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Archives for September 2013

Listen to Billy Tuggle talk about Empathy, Forgiveness and a Lot of Chocolate on Lounging with LannaLee #podcast
Sep 18, 2013

Listen to Billy Tuggle talk about Empathy, Forgiveness and a Lot of Chocolate on Lounging with LannaLee #podcast

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Billy Lounged with LannaLee and got a couch!

Billy Lounged with LannaLee and got a couch!

A few weeks ago a I was fortunate enough to chat with poet Billy Tuggle.

Here is what I said about the episode:

In a swanky hotel, Billy and Lanna talk about slam poetry, being true to yourself, the fun of competition, and how to make the world a better place. Lanna struggles to make her point. Billy talks about his start in performance poetry via Hip Hop and Graffiti, Slam Bingo Topics, and why he usually doesn’t go political in his poetry. Billy gives a call to action! And he answers 10 questions.

The week after this ran I went away to West Virgina and didn’t blag all weekend. I was intending on sending you all over then to listen to the show. Better late than never, eh?

And guess what? If you’re too lazy to click the link, you can listen to it here. Look up by Billy’s shining face, a button of awesome!

Filed Under: Lounge Lizard, podcast, TheBlag ·
People, This Blag (Blog) Post Will NOT Change Your Life [Or Blow Your Mind]
Sep 16, 2013

People, This Blag (Blog) Post Will NOT Change Your Life [Or Blow Your Mind]

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Shut it, Internet! [Lanna punching at injustice on the interwebs]

Shut it, Internet! [Lanna punching at injustice on the interwebs]

And if it does, please let me know right away.

I got an email today that promised that someone was going to Change My Life. I marked it as Read instead of reading it, because I’ve heard the same claptrap for years. My life has NEVER been changed by a blag (blog) post, and I doubt it ever will.

First of all, changing your life is HARD. I’ve changed a lot over the last few years, not always for the better, but none of these changes came at a flash, or in an instant. I might have read something that titillated me or got me started on my way to a change, but rest assured, I was the one doing the changing. It took more than one book or blag (blog) post to do it. Dammit.

Color me jaded or cynical, but my Twitter and Facebook Streams are FULL of people who want to “Change Your Life” or “Blow Your Mind,” and at about the 50th time my life was not changed or my mind not blown, I began do doubt the veracity of their claims.

Look. I want things to amuse me and entertain me. Sometimes I want to learn something. But internet, please, please stop taking yourself so seriously. And stop over-promising things. At this point, it would take a lot to Blow my mind.

Don’t even get me started on over-use of adjectives. (Because I am a culprit, that’s why. I need to stop saying Awesome so much.)

So, did this blag (blog) post Change Your Life? Was Your Mind BLOWN?

Told ya.

Filed Under: TheBlag ·
Sep 15, 2013

Journal Writing instead of Blagging

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Been writing up a storm in my journal lately, and that is good.

For many years I tried Journalling, but it didn’t work. For whatever reason. I think the practice of blagging every day helped with that, it got me used to writing. As you may have noticed, I haven’t been blagging every day, the journal supplants that nicely.

I still think blagging is an important part of my creative process, but I think I’m at a point where I can keep up with multiple posts a week without forcing myself to blag every day. (This new practice does not ensure blag quality, by virtue of fewer posts means well-thought posts, mind you. For reals.)

I feel good. Ima gonna keep on keeping on.

Filed Under: TheBlag ·
Paging Doctor Sleep
Sep 13, 2013

Paging Doctor Sleep

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OMG I am super excited!

Stephen King has written a sequel to The Shining called Doctor Sleep! It will be released on September 24th, 2013. Less than two weeks!

In case you are not a Stephen King fan, this is a huge deal. The Shining was his third published novel, back in 1977, and is considered one of his seminal works. And it is a rip-roaring good read. In fact, I am reading it again on my Kindle, just to get ready.

Never you mind that I haven’t been able to finish his last 2 big novels (Under the Dome and 11/22/63). Those were bad reading times for me. In fact, this may very well herald a kick-off of a Stephen King reading marathon of near-epic proportions. (I have a copy of Joyland just waiting to be read right now.)

I am super-geeky-can’t-wait-to-download-that-sucker-to-my-Kindle excited!

For reals.

Filed Under: TheBlag ·
New Goal: One-Woman Cheering Squad
Sep 12, 2013

New Goal: One-Woman Cheering Squad

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I am reading a book that suggests silently cheering for other people (and trees and wildlife) in order to help the other people (and trees and wildlife) thrive and grow. Now whether that is a bunch of hooey or not, I don’t really know (because I haven’t tested it yet) but what would be the harm in testing it out?

This brings to mind my conversation with Sydney Mackey Haggerty, which I revisit in today’s Lounge with LannaLee. In it, Sydney says one skill she learned in high school she uses to this day: cheering. She cheers people on at work, if her husband is a bit grumpy, she does a cheer for him as well. That and her no self-judgement policy make me love her so much! [Listen to that snippet of our conversation here.]

So now my brand new goal is to be a One-Woman Cheering Squad. Go You! Thanks for Reading my Blag! That makes you not a slag!

I have some work to do with that.

But wait, there’s more!

Also featured in the episode is a portion of my conversation with Angela Shelton – Scream Closets! And Idamae Peacock talks about how she started Tattooing other people.

Some Kick-Ass Women shooting the breeze. Clearly you should listen to it!

Filed Under: TheBlag ·
Sep 11, 2013

Ramen Noodle Wednesday

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Today I ate Ramen Noodles for the first time since 2002 (or 2003). In fact, I was under the impression I would never eat Ramen Noodles again. Because Ramen Noodles are the I’m-too-poor-to-afford-anything-else meal that one can get pretty sick of; and I did.

I moved to New York City in 2002, and the first few months was a real struggle. I was paid very badly (fortunately I lived in a relatively cheap place, for New York – ~$750 per month for a bedroom in a larger 5 bedroom railroad apartment with one kitchen and ONE bathroom) but the fact that I had a job was very good! Yay! And I ate LOTS AND LOTS of Ramen noodles.

When I was expressly flush, I’d eat my noodles with some Ritz Crackers. Ritz’s buttery flavor complemented the Ramen nicely.

Lately, Ramen noodles have come up in conversation a few times, I mentioned my predilection for eating my Ramen with Ritz. (Putting on the Ritz!) This week, due to my travels up to Northern Maine and then all the way to West Virginia, money is a bit tight until Payday. I decided it would be a perfect time to eat some more Ramen. So I did.

Anyway, Ramen noodles were better than I remembered (because when I stopped eating them I was sick of them.)

I still can’t wait until payday.

Filed Under: TheBlag ·
Sep 10, 2013

Road Trip to West Virginia and Back

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Yesterday I returned from a road trip to West Virginia to attend a retreat. It was a long short trip. It took more than 12 hours for me to get there, and around 10 hours to get back.

I will tell you this: the proper road trip companion will make or break your travels, and I lucked out with my friend Joanna. We took turns driving, fruitlessly searched for a McDonalds (There was a SIGN! and we drove for miles without seeing one), got caught in traffic waiting for the George Washington Bridge, and I snorted and snored.

So today I am home and trying to figure out what to do next. I might just go to bed, still sleepy. Or internet some more. Whatever comes up.

Oh, here are some pictures from our trip!

Filed Under: TheBlag ·
Sep 4, 2013

Donut Holes

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I found donut holes in my car. Crusty, crumbly donut holes.

This is troubling because, as a rule, I don’t eat donut holes.

Okay, I may have had a donut hole from time to time, but I cannot seriously remember the last time I had a donut hole while driving in my car. If ever.

Of course I blame my husband. (It’s easy to blame the husband.)

[No you may not see said donut holes, I threw them away with extreme prejudice. And vacuumed up related detritus.]

I don’t have a point, really, I found dried up donut holes in my car and I thought you should know.

Because knowing is half the battle.

Filed Under: TheBlag ·
Sep 3, 2013

Apocalyptic Dreams

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I had apocalyptic dreams last night. I woke up a couple of times and when I fell back to sleep, my apocalyptic dreams continued.

The other day one of my friends told me she had apocalyptic dreams and I think the Greek Chorus in my brain thought: that sounds like fun! Let’s do that!

Dear Greek Chorus in my brain: Let’s try sex dream threesomes with George Clooney and Sam Rockwell. Or John Cusak.

During the first wave of dreams, I was running hither and yon with my dream compatriots and told one of them “Wait, I have to go to the bathroom.” Fortunately Non-Dream Lanna got the clue, and I woke up and skedaddled to the bathroom.

Now, a few hours later, the details are sketchy. Which is the way I like it. No need to remember those apocalyptic dreams, thank-you-very-much.

Filed Under: TheBlag ·
Sep 2, 2013

Circling the Wagons

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I’ve been absent from the blag for a few days because I was up north, in Dover-Foxcroft and North Guilford Maine, in no-internet zone. Well, there is internet, but it is spotty. It was an unplanned trip because my Mom was in the hospital. So my brother Bill and I dropped what we were doing, and circled the wagons (per se), speeding to Mom’s side.

She had a nasty bacterial infection, which required 10 (or so) intravenous applications of antibiotics, every 12 hours. When she was admitted she had a dangerously low blood pressure, and her fever was upwards of 103 degrees. She was very sick.

Fortunately, as the days progressed, she got better and better. This weekend we could see a marked improvement, so good that my brother and I went home on Sunday (after my brother got Mom’s truck delivered to the hospital so she could drive herself home.)

It was very scary, mainly because, as my Mom was at camp, she was two-and-a-half to three hours away. My Mom lives in Westbrook over the winter, and that is just a couple miles from my house. Mom called a friend to pick her up and take her to the emergency room. Her friend stayed with her for most of the day. Fortunately my pal Trisha works across the street, and was able to pop in after she got out of work to hang out with Mom until Bill could get there; he was only one-and-a-half hours away. I wanted to be there to make sure she was okay.

So, I took some time off from the blag. And I decided that that’s okay. In fact, I will no longer strive to make a post every day. I’ve poured some of my blagging energy into my journal, which I would much rather keep up with. I have had a hard time with the journaling, I felt self-conscious, but over the last couple of weeks, I’ve had a shift and I am not feeling so self-important when I write into my journal. I am just putting down my thoughts so I have a record of them. Maybe I will share some of them here, I don’t know.

My new blag goal is to post most days (still), but if it isn’t convenient to post or I really don’t feel like posting, I’m not going to sweat it.

Now you might think that, because I am not forcing myself to blag, that the quality of the posts will increase. I make no promises.

Filed Under: TheBlag ·