Uranium TV Blog: Joan Roman Archives

"How I Spent My Summer Vacation"

Maybe it's because it's my birthday season, maybe it's because I am a "bohemian" (as Jackie says), and I just love the hot weather. Maybe it's the outdoor cafes, or the family barbeques glowing from colored string lights. Maybe it's the summer wind and the white wine spritzers with a twist, but year after year I say the same thing: "That was the best summer ever!" Come to think of it, I am pretty sure it MUST be the crabs & macaroni. Nevertheless, they keep getting better and better, lucky I guess. So on this Labor Day, I thought the perfect way to end the perfect summer, would be to share my experiences. Sweet memories are made of this.

I just knew it was going to be a special. There was magic in the air still lingering from those starry winter nights and combined with lightening bugs and sunflowers, how could we go wrong? For starters, I could not be more pleased with my summer hat collection this season. Nothing makes me feel more fabulous than a big straw hat with a bow, a crisp white blouse, and big white Jackie-O sunglasses. I was ready. Then I got the news in June, after four long months of separation, my Bobby would be coming home. I couldn't have asked for a greater gift.

Bobby and I have been together for 2 1/2 years now. He is the greatest love I have ever known. In this dire quest to live the dream, we are forced to live on opposite coasts. Surely, not the most ideal situation. Long distance relationships are hard, but give me a good reason to take the easy way out. So, after many schedule conflicts and uncertainties it was official, he was coming home to kick off the summer. Splendid! I booked a lover's retreat in the Hamptons, immediately!

Montauk Baby! Surrounded by beach, boats and bliss we celebrated a reunion with each other that I will never forget. The resort was posh as they say, and described as a place for "urban young professionals". I looked at him all smiles and said "Oh, we belong here". He just laughed, gently kissed my forehead and said "Yes, we do baby, yes we do." I knew at that moment, that everyone whoever told me long distance never works was horribly wrong. For true love conquers all, and that faithful night in June, the world exploded in love all around me.

Now, not only did the summer wind blow Bobby my way, but it also drifted in my best friends and self proclaimed family Fat City Reprise. The boys were back in town, playing shows like The Borgata, Penns Landing, and good ol Bitter End. Their return home was nothing short of music to my ears. Having everyone together again, in Christina's backyard where it all began, gave me this feeling that anything on this fine earth was possible. We even got to celebrate several of our birthdays together, a luxury when so many holidays are spent so far apart. The world exploded in love all around me.

There are two times a year that I absolutely live for. My birthday and Christmas. There's something about these two holidays that just exude never, never land. No matter how old I keep getting, the joy that accompanies these two seasons, I just never seem to outgrow. Fine by me, there are certain qualities of your childhood I personally believe should always stay with you. My birthday weekend began with a 50+ bash of my dearest friends at Christina Kelly's humble abode on Chadwick, a house that has always been our home away from home. I had the honor of sharing my special day with Mole & Jay. We ate, laughed, & danced the night away. The weekend ended on a 20+ yacht cruise around the Hudson. Again, we ate, laughed, and danced right around Lady Liberty herself. Looking her straight in the eye, and posing for a picture with these people who have made me whole these past 25 years was simply awe inspiring. And again, that birthday sunday funday, the world exploded in love all around me.

So, the summer wasn't all bells and whistles. There was tambourines and bongos as well. A lot of hard work was involved too. Uranium was moving at the speed of light, literally. We wrapped production for Rock Hero, launched our sub division Uranium TV , and held our first red carpet event in our hometown Philadelphia. The support and success of the site, show, event has been incredible. How do you describe what it feels like when all your dreams begin to come true? Well, that's just something you'll have to figure out for yourself.

August, for me is always the age of aquarius. Bobby & the boys headed back to Hollywood, my birthday and the premiere was over leaving us to do something we had not really done since the start of 2009: relax. I went down to Miami, my old stomping grounds in college, and caught up with some people I haven't seen in some years. This trip was monumental as I realized revisiting your past reminds you of who you used to be, who you still are, and who you have become. It also made me realize that your past should always remain a priority. Just as much as your present and future. The people from your past, always stay with you and can be very crucial in reminding you something about yourself that has gone forgotten in your stages of growth. I remembered what it was like to dance with the palm trees. Just when I thought it left on a plane to the west coast, once again the world exploded in love all around me.

As one begins and another one ends, take with you the significance of a season. I will eat my last hot dog today, and be grateful for all of the songs that were sang, the dances that were danced, and the glasses that clanked in a celebration of life. I light my custard apple glade (pronounced gla-day) candles, and welcome the aroma of new fall

love I cannot wait to explode all around me.

Till next year....

Joan Roman

Special thanks to all of the people in my life who have made this a memorable summer. Bobby, My best friends & life partners of Uranium and the entire Uranium cast & crew, Fat City Reprise, the Fruities, Maria Vera, Sue Bear. My crazy cousins Phyllis (esp for cooking crabs) Josette, Alexis, Sal and the rest of my family. Mother, for opening your home as Uranium HQ, and cooking for EVERYONE all the time! Special shoutout to South Philly, for being the most amazing community- you give true meaning to "There's no place like home"

P+L+U+S

Fave Songs of The Summer: Drift Away by Uncle Kracker,

Shake Shake Shake Senora Beetlejuice Soundtrack

Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin

On A Boat Motha by (not sure its hip hop)

Mi No Pop I

She Came Along by Patsy Cline Remix

"There's just something about September that makes me want a bouquet of sharpened pencils".

September has always been one of my favorite times of year. Even as a little girl, I would LOVE to go back to school shopping, and I would anticipate the first day of school for the last few weeks of August. It wasn't because I loved school so much but more so the thought of a new year, new chance. I loved the idea that I was another year older, wiser, and I couldn't wait to go back and show everyone how much I had grown and learned since the last time they saw me.

It has been 3 years this fall since I have been out of school. As I open my windows for the first time since July, I can't help but remember where I was last year at this time. I had just spent the summer starring in two indie films, where I met the first group of key people that would inspire me on this journey. I had a revelation last September, a revelation that has carried me to heights I would have never saw myself last year at this time.

I wrote a list of 20 things I wanted to accomplish. Write a screenplay...check, start a production company ...check, be featured in the press...check, go to Cannes...check, star in a show....check. I wrote this list with the intention of completing these things in the future. Today, I realized I accomplished most of these things in just one year.

Now I don't mean to brag (well, really I do), but sometimes it is important to stop what you are doing and realize all that you have done. By nature, we always want more. No matter how much we achieve we are always after that prize dangling in front of us just out of our reach. If we never stop and look at what we have, what we have done, than we will never get where we are going.

Things changed for me when I realized the amount of time if one day. It is funny, before I started Uranium, the days seemed so long, now I could use another good 5 hours sometimes. I used to search as an actor, for my big break. When would I get that big role? When would somebody tell me I was good enough? Now, people come to me asking if I think they are good enough. The truth is it's about U. What U have to offer, what U want.

Turns out, the people that would give me my big break were by my side all along. My best friends, my family, my hometown community. They believed in me, we believed in each other. The more we said what we wanted, the more we achieved it together. We wanted to write so we wrote, we wanted to act so we acted, we wanted to make a web series, we made a web series. Before we knew it, the people came. People that were there along. Our friends from high school, our cousins whom we haven't spoken to, our old bosses, teachers friends, our friends friends....and THEY started to tell us WE were somebody. We were good enough. That WE were an inspiration.

The concept of Rock Hero was birthed from our love of a video game. It started with 4 of us, a random camera guy we had just met, and a few neighbors and roommates that we would dress up in costume and annoy with a 12 hour shoot day and a messy apartment. It grew into a full on 22 person crew production. It continues to grow with 1000 facebook fans, hundreds of thousands of clicks, and a new episode every other week.

Sometimes this past year feels like a dream. A dream filled with all of the special people from my past, & new special people that are going to carry me into the future. A dream yes, but a dream I am very much awake in. A dream I am conducting through pure love and faith.

I used to think that I worked hard. You don't know what it means to work hard until you find what it is that makes you WANT to work hard. Working hard is when you can't stop because your mind cannot rest until you complete your thoughts, your task, your goals. Passion is the only driving force behind true hard work. And you can't fake that.

I could never have imagined I would have all I have last year at this time. When I say have, I mean have the people, the friends, the love the support, not anything that can be materialized. So going into the new "life" year, I leave you with this. We live in a generation where anything is possible. With the power of technology, communication with anyone and everyone is at your fingertips. There are no longer boundaries between those who are "somebody" and those who aren't. Because this generation, our generation believes in the power of U. The power of togetherness, and we are starting a revolution and we're gonna do it our way.

Let Uranium TV be your classroom generation Y. A class where you can make friends with all your peers, work together to complete projects, & showcase yourself when you deserve an A. Let it be that place of inhibition that we used to have before they told us to go into the real world and listen to everyone else. What do they know anyway.

Live your dreams, it's a lot easier than U may think. Thank you, all of you. P+L+U+S

To Uranium & Beyond,

Joan Roman

"I won't shine if you don't shine"- Special thanks to my dearest partner Stephen, my wife Jackie, my big sister Christina, my best cousin John, my best cousin in law Heather,my creator & teacher Mother, and ruler of my heart Bobby.

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