Summer Jams

This is the song for the new Beats commercial for the World Cup. It is a good pump-up jam for driving or running.

It has taken me a while to jump on the Lana Del Rey bandwagon, but I finally enjoy one of her songs. 

Josh Turner is a young guitarist who can decently play the guitar. He covers a lot of Paul Simon songs, but this duet is a great feel-good performance.  

Birdy is her name. She is incredibly talented. Enough said. Side note, the piano in this song is beautiful - soft and simple. 

"If you use your words as a weapon, then as a weapon I'll shed no tears."The lyrics are powerful, to say the least. 

Sam Smith is slowly, but surely becoming one of my favorite upcoming artists. This acoustic version is fabulous. 

Even though Ed Sheeran is one of my favorites, Christina Grimmie honestly makes this song even better. 

This song by Passenger is fresh with some strong violin/strings action in the background. 

I am still getting a feel for this duo, but I am starting to enjoy their sound. 

Nice cover of XO, John Mayer. 

I hope you enjoyed the new music!

#LBproductions

LB Productions is a production business I do on the side. I really enjoy photography and video production, and it helps me be a stronger producer for my full time job. I also have a pretty cool camera to experiment with. It is the only creative bone in my body, so I really enjoy expressing that through my videos and photos. 

My prices are reasonable, because I do this for fun and I am still new to this. I am covering my first wedding this June, so I will have that under my belt as well. If you are interested I take senior, family, vehicle, newborn, sports photos etc. I produce team and individual athlete highlight videos, business commercials, family and event videos - basically anything and everything I am open to producing. Individual athlete highlight videos can help land a recruiter, and the family videos are special to have for future grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

Let me know if you are interested. Email me at bogle.lauren@yahoo.com, or message me on here. If need be, I will travel. I would love to take some photos and videos for you to cherish and enjoy. Here is some of my work. The videos are at the end of this post. Thank you for taking the time to check this out, and thank you to those who have already taken a chance with me! I have had some pretty amazing models!

“What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.” ― Karl Lagerfeld

“When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in Black and white, you photograph their souls!” ― Ted Grant

How to Feel Sexy

Fair warning, this is coming from a person who is goofy, so take this with a grain of salt. Say you have a hot date that night or you are just going out with girlfriends, here are some of my tips that help turn up the swag before going out on the town.

To start the day -
Don't eat any carbs, only fruit or protein. You will feel 10 pounds lighter. 
Make sure your stuff is in order. Like laundry, chores, clean room, your bed made.
When you come home that night and see your room in order it makes you feel like a grown adult which builds confidence.

During the day -
Continue to eat light.
Get those good endorphins pumping. Work out - tons of cardio.
At lunch, take a nap so you are well rested.
Have a productive day.
Listen to some Motown or classic Rock N' Roll music.
Specifically - 

Right before you go out, drink a glass a wine or anything of your choice, green tea, grapefruit juice, whiskey shot, whatever your preference. 

Most important - pull a Tom Cruise in your living room while getting ready.

Out on the town:
Wear something sexy as in adult sexy not college sexy, and definitely not trashy. 
It's all about attitude. 
Walk into the club, bar, party with confidence. 
You will demand good attention.
Don't get cray. Don't get sloppy. Don't look desperate. Look like you have your stuff together, because you do.
No matter what happens your night will be great as long as you keep your swag controlled. 

I don't want to count how many slang words I just used in this post. I thought since we were talking about being goofy, sexy and fun it was allowed. I just wanted to let you know this is not my everyday vocabulary. :)

Our Responsibility for Future Generations

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else´s life," Steve Jobs said. 

We get caught up in what we are "suppose to be doing," whether that is the status quo or what we are doing with our cyber lives. I am leaning more towards how social media can determine what life we lead. 

We as human beings are not built to handle the multitasking technology demands of our society. I know that sounded super hippie, but bare with me. We can't sit still even when we are trying to relax, watch TV or sit on the porch without our phones. It is extremely difficult to get our minds to stop running. 

We are bombarded with email, social media and trying to push our selves beyond our means. If I don't own a smartphone, it is almost like I am unemployable, because I can't be in constant communication. The sabbath was started for a reason, even if you are not a christian, we need to take time to relish in the wonderful things we have in our lives and relax.  As a generation, we do not relish in the little things in life. I feel like our generation has the mentality that enough is never enough. We have to strive to be better, make more money, be more successful and try and change the world. Ambition is a great characteristic, however, it should not control our life. 

While I am writing this I am checking my phone, replying to messages and have social media pulled up in different internet tabs. Sad, I know. My brain can't sit still. It makes me curious on how the next generation will be molded. Will they be able to change a tire or will we invent a tire that can withstand 60 more miles to the next town or will there be a robot that comes attached to the car to change a tire? Why do we still teach geography when we are so dependent on our phones for locations? What work ethics and skills will the next generation have without being so dependent on the internet and technology? 

What the work force will be like in 10 years? What my job title will be called, instead of reporter/producer will it be more like a multimedia journalist? The futuristic movies that instill fear or change are not that ludicrous. Look at what the internet has managed to accomplish from 2000 when we thought the world was going to end. I remember when I would use a computer to play games, not have to have it as a necessity for college or my career. 

When I was young we, as a family, would take annual vacations and all phones were banned. This was back in the day when MySpace was the only social media on trend, so there was not a nagging need to "check in," and share with the world what we are doing in our everyday lives.  I wish I could go back and not be an annoying teenager wanting to communicate with my friends back home, but instead take in the moment when my family was a family. 

Hi, my name is Lauren Bogle, and I am addicted to social media. I am not going to deny that fact. Honestly, I don't know what I would do without it. My job depends on it, networking depends on it, and communicating in today's society depends on it. It is a blessing and a curse. I have gotten attention for my blog, my work and other great things through social media, but I have gotten in trouble with it as well. 

Compared to LinkedIn where the sole focus is networking, Facebook and Twitter can get emotional with the passive aggressive statuses. I have vented, obviously on my blog, but also Facebook and Twitter. It makes things impersonal and immature. I try to keep the emotions here on my blog so if you wish to read it you can click on the link, instead of staring at the immature post on my statuses or tweets. (My emotional football comments, specifically about Jerry Jones, do not count.)  I have learned from this, but I hope the next generation understands the implications, possible future employment or friendships ruined via social media and our stupid, irrational decisions. 

We are a generation of immediate satisfaction. 

Social media and the internet in general has pushed our minds to have short attention spans. If I can't find out what is happening in world within 10 minutes on the internet, my mind changes focus. In the job force we need to be able to figure something out in less than 10 minutes. We have to react quickly and efficiently, leaving factual information in question. 

My generation is generation Z, born in the 1990s, and a little bit of generation Y. We have a touch of the millennia's in us, but we are not completely up to speed. We still live in the past, whether it is music, technology or other moral fundamentals we were taught by our parents. Today, families are not as traditional as we were, many are divorced or single parents. This changes the dynamic of the young adults in the world today, for better or worst. There are benefits on both sides of the spectrum. I have met peers raised by single parents who have grown up mentally strong and independent, thanks to survival instincts they were taught.  

We are naturally headstrong, wanting more out of life. We have a sense of entitlement. We feel like we are owed something, when we are not. Back in the day working up the ladder meant taking several years of doing behind the scenes work; now, we expect a promotion within two years. However, being headstrong can translate into determination.  Our parents want more form us, and we want the most we can get. Our dreams are bigger. 

I hope we can enjoy the little things in life before we get wrapped up in what we are "suppose to be doing," and understand what demands society will set on us, yet keep our heads. We set the tone for the next generation and we hold a great responsibility in not letting our morals be on the back burner. The internet has morphed into a huge determining factor in our lives, whether it is being more competitive in the workforce or branding yourself, we have to take control. We can't make exceptions for immediate satisfaction. Ethics and morals can be strong characteristics in determining our life success. 

Just some philosophical thoughts to ponder. 

Can't get enough Music

Just in case you get as bored as I do with old music and need a refresher, here are some new songs I am currently obsessed with. Enjoy! 

Ed Sheeran with another beautiful single he released before his album drops June 23.

One of my favorites from the Xscape album. 

Imagine Dragons with another great song powered by drums, tons of drums. 

John Legend. Need I say more?

In case you have been under a rock, Usher is back....with his shirt off....playing the drums....and dancing of course. 

This is my jam. Miley Cyrus makes this song even better. Yes, I just said that.

Need a good running song? Here is your fix. 

Still running? Training for a marathon? Here is another song for you to keep those endorphins pumping.

Lily Kershaw. Get to know that name. She is a great songwriter.

I can't put my finger on why, but I am loving this song. 

If you watched my video I posted about Taylor Parker this is the background music. I love The Paper Kites. 

The video is almost as amazing as the song. Michael Jackson + Justin Timberlake = Gold

This song is strange, crazy and so damn cool. I am still trying to understand the metaphor. Also, Maddie Ziegler from Dance Moms is the one performing, so that makes the video pretty awesome. 

The two strong-armed country women debuted this kick a** duet last night at the Billboard Music Awards. I almost like their live version more than the recording, either way it is good, really good. 

Taylor Parker

Ladies and gents, I give you the lovely Taylor Parker. She was one of my setters in volleyball, and now she is on to far greater things! Welcome to the Texas Tech alumni family! Wreck'em #LBProductions 

“Learning is not attained by chance. It must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.” ~Abigail Adams

“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”

― C.S. Lewis

Be the Action

"You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life," Albert Camus said.

Reasons why you need to reevaluate wanting attention:

1. Looking for love in all the wrong places
2. Nit-picking everything about yourself 
3. Relying on other people to make you happy
4. Not secure in your profession
5. Jealous of other people 
6. Throwing yourself in several random projects, and not 
finishing any of them
7. Negativity is your middle name right now
8. You're not comfortable alone
9. You're talking a lot about yourself, yet not making any physical changes.
10. You're relying on alcohol, smoking, shopping any other vice of your choice WAY too much.

With all these possible reasons, at the end of the day all you're doing is masking the problem. You are self-sabotaging, getting in your own way. Find the stimulus, and stop the negative reactions by craving attention.  

My struggle

I don't care how old you are, searching for your loved ones approval and support never goes away. Everyone wants to feel wanted, loved and appreciated. Unfortunately, when you don't get the attention from your loved ones, you dive into projects, intense workouts or relationships to fill that void or maybe that is just me. I will beat my head against a wall (figuratively, of course) trying to get that support, not in a five-year-old throwing a fit kind of way. Even though I am extremely independent, I rely on my close friends and family to help me feel reassured that I am doing the right thing with my life even though it is MY life. 

I want to feel confident in my own personal actions not through a man's affection or seeking approval from those close to me. I set high expectations for people, because I expect them to act like I do, express emotions like I do, and that is setting myself up for failure. I can not change people. You know the friends and family you call that will give you the blunt truth and hard hitting questions, and the friends and family you call when you need a sugar-coating response, and just a "I support you and love you," kind of talk. Sometimes, it is nice to have the I support you and love you response instead of the interrogating and judgmental questions. 

"Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy," Anne Frank said.

It comes down to finding an identity, feeling confident in myself, and not depending on others to determine my happiness. I need to be secure with what I am doing, and what path I am taking, while trying to do the right thing. We depend sometimes on other people and materialistic things to make us happy, and we get so wrapped up in that, that we forget to be responsible for our own happiness. It is almost like we forgot how to make ourselves happy without other elements involved. Instead of waiting to react I need to be responsible for the action in my life.