Average Jane

Author: Average Jane

  • Average Jane in Las Vegas

    Hello all! BlogWorld Expo wrapped up yesterday, but I'm still in Las Vegas for one more day. It was great to meet a bunch of cool new social media people and touch base with old friends. I took copious notes at all the sessions I attended and I'll be posting them and links to the people I met when I get back.

    There's one thing about my trip this time that's different than previous trips to Las Vegas that I've taken: my feet don't hurt anywhere near as much as usual.

    I've still been doing a lot of walking, but because my footwear of choice these days is Converse Chuck Taylors, I decided to purchase some Dr. Scholl's gel insoles before I left home.

    I've always cringed at and made fun of the "Gellin'" commercials, so I'm here to say that I officially eat my words because my feet feel a zillion times better than I had any reason to expect. You'll never get me to agree that the phrase "Gellin' like Magellan" isn't completely stupid, but the product itself definitely works as advertised.

    Today my plan is to check my bags with the front desk and spend the day exploring and shopping. I'd like to see if I can find some good stage clothes for my upcoming gigs this weekend (Friday / Saturday).

    So far I've spent exactly $1 gambling (20 cents at a time in a penny slot machine – I was up to $5.20 at one point!) and I might go crazy and spend another dollar before I leave town.

    I'm looking forward to getting home to snuggle with the cats and sleep in tomorrow before I go back to work on Wednesday. More tomorrow!

  • Average Jane on RESPECT!

    UPDATE: Unfortunately, most of the information from the original post is now outdated. If you're looking for resources related to family violence, here are some more current ones.

    Teen Drug Evolution: A Parent’s Resource Guide
    http://www.lakeviewhealth.com/teen-drug-evolution-a-parents-resource-guide.php

    Family Violence Prevention & Services Resource Centers
    http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/fv-centers

    Protect Your Child: Health Plans in the U.S. for Minors
    http://blog.ehealthmedicare.com/media-center/infographics/?pid=1

    Futures Without Violence
    http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/

    * * *

    Who do you respect? What does the word "respect" mean to you? Those were two questions asked of various BlogHer Conference attendees and recorded on video last July at the Macy's reception.

    Now their answers are available on YouTube as part of the Family Violence Prevention Fund's RESPECT! public awareness campaign focused on preventing violence by starting with the simple act of giving respect.

    Today, September 19, 2008, has been designated National RESPECT! Day, and you can help by:

    If you donate at least $5 today, you'll receive a Macy's Shop for a Cause savings pass valid all day Saturday, September 20th in stores and online.

    Now I'm headed to BlogWorld Expo to meet up with a bunch of people I respect very much. Have a great weekend!

  • Baking With Average Jane

    In honor of my sister's birthday later this week, I thought I'd share a recipe for one of my favorite cakes, Chocolate Ice Cream Cakeroll. I've been making it for many years and it always goes over well.

    Although it calls for vanilla ice cream, I've made it with peppermint ice cream for Christmas or mint chocolate chip ice cream just because I like it. Really, you can use any kind of ice cream that complements the chocolate cake.

    Chocolate Ice Cream Cakeroll

    4 separated eggs
    1/2 cup flour
    1/2 cup sugar
    1/4 tsp. salt
    1 tbsp. sugar
    1/2 tsp. baking soda
    1/3 cup water
    1 tsp. vanilla extract
    1 quart vanilla ice cream
    1/3 cup baking cocoa

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line jelly roll pan with foil and grease well. Beat egg yolks 3 minutes, add 1/2 cup sugar and beat 2 more minutes. Mix flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; mix together with water, vanilla extract and egg yolks. Beat egg whites until foamy, add 1 tablespoon sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Fold into chocolate mixture. Spread batter into pan. Bake 14-16 minutes. Invert onto damp towel. Carefully peel off foil. Roll cake in towel and let stand one minute. Unroll, remove towel and re-roll. Cool on wire rack while rolled up. Unroll and spread with softened ice cream. Roll and fill in the ends with additional ice cream. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in freezer for several hours or overnight. Slice and serve.

  • Average Jane’s Fun Weekend

    This was the first weekend in several weeks that I felt well enough to go do stuff, so I packed in as much activity as I could.

    On Friday night, my husband and I met up with our rhythm guitarist and checked out the club where we're playing on September 26th. It's small and the stage is shaped weird, but I'm sure we can make it work. One of the patrons randomly asked me if I were a goth. I didn't think black hair alone qualified someone for that label, but perhaps things are different in small towns.

    On the way home, my husband and I also stopped by the club where we're playing on the 27th.

    After that late night, I still had to roll out of bed around 7:00 a.m. the next morning to walk the Helen Gold 5k. It was a little drizzly out, but I had an easy time of it.

    I followed the walk with a few hours of volunteer time with The Animal Rescue Alliance at one of their adoption events. For most of that time, I sat with the dogs in the play area and watched them run around. I did have time to fall in love with a kitten, though. She was one of the darkest torties I've ever seen; very calm and cuddly. None of the chaos in the store bothered her at all, although she was very interested in the cages of mice next to her kennel. The group asked if I'd be interested in fostering her, but I think if she's still unclaimed by the time I get back from BlogWorld Expo, I may just adopt her.

    I got home around 1:15 and woke my husband so we could have breakfast and go to Musician's Friend to buy a sub and a crossover for our PA.

    In the evening, I had two friends and my sister over for a game night. We played Scattergories and The 90s Game, and ate corn chowder, cheese dip and coconut lime bars. It was a very low-key and pleasant evening.

    I got up at my usual time on Sunday and made a strawberry Jell-o pretzel dessert that we could take to my husband's family reunion later in the day. He was raised by his mother's family and this reunion was of his late father's side of the family, most of whom he doesn't really know. He was surprised to find out how many aunts and uncles he has from all over the country. Everyone was very happy to see him and said he looked just like his dad. After seeing some of his relatives, I think he got his nose, forehead and curly hair from his dad's side, and his chin and eyes from his mom.

    We finished out the day with band practice, which went relatively well. I think (hope!) we're on track for our first two gigs.

    See what I mean? Looks like my weekends of lying around reading and watching TV have ended, at least for now. What did you do this weekend?

  • Has Average Jane Ever…?

    This is only the second post after my little break and I'm already cheating! Tsk, tsk.

    I picked this one up from Zandria. She'd cut some questions out from the original source, but I thought her edits were good so I'm leaving the list at nineteen, even though some of my answers are a little dull.

    Have you ever…

    1. gone on a blind date?
    No.

    2. skipped school?
    I skipped school one time when I was in high school. My boyfriend lived about six blocks from my school (although, oddly, he went to a different school). We hatched a plan wherein I took the bus to school and then walked to his house. I'm pretty sure his mother was in collusion with us. Because I had such a reputation for being a goody two-shoes, I didn't even get in trouble for it. When the office called me in to ask about my absence, I just said, "Didn't my mom call you?" and they let slide.

    3. watched someone die?
    No, unless you count being there when various cats of mine were euthanized.

    4. been on the opposite side of your country?
    I live right smack in the middle, but I've been to both coasts.

    5. swam in the ocean?
    Yes, I've swum in the ocean in Florida, South Carolina and Jamaica.

    6. had your booze taken away by the cops?
    No, but when I was a teenager, I remember groups of us getting rousted from our local park by the park police for being "too noisy." I don't think we were doing much drinking then, just hanging out and playing our car stereos.

    7. lettered in high school sport?
    I am one of the least athletic people you will ever meet, but when I was in junior high school I struggled through two years on the track team. The first year, they put me on speed events such as sprints and relays, but I was too slow. Then they moved me to distance events, but I had no endurance. Shotput and other weight events were out of the question because I wasn't strong enough. On the third year, I stepped back and became a team manager, for which I received a letter.

    8. played cops and robbers?
    Not specifically. My sister and I were more into playing with Barbies or Fisher-Price people.

    9. sung karaoke?
    Yes, I'll sing karaoke on occasion. However, I generally try to stay away from it, not only because most karaoke singers are horrible, but because it takes money away from live bands like mine.

    10. paid for a meal with coins only?
    Definitely! I've paid for gas that way, too, but not since I was in college.

    11. made prank phone calls?
    I've never done the "Prince Albert in a can" type of prank calls, but my sister and I used to take turns getting on the phone with my boyfriend. Our voices are very similar and he couldn't tell who was who.

    12. laughed until some sort of beverage came out of your nose?
    Oh yes!

    13. written a letter to Santa Claus?
    I'm sure I did write a letter to Santa Claus at one point, considering that I have evidence of my correspondence with the Tooth Fairy.

    14. watched the sunrise with someone you care about?
    No, I don't recall ever staying up specifically to watch the sun rise.

    15. been kissed under the mistletoe?
    Yes, particularly because I tend to forget to take it down after Christmas. That hasn't happened lately, though, because I didn't decorate at all last year.

    16. ever been arrested?
    No, but I've bailed people out of jail.

    17. gone ice skating?
    I used to take ice skating lessons as a child, but they all wore off by the time I needed them. When I was in college, I went on a first date with a guy and he took me ice skating. Within the first few minutes of being on the ice, my feet slipped out from under me and I fell backward, hitting my head on the ice *hard*. All that money for skate rental and admission wasted…

    18. been skinny dipping outdoors?
    No. Nor indoors.

    19. been on TV?
    Yes, I was on the news once as part of a story about a science fiction convention I was attending. I was also interviewed for a basic cable show about cars when I was at an event with the local Porsche Club. Oh, and I was in a TV commercial for a car dealer around the time I was in junior high.

    Well, that was an interesting trip down memory lane. It's interesting that many of those things happened a really long time ago. If you decide to pick up this meme, leave a comment so I can read what you said.

  • What Do You Know? It’s Average Jane.

    I didn't intend to take a blogging break, but I'm living through one of those times when every day is pretty much the same and not really worth talking about. On top of that, I haven't felt very well for the last couple of weeks, so it got easy to let the blog (and Twitter, for that matter), slide a bit.

    So here's some miscellanea that covers the past several days.

    My cover band's new bass player is working out well and making the band sound tighter than before, even though he's just starting to learn the songs. We took a stab at setting up the PA at last night's band practice. Um, yeah. I'm glad my husband has a friend who used to work as a professional sound man. We're going to need to consult with him on a few things.

    I guess it's not too early to start promoting my band's gig on September 26th. You'll find a flier here. It's a small club, but we're hoping to pack it pretty full, particularly because we're already booked there again in October.

    In household news, we got a bid from the contractor for the remodeling of our guest room, repair of our garage ceiling and removal of the ivy that's taking over our deck and garage. It sounds reasonable, so I think we're ready to accept it and get started whenever the crew is available. Now I just need to choose colors and materials and start thinking about furniture.

    I'm really enjoying the fall weather – I think it may be my favorite season. My sister and I went shopping in Parkville last weekend and decided that we need to make a point of attending some Oktoberfests this year with my niece and nephew. The Applefest in Weston is always a good one. Mmm, apple turnovers with vanilla ice cream!

    The autumn chill is also putting me in the mood to cook heartier food. It's about time for bierocks and I can sense a batch of minestrone in my near future as well.

    In fact, I may make minestrone on Saturday evening for the attendees of a board game night I'm having. I tried to organize a spur-of-the-moment game night last Saturday, but didn't manage to round anyone up then. I'm hoping to have more luck this weekend.

    Well, I think I've rambled enough. Have a great Wednesday and we'll assume this marks my return to a regular posting schedule.

  • Average Jane Listens to Music

    As part of our creativity symposium at work today, Stanley Jordan performed and spoke about creativity in terms of music. I’ve been a fan of his since his first album came out in 1985, and watching him play live was nothing short of amazing.

    Enjoy his jazz-flavored performance of Led Zeppelin’s "Stairway to Heaven:"

  • Quick Average Jane Update

    Last night we auditioned our rhythm guitarist’s brother to take over on bass. I’ve known him since we were both teenagers because he played rhythm guitar and sang in a band with my mom back then.

    Long story short, it looks like he’s going to work out great. He’ll to have to hustle to learn all the tunes in just a few weeks, but he’s willing to put in the effort.

    If you’re in the Kansas City area and I haven’t already invited you to the "Sleep is for the Weak" book signing with my friends, editor Rita Arens of Surrender, Dorothy and contributor Kelli Oliver George of Rancid Raves, it’s tomorrow (Thursday, September 4th) from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble store on the Plaza. Here’s the Facebook fan page with other cities’ signings listed. Help support your local bloggers!

    I’m going to keep this short because I’m heading into work early today
    and will no doubt be there late. My company puts on an annual two-day
    creative symposium where the office shuts down and everyone goes to an
    auditorium to hear interesting speakers and presenters discuss
    creativity. This year’s symposium begins tomorrow, which means I have
    to finish my week’s work today.

    Have a lovely Wednesday (can you believe it’s Wednesday?). Talk amongst yourselves.

  • Average Jane’s Frustrating Hobby

    We started our current band in late November of 2007. We are now on our third lead guitarist and I just learned that we need to immediately begin a search for our fourth bass player. This despite the fact that we finally have four sets ready and gigs booked.

    In the immortal words of Roseanne Roseannadanna, "It’s always something."

    All bands are creative endeavors, even if the members are "just" playing other bands’ music. That means there are four or five creative temperaments struggling to get along, form a consensus, communicate effectively, and put in the necessary amount of work to make everything sound and look good.

    The process can (and will) break down at any point. As I’ve mentioned before, band photos seem to hold a special power to curse a band into losing a member or breaking up. Recording can have the same effect; I’ve had band members freak out at the prospect of recording the demo in a studio. Oftentimes a band member will quit right as gigs are being booked or right after the band plays its first gig.

    Let’s not forget the expense. As the lead vocalist, I own the PA system (speakers, amps, mixing board, power conditioner, effects units, microphones, and all the cables necessary to hook everything up). As of last weekend, I am now the proud owner of stage lights as well. I sprang for professional photos a while back, not to mention printing and mailing supplies for our promo packets and some awesome Moo cards that now have outdated photos on them. At this point, I’d have to play at least a dozen $100 a night gigs just to recoup my investment from the past year, much less turn a profit.

    Fortunately, that’s not the point of the whole process. I love finding fun songs and finding out how they sound when I sing them. I enjoy performing in front of an audience backed by a loud, energetic band. Most of all, I value the friendships I’ve made with people I’ve played with, even when things haven’t worked out musically or business-wise.

    So, we’ll find another bass player – probably a really good one who’s been holding out for a band that already has gigs lined up. I’ll edit our new Facebook fan page when the time comes and replace one guy’s photo and bio with another. We’ll continue sending our demo to local clubs and gathering new bookings.

    It’s frustrating, but it’s always better to have band members who want to be there. See you at the clubs!

  • Average Jane’s Permanently Altered Housewares

    Here’s a funny story about an unexpected functional change in my Pampered Chef Chillzanne platter brought about last week. As it happens, the tray was too large to fit into my current freezer anyway, so no harm, no foul.

    It reminded me of another incident that happened years ago. We had company coming over and I didn’t really have time to wash dishes, so I put my large cutting board, a painted holiday tray and some other miscellaneous housewares in the oven to get them out of the way. I’m sure you see where this is going.

    A day or so later, my husband decided to turn on the oven and cook something. It was probably the first time he’d ever turned on the oven since I’d known him. Naturally, he didn’t look first and was only alerted to his mistake by acrid smoke pouring from the oven vents.

    He called me at work to confess and I got really miffed about the whole thing. My friends who overheard the conversation were actually surprised that I was so angry because I’m usually pretty mellow. Truth is, I was just as mad at myself as I was at my husband. It was my own laziness that started the chain of events.

    I don’t think I ever cut corners on house cleaning in that particular way again.

    So let’s hear your memorable stories of destroyed, damaged, lost or stolen housewares. I know you have some.