Average Jane

Blog

  • Average Jane Belongs To A Gang

    One of the weirdest things that blogging and Twitter have wrought upon my life is that I now belong to a sizeable social group wherein almost everyone goes by an alias.

    Yesterday I had lunch with Spyder and Hoochimama.

    Last weekend I went to an Elvis-themed party at XO's house and ate grilled peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwiches with PrincessofWorld, Toast, Spyder, Kanga, Banky, Thundabolt and Well Hell Michelle. Sponge showed up right after we left.

    The weekend before that, I played Battlestar Galactica at PrincessofWorld's house with Banky, Logtar and Betizuka. CodeRigger, QueenTuffy, KipKillagin, TaraCuda and Imaginary_Mark were there, too. Kinda sounds like everyone was imaginary, doesn't it? 

    I call almost everyone in the group by their actual first names. Some of them call me by my real name; others call me Jane or A.J. I'll answer to any of them.

    Renaming myself is not a new development. When I was the staff
    writer for a small teen magazine right after college, I wrote a lot of
    articles under various pseudonyms so it would look like they had more
    writers. In my early band days, I used the stage name "B.C. Irons." In
    fact, when I first met my husband, he called me B.C. for quite some
    time before he got used to my real name.

    My husband has been using a stage name for decades, but has never legally changed his name. Even his family and old friends mostly
    call him by the name he chose for himself; most other people would
    never know unless they looked at his driver's license or checkbook.

    Having
    lots of non-musician friends with nicknames – that's a new development.
    It doesn't help that I've always been bad about remembering names and
    now I have to learn TWO names for everyone…and remember who prefers
    not to have his or her real name mentioned online.

    I love my new gang, but I can't help stopping now and then to think about how odd the names must seem to anyone who isn't steeped in the world of social media. Fortunately, I'm rather odd myself.

  • Average Jane Makes Chicken Soup

    It's been a long time since I posted a recipe, so I thought I would share my sister's chicken soup recipe that I have shamelessly stolen. In fact, I made it for dinner tonight.

    Chicken Alphabet Soup

    1 package boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs.)
    2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    1 large onion, finely chopped
    4-6 cloves garlic, pressed
    3 ribs of celery, sliced
    4-6 carrots, peeled and sliced
    Other vegetables as available*
    1/2 cup dried alphabet or tiny star noodles
    Chicken stock and/or chicken soup base**
    Ground black pepper and parsley to taste

    Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place chicken breasts in a baking pan, cover with foil and bake until cooked through, approximately 30 minutes. In the meantime, prep vegetables and heat oil in a large soup pot. Saute onion, garlic, celery and carrots until onion is translucent. Add chicken stock or water until pot is 3/4 full and bring to a boil. When chicken breasts are ready, remove from pan, chop into 1/4" cubes and add to soup pot along with any juices. If using water, add soup base to taste. If using additional vegetables, add them now. Stir in alphabet noodles and simmer for 20 minutes or until noodles and vegetables are soft. Season with black pepper and parsley before serving.

    *Chopped zucchini and yellow squash are good in this, as are sugar snap peas (de-string and slice diagonally in halves) and green beans (cut into 1" pieces).

    **I've been using a low carb, organic soup base called Better than Bouillon. It's kind of expensive, but you can get at least two big pots of soup from a jar.

    I'm looking forward to having the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

  • Average Jane Stinks

    I woke up kind of late this morning after a night of tossing and turning. I didn't have much time to get ready, so I threw on some clothes, combed my hair, put on makeup and quickly packed a lunch. The whole time, I kept getting whiffs of an unpleasant smell, but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from.

    I spritzed myself with a little Fresh Sugar Lemon perfume before I walked out the door, hoping that it would take care of whatever funk was lingering around me.

    When I got to work, the odor remained. My mind raced over the possibilities. Did I drool disgustingly into my own hair while I was sleeping? No, my hair smelled fine. I checked. Several times. Was it my shirt? No. My jeans? No. 

    I sniffed my hands for the zillionth time and swore I caught a tinge of the nasty smell, but I'd washed my hands repeatedly and they were thoroughly clean.

    All day long I worried about the weird olfactory signature, hoping that I was the only person who noticed it.

    Finally I happened to look down at a bug bite on my forearm. I remembered that I had gotten up in the middle of the night and applied some cheap, store brand anti-itch gel there. A tentative sniff confirmed that the medication was the source of the stench.

    I immediately went and thoroughly washed off all of the gel with soap and water, not even caring if the itching returned. That's all it took. The smell was gone.

    So now I guess I'll throw away the rest of the medicine. Admittedly, it's probably several years old, although it's almost full. It's kind of too bad because it worked really well…but not so well that I can overlook its unpleasant side effect.

  • Average Jane vs. the Triffids

    I generally take a day every spring to tidy up the yard and cut down the volunteer trees that spring up all over the place. This year I skipped one side of the house and never got back to it. Then we had an uncharacteristically rainy summer and pretty soon this happened:
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    So I finally made myself go out this morning before it got too hot. I made sure to wear long pants, boots and long sleeves to protect myself from all variables. Armed with loppers and a hand saw, I tackled the unruly vegetation and triumphed:
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    The largest tree in the pile is a locust that had managed to reach a trunk diameter of more than two inches. Special locust tree bonus: lots of sharp thorns.
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    The final result:
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    One of these days I should actually do something with that flower bed. The ratty tiger lily remnants are not a good look.

    Now I'd like to introduce you to the bumper crop of poison ivy that's been flourishing near my front door:
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    I've been trying to kill this particular plant for years, and every time I come near it I end up getting a miserable case of poison ivy. This year I didn't mess around with trying to cut it down, I just bought some special poison and drenched every leaf I could find.

    I also poisoned the stumps of the trees I cut down on the side of the house. We'll see how that goes.

    I dragged the pile of limbs to the back fence and added it to the brush pile in the woods that I'll someday have to pay someone to haul away. I finished up by hosing down the central air conditioner unit to remove all of the cottonwood fluff and grass clippings that had gotten plastered against the condenser fins. The End.

    Now all I have left on today's agenda is work out, tidy the kitchen and record some vocal tracks. Ahhh.

    And in case the title of this post doesn't make sense to you.

  • Average Jane Resumes Her Regular Life

    Now that all of the post-BlogHer excitement and exhaustion have worn off (it took a lot of sleeping!), I'm pretty much back to my regular schedule. Only moreso.

    Remember when I was managing to get my over-scheduled life under control? Well, you know what they say about nature abhorring a vacuum.

    Here are some of the many activities that consume each week:
    • Workouts. A mere eight months after I first declared that I was going to re-join our community center this weekend, dammit, I actually dragged myself over and did it. My goal is to go in at least three times a week, which is more challenging than you'd think. The challenge increases when you take into account that I'm trying to go with my husband as often as possible. I've also been vowing to go back to the yoga classes held at my office on Monday and Wednesday at lunchtime. We'll see if my work schedule makes that possible.
    • Bands. Yes, bands plural. I'm still plugging away with the party band I mentioned a few posts back. I'm still not sure if it's going to work out, but it certainly doesn't kill me to learn a few songs per week. I'm also in the process of forming a hard rock cover band with my husband and a guitarist who answered one of our Craiglist ads from a while back. We're going to try to record a song on Sunday and see how that goes. Being in two bands at once isn't as insane as it sounds. The odds are extremely remote that both of them will last long enough to put me in a position where I have conflicting gigs.
    • Volunteering. Sad to say, but this is where most of my cutbacks have remained. However, I'm still co-chairing or on several Soroptimist Club committees and I have a soft spot for the low-cost spay and neuter clinic. 
    • Spending time at home. I don't even want to think about how long it's been since I last read a book. We're not even going to discuss the state of my flower beds and the other non-lawn areas of the yard. Or maybe we are…it's gotten so ridiculous on one side of the house that I think a before-and-after photo montage is called for, if and when I finally get around to chopping down the volunteer locust trees there.
    • Spending time with the kitties. When I am home, this is pretty much all I do. Yesterday we had claw-clippings all around with a consolation prize of catnip sprinkled directly on the rug. When I woke up this morning, the cats had littered the kitchen floor with two spatulas, an empty Rubbermaid container, a steak knife, and a very bruised peach. Must have been one heck of a party.
    • Attempting to maintain a social life. Betizuka was thoughtful enough to DM me on Twitter this week and schedule a lunch because she hadn't seen me since we got back from St. Louis. I have a lot of people I'd like to catch up if I can find the time. Lunches are good. Except on Monday and Wednesday (see "yoga class, vow to attend," above). 
    • Writing blog posts. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Heck, I'm so busy I'm hardly even on Twitter these days.

    So now you can see why I'm not posting very much and just how boring those posts would probably be if I did write them. I do miss the writing practice, though, and I have a few half-completed draft posts that I'd like to resurrect and finish sometime soon. Perhaps after tonight's committee meeting and band practice…

  • Average Jane Loves BlogHer

    By now I’ve had more than a week to read post-BlogHer commentary, but it’s not going to make any difference in the kind of post I’d intended to write to sum up my fifth BlogHer Conference experience.

    Over the years, my reasons for going to BlogHer have shifted slightly. At first, I was just intrigued by the idea of a women’s blogging conference. These days I go primarily to see the other attendees: people I “know” but haven’t met yet, people with whom I’ve been hanging out at BlogHer for years, and as many new people as I can possibly find the time to meet.

    For the past two years, part of my job has been blogger relations and I actively work with bloggers every day. However, that hasn’t changed the way I interact with people. Fundamentally, it’s still a blogger-to-blogger interaction. The potential to work with someone in the future is merely a bonus for both of us.

    Here’s a fact about BlogHer that sometimes gets lost amongst other drama: it’s fun! You might think I’m talking about the parties, but really the whole conference is fun. If you pick your sessions correctly, you can spend the whole day laughing. (Well, except for the Community Keynote. It’ll make you cry…and laugh, too.) The opportunities to socialize start with breakfast, pick up at lunch, start up again at the cocktail party, and continue into the rest of the evening social scene.

    Here are some of the people I got to spend time with at BlogHer this year:

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    Liz, Karl and Haley.

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    Eden and Grace. (I have so many photos of Grace, it looks like I was stalking her.)

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    Palinode and Schmutzie

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    Siel and Zandria

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    The always-fabulous Michelle

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    Neil and Laurie (that’s right, it’s Mr. Scrubby‘s mom!). It took me three days to track Laurie down, and once the CheeseburgHer party broke up, we had time to go to the lobby to chat for a while.

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    Suebob! She was heading to Midway airport on Sunday afternoon at the same time Rita and I were, so we all shared a cab.

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    My new St. Louis blogger buddies Kelly and Kelli (I also ran into St. Louisian Jaelithe often, but didn’t manage to photograph her).

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    Georgia (and Karl again – I hung out with Karl quite a bit).

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    Jane

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    Tracey, Catherine and that’s Elisa Camahort on the right.

    I finally got to meet Tom and Laura, both of whose blogs I’ve read for many years. I was also delighted to have a chance to talk to Laurie and Yvonne again, and I ran into Susan several times.

    I also ran into or met or chatted with or had a meal with (in no particular order) Gwen, Tara, Kelly, Danielle, Jenny, Amy, Cindy, Sandy, Janelle, Matthew, Nicole, Alana, Julia, Claire, Angela, Joseph and his sister Rebecca, Shannan, Fresh Widow, Megan, Kimberly, Kim, Lisa, Renee, Amanda, Tanya, Linda, Jodi, Connie, Heather, Mishelle, Kate, Jennifer, Beth, Tanya, Megan, Jennifer, Shellie, Samantha, Karen, Cindy, Grace, Amber, Victoria, Cecelia, Fiona, Karianna, Jennifer, Tara, Marianne, Lisa, Trisha, Kristine, Esther, Jeremy, Deb, Jacqueline, Poppy, Tina, Sandie, Leslie, Kelley, Beverly, Rini, Suzanne, Heather, Victoria, Sean, Susan, Theron, Melanie, Adam, Barb, Toni-Lynn, Joy and Sabrina.

    The sad thing is I’ve almost certainly left out a bunch of people. If we met at BlogHer and I didn’t list you somewhere (including the previous post), let me know in the comments!

    Shameful admission: Some of the business cards I received went through the wash in the pocket of my jeans.

    So that’s what BlogHer was all about for me. Yes, it was wonderful to bring home bunches of toys for my nephew, as well as cleaning supplies and toiletries for myself. (That Dove deodorant from the MamaPop party is awesome! I’m definitely switching.) Also, a big thanks to Hanes, who drew my business card and awarded me a Flip video camera. The socks I got from them came in handy, too.

    Of course, an extra big thank you to Nintendo. Liz Rizzo invited me to their ambassadors’ party as her guest for the second year in a row. Last year we took a lovely dinner cruise on San Francisco Bay. This year we were picked up at the hotel and taken via horse-drawn carriage to the John Hancock Building, where we had dinner on the 95th floor, surrounded by a scenic view of Chicago at night. After dinner, they generously gave each attendee a Nintendo DSi. Needless to say, my niece really thinks I’m a rock star now that we can play DS games together.

    I’m already registered for 2010 in New York. Hope to see you then!

  • Average Jane Goes to Chicago

    Man, I'm having fun already! I flew into town on Wednesday with Rita Arens and we took the train from the airport downtown. After a quick stop for lunch at Potbelly, we cabbed it to the hotel and checked in.

    Rita went off to chat with Lisa Stone and I walked down the street until I found a place to get a pedicure (and, I eventually decided, a manicure). Rita and I decided to stroll down to the Navy Pier after I caught up with them again. Once dinnertime rolled around, we gathered a bunch of dinner companions and had Mexican food and delicious margaritas at Adobo Grill.

    On Thursday morning, I looked around for breakfast companions and eventually ended up attaching myself to a random group going to West Egg Cafe. I'd already had a protein bar by then, so I just had coffee.

    BlogHer Business was next on my agenda. I took notes and got some value from it, but there just wasn't enough time to discuss any of the case studies in depth.

    Last night, the parties started. I never made it over to the SocialLuxe Lounge at the Hyatt because it was raining when BlogHer Business let out. However, I did go to the BlogHer Business reception, the People's Party and the Room 704 party. Somehow in that span I also managed to grab a quiet dinner on the waterfront with Liz Rizzo and Gena Haskett.

    Our additional two roommates, Kelli and Blondie also caught up with us yesterday evening. We all made it back to the room around midnight, but there was a certain amount of giggling and goofiness that ensued before everyone turned in. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep long before the lights went out.

    I woke up today at 6:35 a.m. the way I always do. I still have some time to kill before the conference kicks off, but I'm going to use part of it taking the immense swag bag back to the room and dropping off my laptop. I also still need to track down Blaugra, Tom Guariello and Laurie Ruettimann. I know they're here somewhere.

    More stories and pictures to follow. If you're at BlogHer and you're looking for me, I'm wearing my Average Jane t-shirt today, as well as my scrolling LED name badge, which I understand is very attention-getting. Come up and say "hi"!

  • Average Jane’s BlogHer Countdown

    I made it through a day of work yesterday and managed to entertain in the evening, so it's clear that I'm on the road to recovery from whatever illness it was that ruined my entire weekend.

    Tomorrow I leave for Chicago, so today is my last day to try to prepare for the BlogHer Conference in any meaningful way.

    Here's what I've accomplished so far:

    • Made blog business cards
    • Got my bangs trimmed (don't look too hard at my roots)
    • Bought some travel-sized toiletries
    • RSVPed to way more parties than I will ever be able to attend
    • Ordered a cool t-shirt that probably won't arrive on time
    • Printed out the conference program

    Here's my to-do list:

    • Borrow a laptop backpack from my company's IT department
    • Grab a handful of my work business cards
    • Finish all the laundry
    • Charge my LED name badge (once I find it)
    • Get a pedicure
    • Pack my suitcase
    • Put new batteries in my camera
    • Clean out my purse

    I should have no problem handling all of that tonight while I'm making dinner and tidying up the house.

    On Thursday I'm attending BlogHer Business for the first time, which sounds really interesting and useful. After that, the main conference activities begin and I predict a whirlwind from there on out.

    I can't promise much blogging before I get back, but you never know.

  • Average Jane Gets Sick

    Just when I need to be getting ready for BlogHer, I've managed to come down with something. My mad WebMD research skillz suggest that it's e-coli food poisoning, which makes sense considering some of the stuff I've had to eat this week.

    I left work around 2 p.m. yesterday because I felt generally awful. As soon as I got home, I went to bed and slept until after 5. Eventually I dug up a thermometer and confirmed that I had a 100.5 degree fever. That explained why I was simultaneously freezing and hot.

    I stayed up for a few hours watching the week's episodes of The Daily Show with a limited amount of attention. My husband went to the grocery store and got me some chicken soup, fruit punch flavored PowerAde and Jell-o cups. I'd asked for cherry Jell-o and he brought strawberry. Meh. I guess they both end in -erry.

    I went to bed for the night at 9:30 p.m. and woke up every few hours, finally getting up at 10:30 a.m. this morning. I feel better than I did yesterday, but I went ahead and canceled all of my weekend plans. No parties for this girl tonight. 🙁

    The weather has been so beautiful lately that I may spend part of the day lying in our hammock, as long as I'll be lying around anyway.

    I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can bounce back quickly and be energetic and well by the time I leave for Chicago on Wednesday. Wish me luck.

  • Average Jane Needs To Blog More Often

    I am getting to be such a bad blogger that I'm almost tempted to start shunting my Google Reader shared items into a post every few days, just to have something interesting posted. (Pet capybara!)

    Barring that, here's a quick update on a few things.

    On the music front, I've gotten together a couple of times with the band I mentioned earlier. The music the band leader has in mind is basically anything fun and danceable, which I think is a good goal even though it's very different from all the other bands I've ever been in. I'm not sure everyone else in the band is 100% behind him on the music selections, but we'll see how that shakes out.

    My other concern is that they seem to be intent on learning songs at practice as opposed to learning them at home and just working out the finer details together. I'm not used to that and it strikes me as a waste of time, but I'm trying not to be too judgmental. I won't be getting together with them again until after BlogHer, so more updates then.

    Speaking of the conference, I have done very little to prepare so far aside from RSVPing to parties and impulse-buying a Poken. Over the weekend I need to make some cards and give some thought as to what I'm going to wear. All of my t-shirts have shrunk in the wash, ahem, since last year, so I might need to do some last-minute clothes shopping.

    Other than that I've been working a lot, hanging out with friends as often as possible, cooking at home when I can, and basically attempting to stretch my life outside the boundaries of my computer screen.

    Tonight I'm going to see the new Harry Potter movie and I'm very excited about that. Not excited enough to have gone at midnight on Tuesday, but that's just because I know my limits.

    What are you doing to finish out the week? Anything fun planned this weekend?