Every Bite Counts.

Hi Bloggy Friends!

Hungry?

It's that time of year again, when several cities across the nation participate in "Dining Out For Life." On a designated night, a number of restaurants in your area have pledged to donate at least 33% of the price of each meal ticket to the fight against HIV/AIDS. So get out there, have a meal and maybe even a little dessert. It's for a good cause!

Check the link HERE for dates in your city.

Love, Josh

Sing Out Strong!

How are ya Bloggy Friends?

Boy, it's so hot in Philadelphia. There was no middle ground here. It was freezing one day, then scorching the next. Unfortunately, there seems to be a bit of a problem with our central air. I turned it on yesterday, but the only air that came out of the vents was room temperature. This is just another thing on a long list of complaints about this apartment. It's really beautiful, but what the landlord spent on aesthetics he scrimped in basic utility. We're fired up - in more ways than one.

Below is a video chronicling the singing competition I was in last week. I had such a great time being a part of it. I hope you enjoy!

Have a great day. I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

It's A Hot One Today, Bloggy Friends!

Come on in Bloggy Friends.

Can I get you something to drink? A glass of wine? Tea? How about I fluff that pillow for you?

Right now we're chilling (or warming) in our apartment. Sugar is in the kitchen getting our dinner ready, as the sweet voice of Nina Simone soars in the air above us. She is the first person he calls for if I ever ask him what he feels like listening to.

"Ummmm... How about Nina," he'll say.

Gladly.

Besides the unfortunate event I reported yesterday, this has been such an ideal weekend. I'm happy to report that the mercury has finally reached the upper levels in the thermometers. If you guys know anything about me, you'll know that nothing makes me happier than to step outside in shorts, a t-shirt and a pair of flips. I was getting so tired of feeling cold. Oh, so tired.

Friday night was pretty low key, but on Saturday we wore ourselves out traipsing around the city. In our efforts to learn more about the neighborhoods that make up Philadelphia, we made our way over to Northern Liberties. For those of you who know Philadelphia, this is the neighborhood that lies just to the north of Old City, roughly between Spring Garden and Girard Streets.

If you know Chicago, Northern Liberties reminds me a lot of the Wicker Park neighborhood. It's urban, edgy and has a hipster vibe that doesn't push the limits of "too much already!" Huddled in this expansive area are several interesting restaurants and cafes that each seem to offer a nice variety of vegetarian friendly fare. This is definitely something I look for in a neighborhood. My favorite spots were SOY CAFE and THE RANDOM TEA ROOM. At the Soy Cafe I had a delicious Green Tea Smoothie with finely ground green tea, tofu, protein powder and soy milk that's made on the premises. Do you realize this is heaven for me?

I was really impressed. Property value here is very reasonable now, and it only promises to skyrocket in the coming years. There were a few major details, however, that may keep us from considering a home here. For one it's located at a considerable distance from the city, and there isn't one single grocery in the area. We would have to rely on our car, or even a bus on the weekends to head into the city for groceries. Neither of us think it's worth all that trouble. We may not live there, but I'll definitely head back over to Northern Liberties to check out more of the restaurants, and to shop in some of the funky clothing stores.

Later that evening we had dinner with our friend Sarah, then went home to watch like six episodes of Roseanne before going to bed.

It was so hot today. We got our groceries, checked out two open houses, then I went to Shampoo Night Club to perform in the final leg of the singing competition I told you about several weeks ago. We had such a great time. I'll tell you that the experience was definitely a dream come true for me, but I won't reveal the details yet. I've posted a few pictures below, but I plan on posting a video soon of the events. Stop back by to check that out! I'll have another glass of tea ready for ya.

I'm going to run now. Have a great night. Thanks for stopping by. I'll see you real soon.

Love, Josh

Malik, one of the contestants, and I.

Miss Philly Black Gay Pride, Finesse (aka Miss Ross).

The host of Sing Out Strong, Andrea L'amour.

Abigail, looking for some camera time.

A BEAutiful Tribute.

Good Evening Bloggy Friends.


I'm writing you tonight with a heavy heart. Our good pal and confidant, Bea Aruthur, passed away today at the age of 86. Our world has lost a ray of sunshine. We will never be the same. Thank you Bea Arthur for everything you brought to us. You made us chuckle, you made us tap our feet and every once in a while you made us cry a little. I love you. You will truly, truly be missed.

Please bow your head in honor of wonderfully funny lady, a gay icon and an unforgettable entertainer.

I love you Bea; you are golden. I love you Bloggy Friends.

Josh

New Additions!

Rejoice Bloggy Friends!

I couldn't let this night go by without stopping by to wish a warm welcome to little Harper Danielle Nowac. Our good Bloggy Friend Monica gave birth to her today in Cleveland. Everything went great for everyone involved.

Little Harper is a blessed little girl. Monica is one of the most fascinating, kind, good-natured people I know. She will make a fantastic mother. I haven't met her husband Gary, but I get the feeling he'll be a champ in the fathering department as well. Congratulations to both of you. Let's all join in wishing them the happiest new life together. They definitely deserve it.

I'm sending lots of love. I hope I get to meet her one day.

Have a great night everyone.

Love, Josh

Weekend Boogie.

Hi Bloggy Friends!

I hope you had a great weekend. The weather has been terrific here over the last few days. It sounds like we're about to have more rain moving in, but for now the sky is blue and the air is warm-ish.

Friday night Alan picked me up after work and we walked over to Walnut Street, where we indulged in some chocolatey goodness at Naked Chocolate. I had a cup of the Sipping Chocolate, which is basically several varieties of dark chocolate melted into a espresso-sized cup. Orgasmic. Alan had a frozen chocolate drink called the Aztec. It was pretty good, but I thought mine was better!

Saturday wins the award for "Best Weekend Day." It was so nice out. We walked over to the Art Museum District to see the Cézanne exhibit at the Philadelphia Art Museum. On our way over we passed a festival being held outside the Free Library of Philadelphia. There were tons of booths set up selling books and other book-lover goods. It was uplifting.

When we finally made it to the museum we changed our minds about seeing the exhibit. There was a long line to get in, and we didn't feel like wasting the beautiful day standing in a queue. We'll have plenty of other opportunities to see the exhibit. It was such a great day to be outside, and that's exactly what we did.

Later, Jude and Lou had us over for hors d'oeuvres and wine on their lovely patio. As usual, Jude offered up an exquisite spread of cheese, olives, sausages and bread, and Lou was pouring the drinks freely. We've both been looking forward to an outing out on their patio. It was so nice to sit outside under the Japanese Maple, in great company and with some of the best cheeses Philadelphia has to offer. Thank you Jude. You're the reason we've begun to fall so head over heels in love with this city. It wouldn't be the same without you.

Thankfully, we still had an appetite when we left, because we had plans to meet our good friends Kaushik and Kaushiki for dinner at a restaurant called Marrakesh. This place is so neat. It's an extremely traditional, Moroccan restarant located off of South Street on a tiny alley called Leithgow. We were served an authentic, seven course meal, which we ate with our hands. There was also an exotic belly dancer shaking her way from table to table, providing us with a bit of Moroccan entertainment. She even took the time to give me a quick lesson in belly dancing. I think I picked it up rather quickly. This is a great place.

Today we took care of our chores, and hit up a few open houses. Most of them lacked any sort of appeal, but we did find one that was just perfect. It's still a little early for us to make a decision, but we're getting a good feel for what's out there.

Well, Alan just announced that dinner was ready, so I'm gonna jet. We're having Arctic Char, steamed Broccoli Raab (thanks Jude) and Brown Rice. I can't wait!

I hope you guys had a great weekend and I hope you have a nice week. My good friend Monica is in a hospital in Cleveland right now having her first child. Let's all send her good wishes. I know she'll be a fantastic mother. Good luck, Girl!

I'll talk to ya'll soon!

Love, Josh

Optimistic Outcomes.

Hi Bloggy Friends!

The drama I had with my teacher last week has now come full circle. She finally contacted me early this week, and asked if we could set up a time to meet before class on Thursday (today).

The meeting went very well. She told me what happened at the radio station will in no way affect my grade in the class. She said that she'd still be happy to be a reference, and even went as far as to say that I could come back to intern this summer if I wanted.

She was very sweet. She said that things have been hectic around the station lately, which is why she was extra cranky the day we had our blow-up. She was apologetic, and so was I. I feel really good about how things turned out. I'm thankful she was so understanding.

I hope you guys have been having a nice week. I sure have. Today I wrapped up another week of school, which means I only have two more weeks left! Things have not been as hectic lately as they were a few weeks ago. As the semester is starting to taper off so are my assignments. I have major projects to be done, but I have ample time to complete them over the next few weeks.

We have an exciting weekend planned. The weather is supposed to be beautiful, so I'm looking forward to having some fun in the city!

Have a great night. I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

Hoppin' Down the Bunny Trail.

Happy Easter Bloggy Friends!

Growing up, Easter was a big deal around our household. I used to think of it as a "second Christmas." We would get presents from the Easter Bunny, get together with the family for dinner, and of course it revolved around Jesus, so we always went to church. As I've gotten older, though, Easter has slowly become less of a big deal. We don't do much around here to celebrate, but we'll make a nice dinner and maybe have a nice dessert, with the excuse that "it's a holiday!" I'm not sure what Easter is like where you are, but I hope this day is bringing you lots of happiness and fulfillment.

We had a very nice weekend. I hope you did too. Friday night after work we met up with some friends at a newer bar/restaurant in the Gayborhood called KNOCK. We had a great time. By the way, what a week it has been for us gays! Two states, Iowa and Vermont, voted to overrule bans on gay marriage. Two in one week! I didn't even know they were considering it, but what a pleasant surprise it was when I found out. I have good feelings about where our country is going as far as issues regarding the gays is concerned. Good for you Iowa and Vermont. You rock, rock, rock! If gay marriage is legalized in your state will you get married? I think we will.

Saturday the weather was dreadfully wet and gloomy, but it was brightened by a little time with Jude. We met her at T-Bar for a cup of tea, and then went to see a play that I won't mention, at a theater company I also won't mention. I'm not going to mention it, because I didn't enjoy it. I didn't walk away with a single feeling, except that I was glad it was over. That's all I'll say about that. It was great to see you Jude!

Later that evening Alan and I had sushi at a restaurant on South Street called Gaja Gaja. I'm happy to say that this is the best sushi we've had so far in Philadelphia. There isn't really anything special about the place. It's very run of the mill, but we both enjoyed it immensely. It's so refreshing, because we have had such a hard time finding decent sushi. In San Francisco you couldn't get away from it. We miss that.

After dinner we went to a popular vegetarian restaurant in the area, called Govinda's, for dessert. We had a piece of vegan, chocolate raspberry cake. It was delicious! Our friend Red came by to keep us company while we stuffed our face. It was fun.

Today the weather was great. It was a little windy, and a little chilly, but the sun was shining as bright as it could be. We did our usual chores, despite the fact many of our usual spots were closed for the holidays. We also hit up an open house, did some thrift shopping and had coffee. It's been a great afternoon.

I hope you guys had fun too. This has been quite a week for me. I have yet to hear from my teacher, but I'm giving up on that. I did what I could, and if she doesn't respond, then so be it. I don't have time for drama like that. Can I get an Amen? Somebody? Please?

Below I am attaching a few pictures of my Easter in 1983. I hope you enjoy! Have a wonderful evening. I'll chat with you very soon.

Smooooooooch!

Josh

Me being surprised at what the Easter Bunny left!

I loved that Star Wars action figure carrying case!

Derek with his little stuffed bunny rabbit.

Scoping out the goods!

Indoor Easter Egg Hunt. I love how Dad is sportin' the short shorts!

Check out my clown piggy bank. Yea!

Heeding Your Advice

Hi Bloggy Friends!

I'm so glad it's Friday. Rain is about to pour from the sky, but the thought of a few days off brings sunshine to my heart!

Thanks for all the suggestions about my situation this week at school. I'm sure it will all end up working out for the best. I went to class yesterday with the full intention of speaking to my teacher afterwards, but when the time came she bolted from the room before any of us students had a chance to raise our butts off the seat.

Instead I sent an email, in which I have yet to hear a reply from. I'm not going to hold my breath. I put myself out there, I apologized and the rest is in her hands. I just hope she won't try to pull anything tricky, like grading me poorly on the rest of my assignments. I've done well so far, so if I see a radical change in the last few project grades I'll have to say something.

I hope you guys have a great day. I'm about to rush off to my radio show at WHIP. Have you listened? We're on for two hours this morning. During the first hour we are going to sit down with a local fashion designer, to talk with her about her journey, and where she hopes to go in the future. Should be fun. My co-host Trenae posted a video of us in the studio a few weeks ago. It's not the most exciting discussion, but you can get an idea of what it's like in the sound booth with us! Check it out below.

Have a great afternoon!

Love, Josh

The Altercation

Hey Bloggy Friends!

I hope you guys are having a nice day. So, I mentioned earlier in the week that I was let go from my internship. Here's how it all went down:

As a backstory, I want to mention that the lady who runs the newsroom at the station is also my radio broadcasting teacher. We'll call her Summer. She's a neat person, but has an attitude I find difficult to bare. She can be dismissive, hateful and just downright rude. Up to this point, however, I've been able to let things slide off my shoulders, but Monday my shoulders weren't quite slippery enough.

I walked into the newsroom Monday, ready to tackle a story. Usually, when we arrive there is an assignment left on a dry erase board for us to complete, but this afternoon there was nothing written next to my name. I noticed Summer was in the sound booth, so I sat down at my computer waiting for her to come out to give me some sort of direction. I was chatting with some of the other newsroom employees when she popped her head out of the sound booth. I could tell her attitude was in full force.

"If you come in and there's not a story on the board, you need to get on the Internet and find something. Did you watch the news last night? Did you watch it this morning?" she asked.

"I watched it this morning," I replied, feeling a little embarrassed that she was treating me this way in front of other people.

"What was the breaking story that happened about an hour ago?" she questioned again.

"The earthquake in Italy?"

"Nope!" she said shortly before slamming the door in my face.

I was pretty upset at this point, but I turned around slowly and hit the computer to look for stories. It wasn't long before I found three things that I thought would be relevant for the station. When she came out I asked her if she wanted to review them so I could get started.

"I have to go. Jim (the second in command) may be here in twenty minutes or so. You can ask him," she said.

Now, the whole reason she was upset before is because she walked into the room as I was sitting at the desk doing nothing, so I asked her if she really wanted me to sit there and wait for another twenty minutes for Jim to maybe or maybe not show up. At this point she breathed a loud sigh, rolled her eyes into the back of her head and snatched away the papers I had in my hands. She dismissed the first one after about five seconds and handed it back to me. I proceeded to snatch the paper from her hand just as she had done to me a few seconds earlier.

"Excuuuuse me?" she said.

"What? I just jerked the paper out of your hands like you jerked it out of mine." I said quickly.

"You know what, get out of the newsroom," she said.

She turned around to walk out of the room ahead of me, and muttered something undistinguishable under her breath.

"I think you need to learn how to respect other people," I said as I followed behind her.

"Yea? Well, I've had a busy morning," she answered.

"Well maybe we've all had a busy morning," was the last thing I said before leaving the station for good.

So there it is. I should mention that I'm not exactly proud of the way I acted. I am fully aware that the "bigger" thing to do would have been to let it go and continue on with my day. I let it get the best of me, though, and now I'm in a sticky situation.

In class the next day she avoided eye contact with me, and we finished the day without ever speaking a word. I'm still unsure about a number of things, like did she mean leave for good and never come back, or did she just mean leave for the day? And most importantly, will I still be able to use this internship as a reference on my resume.

So, I'm basically going to have to grow some balls and approach her, since it doesn't seem like she's going to say anything to me. I've put in a lot of hard work there over the course of the semester, and I would rather not see it go to waste.

Instead of approaching these types of situations with an "eye for an eye" mentality, I should start thinking more along the lines of "do unto others as you want others to do unto you." Shooting back at someone that offends you is never the best way to go. This is a problem I've been dealing with since I was a wee little kid - just ask my mom. I need to learn to let it slide. I never know where the person is coming from, and I shouldn't allow myself to take things so personally.

I'll let you know what happens. Either way, I'm going to have to take this as a learning lesson.

Have a great day!

Love, Josh

Kennedi Lately

Hey Bloggy Friends!

Here are some pictures my Mom sent me today of my niece, Kennedi. I was sitting in the Tech Center, finishing up a project, when her email came through. It was just what I needed to give my afternoon that extra boost.

She's getting so big, and cuter by the day. I wish I was there to give her a big hug.

I hope everyone is having a nice day. My week is going by pretty smoothly so far. I'm basically taking each day as it comes, knocking out assignment after assignment as they're due dates approach. All I keep thinking is, "four more weeks, four more weeks!"

Hearing me talk, you'd think I was miserable here. Don't get me wrong, I really am enjoying my time at school. I'm just starting to realize it would do me well to take a bit of a mental break. It'll come soon enough. I love school, and I am so thankful to be here.

I have a little bit of a story to tell you when I have more time. As a little teaser, I'll mention that I was let go from my internship yesterday. As for the drama-filled details, you'll have to return for that!

Have a great day. I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

Property Virgins No More?

Hello there Bloggy Friends!

How's everyone doing out there? I have the day off today, so I'm taking advantage of my time to work on homework. I'm down to the final stretch as far as school is concerned. There are only four weeks left in the semester. That excites me to no end! It's been a fulfilling semester for a number of reasons, but I'm ready to let it go!

We had a really nice weekend. I hope you did too. Friday night we didn't do much. I worked until 8:30, then came home to have wine and watch a movie with Alan. We watched "Pineapple Express," starring Seth Rogen and James Franco. It was okay. I give it three out of five stars - and that's being generous!

Saturday we were on the ball! We started our day early, hitting the streets of Center City to shop and soak up the sunshine. First, we took Doris to her first vet appointment in Philadelphia. She received her second set of shots, and walked away with a clean bill of health. She has gained a whole pound since we brought her home!

When that was all over, we brought her back home and set out on the town again. We spent some time at a coffee shop near Rittenhouse Square, then shopped around for summer clothes and other necessities. I was excited to see the stores so full of people. The lines to the registers and dressing rooms were so long, but it's nice to know people are out shopping again. I have a feeling the economy may be getting a boost now that the warm weather is creeping back in. Go Dow Jones!

Later, we had a small snack at home and napped before heading to Elephant and Castle for our friend, Michelle's, birthday party. Elephant and Castle is a local bar that has karaoke on Saturday nights. We met Michelle, her partner Chris, and our friend Tim there, only to find they were postponing the singing until some basketball game finished. We only had a chance to sing a few songs by the time the bar closed, but by that point we were too loaded up on drinks to care!

When we left, Michelle invited us over to her lovely apartment in the Art Museum district. We didn't end up getting back home until after 3 am. That's the latest we've stayed out in a long time. We're such party animals!

Sunday was a wonderful day, despite the fact I was a little dead-headed from the previous night's festivities. We got out fairly early again, took care of our grocery shopping, then hit up a few open houses in the area. Lately, we've been casually tossing around the idea of buying our first home together. Our original plan was to wait until I graduated from school, but the promise of an $8000 tax incentive for first-time home buyers may persuade us to take the steps a little sooner. We have a sense of our budget, and are now getting a feel for what that will afford us in different areas of the city. We wouldn't want to move until November, the time our lease in this apartment is over. We're both already very excited at the possibilities. It will be so nice to apply the money we're paying in rent towards something that could be a great investment for us in the future. We've all heard it's a prime time to buy property, so we'll see how it works out for us. I'll keep you updated on the progress!

I hope you all have a fantastic week. I've posted photos below of our weekend.

Love, Josh

Doris and Mary Todd chilling in the office.


The crew at Michelle's B-Day party. Can you guess which one is Michelle?


Good times!