New Beginnings

As I'm sure most of you have figured out, I've moved over to Wordpress.

My new and improved blog is Romi Says. You should subscribe to its awesomeness.

Catch you on the flipside.

Love,

Romi

Worst Blogger In The World

That would be me.

Apologies for neglecting RJ. I will be a better person soon.

Love,

Me

xox

Why So Serious?

And then President Obama slowly emerged
from the Crystal Swamps of Dancing Unicorns...

Seeing that I get paid to search the internets, I have plenty of time to check out other super awesome blogs. Rarely do you see blogs that are not focused on a certain topic (knitting, bondage, the recession whatever...) other than mine of course. I was convinced it was a flaw in my blogging capabilities but it turns out I am not alone!!!

Conjured up by some sketch comedy makers, Serious Lunch boasts a large collection of hilarious videos but it also has a wicked blog filled with content random enough to keep me reading on (i.e. ugly Obama paintings). If you watch Conan, SL are the dudes who noticed that his new backdrop looks like Super Mario.

Check them out. I now have less of a life thanks to them and so should you. But don't stop reading my blog because I am equally as awesome (if not more). Ok? Good.

For my birthday...

I know I've been video-focused but come on...



How can I resist?

Ally McBeal Dancing Baby: Eat Your Heart Out

Heavy Metal Revisited

Have you seen Heavy Metal Parking Lot? Because you should. It captures the 1980s metal culture at a Judas Priest concert in Maryland. It's equal parts entertaining, amusing, and reflective of a time that once was involving people who probably don't remember being there.

Keeping that in mind, a then / now slide show was just published visually comparing the JP concert in 1986 to one in Missouri in 2009. It's a clear indication of how dedicated fans grow with their favourite bands and how that love for a genre can be passed on.

Now this slide show was more nostalgic than anything. If one wanted to create an appropriate cultural comparison of heavy metal then / now, the new footage and images would be from a contemporary metal show with an adolescent following. Does this HMPL 'sequel' exist? Tell me if it does. If not, someone should really get on that!

There seems to be a contemporary metal culture but it's fragmented into subgenres with different yet connected fanbases (I sound like a Communications professor, oh gosh). Some elements of 80s metal still remain (long hair, band t-shirts etc...) but it seems like Metalheads have less to rebel against now. Not that it's a bad thing, there just doesn't seem to be an aggressive counter culture in the metal community.

I'm so far out of the loop that I probably sound like a senior citizen talking about computers so PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong.

Disgusting

2 Years Old.

I won't deny ever smoking. I've smoked on many occasions (not that I'm proud of it), but I haven't touched a cigarette in a long, long time. A number of my friends are smokers and that is fine with me to an extent. It's not like people are oblivious to the risks associated with it; their boxes contain graphic depictions of them. It's their problem. Of course, I would never want to see my friends suffer from lung cancer (heart disease etc...) but it's not my place to scare them out of smoking.

Regardless of the horrible things smoking can do to your body, cigarettes still have a 'cool' image. Cigarette companies are amongst the most recognizable brands in the world.

Many people find reasons to smoke or keep smoking. In this recession, the habit has actually increased because it gives people a sense of comfort and soothing.

This is where you're crossing my moral boundaries: when your smoking is intrusive and harmful to non-smokers. Take that horrid video as an example. I hope this doesn't happen very often. I am going to take the naive stance and say that this video depicts a rare instance of child abuse. If you're giving a vulnerable person a cigarette or blowing smoke in their face, no matter how old they are, it is the most insensitive, selfish, awful thing you could possibly do.

Here's another example: I was at the Kitchener (ON) bus terminal and I saw the usual teen mom wearing her Catholic School uniform (surprise, surprise). Here's the kicker--she was holding a cigarette, yelling at her toddler and blowing smoke into the poor thing's face. At this point I was ready to let her have it but I decided against it. I somewhat regret my decision.

Is this not as destructive as beating a child?

Perhaps that's a bold statement but I stand by it.

If you're going to smoke, keep it personal.