Average Jane

Author: Average Jane

  • Average Jane Gets Back on Schedule

    On my NaBloPoMo schedule, which I've almost completely ignored so far, Thursdays are set aside for product reviews. Feh. I don't know what I was thinking when I continued that category from last year. Instead I'll talk about books, which more or less fall into the "stuff I like" category.

    I've been continuing my habit of buying books by bloggers lately. Here are some good ones:

    Read any good books lately? Share them!

  • Tired But Happy Average Jane

    After the last two crushingly disappointing presidential elections, I was on pins and needles all day yesterday about the outcome of the latest one.

    I watched the results last night with a group of bloggers and Twitter users while drinking enough wine to ensure that I'll be dragging all day today.

    I don't think there was a dry eye in the room after Obama's speech.

    Yes, we all know there's still a long road ahead, but I don't think there's anything wrong with taking today to savor the victory and contemplate what it can mean for the future of the country.

    It's a good day.

  • Average Jane Agrees with Cute Overload

    VOTE VOTE VOTE Like A Baby Stoat!

    Stoat

    A message that is both weird and pertinent.

    I woke up around 5:30 a.m. today and made it to the polls just as they opened at 6:00 a.m. There were about 30 people in line ahead of me, but the crowd moved swiftly and I was finished in less than 30 minutes.

    I stopped at LaMar's Donuts on my way home and picked up a dozen glazed to share with my co-workers. The lady working there commented on my Obama t-shirt and said she was looking forward to getting off work so she could go vote for him, too.

    I'm looking forward to watching the results with friends tonight. I've even made a batch of pomegranate salsa to take with me.

    So do what the baby stoat's beady little eyes are commanding you to do: GO VOTE!

  • A Side Dish from Average Jane

    Even though Thanksgiving is more than three weeks away, I'm already seeing an uptick in searches for related recipes. Thus, I thought it was an appropriate time to share this recipe that was part of my grandmother's collection.

    This was a popular side dish at Stephenson's Old Apple Farm Restaurant in Independence, Missouri, which just closed last year after being in business for more than 60 years. Without further ado:

    Green Rice

    3 cups cooked rice
    1 cup finely chopped parsley
    1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
    1/3 cup onion, chopped
    1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
    1 large clove garlic, pressed
    1 – 4.5 oz. can evaporated milk
    2 eggs, beaten
    1/2 cup vegetable oil
    1 tsp. salt
    1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
    1/2 tsp. pepper
    Juice and grated rind of one lemon.

    Mix rice, parsley, cheese, onion, green pepper and garlic in greased 2-quart casserole dish. Blend remaining ingredients and mix into rice. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes. Makes 10 servings.

  • It’s Picture Day for Average Jane

    Today we're having band photos taken so that our lead guitarist and bass player will exist in our marketing materials. Our last photos only included four out of five band members because of the band photos curse. Now one of those four people is gone, too.

    Our photographer will be local blogger Waldo Oiseau, and we're heading to the West Bottoms in search of gritty, industrial settings.

    Today is photo day on my blog according to my NaBloPoMo schedule. This week I've been to a Halloween party, a burlesque show, and a pet adoption event at a home show. Did I take photos of any of those things? Why, no.

    So here's a photo of the enormous oak tree in my backyard. Its fall colors are especially beautiful this year.

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  • Average Jane Tackles NaBloPoMo Again

    In an effort to revive my ailing blog, I've decided to do NaBloPoMo for the third year in a row. That means a post a day all throughout November.

    Last year I set up a post theme schedule for myself and I believe it would help if I did so again, so here it is:
    Mondays – Recipes
    Tuesdays – Childhood photos and memories.
    Wednesdays – Memes – So if you have some, please tag me!
    Thursdays – Stuff I Like/Product Reviews
    Fridays – Potpourri (Whatever I feel like writing – just like a regular day!)
    Saturday – Caturday
    Sunday – Photos

    I'm going to kick this off by completely ignoring the schedule and posting about something I did last week.

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    I was invited to a special sneak preview of the new Fork & Screen theaters inside AMC Studio 30 in Olathe. This is the countertop in front of each row of seats in the Fork & Screen theaters. There's a menu of entree, snack and drink items that you can order from your seat and have delivered by the waitstaff. I'd brought in a Guinness from their huge bar, MacGuffins, that's in the lobby of that wing of the theater. 

    The counter is both a plus and a minus. It's great to have someplace to set your food and drinks, but unless you're about six feet tall, you have to sit up pretty straight to be able to see over it (which is why I tipped the ketchup over). If you are taller, like my husband, you end up banging your knee repeatedly on the bottom edge of the countertop.

    It's still pretty cool, though. The prices are fairly reasonable and the tickets to the Fork & Screen showings cost the same as regular movie tickets.

    They've also added some ultra-fancy Cinema Select theaters with cushy recliners, 8-foot deep rows and the same meal and drink service as the Fork & Screen theaters. Those tickets cost $10 more with a $5 food and drink coupon included, so it might be fun to go there for a movie you've really been looking forward to.

    The movie we saw there was RocknRolla which is not really the kind of movie I generally go for, but entertaining enough once I eventually figured out who everyone was from the confusingly huge cast of characters. 

    Most of all, it put this song in my head every time I thought of the movie title:

    Yes that's Judas Priest in 1975, back when Rob Halford was still referred to as "Bob" on the album cover. If you only listen, they sound like the heavy metal band you'd expect. It just took their look a while to evolve.

  • Average Jane’s Band Acquires A Fan

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    (click to enlarge)

    While Earthquake Jake played last Friday, one of our audience members drew this. Thanks, Bette!

  • Average Jane and Her Nephew

    I spent Sunday afternoon and evening hanging out with my three-year-old nephew while my sister and brother-in-law went to a social event. My eight-year-old niece was around for a while, but once I helped her put on her witch makeup, she was off to a Halloween event with a friend.

    My nephew cracks me up. He's at the age where he does goofy things for no reason other than that they're funny. He's also in an "I love everyone" stage, which translates to lots of hugs and kisses. 

    It's obvious that he has a lot of imagination, but he's still a little difficult to understand when he's running through his ideas a mile a minute. We went for a walk and he started telling me about the "ladybug trees" and the "Mexican(?) trees" as we crunched through the fallen leaves. I think he was talking about trees with red leaves and trees with green and red leaves, but I may be reading too much into it. 

    It was a little chilly and windy outside, so on the way back I promised him we'd have hot chocolate when we got back to his house. He seemed very excited about it, but once I actually produced said beverage, he poked at the whipped cream with his finger and stirred the hot chocolate endlessly with a spoon, but never really drank any. When I asked him why, he said, "It's not healthy for my body."

    What a little con artist. I burst out laughing at the sheer absurdity of a child who is constantly asking for "snacks and treats" pulling out the healthy food card.

    It's been a long time since I made the decision that I wasn't going to have any children of my own, but my niece and nephew have a special place in my heart that I didn't realize was empty until they came along. Every chance I get to spend with them is a wonderful treat.

    Cross-posted to Savvy Auntie.

  • Average Jane is Very Tired

    My band played last night to a good-sized crowd in a smoky bar in Lake Lotawana, Missouri. I thought I had a couple of groups of friends coming out to hear us, but nobody showed up. I don't really blame them because it's quite a drive from Kansas City proper.

    This morning I woke up at 8 (after going to bed at 3) because AT&T was scheduled to install internet, cable and phone service. Unfortunately, it turned out that they couldn't switch the phone over on a Saturday, so I basically interrupted my sleep for nothing. Their tech was very nice, though, and enamored of our cats. She said she'd been a vet tech before she became a cable installer.

    So now I'm awake and very tired but not really sleepy. My ears are still ringing from last night, albeit not as much as they would be if I hadn't worn earplugs through most of the sets. At some point I need to go to the grocery store to get ingredients for a chili cook-off I'm attending later today. Then I need to go to a different grocery store because my main store doesn't carry the milk I like.

    My tentative plan is to get my shopping out of the way, start the chili cooking, and take a nap while it simmers. Oh, and watch last night's "Ghost Whisperer," even though I'm hating the substitution of Jamie Kennedy for Jay Mohr. Somebody get that man some acting lessons!

    Okay, I just read over everything I've written so far and it's obvious that I'm not operating at full capacity. I think that's a sign I should try to go back to bed and save everything else for later. Goodnight again!

  • Average Jane in the Fall

    Ever since fall began to set in, I've had a hell of a time getting out of bed in the morning. My usual wakeup times of 5:30, 6:00, 6:30, come and go as I remain burrito'ed in my covers.

    When I sleep in, I end up having vivid, complicated dreams all morning long. This morning my dream was a variation on a recurring dream that I've discovered new rooms in my house that I never knew existed. In this case, I was staying at a house with a bunch of relatives, bunked uncomfortably with someone else. I started walking down the hallway and found two more bedrooms that we weren't using. One was rather plain, but comfortable. The other was in a beautiful room with lots of windows and had an ornately carved wooden bed. Unfortunately, the room was so cold that nobody would want to sleep there.

    It's not surprising that I would dream about relatives this month. My late mother and grandmother both had October birthdays. My cousin and his dad also have birthdays in October, so we always used to have annual get-togethers to celebrate them all at once.  Another uncle – my mother's brother – passed away just last week, which will be another touchpoint of October sadness for the family.

    I always forget how much the gloom affects me as the days get shorter and colder. I need to kick up the multi-vitamins, keep the exercise going and make sure to spend time outside whenever the sun is shining. As tempting as it is to stay in bed all day, I have stuff to do!