Archives for January 2012

Jan 16, 2012

I Hate Shopping

I hate shopping. When I go to a store I have a plan. I have something I want to purchase. Now, that doesn’t mean I don’t browse. I might go to Target expressly to pick up toilet paper (the store brand 2-ply is the best), but I am not opposed to swinging by the book department or videos to see what’s available. If I’m shopping for groceries without a list I might walk through every aisle to make sure I don’t forget anything. However, to walk across the Maine Mall without a purpose, that I can’t do.

My pal Trisha is in town (as I mentioned yesterday’s blag post), and today we went shopping. First place we went was David’s Bridal shop at the Maine Mall. Trisha needs a dress for a wedding she’s in. I went with her. I am not a David’s Bridal kind of gal. [I bought my wedding dress from Torrid, it was off the rack and appropriate for me, but not a traditionally modern dress. I tried on a couple of dresses at David’s Bridal and I hated all of them. My dress cost $115 and I’ve worn it many times since. It was a great investment.] When Trish told the attendant she was there because her friend was getting married, one of the saleswomen gushed “That is great!” And I laughed out loud. Take it back a notch, I thought. A bit too ebullient for my taste.

After David’s Bridal we went to The Apple Store, Macy’s and Catherine’s. All Fairly normal.

The next stop was at Goodwill in South Portland. This was my first time. Let me tell you this, if there is any store that requires a “browsing” ability, it’s Goodwill. Otherwise you won’t find anything you need. Trisha was looking for sweaters and clothing that she’d like. I didn’t need anything. I didn’t have extra money to burn. I looked at stuff. And I was bored. But Trisha was visiting! And she is fun! And she was having fun! And she was whipping through those sweaters like it was going out of style. And all I could smell was musty stuff that was not for me. So I had to make a decision. Would I stay or would I go?

I told Trisha I was going to wait in the car. (She knows I hate shopping.) And I told her to take her time, and that if I stayed in the store I’d probably be a killjoy. So that’s what I did. I went out to my car and read my romance novel while Trisha shopped.

Filed Under: TheBlag ·

Jan 15, 2012

Chillaxing with Trisha

By Lanna Lee · Leave a Comment

Having a great Sunday. Spent it hanging at Panera and now I’m watching Torchwood Season 1 with my pal Trisha. Later we’ll probably go to bed early, because that’s how we roll.

Day off from work tomorrow. Will fill it with fun and frolic.

Filed Under: TheBlag ·

Jan 14, 2012

Cheating

By Lanna Lee · 1 Comment

I am going back into time to post this, because I totally forgot to blog today. It is now after midnight but I’ve set the post to publish on the 14th not the 15th. As pennance I will tell you what I did today.

First I stayed up too late the night before reading a romance novel. Then I slept fitfully, and woke up when Edmund was looking for his car keys. (I knew where they were). Then I spent a long time taking a shower and internetting. After 11 am, my Mom informed me that my brother was visiting, so I went over to my parent’s house. I hung out there for a few hours and had a fantastic lunch with the family. Afterward, I purchased some groceries and brought them home. By mistake, I watched a stupid movie on tv (I didn’t plan on watching it, but it sucked me in nonetheless). I half-heartly cleaned a small portion of my office. I robustly attacked the mound of dishes in the sink. Then I cooked 2 different types of meatloaf (one with gluten, one without), with tons of garlic mashed potatoes. Then Edmund came home. Then Alexis Lyon came over, and we mashed the potatoes and ate dinner and then podcasted. Then Alexis and I talked some more, listened to the podcast, came up with tags, title and description for it, then published it. Then Lex went home because she was tired. And then I realized I forgot to blog today. And then I cheated. Here it is.

Filed Under: TheBlag ·

Jan 13, 2012

Lounging with LannaLee

By Lanna Lee · Leave a Comment

Last night was extremely productive.

After I posted my blag post here, I put out a call to my “tweeps” [Twitter friends] asking if anyone had time to help me brainstorm a name for my next project. I knew kind of what I wanted, but nothing I had come up with seemed quite right. I needed some help.

Within just a few moments, I had 5 people jump in, @DJNoRequest, @GriffinClubMerv, @acrimoniousmofo, @rurugby & @MarieMonDieu.

I told them “I will be doing one-on-one interviews with persons I find interesting. using lannalee.com as url.” I was leaning toward “The LannaLee Project” or “The LannaLee Experience,” but neither seemed to quite fit. Here is a testament to how brainstorming can work. I knew kind of what I wanted to say, but not clearly. I needed help to find something, and critical to finding the right something happened during the brainstorming process.

Within an hour we had a name.

Here are the first few suggestions that were made:

@GriffinClubMerv: Me & Lanna Lee
@DJNoRequest: LannaLeening
@MarieMonDieu: Lanna Lee Sees
@DJNoRequest: LannaLeering
@GriffinClubMerv: Its Getting Late with Lanna Lee
@DJNoRequest: Lanna Leeping to Conclusions
@acrimoniousmofo: how about: I’m Lanna Lee, who the heck are you? Heck was my third word choice; don’t know how broad an audience you’re seeking.
@rurugby: Lanna vision.. Or the Lanna Lee old time variety hour ,
@MarieMonDieu: Lanna Lee’s THINK TANK? Lanna Lee stirs it up? Lanna Lee Sees into your SOUL? Lanna Lee Loves you?
@GriffinClubMerv: Latte with Lanna Lee

While these suggestions were percolating I was responding and making my own suggestions (The LannaLee Experience/The LannaLee Project). I wanted something fun, and it needed to include LannaLee in it. I realized, although I said I would be doing interviews, what I really will be doing is conversations, or at least directed conversations. And not only will I be having these chats with interesting people, those people will also be fascinating. So I made a couple more suggestions:

Me: Confab with Lanna Lee (but cooler)
Me: Convo with Lanna Lee (but cooler)

And then @GriffinClubMerv came back with: Lounging with LannaLee. Perfect. I had my name, and better understanding on how I need to talk about what Lounging with Lanna Lee is, namely:

A weekly audio podcast where I (LannaLee) have a face-to-face, half-hour conversation with an interesting and fascinating person.

It gets better.

I updated the website with information about the podcast, and sent out a tweet asking for feedback, noting that my placeholder logo sucked. This morning Greg Daly (aka @DJNoRequest) started sending me logo samples. And we coordinated (yet again) on the new logo!

This was the result:

Needless to say, I love it.

And tonight I tore that logo apart to make this logo (so any imperfections with this one are totally my fault.) Note, Lounging with Lanna Launches in March 2012!

Lots more to do, but I’m well on my way. Next steps include: figuring out more logistics, fleshing out the website, and soon I will start inviting people to lounge with me.

—————————–
If I asked you to Lounge with LannaLee, would you?

Filed Under: podcast, Projects, TheBlag ·

Jan 12, 2012

Mile a Minute

By Lanna Lee · 1 Comment

My mind is going a mile a minute. I started a different blag post, but then I realized I was using it as a way to not do the thing I’ve been obsessing about. I’m scheming up a storm and I need someone to show for it.

And what is this thing I’m obsessing about? It’s two things: LannaLee.com and TheMainetrix.com.

I need to get to work. Launching both in March. Details will be updated on each site and I’ll let you know about any major news here.

Filed Under: TheBlag ·

Jan 11, 2012

My Illustrious Film Career

By Lanna Lee · 6 Comments

Janeane Garofalo is on the left; I'm on the right. That's my acting face.

Once upon a time all I wanted to be was an actor. But I am a glorious ball of insecurity coupled with a working class ethic, so even though I took risks, they didn’t pan out. Besides, I wanted things like money and secure places to live. I suspect that I am right where I need to be in life, but still, I dreamed of art and stardom. [And I still consider myself an actor.]

The picture above left is of Janeane Garofalo and me in the stellar movie The Matchmaker. Janeane was the star, and I was the day player. The extra. Most of the movie was filmed in Ireland, but a few shots were filmed in the Faneuil Hall Marketplace. I was in the big group scene at the end of the movie. Janeane’s co star, David O’Hara was a charming sort. I flirted with him a bit (he also flirted with about 20 other extras; charming, I tell you). I was working a crap job in Boston at the time, and I called out sick so I could do the shoot. (I don’t think they ever found out.)

Take a look at that picture again. Looks awesome doesn’t it. I am on screen for about 5 seconds. I stood around outside in the cold for several hours to film that. It almost looks like it was planned for me to be there, doesn’t it? What really happened was that they were shooting the close-ups for another shot and they asked for volunteers to stand next to where Janeane was going to walk for her close up, my hand shot up so fast there was a sonic boom. And here I am, immortalized on film.

I was also in another film. (Well, I was in two other films, but only one other film that has an interesting story for it.) That film was Stephen King’s Graveyard Shift. Here I am pictured pretending to go into “My Trailer.” Again, I was an extra. [Extras don’t get trailers. Or chairs.] I was in scenes shot in Brewer, and the night before the shoot the casting person called me and told me they needed more men. At that exact moment my dear brother Bill, who was about 19 years old, (pictured below) was visiting/moving from New York State. So I invited him to come along with me. If they still needed men, he’d get paid for the day. And if not, he could go watch a movie or something. Of course, they thought he was perfect. I think it was because he was 6’3″ tall. And a man. He looked very manly.

We were in the bar scene. I sat at the bar, eating chowda (a cold, congealed mass of ugh) and my brother was milling around holding an empty beer bottle. We both made it into the movie. For me you had to stop and rewind the tape just to make sure you didn’t miss seeing my back. My brother, however, was prominently featured. Much to my chagrin and his eternal delight.

Filed Under: TheBlag ·

Jan 10, 2012

Poetry

By Lanna Lee · 1 Comment

Tonight I will be going to see Edmund participate in a poetry Slam at Port Veritas in Portland. The thing is, I write poetry too. Edmund has been paying his dues by doing much more writing and performing of his work, and I admit I am a bit envious. Port Veritas always puts on a great show, and I bet the slammers will be slammin tonight.

A few months ago, I recorded some very short poems I wrote. Just for fun, and to try out my new video camera. The most plays either one has got was less than 20, so I suspect you’ve haven’t watched either video. So in honor of tonight’s activity, here are a couple of poetry videos for you to watch. Enjoy!

Ideas:

Everyone Needs Dough & Ode to my Skin Tags

————————-
Do you write poetry?

Filed Under: poetry, TheBlag, writing ·

Jan 9, 2012

Something to make Monday more Catable

By Lanna Lee · Leave a Comment

Here are Squiggy and Lenny chillaxing as only they can do. [If you are in the market for a kitten, I suggest adopting two siblings/littermates. They have brought us so much joy.]

Had one of those days that, when I was done, I was a mass of insecurity and doubt. I blame society, man. Heart to heart with my dear husband (Edmund) helps. So do cats. so let me show you some cats.

This video is hilarious:

A mousey cat gif from I Can Has Cheezeburger:

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

And lest we forget, The internet is made of cats:

————–
How was your day?

Filed Under: TheBlag ·

Jan 8, 2012

Secrets

By Lanna Lee · 2 Comments

If you follow me in all of my social media worlds, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and here on my blag, you might have an idea that I share everything that is going on in my life online. I say this because I’ve had people tell me, jokingly, that because of my “Twitter” or “Facebook” they know everything I am doing. [They don’t.] Rest assured, I do not share my whole life online. There are things I do not feel comfortable sharing with just anyone.

So what do I share? Is there a rhyme or reason? Yes and no. Here is how I break it down.

The funny: As I’ve said before, I’m a recovering comic. This means on occasion I might post or re-post something I think is funny regardless of its offensiveness. And this also means I have deleted posts because the joke didn’t go over well or because I had second thoughts.

Work: I work. I love my job. Sometimes I have sucky days at work. But you will not see me airing my dirty laundry about problems I have at work. I might talk about how my computer is slow, or I need to reboot it AGAIN, or express frustration about some software glitch, but I make it a point to not talk about interpersonal issues at work. Fortunately, this has not been much of a stretch for me. Work is good and it’s easy to be positive about it. And make the occasional tweet about how awesome I am at crunching the data!

Personal life: Regarding posts of a personal nature, I try not to post anything about someone who might be uncomfortable with it. Edmund, my husband, is pretty open to about anything. My parents and brother too, but when my mom went into the hospital last September, she asked me to not make posts about it on Facebook because she didn’t want everyone to know. When I finally did start posting about her extended hospital stay, it was with her express permission. Again, I do not air my dirty laundry about my personal life online either. I do not bitch about my husband online, even tho sometimes he really pisses me off. I’d rather complain to him in person. Any complaining about my husband I have done online is usually composed with his knowledge and laughing consent.

I’m still trying to find my voice with this blog. What will it be. And in that vein, I wonder about secrets I am keeping from you guys. There are aspects of my life that are fun, interesting, crazy, that I just don’t share online.

Filed Under: TheBlag ·

Jan 7, 2012

Diploma is here!

By Lanna Lee · Leave a Comment

My diploma is here. Proof of my six years of work.

Thanks to everyone who helped support me through this journey. Especially Edmund and my family. Thank you.

Filed Under: TheBlag ·

Jan 6, 2012

Happy Birthday, Dad!

By Lanna Lee · Leave a Comment

Today is my father’s birthday. He’s 68 years young. And very sassy. Here he’s pictured as a young lad, but don’t let that innocent grin fool ya! Here is a pictorial I did just for his birthday.

One of the earliest photos of Me, my brother Bill and Dad

A trip to Washington D.C., with Mom, Bill and Dad pictured, obviously I am wielding a camera. Dad is lighting a cigarette. (This was before it was illegal to smoke. Ever the rebel, Dad still smokes.)

My Mom (Dottie Maheux) and my Dad (Walter Maheux). Indicative of their relationship.

A rare photo of my brother Bill, Dad, and his father, also named Bill, who we called Gramp. My Dad would say “I’m the runt” because he was only 6’2″, both Bills were taller.

Picture taken early during my first semester of college, right before my parents and brother moved to upstate New York State. Funny thing, Bill is kneeling in this picture and I believe I am standing. Yes, he is that much taller than me.

Dad, Mom, Me and Edmund. The first Thanksgiving Edmund spent with my family.

Me and Dad at my wedding to Edmund.

And the picture I shared with you all the other day, taken last summer. The birthday boy, Walter Maheux. May you have many, many more birthdays!

Filed Under: TheBlag ·

Jan 5, 2012

Got Nothin’

By Lanna Lee · 1 Comment

Trying to write not one but two different posts for today and failed. I’ve got nothing people. So here is my post about having nothing. Or my bitch-rant about nothing.

I’m tired. The thing is, it’s my own damn fault for being tired, I stayed up too late too many nights in a row. So the ideas I have for writing a blog post stop before they can start. My brain no worky. And that pisses me off.

Also, I have some personal stuff going on (too personal to share in public, mind) that makes me a little anxious and grumpy. And I’m grumpy. Grump, grump grump.

The light in my life right now is that I beat Edmund in two out of two games of Dominion tonight. FTW! [I didn’t play a third game partly so I would be able to keep my one night winning streak.] Pretty cool, but not enough to cheer me up.

So all of my most geniusy ideas for blog posts have gone flat. And I am sucking even at ranting. I can’t even get that right, dammit!

Maybe it’s because of my decision not to swear on my blag or on Twitter or Facebook. Well, I swear a bit, but I don’t drop F-bombs*. It’s my personal policy, that may have failed at some point in the past, but for the most part, if you want an f-bomb out of me, you’ll need to hang out with me in person. And then get me angry.

You won’t like me when I’m angry.

Well, maybe you will. I can be quite amusing as I spread my invective and spite.

And. I can’t do it. So I’ll change subject. Hey it’s my blag, I can do whatever I want.

Awesomeness for your day: Stationary Unicycle

Okay, let me point out someone who I think is KICKING ASS** at her blog. Margaret at Stationary Unicycle. She makes me laugh out loud. Sometimes I don’t comment on her blog posts just because I can’t think of anything good or clever enough to say. She has a over-18 policy because she writes F-bombs, and wants to make sure people are aware of the content going into it.

Check out Stationary Unicycle by my pal Margaret.

————————–

*I personally don’t have an issue with f-bombs, I choose not to use them for more professional reasons. I can get in plenty of trouble with out f-bombs, why push it?
** Apparently I have no problems saying ASS on my blag. Whatever.

————————–
AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?

Filed Under: TheBlag ·

Jan 4, 2012

Pep Talk

By Lanna Lee · 2 Comments

Some of the things I want to do this year terrify me. I am afraid of looking like a fool. In order to be a success, I might have to actually practice/do work/be vulnerable. And what if I do those things (practice/do work/be vulnerable), and fail! Argh!

What I usually do in similar is to give myself a little pep talk. Just saying a few simple phrases under my breath can make the difference in my attitude and help me get up and go. Here they are:

Balls to the Wall

I don’t have balls (ovaries all the way, baby), but this has worked for me in the past.

Why I like it: It’s a little profane, but I think that’s its strength. [Of course the Urban Dictionary says that it is a flying/piloting reference, and not anatomical, but we won’t let them ruin our fun, will we?]

Screw em if they can’t take a joke

[Could also be F*&^ em if they can’t take a joke.] The person I remember saying this most is my Mom, Dottie Maheux (not pictured).

Why I like it: Who cares what they think? Screw em! A good reminder to please yourself and not others.

God Hates a Coward

This one is from my Dad, Walter Maheux (pictured above). Whenever he psyches himself up to do something difficult, he says “Well, God hates a coward” and gets to it.

Why I like it: It’s a funny way to say the Lord helps those who help themselves. And you don’t want to be a coward, do you?

——————————–
What do you say to yourself when you need a pep talk?

Filed Under: 2012: AGACSY, TheBlag ·

Jan 3, 2012

So Far So Good

By Lanna Lee · 2 Comments

In the spirit of my Glorious, Amazing, Crazy, Stupendous Year, I worked on a brain map tonight. A portion of it is pictured to the left, but I do not intend on sharing it in all its glory. A girl’s gotta have some secrets, doesn’t she?

I’ve also made a decision about writing, I will write, by hand, for at least 15 minutes a day. I will endeavor to write other things, but the 15 minutes, and a daily blog post, will be my goal. I will be going by Baby Steps here. Baby steps. I’ve had a daily blog post since November, no reason why I can’t just add one more thing, daily journaling.

I just wrote the word journaling and I feel like hyperventilating. Don’t panic, Lanna. Just roll it back. You’re not journaling, you’re writing in your Moleskine once a day. Totally not journaling.

That’s better.

The creative juices are flowing, so I’m going to work on some other projects right now. Glorious, Amazing, Crazy and Stupendous, no?

————————
What are you doing tonight?

Filed Under: 2012: AGACSY, TheBlag ·

Jan 2, 2012

2012: A Glorious, Amazing, Crazy, Stupendous Year

By Lanna Lee · 1 Comment

Edmund is calling 2012 his year of spirit. Since we are married and living together, I will be drawn into this year of spirit with him, and that is perfectly fine with me. A year in spirit is in line with my plans, to make 2012 a Glorious, Amazing, Crazy and Stupendous Year!

I will be trying new things. Crazy things. Things that make me feel uncomfortable. Things that I am hesitant to talk about in case they fail. [Note: as far as I know these THINGS will not be illegal.] I will do art and write and create new works and new opportunities for myself and others.

It is fortuitous that Neil Gaiman’s 2012 New Year’s Wish for his blog readers reads as follows:

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.

So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.

[Yes, I borrowed Glorious and Amazing from his post.]

I can’t really quantify all I want to do, because there is a lot. But here is some explication.

Theme: Focus

My theme is focus. I need to find a way to focus that works for me, I want to lose that scattered feeling I get. Overall I will endeavor to focus my energies on my goals and projects. As you might be able to tell from this post, I have difficulty focusing the way normal people do it, so I am choosing to see this as a feature not a bug and make it work for me. How does Lanna focus?

Goals

Write: Blog Posts, poetry, stories, books, plays
Exercise: Walk, swim, hike, have fun
Relax: De-stress

Projects

Just a few of the projects I have underway:

Already in progress:
- Bureau of Awesome: podcast with Edmund
- The Lex and Lanna Show: podcast with Alexis Lyon
Launching in 2012:
- The Mainetrix: an online feminist magazine with primarily Maine women writers
- Wicked Twisted: the next incarnation of my balloon business, or will it be more?
- Others to be determined

Making 2012 Glorious, Amazing, Crazy, and Stupendous

My most important goal will be to Write. All of my dream projects include some sort of creation/writing aspect to them. I want to write. But, as of yet, I have not truly been a writer. This blog has helped, making me write a little every day, but I want to do more. To create more.

I will live in the moment, accept and learn from my mistakes, and most of all, have fun while I’m doing it.

———————————
What are you doing this year?

Filed Under: 2012: AGACSY, TheBlag ·

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31

Archives for January 2012

I Hate Shopping

Chillaxing with Trisha

Cheating

Lounging with LannaLee

Mile a Minute

My Illustrious Film Career

Poetry

Something to make Monday more Catable

Secrets

Diploma is here!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Got Nothin’

Awesomeness for your day: Stationary Unicycle

Pep Talk

Balls to the Wall

Screw em if they can’t take a joke

God Hates a Coward

So Far So Good

2012: A Glorious, Amazing, Crazy, Stupendous Year

Theme: Focus

Goals

Projects

Making 2012 Glorious, Amazing, Crazy, and Stupendous

Welcome to my blag!

+1 Me!

Latest Lounge!

NaBloPoMo

Search

Calendar

Recent Thoughts

Twitter

Twitter Pals

Archives

Lounging with LannaLee

Speaking at WordCamp Boston!

Bureau of Awesome!

The Lex and Lanna Show