Average Jane

Average Jane Interviews Natalie from The Bobby Pin

I'm taking part in Neil Kramer's Citizen of the Month Great Interview Experiment 2009 and my interview subject is Natalie from The Bobby Pin. It was fun reading through her archives and coming up with some questions for her.

1. What's your favorite thing about being married? The security. Coming home everyday to my best friend and waking up next to him. That feeling -- it is magic, comfort and fun all and the same time and it holds me over when days are hard.
   
2. What's one activity you enjoy that your husband just doesn't get? Twitter! But I signed him up for Facebook a few years ago and now he's the champion of Tetris. So it's only a matter of time.
   
3. You write about marketing quite a bit. Have you considering starting a work-oriented blog? Yes and no - great answer right? I am transitioning my marketing thoughts to Posterous to have a professional presence online, but The Bobby Pin is my main focus.
   
4. How is your New Year's Resolution list coming along? Great in some areas, horrible in others. I think it helped to be concrete this year. I have excelled in at least one area of each of the categories, which is good for me. I have cooked a lot this year and improved my domestic skills. Professionally, I have definitely thickened up the Rolodex this year and it is with people I consider friends, not just contacts. Spiritually, I have gone to the temple almost monthly since July. That is a good thing.
   
5. If you had to give up Facebook, Twitter or blogging, which would you choose and why? Facebook. I don't care who's doing what on Mafia Wars or Farmville. With blogging I get to connect with someone's thoughts -- even if it is my friends who just post baby pictures. Blogging is more a window into someone's life. And I've met so many great people through Twitter that while I think I could give it up, I don't want to.
   
6. Does being in PR affect your response to receiving PR pitches for your blog? I think I vet through the spam more. I am fairly liberal with giveaways and stuff but a lot of the link requests or crappy product review pitches I just roll my eyes at.
   
7. What's your favorite recipe to prepare for company or to bring to a party? I am almost always trying something new. I read a lot of food blogs so I will star a recipe and when an event comes up I will choose something from my folder and enjoy the moment. Right now though my favorite "wow" factor recipe is lava cakes. I stumbled upon the recipe when I was reading GOOP (you know Gwyneth Paltrow's venture into the online world that no one quite gets) and it is really simple, but definitely awesome. Who doesn't like a lava cake?
   
8. What do you envision your life being like in five years? I wish I knew. I applied for an MBA program that I'd start in January.  So hopefully in 5 years I have an MBA. I know that my puppy will be getting gray and probably won't be much of a puppy anymore and my husband will be getting established in his law career. But as for me? I am kind of clueless. I know that kids are in our future and I do want them. So hopefully we have a kid, and I am working at a job I am happy at. I would like to think that is my own consulting firm, but I am not sure.

Thanks so much for answering my nosy questions, Natalie! I'm looking forward to continuing to read your blog from here on out.

When my interviewer sends me questions and eventually publishes my answers, I'll be sure to share the URL.

Also, there's still plenty of time to enter to win a $25 GiveCard. Just comment here.

Average Jane 5x4

Another Thursday, another meme. I should just admit to myself that this is going to be the norm for the month.

This one actually came from an e-mail I received from a non-blogging friend, but who am I to be picky when I can't think of anything else to write?

1. Four places I go over and over: Work (naturally), Mildred's Coffeehouse (bought a medium coffee there this morning), band practice (conveniently just blocks from my house) and the Price Chopper grocery store in my neighborhood.
2. Four people who e-mail me regularly: My sister, my husband, A Librarian and Spyder. When I say "e-mail," I also mean text message, DM via GoogleChat, DM or @ via Twitter, e-mail through Facebook, etc. We're a versatile bunch.
3. Four favorite smells: bread baking, freshly mowed grass, lemon, jasmine  
4. Four places I would rather be right now: Jamaica (happy third anniversary, Allison and Kevin!), Belize (looking forward to February 2011 - you should come with me), Nashville (mmm, Pancake Pantry) or Breckenridge, CO (I'm way overdue for a Colorado trip).
5. Four current TV shows I watch: Glee, Heroes, V and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Enjoy your evening!

Average Jane's Alphabetical URL List

I'm stealing this from Schmutzie. Here's her basic description:

I was whiling away the afternoon with a cup of coffee and some weblog reading when I suddenly recalled an internet meme that went around sometime in 2005 or 2006. The idea was that you went through the alphabet, one letter at a time, typing each letter into your address bar to see what the topmost URL was associated with that letter.

So here's my own list. Thanks to the way Firefox works, it's all stuff I've bookmarked for one reason or another. The only self-referential URL I left out was Average Jane. The rest are where you'd expect them to be in the list:

A: Anne's Food: Pepparkakor Recipe
B: Bartelby.com
C: The Cryptic Canvas: 50 Movies Hidden in a Painting
D: Das Cöbra
E: Etsy: Lab Rat PDF Knitting pattern
F: AMC Theatres Fork & Screen
G: Garageband.com: Dark Crucible
H: How Stuff Works
I: I Want To Rock n' Roll All Night and Party Some Days After A Nap T-Shirt
J: Bridging the Gap: Johnson County Recycling Centers
K: Kansas City Kitty
L: Lileks.com: The Bleat
M: MidLifeBloggers
N: Next Gen Pet Products
O: Organic Bouquet
P: Meesha's Pickled Jalapeños Recipe
Q: Brendan Emmett Quigley
R: Random Number Generator
S: The Sturdy Soapbox
T: Tattoo Your Towels: Sublime Stitching
U: URLshort
V: Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach
W: Wikipedia
X: Flex Sofa
Y: YouTube: Cookie Monster Metal Video
Z: Zen Habits: How To Get Bruce Lee Like Strength Without Ever Going to a Gym

Because Average Jane Hasn't Posted Lately...

I'm snagging this meme from Florinda.

50 Random Questions

1. What color is your toothbrush?
Orange and white

2. Name one person who made you smile today:
Alex

3. What were you doing at 8am this morning?
Sitting at my desk drinking coffee and getting started with the day's work.

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago?
Playing fetch with Trillian

5. What is your favorite candy bar?
100 Grand (that is, until they made them so very tiny)

6. Have you ever been to a strip club?
No, but one of the nightclubs I used to go to in the late '80s had male strippers before the bands went on.

7. What is the last thing you said aloud?
"Do you want me to go rent a movie?"

8. What is your favorite ice cream?
Mint chocolate chip

9. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Water

10. Do you like your wallet?
It's okay.

11 What was the last thing you ate?
Peanut Butter Noodles (with added cilantro)

12. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
No.

13. The last sporting event you watched?
I have no idea.

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?
I'm a big kettle corn fan.

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to?
My sister, I think.

16. Ever go camping?
Yes, and I'm looking forward to my next camping opportunity so I can use the new tent I bought a few years ago.

17. Do you take vitamins daily?
Yes.

18. Do you go to church every Sunday?
No.

19. Do you have a tan?
No, I have the opposite of a tan.

20. Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza?
I like the both equally.

21. Do you drink your soda with a straw?
I almost never drink soda, but if I do drink it, it usually is not through a straw.

22. What did your last text message say?
I don't know and I don't feel like going down and digging my phone out of my purse to find out.

23. What are you doing tomorrow?
Going to Coffee Morning, going to work, having lunch with friends, going to the chiropractor and making dinner.

25. Look to your left, what do you see?
My messy desk and bookcase.

26. What color is your watch?
I have a bunch of watches, but I never wear any of them.

27. What do you think of when you hear Australia?
Crocodiles, wallabies, poisonous spiders, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.

29. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
I try to avoid fast food places, but the main reason I'll go to one is for the convenience of the drive-thru.

30. What is your favorite number?
7

31. Who's the last person you talked to on the phone?
Alex

33. How many states have you lived in?
Two

34. Biggest annoyance right now?
Some health issues and insomnia.

35. Last song listened to?
The theme song for "Reno 911," which we watched while we ate dinner.

36.Can you say the alphabet backwards?
Maybe, if I really concentrated.

37. Do you have a maid service clean your house?
Yes, I have a cleaning lady who comes in every other week.

38. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
Black Chuck Taylors

39. Are you jealous of anyone?
Not in any all-consuming, unhealthy way!

40. Is anyone jealous of you?
Not that I'm aware of.

41. Do you love anyone?
Definitely!

42. Do any of your friends have children?
Many of them do, although I have a good-sized group of female friends in my age group who do not.

43. What do you usually do during the day?
I spend the majority of the day at my computer, whether I'm at work or home. I play with the cats, chat with my husband, cook, tidy up, maybe watch some TV.

44. Do you hate anyone that you know right now?
I've said it before, but I like to follow my Great-Aunt Edith's edict, "We don't hate anyone except Hitler and the devil."

45. Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
I inexplicably lean toward "howdy" when greeting people in passing at work.

46. What color is your car?
Silver

47. Do you like cats?
No, I LOVE them!

48. Are you thinking about someone right now?
No, I'm mostly thinking about the questions.

49. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
Yes, I have been to Six Flags Over St. Louis

50. How did you get your worst scar?
Appendectomy

Old-School Average Jane

I got this from my friend, LuAnn, who is a teacher. I decided it was as good a way as any to start off the week. Fill this out about your SENIOR year of high school. The longer ago it was, the more fun the answers will be.

1. Did you date someone from your school?   
No, but I did date someone from the other school in our district.

2. Did you marry someone from your high school? 
No.

3. Did you car pool to school? 
No, I mostly rode the bus.

4. What kind of car did you have? 
For a brief moment I had a powder-blue Plymouth Horizon that my grandparents gave me. I wrecked it almost immediately and didn't get it back until after I graduated.

5. What kind of car do you have now?   
Honda Insight hybrid.

6. It's Friday night...where were you?   
Probably hanging out with my boyfriend and possibly our band. (Yeah, my thing for musicians goes way back.)

7. It is Friday night (present day)...where are you?   
Hanging out at home with the hubby, going out with some of my Twitter pals or playing in a bar with my band.

8. What kind of job did you have in high school?   
I didn't have a job until after I graduated. Then I worked in the cashier's office at Sears.

9. What kind of job do you do now?   
I handle all aspects of social media for advertising clients.

10. Were you a party animal?   
No.

11. Were you considered a flirt?   
Absolutely not.

12. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir?   
I was in choir in junior high, but not in high school. I was in a rock band, though.

13. Were you a nerd?  
Definitely.

14. Did you get suspended or expelled? 
Nope, I was a complete goody two-shoes.

15. Can you sing the fight song? 
There was a fight song?

16. Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)?   
I liked Mrs. Searcy and Mrs. Gelsinger (both English teachers).

17. Where did you sit at lunch?  
Because I was a nerdy outcast, I ended up sitting with the stoners. I never did drugs, but they were the most socially laid-back group in school and didn't care who hung out with them.

18. What was your school's full name?  
Ruskin High School

19.  When did you graduate? 
1985

20. What was your school mascot?
Golden Eagle

21. If you could go back and do it again, would you? 
I'll steal LuAnn's answer: Not only no, but hell no.

22. Did you have fun at prom?   
No. I only went because my mom insisted it was an important rite of passage. Hmmph.

23. Would you talk to the person you went to prom with?   
Definitely, but I haven't run into him in quite some time.

24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion?   
No, I think I'm finished with my reunions. It's getting to the point where I hardly recognize anyone and vice versa.

25. Do you still talk to people from school?  
Not really. I have a couple of Facebook friends from high school, but I think I've taken too different a life path from most of my old buddies to have much in common with them anymore

Average Jane Makes A Bucket List

I'm picking up this meme from MLE because I can tell that today is going to be too busy for a "real" post. It's a bucket list (i.e., stuff you might want to do before you kick the bucket). You have to review all 100 items and put in bold the ones you’ve already achieved in life. Like MLE, I am italicizing the ones I want to do.

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity - I've given lots of money to charity, but obviously I could afford it.
7. Been to Disneyland/Disney World
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (no, but I've slept overnight on a bus)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (not anytime recently, but I'm sure I've had a mental health day or two in my lifetime)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma - yesterday!
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp
67. Bounced a check (not on purpose!)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job (not fired fired, but laid off)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House (outside, anyway.)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Ridden an elephant

25 Things About Average Jane

I'd been tagged repeatedly in Facebook for this, so I've finally gotten a list together. Liz, I'm counting this for the "7 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Me" meme you've tagged me for as well! I'm nothing if not efficient. So here goes:

1. I have lots and lots of friends, but I don't think I'm anyone's best friend.
2. My very best friends are my sister and my husband.
3. I think my niece and nephew are the most fascinating people I've ever met. I can't wait to see what they're like when they grow up.
4. And yet, I've never really had any desire to have kids of my own.
5. I know that I need to exercise to stay healthy, happy and fit into my clothes properly, but I can't seem to make myself do it.
6. I am very bad about over-committing myself. Trying to parcel out my limited free time between volunteer work, my band, housework, and my family and friends leaves me stretched way too thin.
7. If it weren't for "to-do" lists and deadlines, I'd never get anything done. In fact, while I'm writing this, I'm putting off cleaning my office.
8. Even though I'm perfectly comfortable singing in front of large groups, I'm still an introvert.
9. I can only handle extroverts in small doses because their energy exhausts me.
10. I love plants and gardening, but I'm too negligent to grow anything except the most hardy plant varieties.
11. Someday I will probably write a book. It doesn't feel like a priority right now, though.
12. I love to bake, but I don't do it very often anymore. I miss the days when nobody thought carbs were evil.
13. It's very difficult to be a feminist and a hard rock fan simultaneously. I have to do a lot of compartmentalizing to make it work, and sometimes I still can't quell my outrage at certain song lyrics and attitudes.
14. I like to work in complete silence unless it's physical labor of some kind. In that case, crank it up!
15. I love looking through old photos, but I never quite know what to do with them. They always end up being thrown in a big box until I'm ready to glance through them again.
16. One of my goals in life is to travel more, particularly outside the U.S.
17. Before I start spending money on travel, I want to finish fixing up my house. We still have five or six major projects left before I'll have the funds to allocate to other things.
18. If I could to take a nap every day, I would.
19. No matter how bad things get in the world, I remain optimistic that they can get better.
20. Have I mentioned that I don't watch the news on TV anymore at all?
21. It's been about a year since I joined Twitter, and it has changed my life more quickly and noticeably than any other technology I can think of.
22. Speaking of technology, sometimes I can't believe that when I was a little kid the most high-tech thing we owned was a black and white TV with vise-grip pliers attached where the broken-off tuner knob went.
23. The last time I went for a long hike in the woods, it was an important reminder that it's good to get away from technology and just be outside.
24. I freely admit that having four cats is one or two too many, but we'll probably maintain that number indefinitely.
25. This is the last "25 things about me" list that I ever intend to compile. I worked on it for two days!

Average Jane 4x4x4

For the sake of having something to post, I'm picking up this meme that I spotted on Inventing My Life.

The rules of the game:

1. Go to the the 4th folder where you keep your pictures on your computer.

2. Post the 4th picture in the folder.

3. Explain the photo.

4. Tag 4 fellow bloggers to join in the fun! (Nevermind. You know I won't do this one.)

Here we see a "before" photo from the remodeling-fest we had a few years ago. This is what one corner of my husband's studio looked like from the time we moved in. Note the oddly spiked trim on the mirrored shelves. Also the weird parquet pattern and overlays of the wood on the bar. (Don't mock the naked-lady rain lamp - we bought that on purpose to complement the rest of the decor.)

Now there's a vocal booth in that corner with a window and a door. It's much handier than the spider-infested bar that didn't even have shelves upon which you could store things, much less a sink.

This exercise has made me realize that although I took a lot of photos before the studio remodel, I never a) posted any of them to my blog or, b) took "after" shots, although there's nothing stopping me from doing it now. Actually, there is something stopping me: the unrelenting overcluttering and messiness of the studio. I don't know why I thought that would ever subside, but apparently I did.

If you feel like tagging yourself for this, go right ahead! Have a great Friday and I'll be back with what I hope are the final photos from our current remodeling project (sans furniture, because we haven't gotten that far along in the process yet) over the weekend.

Kansas City area folks: Today's the last day to enter my concert ticket giveaway!

Average Jane's 2008

I'm behind on everything about this blog, so it makes sense that I'd be behind on this as well.

I did this last year and I'm doing it again, per Bea's example. I give you the year in review by listing the first sentence from the first post each month from 2008.

January: Not to get too metaphorical on ya, but you could think of today as the first tracks across the fresh snow of the new year.

February: My husband was supposed to go to lunch with me today, but when he called around 11 o'clock, I knew immediately that we weren't going anywhere.

March: Xena's latest trick is hopping on my back while I'm leaning forward over the bathroom counter to put in my contacts.

April: This morning I awoke with thoughts bouncing around in my head like a litter of rambunctious puppies.

May: This photo was taken of me and my cat, Boo Boo Kitty, when I was in my late teens or maybe 20.

June: A belated thank you to everyone who attended the first KC Tweetup on Friday.

July: The thing I like least about summertime is how difficult it is to find a comfortable room temperature.

August: I am happy beyond measure that it's Friday and I'm almost, kinda, semi-caught up on work.

September: 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.

October: I know there's nothing lamer than the "why I'm not blogging" blog post, but I've fallen so far off from my four years of daily posts that I figured it was time to try to explain.

November: In an effort to revive my ailing blog, I've decided to do NaBloPoMo for the third year in a row.

December: Breanne tagged me for a "7 Things About You" meme, so I figured I'd do it now.

Hope your 2009 is starting off nicely. I'm not one for New Year's resolutions, but I'm going to do my best to get back to a more regular posting schedule next week. Oh, and lose 25 pounds. That ought to keep me busy next year, don't you think?

Average Jane Answers Questions

I am fully aware that my vacation has turned me back into a non-blogger. Thus, I figured I'd steal this list of questions from Zandria, just so I'd have something to post.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
No, but my parents went out of their way to choose unusual names for us so we wouldn't have the same names as our contemporaries.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
I don't remember. It doesn't happen very often.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Not really. It's gotten really bad over the years because I spend most of my time typing.

4. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Gee, you think?

5. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
No, but I would consider skydiving.

6. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Yes, none of the shoes I have with laces will come off unless they're untied first.

7. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Yes.

8. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
I really like cinnameg ice cream from Murray's, although I didn't get any this season. I'm also fond of mint chocolate chip.

9. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
How they're dressed and whether they seem comfortable.

10. RED OR PINK?
I'd have to say red.

11. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
A BLT and some potato chips. It was way too long ago and I'm really hungry right now.

12. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Distant traffic noise outside my window. It's very quiet in my office right now.

13. WHAT DO YOU LIKE LEAST ABOUT YOURSELF?
I wish I had a more gung-ho personality. I'm a little too laid-back sometimes.

14. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING RIGHT NOW?
I'm between books right now, but next on the stack is "Sin in the Second City" by Karen Abbott.

15. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Yes, I'm severely nearsighted and astigmatic. I've been wearing contacts since junior high school.

16. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
The Tuesday and Wednesday episodes of "The Daily Show."