From A Forest In Maine.

Hey Bloggy Friends,

Can you believe we have Internet in the middle of the forest? We're having a great time so far. It really is so beautiful here. Our cabin, which is sitting right on Beech Hill Pond Lake, is quaint and lovely. We've taken paddle boat rides, walks around the grounds, been skinny dipping and took an excursion into the nearest town. The weather has been rather overcast everyday, but it adds to serenity of the nature that surrounds us. We're really enjoying ourselves. I hope you're having a great week too.

I don't want to spend too much time on the Internet, but I just wanted to stop by to say hello and clip on a few photographs. Take care and I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

A view of our cabin from the lake.

Having a cup of tea on the back porch.

Alan easing his way into the chilly lake.

Alan and I out on the paddle boat.

Bill holding his very first sparkler!

The Coast of Maine

Hey Bloggy Friends,

I'm on my way to Otis, Maine. We're renting a cabin with Bloggy Friend Bill on a lake called Beech Hill Pond. I'm really excited. We stopped last evening in a town called Portland, Maine. We're about to get out and explore a little before completing the remainder of the drive.

I'm not sure if I'll have Internet in the cabin, so I may have to wait and do all my updating when I return. Be sure to check back for pictures and maybe even a video!

Have a great week. I'll chat with ya'll soon.

Love, Josh

A Legend Lost.

Hey Bloggy Friends.

A legend in every sense of the world. We have lost something so special.

My heart is broken. I'm in shock.

I love you Michael.

Josh

My Father's Day Post

Hi Bloggy Friends,

I think my dad is the quintessential man. He was instilled with a strong work ethic as a child, working on the farm with my Papaw. Throughout his school years he was a star on the sports field, excelling in sports like baseball, basketball and football. He was a man's man, with a ton of friends he'd carouse town with, drinking, picking up ladies and showing off his hot rod cars. He was twenty years old when he got my mom pregnant, at which point he asked her to marry him, just like a good man "oughta." As a father he was an excellent provider. He was a hard worker, taking in late hours to provide his family with everything we needed and then some.

Throughout most of his early adult life Dad belonged to a softball league put together through his work. The fun part for me was that he'd have the chance to travel all around the state, playing teams from other companies. While he was busy on the baseball field, I'd be running around on the playground where I'd meet kids from different parts of the state.

On one such outing I met two boys who were my age (around 6 or 7), who I thought were kind of cute. When they asked me what my name was I put my hand on my hip and said, "Cinderella." I wanted them to think I was a girl, hoping they'd maybe give me a little sugar. For most of my childhood I was often asked by other kids if I was a boy or a girl, so I was completely convinced that if I told them I was a girl they'd believe me. They were skeptical at first, but I think my powers of persuasion were beginning to work until my dad walked up to take me home.

As he lifted me off the slide one of the boys asked, "Is that a boy or a girl?"

"He's a boy," my dad answered.

"He told us he was a girl and that his name was Cinderella." they screamed. A wave of embarassment shot through me. My dad had told me time and time again to stop "acting like a girl." Now I had been caught red (or pink) handed. On the way home it was just the two of us riding in the car. I remember sitting in the passenger seat with my head hanging down in shame. Finally breaking the silence, my dad asked in a calm voice, "Why did you tell those guys your name was Cinderella? Did you want them to think you were a girl?"

"I was just playing around," I answered. At that point he looked over at me and recited a poem that I'm sure most of you have heard before. It went something like this:

What are little boys made of?
Frogs and snails
And puppy-dogs' tails,
That's what little boys are made of.

What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice
And all things nice,
That's what little girls are made of.

It may sound odd now, but at the time I found his word choice quite comforting. It wasn't so much what he said, but the gentle, understanding way in which he spoke. It was only then that my feeling of shame was lifted, and I could raise my head up from my chest.

Dad wasn't always so understanding. For a long time he stood strongly against a lot of the "girlie" things I did. I know he was concerned for my well-being, but also I think he was really disappointed that his first-born son wouldn't be following anywhere near his footsteps. I can understand that. Thankfully, the day finally came when he learned to embrace me for who I am. Also, more than anyone else in my family, he has expressed that he understands that I am who I am not because of a choice I made, but because I was born this way. To me, nothing says acceptance more than that.

I love you Dad, for that and for so many other things.

Love, Josh

One of my dad's adult ball teams. He's #42 in the middle.






















Dad at one of the many ballparks we once frequented.


















Derek and I with a girl we met at one of the parks.

















Dad after a ballgame. I'm not sure what the "7" means. Points?


















Me in one of dad's football jerseys. Maybe I'd be a football player after all!?


















Yea... Probably not..

Radio News Reporting Project #2

Hi Bloggy Friends,

I hope you enjoyed your weekend. Did you have a chance to spend time with your father? Unfortunately, my dad is hundreds of miles away, so a simple phone conversation had to suffice. He was doing well, and seemed like he was enjoying his afternoon. He and my brother were on their way to get an ice cream cone when I talked to him last. I know he loved that. I hope Derek picked up the bill!

Our weekend was very enjoyable. Despite the heavy rain, Saturday was our busiest day. We spent the earlier portion with Jude seeing a play we all really enjoyed. It was great to catch up with her again. Later in the evening we met up with some of Alan's co-workers for dinner and drinks. We stayed up late into the night having a grand ol' time. They're a fun group of people that I don't see very often because they all live in the burbs.

Today I want to share with you the second project in my radio news reporting class. This was the first project that we had to go out and get an interview for. I did my report on a local bookstore that was going out of business. I mentioned it once before when Alan and I stocked up on books during their big closing sale. When I did a little research I discovered it was the oldest independent book seller in the city, so I thought it would be a very relevant story for the class - especially at a time when the damaged economy was monopolizing the news.

After a few calls and emails I finally finagled an interview with the owner, Larry Robins. I was scheduled to speak with him at the bookstore, but at the last minute he called and had to cancel. With only a few days away from the due date, I convinced him to at least let me ask him a few questions over the phone. I put him on speaker phone, and commenced to record the session with my digital voice recorder. The quality wasn't great, but I did get a good quote from him to use in my story. I was worried about what the teacher would say about a phone interview, but I didn't have a lot of time to go out and find another story.

The criticism wasn't too bad. She did recognize that it wasn't recorded live, but being a seasoned journalist, she understood my predicament. She got a good laugh when she realized the man in the story was actually the father of one of her old boyfriends. Listening to it now, I am more critical. I think I was a little too careful with the voice delivery. It seems like my enunciation came across a bit too harshly. I sound like I was trying to hard to sound "professional." With all that out of the way, however, I think it turned out fairly well.

Final Grade: A

I hope you have a great day. Thank you for stopping by to check out my latest project. I'll have more for you in the coming days. Goodbye for now.

Love, Josh

Radio News Reporting Project #1

Hey Bloggy Friends,

I hope you're having a nice day. It's about as wet as it can be in Philadelphia today. This is the soggiest springtime I can ever remember having. I guess it gives us more reason to appreciate the sunshine.

I want to share with you the projects I did in another of my journalism classes at school, Radio News Reporting. In this class we were taught how to write, present and record news pieces to be aired in a radio format. Like my design for journalists class, we started with the simplest projects and then worked our way to longer, more complicated ones.

My first assignment was to record what is called a voicer - a 30 - 45 second clip highlighting something going on in the news on that day. It is a straight read, so no interviews or soundbites are required. I chose to do a story on Hillary Clinton, who had recently been confirmed as Secretary of State.

It was a quick assignment, which didn't take too much work to complete. I think the teacher just wanted to get a feel for our voice delivery and broadcast writing skills. I was pretty happy with the way it turned out. The one criticism I received was about an opinion I threw in at the end when I mentioned that this story is, "proof that President Obama intends to make good on his promise to focus on issues surrounding global warming." She said that I should have provided a source for that quote, other than myself, if I wanted to keep it in there. It isn't a reporters job to have an opinion.

Final Grade: A-

Have a good one. I'll share more with you in the coming days.

Love, Josh

You Gotta Love A New Discovery!

Hey Bloggy Friends.

I hope all is well with you. Things are going great here. We had a fabulous weekend. The weather has improved somewhat. We've been getting a lot of rain so far this season, but most days it only comes in spurts before the sun comes out to light us up!

Friday night we walked all the way over to West Philadelphia (born and raised) to see "Up" at the Bridge theater. It was so good. This was the first animated film I've seen in 3D. I was amazed by it. I felt like a child, looking up with a silly grin on my face the whole time. Once, when I was doing a show in Lexington called "Fortinbras," one of my fellow actors told me that I should read children's books and watch children's movies to improve my craft. I wasn't sure what he meant, but I think it has something to do with staying creative and keeping the magic within yourself. Maybe I'll make it a point to see more 3D Pixar films.

It poured during the early part of Saturday, but by mid-afternoon it had all dried up. At that point we got out and about to look at some houses, and pick up some things we needed at home. Later that night we drove to Wilmington to have dinner with Kelly and Ed. We had salmon, garlic and olive mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and salad. It was delicious. We love spending time with Kelly and Ed. Thanks guys!

Later that night I went to a random karaoke bar in Northeast Philadelphia with my friend Tim. It was a private, members only bar located in the basement of a Veterans Legion Hall. We had to ring a door bell, and prove that we had a connection inside before the gruff man at the door let us in. The regulars seemed a little intimidating at first, but as the evening progressed everyone warmed up to one another as we sang the night away. I had a really good time.

Sunday was a fun day. It was one of those days that just flowed nicely. Do you know what I'm talking about? We started the day by getting our grocery shopping out of the way. After that was finished we looked at an open house on Fawn Street in Washington Square West, strolled through the lively Odunde festival and walked south to investigate a new neighborhood on our radar - Passyunk Square. This is a neighborhood that extends from 6th street to Broad, and Washington avenue to Tasker street. Our realtor told us that it's rumored to be the next "up and coming" neighborhood in Philadelphia. We really like what we saw of it. It's an eclectic neighborhood that has recently started to see the build up of new, local businesses and the movement of a young, hip crowd within its borders. We were told that several gay couples specifically have started to buy properties here. We all know that's a good sign!

We'd definitely get A LOT more for our money in Passyunk Square, but it's a little further south than we're comfortable with. We're not going to completely rule it out, however, until we've had the chance to actually see some of the homes there. One of the major highlights about the neighborhood for me was dinner at a restaurant called Izumi. We read in City Paper that it offered the freshest sushi in town, and they weren't lying. It was by far the best sushi we've had in Philadelphia. I'd even be willing to go as far as to say it closely rivals what we used to get in San Francisco. If you're stopping by my page because you googled "best sushi in Philadelphia," then you should totally check this place out. A+!

Well, this is starting to get a little long. I know interest starts to wane after a few paragraphs, so I'll end it here. I hope you all have a great afternoon. I posted some pictures below of the weekend. Be sure to check out Doris' new haircut. Who knew that cute little puppy was hiding under all that stringy hair!

Talk to ya soon!

Love, Josh

Alan and Kelly chatting before dinner.


Doris peeping over the couch.


Doris falling asleep in Alan's arms.

Dolley's Advice

Hi Bloggy Friends.

Recently I finished reading A Perfect Union: Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation. I started it a long time ago, but had to set it aside when things started to heat up at school.

Dolley was a fascinating lady; full of interesting anecdotes about life. One of the ones that struck me most was a statement she made from her death bed, when a beloved niece came to her for advice about a problem she was having. "My dear," Dolley said, "do not trouble yourself about it, there is nothing in this world worth caring for." Probing her even more the niece asked, "Aunt, you who have lived so long, do you think so?" Dolley then emphasized her point. "Yes! Believe me, I who have lived in it so long, repeat to you that there is nothing in it worth caring for."

This was a very bold statement that could be taken in several different directions. Had Dolley turned into a bitter old crab at the end of her life, and actually meant that NOTHING was worth caring for? Is anything worth caring for? I believe there is.

I believe Dolley was trying to articulate to her niece that she shouldn't sweat the small stuff. There's no need to ponder over petty things, like a brief altercation with a friend, or whether or not you have shoes to match an outfit your dying to wear on Saturday night. If we allow ourselves to stress over little things, then we are missing the big picture - which I believe is that we have a short time here, so why not enjoy every second of it. There are things, however, that I do believe are worth caring about. What about our loved ones? our health? people who are in need?

Though her advice may initially seem negative to some, I find it to be quite refreshing. Could you imagine a life where we could be so carefree; moving along from day to day living only within that moment. But is it even possible to live that way now? Perhaps Dolley's statement takes on a whole new meaning in this day and age. Everyday we are faced with another tragedy to contemplate, whether it be a plane crash, the shooting of innocent human beings, or millions of starving, sick children in Africa. There seems to be a lot more to care about now than there was in the past. We've created a big, fast-paced, in your face kind of world that won't allow us to slow down and just "be." Oh, but wouldn't that be nice.

I wanted to share this with you today, because I found it intriguing. It is a small quote, but it leaves a lot to contemplate. I find it fascinating that at the end of her life, after she had time to ponder over the things that really mattered, she came up with a statement like this. What are your thoughts?

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

Love, Josh

It's Summer Around Here.

Hi Bloggy Friends!

I've been on a bit of a Bloggy hiatus lately. I've been thinking of ways I can change things around here. I don't know where I'm going with it, but I'm ready to try something new. We'll see what unfolds.

Things have livened up in our lives since the weather has finally started to get warmer. It seems like we have something fun to do every weekend now. I love it. We're spending more time with friends, enjoying more of the culturally-dense attractions in the city and reveling the sunshine. When I'm not out and about I'm spending time at the apartment with the pets, and taking in some of the reading I've been missing over the last few months. I'm a big fan of taking a break!

I've been meaning to post more of the projects I did over the semester. I'm sure I'll get around to that soon. I did finally get my grades back, and I'm proud to say I finished with 4 A's and 1 B. It was a very trying semester, so I'm extremely pleased with the way things turned out. As I look ahead at my final two semesters, I don't foresee them being quite as hectic as the last. I'm not saying it'll be smooth saying, but just not as loaded down as my past few semesters have been.

I hope you all have a great day. I've posted a few recent pictures of us and the pets below. Doris is really growing up. I can tell a huge change in her demeanor lately. She is no longer the "troubled" puppy I once suspected her to be. She is a little ball of pure puppy energy. We love her so much. I think she is benefiting a great deal from the extra time I am spending at home with her now.

I'll chat with you soon!

Love, Josh

Birthday Collabo!

Hey Bloggy Friends!

I hope you're having a nice Thursday. It has been raining non-stop in Philadelphia today. I'm not complaining though. We've had plenty of nice days this week, so a little wet one doesn't hurt.

I wanted to stop by to share a special video with you that was made in honor of Bloggy Friend Gary's birthday. For those of you who don't know, Gary is Bloggy Friend Bill's partner. This is one of the few video collaborations Bill and I have done together, and I just love it. As you can tell from the excellent quality of the video, Bill did most of the work. I just sent in a few silly clips - and had a great time while doing it. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of it, Bill. You did an awesome job.
Click HERE to check it out.

Let's all wish Gary a very special birthday. I hope the two of you have something sexy planned for the evening!

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

Love, Josh

Design for Journalists Project #5

Hi Bloggy Friends,

I hope your day is going by smoothly. It's a scorcher in Philadelphia today.

The final project in my design for journalists class was to create a website. I have always heard that creating websites was a difficult, intricate process, so I was a little nervous about this one. The program we used, however, made it simple by writing codes and configuring all the complicated stuff for us. It was called Dreamweaver. All we were responsible for was gathering content, designing the layout and posting it to the world wide web.

The teacher asked us to create a site that could serve as a promoting tool for us as aspiring journalists. We were required to have four pages with links to the work we have done so far at Temple.

Once again, I went for a minimalist approach to my design. I didn't want to get too fancy and risk confusing potential employers, who may visit my page for information. It took a lot of time to complete, but the process was pretty smooth for me. I did have problems with the program in the end, so I wasn't able to add a few other elements, like a home link on each page, to the final product. The good thing is that I have a website to share with employers, and I can return to update it at any time.

If you'd like to check it out click HERE.

Final Grade: 150/150
Final Grade in Class: A

In the next few days I also want to share some of the projects I did in my radio broadcasting class, so stay tuned!

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

Love, Josh