The regular softball season drew to a close last Sunday, and the Lunatics are gearing up for playoffs this weekend. As you can see from the intermural standings, we’ve been very consistent all season.



But after last Sunday’s 15-16 almost win against the Field of Dreamers, we’re feeling pretty optimistic. We do not view this Technicolor tabulation as a scale of shame! Oh no! These cold hard percentages and facts will not daunt us. With each of our nine games, we have improved- closing the gap between our sedentary selves and our cleat-wearing competitors.

Soon it will be time for the Lunatics to rise victorious above our foes! That, or the season will be over and we will have to go back to doing yard work and laundry on Sundays. So I’m shooting for victorious, myself. I never liked doing laundry.

Wish us luck!
-Annie

Posted on Friday 16 of June, 2006 [20:53:05 UTC]

Sunday marked a double-header softball experience for the Lulu Lunatics, first against the Dirt Dogs and then the Ballers. While the Lunatics played well, we were short one team member. Playing a man down added the proverbial monkey wrench to the team’s normally well-oiled fielding machine.

Plus, we didn’t have anyone left in the dug out to keep score. From what we could piece together after the games, while chatting over slightly warm sports drinks, game one ended Lunatics-4, Dirt Dogs- more than 4. Game two went similarly, with Lunatics-6, Ballers-more than 6. The very perky Kimberly Richards said, “The scores are obsolete anyway. In social softball, it’s the socializing that counts.”

We can say that the team is showing signs of massive improvement. Andrew Slater and Kimberly, playing shortstop and second base respectively, did an amazing job of getting runners out- ending innings on our terms instead of invoking the eight-run mercy rule.

Jackson has mastered the slow softball pitch, and kept all of us moving to the bases.

Newcomer Mo Tinani was a welcome addition to the team. He’s the total package, a guy who can hit, catch and throw! Mo was so good that, if he weren’t such a nice guy, I’d be a little worried that he’s going to start pushing me down and stealing my lunch money.

So what if we haven’t won a game yet? We are having a great time, and good sportsmanship counts for a lot. The team is currently discussing changing our name next season from Lunatics to the Miss Congenialities. That’d set the right tone.

Wish us luck for our game next Sunday!
Annie

Posted on Monday 05 of June, 2006 [21:08:13 UTC]

The Raleigh intramural softball season opened last Sunday, April 23rd, as the Lulu Lunatics were hopelessly crushed by opponents, the Toxic Avengers.

The Lunatics took an early lead in the first inning, as Andrew “The Bat” Slater hit a single, allowing Jason “QA Master Sloop Dog” to run home for the first run of the game. The team’s initial glee quickly turned to looks of horror and slightly hysterical laughter, as the Avengers proceeded to grind them into the dirt. The game ended in a 25-1 rout.

“We all had a good time,” said Annie “Do What Now?” Broadwater, taking an unrealistically positive view. “I think we show a lot of potential.”

Nick “The Yellow Star, It Burns” Popio agreed, saying “It was fun, but I wish we could play more night games.’

Keeping humiliation to a minimum was Jennifer “The Ringer” Prevo, whose skills at third base earned more Avenger outs than the rest of the Lunatics combined. Also on the Lunatic’s side, was the league’s Mercy Rule, which does not allow any team to score more than 8 runs per inning. “Thank God for the Mercy Rule,” said Leah “Not In The Face” Riley. “Otherwise, I’d probably still be standing out in right field.”

“Um, you were in center field Leah,” countered Jackson “Captain” Fox.

Broadwater’s mother was overheard saying, “I’m just glad they were playing outside for once. Those kids spend so much time in front of the computer, what with work and video games. You did remember sunscreen, didn’t you sweetie?”

The Lunatic’s next game will be Sunday, April 30th, with time and opponent TBA.

Posted on Tuesday 25 of April, 2006 [21:21:07 UTC]

As I’m sure you’re aware, we are in the middle of Publish In Your Pajamas Week! You have been reading about it in the Lulu Newsletter the last two months, right? You haven’t? Oh… I’d best explain then.

Lulu is sponsoring Publish In Your Pajamas week Sept. 5-11th. For every person who signs up and publishes something on Lulu this week, we will donate a children’s book from Lulu to the Pajama Program. The Lulu staff* is going that extra mile in participation by wearing their pjs to work on Friday, Sept. 9th, and we’ll post pictures in the Lulu blog. Don’t pretend to shudder; you know you want to see that!

The Pajama Program is a non-profit organization that provides pajamas and like-new children’s books to kids in need. Normally, that alone would be reason enough to sign up, but this week, the Pajama Program is sending donations to victims of Hurricane Katrina. It’s more important than ever for Lulu to get a huge participation in this fundraising effort. I hope all of you will sign up, it will be fun, easy, and worthwhile.

The last day to participate in Pajama Week is this Sunday, Sept. 11th. After that, we will tally up the participants and send a donation of children’s books off to the Pajama Program.

Thanks, and wishes for comfy pajamas to you all.
Annie

*Rich is excused from wearing his pjs to work on Friday. Since he works so hard and sleeps here in his clothes all the time, it’s like he wears pajamas to work EVERY day!

Posted on Wednesday 07 of September, 2005 [19:17:20 UTC]

Annie here, as your no-longer in the field reporter from HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC. This trip was a bit of an anniversary for the comic subversives, since it marked one year of attending comic conventions for Lulu. Last year at Heroes, there wasn’t a single person at the con who had heard of Lulu before, and most of them initially got us confused with Friends of Lulu (who we love but are not associated with). This year, HeroesCon couldn’t have been more different.

First thing after we arrived, Joe made me go running. I swear! Never go on trips with your maniacal, marathon running workout-buddy. The man made me run two miles! The insanity! Leah wisely used that hour to avoid working out, and she went to check us into the convention and pick up our badges. After a quick clean up, we all went down to the hotel bar for a good “networking” session. It was like a reunion! Everywhere we looked were friends from last year.

Joe had his own booth for The Feral Chicken. Rumor has it that his book went over very well, and he even sold copies to other exhibitors before the show actually opened! In between witty banter and throwing out the chicken sales pitch, Joe introduced the Lulu idea to everyone he met.

(That’s me, aren’t I cute?) Leah and I spent the weekend running the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) booth. Obviously we are the best saleswomen ever (humility, what’s that?), since we sold out of several of the prints and shirts really early in the convention. All the proceeds went to support the CBLDF and their defense of First Amendment rights for all comic creators, a cause I can really get behind. Additionally, we passed out Lulu hats and promotional comics to creators and publishers, and we took turns wandering around Artist’s Alley and talking up Lulu.

The Hellcar booth (Angi, Matt, and Steph), had some of our favorite people.

The Static Press booth (Michelle, Angi, and Scott pictured) was right across from Leah and I at the CBLDF table. We kept each other sane by throwing paper wads and making silly faces. Why be mature when you can be fun?

Jason and Ben, who are also with Static press, entered art in the auction.

We even ran into Lulu author J.D. Magruder who was just visiting the convention as a fan and happened to recognize Joe. Surprise! It was great to get feedback from him and take a look at his poetry collection, which he just happened to have on hand (as good self-promoters do).

To me, the most amazing part of the convention was that creators were constantly seeking Leah, Joe, and I out. Lulu enthusiasts sent them over to our booths, they remembered meeting us last year, or they just had to track down the source of the publishing hullabaloo. Either way, it made us feel as popular as the prom queen, except for Joe who would have to be the prom king or escort since he just wouldn’t look right in a tiara.

All around, it was a great show. Leah and I are really looking forward to San Diego Comic-con in two weeks!

--Annie

PS. I couldn’t possibly be expected to leave out pictures of a Ghostbuster and the cutest Captain America ever!

Posted on Wednesday 29 of June, 2005 [16:12:05 UTC]

Wednesday, March 30th
9:00am- All set to head off to Wilmington, NC for the Cucalorus Film Festival. This will be a fantastic opportunity to meet filmmakers and generate interest in Lulu’s on demand CD/ DVD offering that should be out in the next few months. I’ve ordered our tickets, picked up the rental car, and made a detailed schedule for the next few days. Considered making laminated copies of the schedule for James and Jeremy, but would probably be mocked mercilessly so I discarded the idea.

9:05am- Though, laminating them would make the schedules more durable…

10:30am- Still at the office. Gart says we cannot leave until James finishes his work on the shopping cart (aka Cart II). We should be able to go soon.

4:30pm- Oh for crying out loud James, hurry up!

12:00am- Made it to Wilmington just in time to check into the hotel. We immediately left again to find a karaoke bar. James is a great singer, but I’ll never forget Jeremy’s rendition of “Like a Virgin.”


Thursday, March 31st
6:00am- Have no alarm clock in my room and forgot to set up a wake-up call. I’ll just get some work done until I meet the boys at 9:00.

9:30am- The boys overslept, and James needs more time to fix his hair (don’t ask). This is not going according to schedule.

12:00am- Great day, aside from far too many discussions about what hot dogs are made of and the fact that Jeremy insists upon wearing socks with sandals. I loved getting to see UNCW’s Student Film Showcase, even if it meant missing The Climactic Death of Dark Ninja, because it was such a unique opportunity to speak with professors and the upcoming generation of filmmakers.

James and Jeremy were especially excited about talking to Susan Buice, the director of Four Eyed Monsters. She really understands what Lulu is trying to do, and was excited about the idea of letting someone else handle distribution so she could get back to filmmaking.

Friday, April 1st
11:00am- Went to the Kodak Stop By. Shoot Film. workshop, where they let you shoot super 16mm film (like in a real feature film) and then they send you the footage on a DVD. Not only was it fantastic fun, but it is a brilliant idea. I would love to create a similar workshop, where filmmakers could upload their footage to Lulu at the festival, and Lulu sends them a DVD to illustrate POD.

8:00pm- The filmmaker’s party was ripe with elbow rubbing. Everyone seemed to have a video camera handy, and we met quite a few people who had their faces on movie posters. Except for this one girl who kept hogging all the brie and crackers, it was a very fun group.

Saturday, April 2nd

10:00am- Late again. Have thrown away my schedule. There is just no point.

1:00pm- James and Jeremy lead a panel discussion on the Future of Filmmaking with Andrew Lund (director of Snap Shot and sometime entertainment lawyer). They covered piracy, rights management, digital distribution, the many many values of Lulu, and independent marketing. I only had to leap out of my chair once to stop Jeremy from spilling Lulu trade secrets. Btw, I don’t recommend covering his mouth with your hand. He bites.


Sunday, April 3rd
1:00am- Home. Stayed later at Cucalorus than we intended because there were just so many good movies to see and interesting people to talk to. The feedback on Lulu’s future DVD offering was very positive, and we have a number of great contacts. Even better, we’ve been invited back to Cucalorus next year! Must sleep now.

Monday, April 4th
10:00am- Was stuck in traffic so it took an hour to get to the office. I have 427 emails in my inbox. Welcome back.

Posted on Tuesday 05 of April, 2005 [21:33:13 UTC]

Every year, hundreds of books are threatened with removal from schools and libraries across the country. Even though most of these challenges are made with the best of intentions, protecting people (or children) from difficult ideas, banning books prevents the freedom to choose and express opinions. Challenged books range from Mother Goose stories and the Harry Potter series to classics like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

The American Library Association (ALA) is sponsoring the annual Banned Books Week celebration this September 25- October 2nd. Since its inception in 1982, Banned Books Week has served as a reminder that while not every book is intended for every reader, each of us has the right to decide for ourselves what to read, listen to or view.

I am not trying to be controversial, or suggest that every book is appropriate for elementary school libraries. However, (quoting from the ALA website) “challenges are not simply an expression of a point of view; on the contrary, they are an attempt to remove materials from public use, thereby restricting the access of others. Even if the motivation to ban or challenge a book is well intentioned, the outcome is detrimental. Censorship denies our freedom as individuals to choose and think for ourselves. For children, decisions about what books to read should be made by the people who know them best – their parents or guardians.”

So check out this list of the 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990-2000, and read something subversive. You can also visit your local library and find out if they are holding any special events or activities to raise awareness about banned books.

Posted on Friday 24 of September, 2004 [13:49:14 UTC]

Annie reporting:

The second day of DragonCon dawned far far too early, after all our “networking” the night before. After a healthy breakfast of donuts and Coke-a-cola, Leah, Joe, and I were sugared up enough to face the costumed masses. (We needed it too; I mean, nine am is just not the right time for a female Predator.) Joe loaded up the schwag bag with Lulu promotional comics and hats, and we hit the con.


Our promotional comic was a HUGE hit with the comic creators and artists at the con. Melissa Peters, Frank Dirscherl and Angi Shearstone all deserve a big thanks for contributing their work. We have already started putting together the second issue. So if you have a comic published through Lulu and would like to be included in this free advertising, send us an email to comics@lulu.com. Anyway, back to the con…


First up was the World of Comics panel (featuring Jeff Austin, Marie Croall, Jonathan Gray, Chris Staros, and J. Adam Walters), where we discussed everything from the increasing number of female comic creators to the expansion of traditional publishers into the comic market. Marie Croall of Studio Phoenix is one of my personal favorites. In addition to numerous other wonderful things, she writes the monthly nostalgia fest that is the new Voltron comic. Now I really wish I’d bought that Voltron lunchbox at Heroes Con!


Then we had lunch with David Carradine. That’s right, Mr. Kill Bill himself. Ok, so we didn’t have lunch with him so much as we sat across the bar from him and subtly took pictures with our camera phones.


We ran into Nick “the tall new guy” outside the independent film festival. Even though he wasn’t supposed to start at Lulu for a few days, we loaded him down with fabulous promotional comics to pass around. You’ll see a lot of Nick on the forums in coming weeks. Be sure to give him a hard time.


After a quick change into less comfortable attire, Leah, Joe, and I headed out for another night of “networking” at the hotel “lobby.” We ran into Nick and Angi, who were sharing a table with writer extraordinaire Warren Ellis. (It was really more like Mr. Ellis was holding court, with throngs of fans standing about. We don't have a picture because the camera phone technique didn't seem to work this time.) Leah and I pushed our way through, gave him a Lulu promo comic, pointed out Angi’s superb art (since she was sitting right there and deserved the recognition), and he seemed very impressed. Score! That evening, we also talked with Chris Moreno, who is doing the art for the upcoming King Arthur vs. Dracula. Now that is one cool comic, and Chris is too much fun.


I think that’s about it for me, except to say that a good time was had by all.

--Annie

Posted on Monday 20 of September, 2004 [14:23:40 UTC]

Because we have all been working so hard to get the latest release out the door (and to make Lulu better than ever, if I do say so myself), Gart decided that we all needed to let off a little steam. What’s a better way to relax then going to Funwerks and smashing the heck out of each other on the go-carts?


Gart and Rich on front row. Andrew, David, Carolyn, and Hugh back row.
Watch out for Gart. He’s a madman behind the wheel and will run you into the rails. I’ve got whiplash. No really, I do!


Always staying on the inside, Rich pulls ahead of Nick and Carolyn.



Leah beats Hugh on a fast turn for the win.
The slippery track was a new experience for most of us. Not coming from the frozen north, that “steer into the slide” concept was a little hard to grasp for some of us.



David and Andrew, proving that real men shoot with pastel guns.
After the go-cart attendants deemed us all road hazards, we went inside to take over the arcade. Joe, Donna, and Carolyn turned out to be quite the snipers at Laser tag.



Tanya and Rich get their groove on.
Dance Dance Revolution is one of my all time favorite arcade games. We had everyone up and dancing.

Posted on Thursday 16 of September, 2004 [19:25:58 UTC]

Annie reporting:

The second day of DragonCon dawned far far too early, after all our “networking” the night before. After a healthy breakfast of donuts and Coke-a-cola, Leah, Joe, and I were sugared up enough to face the costumed masses. (We needed it too; I mean, nine am is just not the right time for a female Predator.) Joe loaded up the schwag bag with Lulu promotional comics and hats, and we hit the con.


Our promotional comic was a HUGE hit with the comic creators and artists at the con. Melissa Peters, Frank Dirscherl and Angi Shearstone all deserve a big thanks for contributing their work. We have already started putting together the second issue. So if you have a comic published through Lulu and would like to be included in this free advertising, send us an email to comics@lulu.com. Anyway, back to the con…


First up was the World of Comics panel (featuring Jeff Austin, Marie Croall, Jonathan Gray, Chris Staros, and J. Adam Walters), where we discussed everything from the increasing number of female comic creators to the expansion of traditional publishers into the comic market. Marie Croall of Studio Phoenix is one of my personal favorites. In addition to numerous other wonderful things, she writes the monthly nostalgia fest that is the new Voltron comic. Now I really wish I’d bought that Voltron lunchbox at Heroes Con!


Then we had lunch with David Carradine. That’s right, Mr. Kill Bill himself. Ok, so we didn’t have lunch with him so much as we sat across the bar from him and subtly took pictures with our camera phones.


We ran into Nick “the tall new guy” outside the independent film festival. Even though he wasn’t supposed to start at Lulu for a few days, we loaded him down with fabulous promotional comics to pass around. You’ll see a lot of Nick on the forums in coming weeks. Be sure to give him a hard time.


After a quick change into less comfortable attire, Leah, Joe, and I headed out for another night of “networking” at the hotel “lobby.” We ran into Nick and Angi, who were sharing a table with writer extraordinaire Warren Ellis. (It was really more like Mr. Ellis was holding court, with throngs of fans standing about. We don't have a picture because the camera phone technique didn't seem to work this time.) Leah and I pushed our way through, gave him a Lulu promo comic, pointed out Angi’s superb art (since she was sitting right there and deserved the recognition), and he seemed very impressed. Score! That evening, we also talked with Chris Moreno, who is doing the art for the upcoming King Arthur vs. Dracula. Now that is one cool comic, and Chris is too much fun.


I think that’s about it for me, except to say that a good time was had by all.

--Annie

Posted on Tuesday 07 of September, 2004 [20:18:52 UTC]