Extra! Extra! Reader All About It!

Hello Bloggy Friends.

I hope you're having an exquisite evening. What a great week this has been! It's been very cold in Philadelphia. We didn't end up getting that warm day the weather men promised on Saturday. We had a great weekend, though. I hope you did too. Friday night we went to see Kate Winslett in "The Reader." It is an amazing movie. We loved it. I definitely recommend you check this one out, whether it be in the theater or on DVD when it's released.

Saturday, instead of going to the Reading Terminal for produce, we decided to go to the Italian Market. For those of you who don't know, the Italian Market is the largest open-air market in the United States - and it's only five or six blocks away from our front door! The produce is top quality, and the prices can't be beat. We walked away with three bags full of produce, and only dropped fifteen bucks. It was amazing- except for the moment when I got involved in a screaming match with one of the grocers because I accidentally stepped behind the counter where he was working. I'm sure it was entertaining for the other shoppers, though! To cool down from the confrontation we stopped into a delicatessen for lunch, where we enjoyed a fabulous Caprese sandwich. For a moment we felt like we were dining on the streets of Rome again. No grumpy, ol' grocer could take that away!

On Saturday we also took Galileo to Pampered Pooch to get his monthly grooming. I've attached some before and after pictures. What do you think of his new do? Saturday night Kelly and Ed came into town to do some site-seeing. We met up with them in Chinatown for dinner at Vietnam Palace. It was good, but the service was lousy. We decided to never go back there again. Can you believe they tried to charge us a $12 corking fee for our bottle of wine! What a rip off, especially when the Zagat lists them as a B.Y.O. Later that night I met up with my friend Tim for karaoke at a restaurant/bar called Elephant and Castle. We had a great time. One of the highlights was when they drew my name out a raffle for a $50 gift certificate to dine there in the future. I love winning things!

This afternoon Jude came by to for a visit. We had tea and chatted about what's been going on in our lives over the past few weeks. I love spending time with Jude, her presence always leaves me feeling inspired! She's a gem. Tonight for dinner Alan tackled a new recipe we found in a quarterly Whole Foods publication. It was Winter Squash Stuffed with Lentil Pilaf. I love winter squash. It was delicious! We've really started to explore new options in the kitchen, and no I don't mean that in a kinky way! We've found some amazing recipes over the past couple of weeks. Salmy Sunday is under a few renovations!

Now the time has come for us to plop down on the couch in our lounge around clothes. I think we're going to watch a lifetime movie we DVR'd last night called "Prayers for Bobby," starring Sigourney Weaver. Have you heard about it? It's about an overly religious mother who gives her teenage son a difficult time for being gay. I don't want to give away anything, but I think the pressure leads him to drastic, unfortunate measures. It's gotten a lot of hype. I look forward to seeing it.

I hope you guys have a great night. Have a great week too! I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

We Are Represented!

"While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."

Barack Obama, June 1, 2007

I came across this quote today, and I thought you'd like to see it. I hope you guys have a great Saturday. The weather reports promise warmer than usual temperatures in Philadelphia this afternoon. I hope they're right!

Love, Josh

Madam Secretary.

Good Evening, Bloggy Friends!

I'm still reeling from yesterday's historical events in Washington D.C. I think I'll be feeling it for a long time now. Perhaps the extended excitement has something to do with the recent announcement that Hillary Clinton's appointment as Secretary of State was overwhelmingly confirmed by the Senate this afternoon. The vote was nearly unanimous, at 94-2. She will be the 67th Secretary of State for our nation. Thomas Jefferson, under the leadership of George Washington, was the first. I am so excited to see her in this position. It is no secret how much I love this woman. I think she makes an exHILarating addition to our new, highly capable team of leaders. Like the rest of them, she has an enormous task before her. I think she'll do a fantastic job. We all know what a go-getter she is. Thank you, Hillary!

I just wanted to stop by to extend my congratulations to her. School is going great so far. I hope you have a great night!

Love, Josh

Where Were You When....?

Happy Day, Bloggy Friends!

I have been waiting for this day for years now. This afternoon, when Barack Obama made history by becoming the first African-American President, I breathed a sigh of joy as long as the National Mall itself. After one of the longest election processes in history, we have finally arrived at a place of finality. Wow. Wow. Wow. The magnitude of this moment is too large to describe with words. Just think of how far we have come as a nation. Just think of how powerful that moment must have felt to Barack Obama, Michelle, and particularly those in attendance who remember the days when African-Americans weren't allowed on the steps of the Capitol - unless they were to clean it. Wow. Wow. Wow. This is a day I have been dreaming of since I was a child. I used to read books about John F. Kennedy's "Camelot Years," and walk away with the sense that those days passed as quickly as the bullet from Oswald's rifle - but they are back. Hope. Inspiration. Progress. We have arrived once again. We have another chance. Yes! Yes! Yes!

One day those who were not around to witness these events will ask, "where were you when Obama took office?" What will your answer be? Were you blessed enough to be there in person? We didn't make the trip to Washington D.C., but we were blessed enough to be able to spend it together. Alan decided to take a "work from home" day, which he totally utilized in case anyone from GSK is watching! We sat on our comfy couch and watched the whole ceremony from start to finish - in HD! It was beautiful. The sun was shining so brightly. It was the perfect day for such an monumental occasion. I can't even begin to describe the amount of pride I felt growing inside me once again for our nation. Over the past few years there were moments when I doubted our collective decision making ability, but I tell you what, America has been redeemed! We have taken such a terrific step forward. Congratulations America, Congratulations!

I hope you all have a wonderful night. Let what we have seen today be a reminder that we can all do whatever we set our minds to. We are magnificent beings who have the abilities to create anything we set our minds to. We have infinite potential. Yes We Can! Yes We Can! Yes We Can!

I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

P.S. The pictures I've shared today are images of what things looked like in our household during the Inauguration. Feel free to share your stories as well!

A Dream Come True.

Happy MLK Day, Bloggy Friends!

I hope you're having a good one. I'm cherishing this day for several reasons. Not only is it the eve of a major historic occasion, but it's also my very last day of winter vacation. Tomorrow I hit the books again! I think it will be a rewarding semester. I'm looking forward to all the new things I'm going to learn.

I am so excited for the inauguration tomorrow. Thankfully, the class that meets during the actual swearing-in decided to cancel. I'll be able to run home to watch his speech before jetting back to campus for my final two classes. It's going to be a lot of hassle, but I wouldn't miss it for the world! It will be such a monumental day in our nation's history. This is the type of progress I live for. I wasn't around when Martin Luther King was preaching out for Civil Rights in the 1960's, but I am proud to say that I am here to see his dream come true. Tomorrow it's happening in a major way. Yes we can!

I know Washington D.C. is seeing a surge in activity right now. Bill and Gary, have you guys noticed a change in the city over the last few days? More traffic? People on the street? An excitement in the air? All eyes are on you guys right now!

Before I leave I want to share with you another video from the wonderfully creative mind of Mr. Bill Fogle. He has made the first part in a video series chronicling gay man's obsession with the past. In the first segment, entitled "High Heels," he talks about his own obsession with the swing era of the 1940's and 50's. It's an interesting topic. Sometimes I find myself fantasizing about what life would have been like in the past, particularly the 1960's. I love the style of that era - the music, the fashion, the colorful, futuristic home decor. It seems like it would have been such an exciting time to be alive.

I hope you all have a great day. I'll chat with you soon!

Love, Josh

Chilly Weekend Wanderings.

Bless you, Bloggy Friends!

I hope you're having a great afternoon. We are at home chillin'. I feel like I say that so much lately, but it's true. We tend to be most happy when we are just hangin' at home. Is it because we are settling into nesting mode? Is it because it's cold? I think it's probably a little of both? Don't get me wrong, I love getting out and having a good time. But being home just means more and more to me these days than it ever did before. Do you agree? Yes? No? Maybe so?

Today the weather in Philly is pretty mild. It's actually quite lovely out. This is a treat considering we just came from two days of the most brutal cold imaginable. It's been frigid! There was a moment when I seriously thought I was feeling colder than I ever had in my whole life - including when I was in Chicago. All afternoon we have been knocking out our typical Sunday chores. We did our grocery shopping, and knocked around the house all day. It was nice. The picture to the left is what my typical winter wardrobe has consisted of this year. I like to cover every inch possible, and then some!


Friday night, which has been recently been designated as our movie night, we went to the Ritz 5 to see "Revolutionary Road." It is based on the book by Richard Yates. I really liked it. It was a very realistic drama about a typical 1950's couple who have recently decided to rethink their life together. When they started out as a young couple they were full of hopes and dreams, but as time went by they slowly found themselves living a meaningless life in suburban America. The way the story unfolds is quite interesting. The performances from both of these actors is nothing short of extraordinary. I really enjoyed it. I would recommend it for a rental, though, unless you really love movies like this. Alan, who typically likes a little more hoopla in his movies, didn't care much for it.


Saturday we spent some time shopping in the Rittenhouse area of Center City. We picked up a few essentials before stopping by Remedy Tea Lounge for a pot of Green Tea infused with Walnuts. It was delicious. In the evening we had plans to try a new restaurant in town, but after lounging around the house for a few hours we decided to pick up some stuff from the grocery to make dinner at home. We tried out a new recipe I found ONLINE for a Golden Squash Soup. It was a light dinner, but FANTASTIC nonetheless. You should give it a try. I can't think of a better winter soup - unless of course it was the pumpkin soup Gary made on Thanksgiving. It was so warm and delicious. Mmm!

So, that's our weekend in a squash shell! Tonight we're trying another new recipe, Roasted Salmon with Lemon Relish. We found this one in a pamphlet at Whole Foods. I'll let you know how it turns out. Until then, I'm going to kick back with a glass of wine, read and maybe do a facial later. Have a beautiful night!

Love, Josh

P.S. Below is a picture of my outside our apartment building. This is how it has looked since we moved in, and it will remain this way until the owner decides to start working on it more. It's not an ideal surrounding, but it hasn't bothered us much. The plus side is the free parking in the empty lot behind us. We'll have that until the place is fully renovated!

Birthday Shout-Out: My Dad!

Friday, Friday Bloggy Friends!



Today is another one of those special days in January. On this day, in 1957, my dad was born. Some of my favorite memories of my father revolve around the adventure he used to bring into our lives. I believe it was him who instilled the love of exploration within myself. He ignited that flame of adventure in me that continues to burn today. He loved taking us on trips. In a given year we would travel all over the place. If it wasn't a long trip, to somewhere like Florida, it was a weekend getaway to a zoo, or an amusement park closer to home. Sometimes on a whim we would load into the car and take a trip to a state park, where we would hike and swim in waterfalls. It was great fun for a kid like me. But the times with my dad that stick out the most are the ones when it was just him, my brother and I. Just the guys. Sometimes we'd decide to pack a picnic lunch, and head out on foot to see what new nooks and crannies we could discover on the land of our farm. We'd be gone for hours, walking through creeks, climbing rocks and discovering dilapidated barns. My favorite part of the trip would come when we would find the perfect place to sit and have our lunch, usually on a big rock next to a stream. We'd pop a squat, and enjoy our cheese sandwiches and peanut butter crackers. After lunch we'd head down to the stream and splash water on our faces to clean up before heading out again.

These times with my dad definitely left quite an impression on me. These experiences help to make up one of the parts of myself that I love the most. Thanks Dad. I hope this is your best birthday yet!

I hope you all have a great day. Thanks for stopping by to share some memories with me. I adored all of your spelling bee stories. Who knew we were amongst such great spellers here! I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

Picture Credits: The first photo below is of my father on Christmas Day in 1980. The one below that is my dad and I on Easter Day in 1981. At this point in my life he probably still had a glimmer of hope that I would follow in his footsteps by becoming an athlete!

Soul-Sister Spotlight: Betty Wright

Today I want to share with you the second installment of my Soul-Sister Spotlight series. This time the spotlight is on soul-sister, Betty Wright. I'm sure most of you have heard about her. She has enjoyed a good amount of success since she emerged on the R&B music scene in the late 1960's. She was never as huge as some of the more well-known female soul singers, like Aretha or Diana, but she had a few hits I'm sure most of you are familiar with.

Like most R&B singers of that time period, Wright began singing gospel music at her childhood church in Miami. At the young age of 15 she scored first hit, "Girls Can't Do What Guys Can Do." It wasn't until the following decade, however, that she released her signature tune, "Clean-Up Woman." Reaching the top five on Billboard's pop and R&B charts, "Clean-Up Woman" would be Wright's highest ranking hit. Over the 70's and 80's she released a whole slew of funky, soulful tunes. She enjoyed continued success in the 90's and 2000's after several popular artists, like Mary J. Blige and Beyonce, sampled her music in songs such as a remix to "Real Love," and "Upgrade U."

I discovered Betty Wright while living in Chicago. I heard one of her songs in a restaurant one evening, and quickly recognized that hers was the kind of voice that would provide me hours of soulful groovin'! I picked up one of her greatest hits, and have subsequently found other releases of hers over the years. The song I am sharing with you today is called "Shoo-Rah! Shoo-Rah!" It was released in 1975, and it reached #28 on the Billboard R&B charts. It's one of my favorites, because it showcases everything I love about Betty Wright. I love her gritty, tough voice. Her music is funky, playful and upbeat. She speaks strongly for women everywhere, who have had to deal with one of those no-good, snake in the grass kinda men! You should definitely try to pick some of her stuff up, if you haven't already! Thank you Betty Wright for your undeniably important contribution to the soul music. We love you for it!

Have a great afternoon. I'll chat with you guys soon.

Love, Josh

P.S. Most of the facts I used in today's post come from Betty Wright's Wikipedia page.

A Capital Mistake!

Wednesday, Wednesday Bloggy Friends!

I have a funny Wednesday memory for ya. As a child, I was a really good speller. In the sixth grade I was even the school-wide Spelling Bee champion. The next year I went into the championship again, after winning once more in my grade level. This year I was a clear favorite. To ensure victory, my grandmother and I practiced like crazy the weekend before. Once the contest day came around, I felt positive I'd get up there and win it again. The bee took place in the auditorium, in front of the whole school. On the stage next to me, the representatives from each grade anxiously anticipated their turn to spell. When it came my turn the moderator announced my first word, "Wednesday." I knew I had this one in the bag. "Wednesday, W-e-d-n-e-s-d-a-y, Wednesday," I finished confidently. I turned to sit down, knowing I had spelled it correctly. "I'm sorry that's wrong," the moderator said, stopping me in my tracks. "The correct answer is CAPITAL w-e-d-n-e-s-d-a-y." I forgot to mention the "W" was supposed to be capitalized! So there I was, the previous year's champion, and I was out on my first word! I was so humiliated. When I got off the bus that afternoon a bratty girl in the front seat peered over at me and said, "I'm glad you lost the spelling bee today!" I looked back at her and in my sassiest voice I said, "I'm glad too, I didn't want to win it anyway!"

I hope you guys have had a great day! Talk to ya soon.

Love, Josh

Time-Warp Tuesday: Green River

Tuesday, Tuesday Bloggy Friends!

I hope you're having a great afternoon. It's cold and rainy in Philadelphia today. It sucks because I rely heavily on sunlight to film my videos, and today it just wasn't there. Argh.

I have begun scanning the pictures I brought home from Kentucky. The first album I picked up was photos of my senior year in high school. Sure, I had to face a certain amount of ridicule in school for being a "sissy," but for the most part I really enjoyed my years there. By the time my senior year rolled around I didn't have to put up with as much name calling as I had in the past. I had a great group of friends who, like me, lived for having a great time. In today's "Time-Warm Tuesday" I want to share an album of pictures we took the summer before my senior year began. To get things started off right, six of us rented a houseboat on Green River in south-central Kentucky. We spent labor day weekend living it up the best way we knew how. This was around the time most of us started experimenting with alcohol. I was never much of a drinker, but I gave it a shot around this time as well. Not much later I would be introduced to my vice of choice, marijuana. I'll get into all that later. For now, I hope you enjoy the pictures I've put together. To check them out just click HERE.

I hope you all have a great afternoon. Talk to ya soon!

Love, Josh

Millionaire Monday

Monday, Monday Bloggy Friends.

How is everyone today? I hope you're all geared up for a fantastic week. I still have one week and one day of vacation left, and I'm loving every minute of it! It's such a beautiful day today. The sun is shining so bright, and it's warm enough to keep the heat from coming on. I haven't heard it kick on once today. If this is what winter is like in Philadelphia, I'll take it! Before I moved here I was so frightened by the prospect of winter being as brutal as it was in Chicago, or like the stories I had heard of nasty winters in New York City, but alas, it is not! Should I bite my tongue? I hope not. This afternoon I watched another old movies, "In the Good Old Summertime," starring Judy Garland. It's a cheerful love story that showcases many of Judy's impeccable talents. She sings, she dances and she's beautiful. I really liked it. I also made a delicious juice today, ruby red grapefruit and blackberry. Yum!

Did any of you catch the Golden Globes last night? From the comments you left it didn't sound like many of you would be watching. We recorded them on the DVR so we could avoid the commercials and the long, boring gratitude speeches. For the most part they went by pretty smoothly. The Golden Globes are much less formal than the Oscars. The atmosphere seems very cozy. In the audience you see the stars hob-nobbing with one another as they sip their champagne. Some of them seem to get down-right sauced! I don't really have any stand-out moments to report on. I was happy to see "Slumdog Millionaire" pick up several awards. The cast and crew seemed so genuinely grateful. I was also thrilled that Kate Winslet won two awards. She won Best Actress for "Revolutionary Road," and Best Supporting Actress in "The Reader." I can't wait to see them both. I love her. As any good gay would say, I also enjoyed seeing what the ladies were wearing last night. I noticed a definite "white" theme. In a lot of the gowns I saw many variations on white, such as cream, vanilla, pearl and any other shade of white you could come up with. I thought most of them looked lovely. Tom Cruise also looked very handsome. He's looking a lot better lately. I like him.

I hope you guys have a nice day. The paparazzi stopped by this afternoon to take a few shots of me on the set of my upcoming video. I've posted some of them with you below. Stay tuned for the finished product! I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

Slummin' Around Town

Salutations Bloggy Friends!

Did you have a nice weekend? I hope so. We sure did. After a week of mostly being here alone throughout the week, it was nice to spend quality time with Alan. The winter weather has been fairly mild in Philadelphia this year. It's strange because it seems like cities all around us are having snow and chilly temperatures. It's like we're in an oasis. Maybe a bit of that sunshine we brought from California is still sticking around to keep us warm. I hope it stays this way. Anyway, this what we did all weekend:

Friday night we went to see a movie I've been wanting to see for a while now, "Slumdog Millionaire." It was so good. We've heard so many good things about it, and it has been nominated for several Golden Globes (on tonight), so we just had to check it out for ourselves. It's a very cute, multi-layered movie about a kid, living in the slums of India, who makes it on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire." Throughout the process of telling us how he came to be on the show, the viewer is also provided insight into the harsh conditions of the Indian slum life. It's funny, telling and excellently shot. I highly recommend it.

Saturday we did some shopping in Center City. We had a list of several things we needed for the house, so we got some of that accomplished. We stopped into one of my favorite tea bars, Remedy Tea, for a little break from the running around. To stick with the movie theme from the night before, we had dinner at an Indian restaurant called Minar Palace. I give it three thumbs down. Sorry Minar Palace. After dinner we drove out to the airport to pick up my friend Kelly, who had just arrived from a Christmas trip to San Francisco. Her boyfriend, Ed, met us there as well. Before we took them home we went to Lonestar Steakhouse (Ed's choice) to celebrate his birthday. Alan and I had already eaten, so we just enjoyed a glass of wine and chatted. We had a great time. It's always nice to see Kelly and Ed. Did I mention they are newly engaged? Congratulations guys!

Today we have been up to our same ol' grocery shopping shananigans. We're in that period where we are out of a lot of things at once, so we had a lot to pick up today. We enjoy grocery shopping, though. It's one of my favorite times of the week.

I hope you guys had a nice weekend. What were you up to? What's the weather like where you are? Are you watching the Golden Globes tonight? We are. I'm looking forward to it. Whatever you're doing tonigh, I hope you have a great time at it. Take care. I'll chat with you soon!

Love, Joshua

Birthday Shout-Out: My Papa!

Greetings Bloggy Friends!


January is a busy birthday month in my family. Today my grandfather, I call him Papa, is celebrating his young 69th! I just talked to him on the phone. He is with my aunt Stacy, on the square in Lancaster, waiting for my mom and her other sisters to join them for a birthday lunch. I heard him ordering the fish basket. He loves fried fish! He's probably eaten enough to fill three rivers in his life, but would you believe his cholesterol numbers are perfect!?!

My grandfather is one of the kindest, best natured men I have ever known. It takes a lot to get him riled up, but in one personal memory of him I did just that! I used to spend a lot of time with he and my grandmother as a child. One summer he was out in his garden hoeing the tomato row, when my brother and I decided to try to rouse him a bit. To accomplish this, we started to throw pebbles at the air conditioner of his camper, which was parked in the backyard near the garden. He heard what we were doing and yelled for us to stop. We, being the pesky kids we could sometimes be, laughed and continued in a somewhat taunting manner. Once again, he patiently told us to stop, and once again, we kept on going! Finally his breaking point came. He threw his hoe down and took after us like a bat out of hell! I, realizing this wasn't a joke anymore, took off running in the direction of the safest haven I knew, my grandmother. I flew threw the front door of the house and found her in the kitchen cooking over the stove. I wrapped my arms around her screaming, "Papa's gonna whip me!" When he reached us, he was even angrier at the fact that I was using my grandmother as a source of protection. "Buddy, don't you whip him," she said. Well, that's what I heard, but evidently he didn't listen, because all at once he grabbed me up and yanked a knot in my tail as big as those tomatoes he'd been hoeing!

I can't believe I could be such a brat! I feel bad telling this story, because my Papa didn't deserved to be taunted like that at all. I completely asked for that whippin'! I deserved every last swat! I hope he has a wonderful birthday this year. I hope that fish basket at John's Restaurant is the most delicious thing he's ever eaten!

Have a great day ya'll.

Love, Josh

P.S. This is an old photo of my grandfather with one of his coon dogs. I'm not sure about the exact date of this photo, but I would guess the late 50's or early 60's.

Birthday Shout-Out: My Mom!

Good afternoon, Bloggy Friends!

Today is a very special day in my life. It's the day my mother was born in 1958. Please join me in wishing her the best birthday ever. One of the earliest memories I have of my mom is the way she used to wave to people. I guess you could call it a finger wave. Whenever she saw someone she knew she would twinkle her fingers at them in a gesture of hello. In this particular memory we were standing in the kitchen of my first home on a warm Kentucky day. The sun was shining brightly through the window as she gracefully twinkled her fingers at my grandfather, who had just pulled up outside. I was mesmerized by that finger wave. I thought she was so beautiful. Happy Birthday, Mom. I love you.


Can you believe we have already completed our first full week of 2009? Even more unbelievable is the fact that we have nearly finished the entire first decade of the 21st century. It goes by so fast. Is there anything we can do to slow it down? They say time flies when you're having fun. Maybe we should try to sit around and be bored all the time. I guess that would kind of suck.

What all have you been up to so far in 2009? As you know I'm still on my winter break from school. I've been doing pretty much what I thought I'd do. I'm still reading "Mississippi Sissy," by Kevin Sessums. I'm loving it. I've also recorded a ton of old movies from TCM that I've been watching each day. Yesterday I watched a good one directed by Orson Welles called "The Magnificent Ambersons." It is a movie adapted from the Booth Tarkington novel of the same name. Aside from all that I've been taking walks outside, surfing the Internet and playing with the pets. It's been a nice break, but I'll be ready to get back to school when that day rolls around. I'm expecting a pretty busy semester.

When I went home for Christmas I returned with a ton of family photos that I intend to scan onto my computer. Seeing all of Bill's fascinating family pictures inspired me to want a collection of my own. I'm sure I'll be sharing some of them with you as the year goes by. One fun thing I thought about doing was to start a new Bloggy series with old school photographs. I want to scan pictures from my yearbooks, so I can share with you some stories I have from that particular year in school. I'll go in chronological order so you can get a kick out of how I've developed over the years. I'll start that soon, so stay tuned!

I hope you guys have a wonderful day. It's bright and sunny in Philadelphia. I love it. Take care. I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

P.S. Below is a picture of my mother during her senior year of high school in 1976. This was only a few years before I was born. She was a cheerleader. Notice any similarities with the top picture? She still poses with that hand on her hip!

Before I Go Any Further

Good Afternoon, Bloggy Friends.

I just can't go any further in my blogging without first paying tribute to two iconic ladies who recently passed away, Eartha Kitt and Odetta. Each of these ladies made a important impact the world, not only as African-American females who broke the barrier in a difficult business, but as out-spoken advocates to the rights of all humanity. I've had them on my mind for some time now, but with the rush of the holidays I never felt that I could write a blog that did them justice. I'm here today with my attempt at a tribute.

Odetta passed away on December 2, 2008, only a day before my very own birthday. She made her mark in this world with her music. She became famous singing spirituals, the blues and folk music. Her mastery influenced some of our greatest artists, including Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin. She used her undeniable musical talent to help lend a voice to the civil rights movement of the 1960's. With her powerful songwriting skills, and vocal abilities, she took the stage to help ignite a fire of passion within the civil rights community. I consider it among one of my greatest blessings to have had the chance to see her live in the last year of her life. She performed at the Sister Rosetta Tharpe Benefit Concert Alan and I attended in January. She stole the evening with her heartfelt renderings of some of the greatest folk classics. I will never forget that evening. She touched me in an inspiring way. Long live Odetta.


Miss Eartha Kitt left this world on December 25, 2008. Most of you would recognize her as the seductive Catwoman in the 1960's television series, Batman. We also inevitably hear her voice each Christmas as she coos through the all-time classic she made famous, "Santa Baby." She made a name for herself as an actress, starring mainly on Broadway and in various cabarets. She also had a successful recording career. She was an exciting, exotic personality that kept audiences yearning for more. In her later years, Eartha Kitt became an outspoken proponent for the gay rights movement. I know her memory will always be kept alive in the hearts and desires of gay men everywhere!

These are two fabulous, legendary ladies who deserve a moment of silence as we all take the time to recognize their contribution to the betterment of our society. I hope you all have a fantastic afternoon. Below I am attaching a video of Odetta performing at the Sister Rosetta Tharpe Benefit last year. Amazing. I will send a free Odetta CD to the first Bloggy Friend who comments. I'll talk to you soon!

Love, Josh

Gettin' Back on Track.

Good evening, Bloggy Friends!

I hope you're having a nice evening. This is the first weekend we've had in Philadelphia for a few weeks. It was really nice to be back. We've had such a nice, relaxing week together. We haven't done much besides read, watch movies, cook, drink and a little lite shopping. Unfortunately, Alan starts back to work tomorrow. I'm still looking forward to my time off, but I will miss having him around as much as he has been.

All weekend, like I said before, we haven't done too much. On Friday we hit a local bookstore called Robin's, to take advantage of their going out of business sale. We picked up three armloads of great reads for only $70! If things go as planned I intend to knock a few of them out before I start back to school. I know once I get back I won't have a lot of reading time. I just finished a silly read called Stori Telling. It's the infamous tell-all Tori Spelling penned last year, about growing up in Hollywood. I've been a big fan of hers since I was a kid, so I have been anxious to read it. It won't change my life, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. My next venture will be a little deeper. It's Mississippi Sissy by Kevin Sessums. My friend Eddie recommended it to me a few months back. He and I share a similar upbringing, as gays in Lancaster, Kentucky. I can't wait to read it. In the book Sessums tells his story of growing up gay in rural Mississippi. I have a feeling I will discover several parallels to my own upbringing in Kentucky. This one may change my life! I love southern writers like Flannery O'Conner, Truman Capote and William Faulkner. I'm hoping to find a little inspiration here so I can possibly scribble down my own memoirs one day. Would you buy a copy?

Saturday evening we did a little shopping after we finally forced ourselves out of the house. We needed to pick up some things from Trader Joe's, including some produce for my new juicer. We've been juicing fanatics lately. I love it. We've made some great juices with carrots, apples, ginger, celery and oranges. Thanks Dad! I've wanted one of these for so long. While we were at Trader Joe's we also picked up some things to make Indian food later that night. It was delicious. I love going out to eat, but nothing beats having dinner at home.

Today we got back on track by doing our weekly grocery shopping. We have to get back into the groove since Alan starts back to the real world tomorrow. We had a nice visit with Jude and Lou in the later part of the afternoon. She served us tea and biscotti. We chatted for an hour or so, and she showed us her whimsical, fabulously decorated Christmas tree. It was really great. Before we left she loaded us up with some homemade crab and artichoke dip and some aioli she had leftover from a holiday party. We'll use the aioli tonight with our salmon! Thanks Jude! She knows we love to eat.

So that about wraps up our weekend. I hope you guys have had a nice one as well. I'm sure most of you are also just getting back to work this week after the holidays. Good luck getting back and getting into the groove, as Madonna would say. I'll chat with ya'll later on.

Love, Josh

Happy New Year!

Good evening, Bloggy Friends.

I just want to start by saying that I hope 2009 is your best year yet! I can't believe it's already here. This year flew by, but it was full of so many exciting adventures. I took several fun trips, met with a ton of my dearest friends, got a new puppy that I love and adore, successfully completed my first full-year at Temple and had a chance to spend quality time with my family. It has been such a blessed year. These things I mentioned only begin to describe the reasons why 2008 was such a fantastic year. Thank you so much for being a part of it, and for letting me be a part of yours.

We had a great New Years Eve. We met our friends Kaushik and Kaushiki at a restaurant in town called Bistro La Baia. This is an authentic Italian restaurant I went to once before when my Dad was in town. The food wasn't as great as I remembered it, but we all had a great time. After dinner we decided return home to watch Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin on CNN. Kaushik and Kaushiki hit the clubs, but I just couldn't deal with all that.

Today we have been in major chillout mode. We started our morning with mimosas. My dad gave me a fruit and vegetable juicer for Christmas, so we were so excited to use fresh oranges in our drinks. They were fantastic. We have an extra bottle of sparkling wine, so we may have to start our day with mimosas tomorrow too! It has been a tradition of mine for several years to eat cabbage on New Year's day. I've heard it is supposed to create good luck throughout the year. I'm not a superstitious person, but it's fun to have traditions like that. We went to the grocery in the afternoon to buy things to make a traditional Russian stew called borscht. The recipe called for a huge array of fresh ingredients like celery, crushed tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, beets, black eyed peas and of course cabbage. It was so healthy and so delicious. I feel lucky already! Do you guys do anything interesting to start the new year off with a bang?

I'm really looking forward to the coming year. I don't start back to school until the 20th, so I have practically a month to kick back and take it easy. I plan to do a lot of reading, watch some old movies and maybe make a few bloggy videos. Stay tuned! I hope your year has started on the right food. I hope to see you in 2009!

Love, Josh