I’ve been losing time on this blog all afternoon, thanks to Bunny. Although only three pages in, I am confident that this is the scariest cake I’ve ever seen in my life.

Seriously, what are people thinking?

This is the Trixie we all know and love.

That is pretty much exactly how I still dress.

*faints*

Connect with friends and get alerted when they are nearby

Yes, that’s what I’d like.

I fill out the form with my demographic info and hit submit.

Loopt now asks me to identify my phone:

Oh, hmm. I don’t have a Blackberry or iPhone, much to my dismay.  Well, that seems okay. There’s a helpful “Can’t find your phone?” link below this if one of the displayed models is not yours. My hopes are high because over to the right they illustrate how phones can look different when the colors vary by displaying a flower of Razrs, which is my phone.

But when I click on that helpful link:

It’s overused but I’m going to say it anyway: Fail.

It contains everything that made me fall in love with metal and rock when I was a kid. From Quiet Riot to the most bitchin’ hair styles to freaking Spinal Tap. Not to mention the general good will and generousness not often credited to the types of dudes you’ll see here. Watch and enjoy. It will be the coolest thing you’ve ever seen.

In 1985, Ronnie James Dio assembled an all-star crew for the Hear N’ Aid project in answer to Live Aid, which managed to exclude practically the entire hard rock and heavy metal community. The project’s idea originally came up when Jimmy Bain and Vivian Campbell visited KLOS-FM in Los Angeles, USA. They introduced the idea to Ronnie James Dio, who became interested in it too. They wrote a song called “Starz” together and invited a number of heavy metal artists to participate it.

On May 20th and 21st, 1985, about 40 artists from various heavy metal bands got together at A&M Records Studios to record “Starz”. The basic track was already laid down at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles, USA, by Dio and Frankie Banali of Quiet Riot.

All the income was donated to relieve famine in Africa and elsewhere in the world, and by mid 1987 the project had made $1,000,000.

Connie takes us and 612 Authentic on a fun tour of a couple homes priced under $25,000. Source.

(via shared reader item from coco)

more…

(Thanks, Bunny)

I can’t tell if it’s because I’m just paying more attention or if it’s a weird coincidence, but it seems I get asked how old I am more frequently in recent weeks. The answer is always the same: “I’ll be 30 in X weeks.” The response is also always consistent: “Oh, how do you feel about that?”

How do I feel about that? A lot of people struggle with the milestone birthdays, but we all age at the same rate so I don’t really see the point in worrying about it. Aging can’t be avoided, and pretending it’s not happening only traps you in that awkward “holding on to my youth but it only shows on the outside” phase which is always obvious to everyone but you.

Aside from the plain pointlessness of denying the inevitable, 30 doesn’t “scare” me because I’m holding onto my youth on the inside, and this time of my life has been, so far, the best and most exciting.

Amber recently asked for opinions on the “dilemma” that some single men feel they are faced with.

Mainly, it had to do with the pros and cons of dating a girl under 25 versus over 25. Two main points: Girls under 25 are fun but don’t know what they want, whereas girls over 25 usually know what they want but tend to have a lot of issues, etc.

At 43 comments, there are some really good opinions on the subject, and one in particular that I identify with completely:

It’s too bad young people think this way. At thirty five, I feel saner than I ever have. I am in tune with my instincts, my sexuality, and I have a better understanding about what I desire for my future. Because of this, I am more direct and honest in my relationships. [...]

Oh yeah, I’m also financially independent. Take that bitches!

Replace 35 with 30 and I could have said these same things, even though it took me a long time to get here. Everyone has their issues, but the older you get, the more prepared you are to deal with the curve balls, and the more time you’ve had to work out the issues picked up in your teens and early twenties. Your friends are aging and maturing right along with you, and it always helps having a solid support system.

30 years, three cross country moves, finding myself, new friends, old friends, losing friends, losing myself, several unsatisfying jobs, a divorce, success with OIM, more new friends, finding myself again, home ownership, success with love, peace with myself.

Photo credits: Coco & Aaron.