How are ya today? I hope you've had a great weekend. It has been very sunny and nice in Philadelphia over the past week. I love this warm weather. It was nice when this weekend finally rolled around, because things at school are really starting to pick up for the last time before classes end on May 5. I have a ton of papers and assignments due in a short period of time, so don't be surprised if you don't hear much from me over the coming weeks. Just imagine me knee deep in text books and send a special blessing my way!
We had a fantastic weekend. On Saturday Alan and I met up with his aunt Jude to see the current play at the Philadelphia Theatre Company, Third by Wendy Wasserstein. It was such a wonderfully written, sweet show. This is actually the last play ever written by Wasserstein, she passed away less than two years ago after a long battle with breast cancer. You may recognize the names of some of her other plays, such as An American Daughter and The Heidi Chronicles. We all loved it very much. If you have a chance to see this show, or another by Wendy Wasserstein, I highly suggest you get a ticket. 
After the show the three of us strolled around Center City for a while before we went back to Jude's home for dinner. Waiting for us there was her always humorous husband, Lou. Throughout the course of the evening we chatted over wine and snacked on hors devours before finally enjoying one of the very best meals I have had in Philadelphia thus far. Jude is a fantastic cook, and I'm not just saying that because she may be reading! She confesses that cooking is one of her favorite pastimes. I can tell that she sees it as a form of artistic expression because the presentation was magnificent and the blending of tastes was out of this world delicious! She served us a whole fish (trout seasoned with rosemary, parsley, lemon and garlic), steamed asparagus, new potatoes and a scrumptious side salad of mixed greens. We were then served delicious tarts, from a local bakery, for dessert. Bloggy Friends, it was all so good. I hope you have someone in your lives who can cook like this for you from time to time. Thanks, Jude! There's nothing like a homecooked meal. 
Today we haven't done much but take care of a few errands like shopping for groceries and taking out the garbage. It has been nice to lay around and relax before we start our weeks over again tomorrow. Alan worked a little in the backyard. He has been pulling weeds and cleaning it up to get ready for the summer. It is so nice to have a porch and a yard to lounge in! Perhaps we'll plant a bush or some flowers to admire during the warm months. I did watch about an hour of the Papal Mass today. I found it fascinating. I'm just amazed at the amount of grandeur and ceremony that goes into such an occasion. I am not Catholic so I don't really understand the importance of having the Pope visit America. There must be something huge about it, though, there were over 50,000 people packed into Yankee stadium. I was just intrigued by the mixture of spirituality and apparent celebrity that goes along with being the Pope. He's a diva!Well, I guess I'll run for now. I hope you guys have a fantastic start to the new week. Luckily I'll be off of work over the next few weeks because this weekend was the closing for Third. I'll start back again when the next show begins. It's a blessing to have this time off during the last few weeks of school and finals. I'll talk to you soon!
Love you,
Josh
