decisions in advertising in marketing are arbitrary. I guess it means that people feel like a pregnant woman needs to be married.

Is that good or bad? Well, I think having two parents is probably good, but marriage isn't necessary. Mostly, I just think it's really interesting that NONE of the other models wore wedding rings, just the pregnant (well, she probably wasn't really pregnant) one. Interesting comment on society, I guess.

I don't have a lot to say about it, really; I just noticed it and wanted to point it out. If you have any further thoughts, I'd love to hear them!

More Winning On The Internet!

Okay, people, seriously, I'm a little addicted to internet giveaways. Since the last post, I've won two books and a gift certificate to a  vinyl wall decorations store (that's Dali Decals, and the giveaway was from Sugar Pop Ribbons--great site, by the way!). I promise real content soon, but, for the moment....

There's some really cool wineglasses being given away at Sweet, Mysterious Feast. They're really lovely, and I suggest you check out the giveaway here.

I'd also like to point you towards The Hiding Spot, where there's a really fantastic giveaway going on. You can win books! Who doesn't love books? Enter it here.

You can also win a Progresso soup gift set from CorgiPants by entering here!

Also, head over to Sophistikatied Reviews for a chance to win one of two fantastic-looking books, Brightly Woven and The Dark Divine. Both look amazing!

At Simple Sage Designs, you can win a really gorgeous pillow! Enter here.

At Mama Mirage's Reviews And Giveaways, you can win a custom-engraved stone from Adirondack! Enter here.

Hurry, this one ends today (1/11)! Win a $40 GC to Joy Of Soap from Sugar Pop Ribbons here.

Win a pillow pet from Blissful Bee--these are really cute! Enter here.

Win a $15 Language Lizard gift certificate from Simply Stacie. Enter here!

Wonda Wedges is a cool looking product that would make a lot of things (sitting on anything without a back--the floor, a bed, whatever!) way more comfortable. And, you can win one from A Mom's Balancing Act! Enter here.

Alphabet Photography has some really gorgeous stuff! A Mom's Balancing Act is giving away a framed "Home" piece of art. Enter here.

Win a heart charm bracelet from Blissful Bee! Enter here.

Win a String Ring from Blissful Bee! I love these! Enter here.

Blissful Bee is also hosting a My Lip Stuff lip balm giveaway! Enter that one here.

Mama Mirage's Reviews & Giveaways is having a giveaway for some cute girly stuff right now. Go here to enter!

Win a book! Corked has a great cover. The giveaway is at Simply Stacie here.

Also from Simply Stacie, win some really cute socks from Ozone! Enter here.

You can also win tasty single serve Michael Seasons snacks from Simply Stacie by entering here.

Win Falke leggings from Living Smart Girl! Enter here.

Win a beautiful cashmere shawl from Nimli at the Veater Family blog! Enter here.

Win a $25 Dennys Gift Certificate from Kidglue here!

Win a mattress! Okay, yeah, it seems a little random, but who couldn't use a super comfy new mattress? It's a Sealy Posturpedic Mattress, and the giveaway is hosted by From Dates To Diapers here.

This one ends tonight! Win a funny T-shirt of your choice from Snorg Tees and Mommy2TwoGirls! Enter here.

Also from Mommy2TwoGirls and Earthworks, you can win hand cream and soap! Enter here.

Win an Energizer To Go Power Pack from The Clan Mcleod! Enter here.

And from Trying to Stay Calm, win a Skin 2 Skin Care package! Enter here.

Win a $10 Pizza Hut gift card from Our Ordinary Life! Enter here.

Enter to win a personalized spina bifida awareness necklace here.

At Krasey Beauty, you can enter a "krasey" awesome giveaway for a beauty package worth almost a thousand dollars! Details here.

This post will be updated in the near future with more giveaways!

What's In An Envelope?

My friend Naomi and I have started a new project that we're calling What's In An Envelope. Basically, we want to see what kinds of interesting things people can fit into envelopes and send us. Letters, photographs, drawings, poems, stories, mix CDs, be creative--anything you can think of! We'll post what we get on the blog.

We'll leave self-addressed stamped envelopes in bookstores, on trains, maybe even just stick them in random mailboxes, with notes explaining the project, but if this sounds at all interesting to you and you don't happen to find an envelope, we'd LOVE you to contribute to this project. You can email me at pearcejm@gmail.com for an address to send your envelope (any size) to.

I'd also be eternally grateful to anyone spreading the world by blogging about the project, tweeting the link, or just telling your friends about it.

Feedback welcome! You can check out the website here.

An Exciting Day In Books

Today was an exciting day in books. I have NINE books that I didn't have when the day started. This is not a great habit for someone who moves between continents every few months with two suitcases, but I'm still excited. So, in case you share my excitement, this is what I have:

Meg Cabot, Queen Of Babble:

Bryan Peterson, Learning To See Creatively: Design, Color & Composition in Photography:

John Hedgecoe, The Book Of Photography:

Robin Maxwell, O Juliet:

Karen Brichoux, Coffee & Kung Fu

Don Kulick & Anne Meneley (Editors), Fat: The Anthropology Of An Obsession:

Bruce Chatwin, What Am I Doing Here:

Rayda Jacobs, Postcards From South Africa:

David Schickler, Kissing In Manhattan:

And that's all, folks :) Let me know if you've read any & have an opinion on which I should read first!

Winning Things On The Internet

I'm kind of on a roll with the internet luck lately. I've won fudge, postcards, a book, a laptop case, a drawing set, and several other things. It's like Christmas all over again!

You, too, can win internet giveaways! Just enter.

First up on my list of links today, a quesadilla maker!! How awesome is that? I am pretty sure it qualifies as extremely awesome. Enter here.

Next up, a lunchbox! That may not sound too exciting, but wait until you hear this: the inside of the lunchbox is a whiteboard! You can write messages in it! Enter here. And, okay, technically this is for children but I am a legal adult and I think it is awesome.

I'd also like to point you in the direction of this contest to win some earrings.

And, check out Katie's Book Blog for a chance to win a couple of great books, Need and Captivate by Carrie Jones! Enter here.

I'd also suggest book lovers enter an awesome contest at In Which A Girl Reads: there will be three winners who will choose 1-3 books from a selection of 25, and there are a lot of awesome choices in there! Seriously, do yourself a favor and go check it out.

Win some cool lip balm, too! Lots and lots of flavors. This is another one from Peaches' Reviews and Giveaways. Enter here. There's another kind of lip balm being given away at the Frugal Housewife--enter that one here.

You can also win a $100 gift certificate to CSN Stores from Running Just As Fast As I Can! Enter here.

Also from CSN stores, you can win a cool serving tray from the Long Haul by entering here.

On Sugar Pop Ribbons, you can win a really cool flower necklace! Enter here.

Dali Decals has some super cool wall decorations, and Sugar Pop Ribbons is giving away a gift card! Enter here.

And who wouldn't want to win a $10 Wal Mart gift card? They have everything there! You can enter for a chance to win one here, from Let's Just Give It Away.

Also from Let's Just Give It Away, check out another cool lip balm giveaway here!

Win a shirt from Alight.com and The Single Mama Review corner by entering here!

Win chocolate from Sugar Pop Ribbons by entering here! Who doesn't love chocolate? Well, my uncle, but he's just weird... :P

Also from Sugar Pop Ribbons, you can win a $100 Gift Certificate to Stella & Dot jewelry! Lots of awesome stuff. Enter here.

Again, from Sugar Pop Ribbons, you can win a $25 gift certificate to Joyful Girl Naturals. Enter here.

Sugar Pop Ribbons always has lots of giveaways, and I'd also like to point you in the direction of this one for healthy cookies!

Win bean bags! Enter here.

Here's another Softlips lip balm giveaway from The Single Mama Review Corner!

Win a backpack from The Single Mama Review Corner, too! Enter this one here.

And enter here for a chance to win Everyday Minerals makeup!

Win earrings from Bride on a Budget! Enter here.

Win a book of your choice or a $20 Amazon gift certificate here.

And, of course, this post will continue to be updated until I post something else.

Pens, Paper, And Planners, Oh My!

I really like office supplies. It might be a little weird, but I'm not alone; there are entire blogs devoted to office supplies! Kindred spirits.

I'm pretty happy with my pens right now. Aside from the cheap ballpoints I leave everywhere just in case I need to write something down, I use Sharpie pens and a couple of fountain pens. But, I'm always finding new notebooks & trying to find purposes for them! I really love notebooks. Like, excessively. Aside from the blogs linked to before, I have a couple of friends who share this love, so in case you're not one of them, it's not as weird as it sounds! I swear.

Right now, I have a few in-use notebooks: a 2010 planner from Target, a large squared Moleskine, a small plain Moleskine, a large Moleskine cahier, a cheap spiral notebook, and a couple of journal-type notebooks that don't really have good names or descriptions or origins (they were gifts).

I use them for a few things; the small plain Moleskine is for quotes, the planner is for, well, plans I suppose--appointments, assignments, to-dos, you know, the Moleskine cahier is what I carry in my purse for any thoughts/notes/doodles/etc., the cheap spiral is the Postsecret project notebook, the large squared Moleskine is for "focused journaling," and the two journals are a bucket list and a rambling journal.

That's a lot to have going at once, I suppose, but I have even more blank notebooks that I REALLY want to have a use for. Three one-subject Mead Five Star spiral notebooks (with nice plastic covers instead of cardboard) that I got on sale & thus couldn't resist, another Moleskine cahier, an eight-subject Miquelrius notebook, a blank silk-covered book, a notebook from Barnes and Noble....I really like all of these notebooks, too. And I keep looking at them, trying to imagine what I can use them for, because they just call out to be written in, but I can't come up with anything!

So I'm asking for your help, fellow notebook lovers. What do you use your notebooks for?

The new year....

People don't keep new year's resolutions. Well, okay, some of us do, but most of us fail anywhere from a day to six months into our resolutions. We don't write every day or exercise regularly or whatever it is we've promised ourselves we'll do in the coming year.

But we still keep making resolutions. We still keep thinking that's going to  change, that this year will be the year we finally write a novel or lose 20 pounds or save our pennies long enough so that we get to take that dream vacation to Argentina.

Why do we do it? Why do we keep resolving to learn new languages, climb mountains, and watch less television?

Hope. Faith. Habit. Because we're all crazy, doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. Maybe we know we'll probably fail, but if we don't try, we'll most definitely fail.

Are you making resolutions this year? Why?

Twitter

So, I don't quite get the whole Twitter thing, but lately I'm a little obsessed with entering online giveaways (see: two posts ago). Mostly it's just that I have nothing to do and I might as well try to win something. And a lot of those giveaways give extra Twitter-related entries! So you'll find a lot of my tweets to be about various online contests and giveaways. But, if you want to follow me, you can find me on Twitter here.

Comment trouble?

I've just gotten an email from someone having trouble commenting here. So, I'd like to ask anyone with the time to try to leave a comment, anywhere on the blog, and send me an email at pearcejm@gmail.com if it doesn't work. Thanks for your help!

Other Giveaways

Today I'm very into entering contests & giveaways....I'm sharing some of them here for two reasons: one, so you can enter, and two, so I can selfishly get extra entries to some of them :)

Win a $20 Target Gift Certificate From Seattle Mom Blogs: Click Here. All you have to do is suggest a baby product!

Win fudge here. Very, very tasty looking fudge. And here's another chance at winning fudge!

Win a DVD player here. It's the personal portable kind, good for long trips.

Enter the Cream Perfume Giveaway at At The Fence here! Check out another Cream Perfume giveaway here. I've never tried these products, but the reviews are good.

Win a Marshalls/TJ Maxx Gift Card here! Gift cards are highly exciting.

Win a CVS gift card here. Again, who doesn't love gift cards?

Win a Blush Topless Undershirt here. This is a neat-looking product, I suggest you check it out.

Win a cool vinyl wall decoration here. Very cool.

Win a scarf here. I have a bit of a weakness for scarves. I love them.

Win healthy cookies here. Cookies are great, and you don't have to feel guilty for eating these!

Win a charm bracelet here. And, another chance here. Lots of choices, a charm for everything!

Win a pretty pendant from Helix Elemental Jewelry here!

I know this will appeal to everyone--you can win a $20 Amazon gift card from Peaches' Reviews and Giveaways here.

You can also win a cool laptop sleeve or wine carrier from Peaches' Reviews and Giveaways here. These are not only neat looking products, but also environmentally friendly!

You can also enter to win a 10 dollar Blockbuster gift certificate from Couponing for 4 here!

I'll be updating this post as I find more, as long as it's the newest post on my blog. If I post something else, so this is no longer at the top of the page, I'll start a new giveaways post.