Taylor sent me this video tonight.

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.

Advertising a Secret MySpace sponsored show on Facebook.

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 will be 30 in two weeks.

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.

Framed, originally uploaded by ang.d.

Jeremy had one of my favorite photos of my Grandparents, on their wedding day, blown up onto canvas and framed for my 30th birthday. He gave me the present a couple weeks early, and I am really glad.

It’s one of the most touching gifts I’ve ever received, and I couldn’t have asked for anything better. I also couldn’t have asked for anyone better.

Warning! The following links are barely safe for home, let alone work. Do not click unless you can handle it. I mean it. If you do not know what that means, you can’t handle it.

Last week Ed was doing some research on a porn talent agency’s website. Why? Who knows, he’s Ed. While conducting his research he discovered a tool that graphed out what sex acts porn actresses are willing to do, based on the answers from 901 actresses in the database. What does one do with this information? I don’t know personally, but it’s the internet. The information is there and that’s pretty cool.

Today, Fleshbot picked up The Deets’ blog entry about his findings. Huh, interesting! It’s always nice when a high traffic site links to something, even if it is highly inappropriate. *cough* Oh, but simply linking to it wasn’t enough; they added the creative twist of illustration. Each sex act in Ed’s graph is accompanied with a picture. Yeah, it’s exactly what you think. The fewer actresses willing to do it, the worse the picture. I’d say “you have to go see this shit,” but then I’d feel guilty if you actually did and tried to bill me for the therapist you’ll start seeing to work out your new issues.

In addition to Ed’s piece, Fleshbot also linked to Max “Bunny” Sparber’s “My Porn Year” project, where he is transforming the top grossing film of each week into a porn script by the week’s end. With the exception of animated, children’s, or animated children’s films, you’ll see all the new releases turned into a hilarious script involving phrases such as, “They have sex.”

The best part? The picture they used to emphasize the entry.

Jen and I love the Bunny.

Ed created this fascinating custom map showing all of the places that Aaron has dined on pizza, and then blogged a full review. I’m amazed by the sheer number of locations spread across the country. The man is a pizza eating machine.

Ed states Aaron likes his pizza like he likes his women; hot, fresh and at his door in 30 minutes or less. My feeble attempt was: thin crust and saucy. Can you do better?

Quote: This is a quote you have overheard. Not something you saw on a
billboard. And not something you heard on the radio or on television.

Where: This is a place in Minnesota

Overheard by: Max