Archives for August 2012

Aug 16, 2012

Watch This

The Watch Movie: Richard Ayoade, Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill

I’m just being “clever” you know. Edgy. I don’t really care if you saw this movie. I did. I Watched it tonight. But suit yourself. You don’t need to Watch it if you don’t want to. [My review: amusing, fun, wait for DVD – and if you’re here in Maine you’ll have to, because it goes out of the theatre tomorrow. I know this because I checked.]

So. I watched The Watch. And now I am blagging my blag. The blag has been pretty sad this week. Had a good post on Monday. Okay post on Tuesday. Wednesday, cop out. Today: the same.

It’s nights like tonight I wonder at my commitment to writing a blag post every day. Some days it’s good. It pushes me to create. And today. It ain’t. Not doing it.

So. I’m going to finish this blag post. And go to bed. Which is code for play Zynga Poker on my phone.

Filed Under: TheBlag ·

Aug 15, 2012

Still freaking itchy

By Lanna Lee · Leave a Comment

Still itchy. Story of my life.

Just paid $20 to keep my Google Voice Number forever.

Mind racing with things to talk about. But no inclination to write them down.

So I share this with you:

And make my way to bed.

Filed Under: TheBlag ·

Aug 14, 2012

Punk Post With a Surprise

By Lanna Lee · Leave a Comment

Edmund and I had dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. It was fun.

So. Blagging every day.

I DO have things I want to write about. Just NOT tonight.

And it’s my Brother’s Birthday! Today!

So I will punk out by wishing him a happy birthday. Again! I talked to him on the phone yesterday and today AND posted twice on his Facebook.

But it’s not EVERY day someone turns the answer to life, universe, and everything:

Happy Birthday, Brat.

Filed Under: TheBlag ·

Aug 13, 2012

Musings on a Monday

By Lanna Lee · Leave a Comment

Pardon me while I sort some stuff out. I think aloud. Did you know that?

So. Student loans are looming. I need to find another revenue stream. That’s legal. (I do have my standards, you know.) I have a couple of months left to think about it. The thing is, I likely make enough money to pay for my student loans and the bills, but then we wouldn’t be able to do any fun things. Or have to do less fun things. I like doing fun things. And, as my college career has proven to me, I’m a working class girl. Need to do something about it! I want cable AND FUN THINGS.

I have a good job that pays me enough money and I love it (and what I do.) It’s full-time (on salary) and can be demanding. I need another thing. That makes me money. But will allow me to do well at my current job.

So. Lounging with LannaLee may some day be able to make me money. With sponsorships and whatnot. But that time is not now. And that’s okay. The time will come. I will keep Lounging.

So. Retail. Out of the question. Done it. Hated it. Opposite of fun.

So. Balloons. I can do balloons. Twisty balloons. But there is something in me that doesn’t want to do balloons. Hasn’t wanted to in a long time. And tonight, after some reflection, I know exactly what it is. Basic insecurity. Fear of Failure. All of the above.

Last weekend I did a balloon gig for the first time in a couple of years. My chops were choppy, but I twisted for an hour and fifteen minutes, and mouth-inflated all of those balloons. And the kids liked it. But, ever the perfectionist, I thought I could’ve done better. [Maybe I should’ve practiced more before hand.] Before this, I hadn’t twisted balloons since last November (at an office kids thing right before Thanksgiving). Now that I think of it, it was much harder for me last November – I was still taking a couple of classes, so it must have been the stress.

Ultimately, the balloons are fun. When I first moved to Westbrook, I twisted balloons once a week at a family restaurant here in Westbrook, Rookies. The restaurant paid me a bit of money, and I twisted balloons during the dinner rush and accepted, but did not expect, tips.* Brought me back to when I was Bingo the Clown (in three different Ground Rounds.) I was in my element there. And it helped me get my balloon chops back.

So that’s what I’m thinking. Balloons. And if you are local to Portland (Maine, natch) and you know of a family-style restaurant that might be interested in having a balloon twister tool around on a special kids night for a nominal fee*, please let me know. My goal is to start in September. Here is my page about it on my Balloon ME! blog. [Also – night clubs. Would totally do a night club too.]

See. And then the Restaurant job works in two ways. First, it gives me a little extra cash. Call it spending money. To support my movie habit. And it also gives me a practice field for ballooning. Something I need. I’m still fast. I can still make things, but the genius or experimentation only comes with practice. And frankly, practicing by myself at home. Isn’t happening. It’s the requests from kids (and adults) that keep me going. Once I make a balloon, I’m done with it. But kids (and adults) will take them home because they love them.

*How it works: the restaurant and I make a deal. They pay me an agreed upon fee (much lower than my regular $100-$200 per hour fee), this will cover my time and materials. Maybe I’m there to supplement a kids night or they want to add an attraction for a slow night, either or both. I will use the time to work out new balloon creations, and make the kids (and adults) awesome stuff. And make the place lots of fun. If the patrons want to, they can tip me. But the balloons/my time are provided by the restaurant’s fee (so I won’t ask for tips, I will just have a pin that suggests it.) I ask the restaurant to pay me so that if the patron does not have enough cash to give me a tip I can say “no worries, my time is paid for already, compliments of the management.” (And I need that, for my sanity.)

[You see, I’ve really thought about this.]

Filed Under: TheBlag ·

Aug 12, 2012

New on Pod: Fresh Lounging with LannaLee with @Jim_Lauletta

By Lanna Lee · Leave a Comment

Jim Lounged with LannaLee and got a couch!

Yet another awesome episode of Lounging with LannaLee with Comedian Jim Lauletta.

I was fortunate enough to have performed comedy with Jim back in the 1990’s. We reconnected through Facebook and he’s always been on my “list” to Lounge with. When I heard that he was going to be in Portland to perform at The Portland Comedy Connection this past weekend, I contacted him right away to see if he would guest (he said yes! Obviously.)

And, awesomely, The Portland Comedy Connection allowed us to use their room to record the podcast. (Thanks, Rich!)

It’s a raw, honest, funny and touching conversation. You should listen to it: LLL021 Jim Lauletta Loads his Wit Laser

Filed Under: TheBlag ·

Aug 11, 2012

New on Pod: The Bureau of Awesome

By Lanna Lee · Leave a Comment

Last fall, Edmund and I started podcasting together.

I had an old URL I purchased a couple of years ago, bureauofawesome.com. I was thinking of using it for a group project or something like that. And then I thought it would be perfect for a podcast with me and Edmund. So we did it. Started a podcast. Here I was, one more step toward Lounging with LannaLee.

Thursday night Eddie and I sat down and recorded a new episode. Surprisingly enough, we mostly talked about our adventures with fleas.

Here’s another one you should listen to: #08 Your House Will Explode

You’re welcome.

Filed Under: TheBlag · Tagged: fleas

Aug 10, 2012

New on Pod: The Lex and Lanna Show

By Lanna Lee · Leave a Comment

Lanna and Lex

You always remember your first.

The Lex and Lanna Show is my first podcast. Alexis Lyon and I have been meeting and planning and recording The Lex and Lanna Show since 2010. And I learned a lot about collaboration working with Alexis. I also learned how I podcast. What works for me. This was invaluable information for me when I branched out on my own with Lounging with LannaLee.

I’m eternally glad that Lex was my first. Now, I’d been a guest on a podcast before, but it is quite different running a podcast. It’s a different dynamic when you are in part responsible for the content of the show.

We haven’t been podcasting lately. My life has been super busy and by nature, so has Lex’s life. We are still going. Now that summer is winding down, we’re planning on meeting on a more regular basis. We met on Tuesday to record a new episode. Just like old times.

So, the new episode’s up, #26: Reasonable Discourse. Why don’t you take a listen.

Filed Under: TheBlag ·

Aug 9, 2012

Podcast Empire

By Lanna Lee · Leave a Comment

Ready to Lounge

Sitting here in my podcast empire (office) pumping out (publishing) some new pods for your pleasure. This week we have a new Bureau of Awesome AND a new The Lex and Lanna Show episodes out.

It’s a good thing.

I’ll be featuring a different podcast each day over the next three days (including Lounging with LannaLee). [It’s a good way to not have to think about content ;)]

I hope you enjoy listening to them. I hope you listen to them. They are fun and (hopefully) smart. Regardless, I have fun doing them.

And isn’t that the point?

Filed Under: TheBlag ·

Aug 8, 2012

Desperately Trying to Change Subject

By Lanna Lee · Leave a Comment

Cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché): female. Photo by James L. Occi
By Armed Forces Pest Management Board

It’s all about the fleas here in Westbrook town. So glad that My Momz is still at camp so she’s not having to deal with this. And thank goodness for Edmund. As he says on his blog, it’s been a PITA (where PITA means Pain In The Ass.)

Put a fork in me. I am done.

Filed Under: TheBlag · Tagged: fleas

Aug 7, 2012

Pod and Blag and Stuff

By Lanna Lee · Leave a Comment

Short post tonight. I hung out with my pal Alexis and we recorded another Lex and Lanna show podcast, coming soon to the internets near you. And now I am doing non-writey blag stuff. And I am very busy (but how is that different from any other night, huh?) [And I want to direct the blag away from any flea talk for a while.]

So I will do what I do best when I punk out on a blag post, I’ll embed a funny video or something.

Let’s see…

Here is a short funny film:

And. MEAN KITTY!

Filed Under: TheBlag · Tagged: fleas

Aug 6, 2012

Itchy

By Lanna Lee · 1 Comment

My car has fleas now.

So I have that going for me.

I have 30 plus flea bites on my extremities and trunk.

I am an itchy bitch. Bitchy itch? Itch. Itch. Itch. Bitch. Bitch. Bitch.

Soon I will take my nightly dose of Benadryl-type-derivative. The hope? I will eventually cease with the scratching and get some sleep.

Heartened that this will be a funny story some day. As soon as I stop itching.

Filed Under: TheBlag · Tagged: fleas

Aug 5, 2012

The Lounge is 23 Weeks Old: a Salon of Awesome

By Lanna Lee · Leave a Comment

First 23 Weeks into the Lounge

Here is a graph.

In my day job I work with data. I make crosstabulations for market research surveys. I am a data geek. So you know I’m looking at the numbers. Every week I’m looking at them (every day, really). You know. The numbers for Lounging with LannaLee. As you can see, the curve is going steadily going up.

The issue is that I have nothing to compare my numbers too, other than themselves. I figure the show is going well because the numbers keep going up. But, as I tell my friends, I think I might be too impatient: I want more!

What I can do is worry about content. Most important: who will I invite to lounge with me? Long-term goal would be to have a nice balance between notable persons and people who don’t have a built in audience. Because the ultimate goal of Lounging with LannaLee is to have an adventure in conversation, a heart-to-heart talk between me and another person.

What are the notable-person criteria? Usually they have some sort of dedicated audience. They might be a celebrity in general or in a specific niche. Regardless of celebrity-type notoriety my guests might be doing something super-duper cool. Or they might be side-splittingly funny. Or be one of my BFFs (where super-duper cool and side-splittinly funny are almost a given.) The Ultimate requirement: I must want to know more about my lounging guest.

Part of building the content on the podcast will be to stretch myself. By asking people I’m scared to ask to guest on the show.

That’s a work in progress.

Filed Under: TheBlag ·

Aug 4, 2012

Welcome to the (Flea) Circus

By Lanna Lee · Leave a Comment

Ready to Lounge

Most of my day was great. Fantastic even.

I slept in. Got my stuff together, cashed a check, got some nosh, and drove to the Comedy Connection so I could Lounge with Comedian Jim Lauletta. He was awesome.

The word is that, later this evening, Jim donned this outfit (pictured to the right.) I am very sad that I did not witness this awesomeness. (He was wearing pants and a shirt when I spoke with him.) But, nevertheless, the Lounge was awesome and you should look for it on Thursday. Interesting side note: Jim was gifted this fabulous outfit from none other than George Hamm. You might remember I spoke with George on Lounging with LannaLee last spring. [If you don’t remember, check it out. There are two parts: 1 & 2. Both are awesome.]

It was shortly before three in the afternoon when I finished lounging. On a Total Impulse, I drove over to Cinemagic and watched Total Recall. Fun movie, recommend. Very good scifi.

I was exhausted after the movie. It was after five. Edmund drove by Mom’s house this morning and let Loki out; I drove over to let him back into the house. The only thing was, Loki was not there. He usually shows up eventually, so I plunked down in Mom’s chair and prepared to wait. I was pretty tired, and thought I might take a nap. I looked over at my hand, and wouldn’t you know it, there was a flea. I looked down at my feet. More fleas! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaHHH!

If you might remember, Loki was in kitty jail over the last weekend. When they admitted him, they found out he had fleas. (And they treated him for them.) In fact, Max, Mom’s dog, was treated for fleas this week too. And here they were in the house.

The next couple of hours were of me trying to figure out what to do about it. You know, the fleas. And the itching. Because now I itch. I’ve itched all week; I have an itch problem. I think it was from when I hung out with the Lokster on Tuesday. I was going to buy some Benadryl stuff today for it, but there was some drama and no pharmacist and a panicked text to Edmund, but he talked me down from the ledge. So I went to Pet Quarters and bought some flea stuff and combs and sprayed it around the house. And when Loki came back I combed his fur to see if he was clean (so far so good.)

So today==mostly good. Me==itchy. [And I guess it’s a good thing Jim didn’t wear that outfit during our lounge. Because. Well. I wouldn’t have been able to concentrate!]

Filed Under: TheBlag · Tagged: fleas

Aug 3, 2012

Newest Lounging with LannaLee with Rob Gould @bobbbyg

By Lanna Lee · Leave a Comment

I don’t need to think so much about myself, it’s none of my business. – Rob Gould

Rob Lounges with LannaLee and gets a couch!

Hey, the newest Lounging with LannaLee is ready for your consumption. In it, I talk to the incomparable Rob Gould about advertising, public relations along with some life-changing stuff.

A side note, it amazes me how much I love doing this. Lounging. After we finished recording, Rob and I kept talking. This is common when I do a lounge, and you know what: it makes me feel good. When I decided to do the show this was the magic I wanted to capture, the conversation, the meeting of the minds, the heart-to-heart connection. As much as I love technology and Twitter and Facebook, I have a hunger to connect with people on a personal level. It’s so modern of me to want to then share this personal connection with the public, isn’t it.

So find out how Rob has decided to change like he means it. It’s a great conversation!

Filed Under: TheBlag ·

Aug 2, 2012

Bad Day Turns Good!

By Lanna Lee · Leave a Comment

Had a very busy and consequentially stressful day at work. I would’ve stayed late but I need to meet Eddie in Portland to go to his company booze cruise with him. I was expecting to enjoy myself on the cruise, but was ecstatic to find that one my favorite people, BexPWM was attending with her sweetie, Andrew! I think I saw that Andrew and Edmund both worked at the same place, but it didn’t really register.

So, long story short, Bex and I talked all night while our dudes flitted around drinking up frosty beverages. It was great. Way to turn my frown upside down.

😉

Filed Under: TheBlag ·

Archives for August 2012

Watch This

Still freaking itchy

Punk Post With a Surprise

Musings on a Monday

New on Pod: Fresh Lounging with LannaLee with @Jim_Lauletta

New on Pod: The Bureau of Awesome

New on Pod: The Lex and Lanna Show

Podcast Empire

Desperately Trying to Change Subject

Pod and Blag and Stuff

Itchy

The Lounge is 23 Weeks Old: a Salon of Awesome

Welcome to the (Flea) Circus

Newest Lounging with LannaLee with Rob Gould @bobbbyg

Bad Day Turns Good!

Welcome to my blag!

+1 Me!

Latest Lounge!

NaBloPoMo

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Calendar

Recent Thoughts

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Archives

Lounging with LannaLee

Speaking at WordCamp Boston!

Bureau of Awesome!

The Lex and Lanna Show