Time for another round of #askjana…thanks everyone!

Will there ever be a rainbow? – Opie
Yes. There is and always will be a rainbow. Sometimes you gotta keep a spray bottle around to see it, or perhaps some artificial sunlight, but there is always a rainbow hanging out. A manufactured rainbow is still a rainbow, and sometimes that is the more satisfying kind.

What is Susan Gibson’s best feature and/or D.C. Bloom’s? – D.C.
You two share a best feature…you’re both hilarious. Susan’s interesting trait (and I told her this the other day so she knows it) is that she is remarkably fair. She will make a situation right simply by being fair about it. This is an under-appreciated and sometimes hard to find feature in people. D.C. Bloom, if you do not know him…is a fantastic wordsmith and you should probably be his Facebook friend to know more about this.

Any good new conspiracy theories? – Kelly
YES. I am currently reading Crossfire by Jim Marrs about JFK. There are a lot of conspiracy theories in that book. Marrs starts with the words, “Do not trust this book.” (I read things that immediately give me a tortured relationship with them). I will say that most conspiracy theories are rooted in a truth, and I encourage you all to stop raising your eyebrows and dig into something – whatever aspect of recent news or history that has peaked your interest with a “That doesn’t sound right.” Because if it doesn’t sound quite right you’re probably sitting on a mountain of exploration and an internet search rabbit hole that won’t let you out for 2 days…so start digging on a weekend. You’ll surprise yourself.

Which cold medicine gives you the best high? – Duggan
I discovered last night that if you combine Nyquil with this stuff called Dream Water that you get from a truck stop (the opposite of a 5-Hour energy shot), you get really woozy really fast. Knocked me right out. Sweet dreams.

What should Jill wear her new necklace with? – Michael
Whatever she picks out when you take her shopping tomorrow, I say!

When are you coming to Iowa? – Heather
In the words of the great Dar Williams…”Iowa oh ooo oh, Iowa oh ooooh ooo oh I-Iowa.” Soon, I hope!

If you were 60 miles from your destination and started at 60mph but then reduced your speed 1mph for every mile you travelled how long would it take you to get to your destination. It’s like this, the first mile you are going 60mph, the second – 59mph, the third – 58mph and so on…. – John
d = rt soooo….I have no idea. Anyone?

Why do musicians try to have day jobs? – Brenda
I say why not? The way the music business goes these days, it’s usually necessary. Perhaps not always a “day job” but usually multiple income streams are needed to fully support a life as a working musician. This multiple stream income could be as simple as live shows + merchandise sales, or perhaps songwriting royalties. However, with the increase in independent musicians (read: no label support) and this thing called the internet (read: less income from downloads/streaming)…I know a lot of musicians with other jobs. I personally think this is awesome…many folks make livings doing other creative pursuits along with their music like graphic design or photography. It’s why I am working at 11 PM on a Monday night after traveling all weekend, but I’m thrilled to have the option.

Who was your first “crush” — and did anything ever come of it? – Jon
I’m going to be very literal with the “first” here…we discussed this in the car and Susan’s first crush was a Scott Baio poster (unclear whether the crush was actually on Scott Baio or the poster itself). Mine was probably something nerdy like Sam Neill who played Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park. Yes, something came of it…I still read the book every 2 years and watch the movie when it’s on TBS. EVERY. TIME.

How did you like Shawn Colvin’s book? – Lisa
I loved it. It’s a memoir about being born in South Dakota (I was too!) and being a songwriter (yay!) and moving to Austin (hey I did that!). I didn’t know we had so much in common. It’s well written, honest, and touches on a lot of things from a writer’s perspective in a humorous and honest way. The best part is for me was when she described a few really awkward gigs. They happen. It’s really nice to know they happen at every level of success and when handled with grace…they become great stories instead of disasters.

Where did the first hardware store buy their stuff to build their store at? – John
Whoa. I imagine perhaps they raided the ark after it got stranded on Mt. Ararat. This is my Biblical solution for lumber.

Have you ever written a story? I know you have written a lot of songs, but has a story – short or otherwise – ever presented itself in your head? Did you write it down? Did you try to get it published??? – Carol
I would love to write a story. I’ve written a few mostly in jest, but never sat down to write a true short story with a real plot. The thought quite frankly frightens me…stories have a lot of words in them. Songs move along pretty quickly. Like 3 minutes quickly. Songwriters are used to moving the story along to the beat of a click track. While writing a story seems luxurious it also seems like I would run out of steam really quickly…but I haven’t really tried. I think I have a good piece of nonfiction in me first before I tackle fiction. And soon.

Do you keep an “on the road” journal? Is it on a continuous roll of paper? – Kathy
I should, but I do not. This blog serves as a lot of my logging. If I could somehow roll my Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare, and blog stream into one thing, it might present a pretty complete picture of my life, but it would still be lacking in my opinions about most of it. Which is why…I will be buying a roll of parchment paper tomorrow. Thank you, Kathy.