Singin' Our Hearts Out!

Hey, Bloggy Friends!

Well, we are officially in the midst of the busy holiday season. Are you feelin' it? Are the holidays going to be any different for you this year, because of the country's crummy economic situation? I've never been one to spend a ton of money on Christmas gifts, so I don't see it being too different for me. As a student with limited funds, I'm definitely on the look-out for creative gift ideas that won't break the bank. My gifting theme this year is going to be "locally bought gifts." I also want to purchase things that are eco-friendly whenever possible. I like creating themes, because it makes Christmas shopping fun and adventurous!


I hope your week is off to a great start. Mine started with a bit of a hangover! Sunday night we went to Yakitori Boy for my karaoke birthday bash. I had such a great time. Several of my good friends, and even some new ones, showed up to celebrate and sing the night away. I was really impressed with the room itself. It was very comfortable. It accommodated everyone very nicely. There was an on-call waiter, serving drinks and food whenever we wanted. The karaoke machine was state-of-the-art, though figuring it out was initially a bit complicated. We spiced up the evening by playing a few "karaoke games." Everyone had a chance to sing a couple of times, and everyone REALLY got into it! We even decided to stay an extra hour past the allotted time schedule. I had a great time. It was too dark to make good videos, but I did take several pictures that you can check out by clicking right HERE. Thanks to everyone for coming, and for helping to create a special night together!

I only have two more days of classes left. After tomorrow, the rest of the week is set aside for studying. Next week begins the exam schedule, which will have me heading back to campus for only three more days. I can't tell you how excited I am to get it all wrapped up. There are a few classes that I can't wait to put behind me, specifically ECON. Yuck.

I hope you guys have a great day. I notice several of the blogs I frequent have been rather quiet lately. I'm guessing it's a busy time for everyone right now. Whatever your situation is, as the year-end approaches, I hope it goes smoothly. Have a great day. I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

Weekend Wrap-Up

Good Morning, Bloggy Friends!

I hope you had a nice weekend. We did. It was a little busier for us than I had anticipated, but that's how it seems to be going lately. Being busy isn't a bad thing. Isn't there a saying about idle time? Something about the devil and playthings. I don't want none of that!

Friday night my friend Jillian came down from New York City. After work Alan and I met up with her and other friends for drinks. We had a great time. It's always good to see Jillian. I miss her so much.

Saturday was a big day. In the afternoon we met up with Tim, Sarah and Alex to join thousands of others, in cities across America, to protest the passing of California's Proposition 8. The gathering took place at City Hall. There were thousands of people there waving signs, chanting and screaming for their rights. I really felt like I was a part of something huge. It was so exciting. My favorite part was when we marched out into the street. We stopped traffic as we made several loops around City Hall. It was amazing. I'm so proud to have been a part of the whole experience. I posted a video below of our afternoon there. Enjoy!

Saturday evening, after we rested up, we headed out to West Chester to attend a holiday, cocktail party with people from Alan's work. The soiree was held in the beautiful home of one of his co-workers. There were a lot of people there. We enjoyed delicious finger foods, wine and a ton of fabulous desserts. It was a nice time. I don't feel like I have a lot in common with many of his co-workers, but they are all very nice people. I always enjoy these work get-togethers. It provides me an opportunity to break away from my comfort zone for a bit. That's always a good thing. To the left is a picture of Alan and some of his lab mates.

Sunday was nice. In the earlier part of the day we headed to the Reading Terminal and Whole Foods to pick up our groceries. Later I met up with the girls from my radio show for a photo shoot. We are starting to get our promos together - complete with fliers, posters and a commercial on KYW radio. It's very exciting. I'll share those once we get them together. In the evening we had our salmon. It was delicious. For a treat, we decided to walk over to Naked Chocolate for a full-bodied, dark chocolate drink. I had one infused with hot spices. It was divine. Later we walked to Washington Square Park, and then back home to relax before bedtime. It was a good night.

I hope you guys have a great day. It's sunny and bright here in Philadelphia. We've been having some cloudy, rainy weather lately, so it's particularly nice to have some sunshine today! I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Joshua Rights

A Two-Fewer Balls Kinda Weekend.

Good Evening, Bloggy Friends!

I hope you're having a divine evening. I wanted to stop by to say hello, as I wait for Alan to finish dinner. I'm starving!

We had a pretty fun weekend. I headed into it wanting to stay low-key, but we ended up being pretty busy. After work Friday night, Alan and I met our friends Tim and Alex for drinks. We didn't stay out too late, because we had to wake up early the next morning to take Galileo to the vet to be neutered. We have been running into so many road blocks along the way to having this done, but this was the final one. We took him to the hospital around 7:30 Saturday morning, and picked him up today around 1:00 in the afternoon. Bless his poor little heart. They are requiring us to keep an Elizabethan collar on him for two weeks, so he won't lick and agitate his stitches. As you can imagine he doesn't like it one bit. We also have to give him pain medicine twice a day, and carefully monitor him so he doesn't play too rough around the house. I wasn't expecting to have to go through all of this. When the cats were spayed, it was down one minute and back to normal the next. The spaying was also a much more complicated process, too. I don't get it, but we aren't taking any chances. I'm sure he'll get used to the collar as time goes on, but I will be so happy to have him back to normal.

Last night we met up with Tim again for dinner at Jose Pistoles. Also joining us was Tim's brother Mark, and his friend, Lindsey. Along with two margaritas, I had a burrito with portobello mushrooms - it was cleverly called a Portobellortio. I'm not usually huge on burritos, but this one was pretty good. After dinner we walked down the street to a coffee shop, to have tea and talk politics. Everyone is so excited about the upcoming administration. There is so much to discuss!

This afternoon I met up with my group from school to record a video project for my audio/visual newsgathering class. We were asked to perform an interview, so we invited Trenae's mother over to talk with us about her experience defeating breast cancer. It was a fun, uplifting interview. We will upload it to YouTube when I'm finished, so I'll post it in about a week.

So, besides taking care of a few chores, hanging more pictures and catching up on some TV, that's our weekend in a nutshell. Now that I'm working and back in school the weekends seem to fly by so much quicker. I have an outrageously busy week ahead of me, full of exams, papers and editing projects. I believe this will be the busiest week so far. Wish me luck!

Have a great night. I'm posting a few more pictures below of Galileo in his collar, and Mary Todd chillin' like a villain. She's enjoying the time off. So enjoy those, and I'll chat with you guys soon!

Love, Josh

VOTE!

Hey, Bloggy Voter Friends!


I did it! I just walked into the voting booth and cast my vote in the most historic election in the history of our nation! I wasn't prepared for the flooding of emotions I felt when I walked behind the curtain. I love when emotions take me by surprise. To have the opportunity to vote for either an African-American President, or a female Vice-President nearly brought tears to my eyes. There was also a moment of sadness when I missed seeing Hillary's name on the ballot. Unfortunately, I didn't vote for a female this time around, but hopefully I'll get that opportunity one day soon.

I decided to go to the polls early with Alan, so I could avoid long lines. I literally rolled out of bed, threw on a jacket and hat, and stumbled down the street. To my surprise, there was no line. We literally just gave our names and walked inside our booths. Let's hope this ease of entry is an indication of the time, rather than the actual turnout. GoObama!

I hope the results come in at a reasonable hour tonight. I heard on the news that if Obama pulls out a win in Virginia, which is an earlier closing poll, he will probably have a victory on his hands. You can't always trust those pundits, but I'll be keeping my eye on Virginia for sure. Pennsylvania is turning out to be a major factor in this race. The polls show a pretty tight gap between the two candidates. If McCain pulls a win in Virginia, and Pennsylvania, it will be hard to stop him. It could be a nail-biter!

I'd love to hear about your experiences at the voting booths. How did you feel when you cast your ballot? Either way your button pushes you would have made history. Were there long lines? Did you cry a little? I'd love to hear how it went for you. It's an extremely important election, which has been a long time a-comin'!

Get out there and Rock the Vote!

Love you all,

Joshua Hussein OMiddleton

Halloween in Action!

Have a Maverick-y Monday!

Sarah's Halloween Party!

Hey, Bloggy Friends!

We had an awesome time at Sarah's Halloween Party last night! We were so happy she threw one, so we could have a reason to get dressed up to have some fun on Halloween. I think I love Halloween more now than I did when I was a kid. I love having the opportunity to dress up as anything I'd like. Over the past few years we have had fun dressing as some of history's most famous couples. One year we were Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, another we were Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. This year we couldn't wait to be the Maverick herself, Sarah Palin, and one of the unfortunate Moose she loves to shoot down from a helicopter!

We hit the thrift stores yesterday in search of our costumes. Besides the pants Alan wore, we were completely starting from scratch. Thankfully we found everything in a reasonable amount of time, and for not a lot of money! While we were shopping Galileo enjoyed a little spa time at the Pampered Pooch on 11th Street. Check out his haircut in the pictures. He's such a doll.

Before we left for the party we had a few friends over for pre-drinks. My friend Terra helped me apply my make-up. She dressed as Sarah Blask, the girl throwing the Halloween party! She's so funny. Galileo fell in love with her and her bosoms. Our friends Tim and Alex also stopped by, but they weren't dressed in costumes. For shame!

Sarah's party was a lot of fun. She packed a lot of people into her small, but
reasonably-sized, one bedroom apartment. She was stunningly dressed as a lady from the 50's. She wore an authentic vintage dress and hat, given to her by her grandmother. I was blown away by the impressive food spread. The cutest part was her deviled eggs, actually dressed as little devils! My favorite food of the evening was my co-worker, Nancy's, bean dip. It was so good, and no, I didn't get the farts. There were several other fun costumes there, including Partly Cloudy with a Chance of Rain, The Gift that Keeps on Giving, a Pirate couple and a sexed up Little Red Riding Hood. Click HERE for access to my Picasa album of pictures from the evening. Check back in the next day or so for a little video footage!

Well, this is getting a little lengthy, so I'll cut it short for now. We have had a nice Sunday. We walked to the Reading Terminal for produce and fish, and are about to head to Whole Foods (two blocks away!) for the rest of our groceries. I love living in Center City. We finally have web access, and our washer and dryer was installed yesterday. Things are coming together nicely. I hope your Sunday is exactly what you hoped it would be. Have a great start to the week. I'll talk to you soon!

Love, Joshra Palin

Weekend Ketchup.

Hey, Bloggy Friends!

Boy, I feel like I've been away forever. The past week was an emotional/crazy week for me. The weekend couldn't have come soon enough. Now I find myself on the other side of it. Can you believe I have been in school for six weeks now? I can't. This means my semester is nearly half over. As you know, this also means I'm at the place when mid-terms approach, and paper deadlines start to pile up. So far I haven't been faced with too much work, but that's all about to change real quick. Bring it on! Easily, please.

Did you see the VP debate on Thursday? My verdict on the outcome is probably similar to most of yours. Palin did much better than expected, but Biden came out as the clear winner. I have to say, I was much more "entertained" by this debate than the last one between Obama and McCain. My biggest complaint, however, was the part of the evening when both candidates firmly declared their opposition to legalizing gay marriage. There was a part of me that asked, "what am I supposed to be excited about?" Is it so the living conditions of heterosexuals, with actual rights, will be improved with the election of our new President? What about my rights? What about our rights, ya'll? Sure the democrats promise improvements that will greatly affect all of us, but what is the use of those things if we are denied fundamental rights as citizens? I think it's bullshit to be honest. I would really like to see a candidate get on the stage, with a pair of balls, and take a stance on equal rights for everyone. I think it's time we stop sitting on the sidelines hoping for change to come. No amount of tolerance was ever gained by minorities who sat and waited for things to happen. We need to stand up and take action. It's completely unfair. The Constitution promises all American citizens the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - not just those who are conveniently attracted to the opposite sex. How can we fix this? I've come up with a plan. All gays, and those who support true equality, should sit out the election. That's right, completely pull out. We should stand up and say we refuse to vote for candidates who do not speak for us. Once we do that, both sides will be clamoring for the gay vote - just like they both instantly became huge fans of Hillary. What do ya say? Wanna take a stand?

I know, it's a completely hypothetical situation, but it may take a similar sort of action to bring about a change for us. We deserve it, ya'll.

And that is what you call a rant!

I'm now left with little space to talk about our weekend, so I'll try to sum it up rather quickly. It was nice! Friday we went to see Julianne Moore's new movie BLINDNESS. This was an Alan pick, and I really liked it. If you're having a hard time deciding on a movie at your local video store, and you pass this one on the shelf - pick it up.

Saturday was completely spontaneous. What began as a trip to Main Street Manayunk turned into a "why don't we hop the next train downtown." So we did, and we had such an enjoyable afternoon. We went to Reading Terminal for fresh squeezed juice, we shopped on Walnut for tea pots and hair products and browsed a street fair promoting local businesses. Later, we met up with friends, Tim and Sarah, for a delicious Thai dinner, then went to see another movie - RELIGULOUS. Religulous is a documentary produced by Bill Maher. He travels about the world questioning the beliefs of various religious fanatics. There were parts that were entertaining, but I honestly felt it was a little blasphemous. I guess my southern Baptist roots crept up, because I left feeling rather guilty. To top it off, we had a near collision in our cab, from the theater to the train station. Our driver almost rammed a car in front of us, but avoided it by swerving sharply to the right. We ended up parked on the sidewalk! We were both about to freak out. Don't go see this movie!

Today (Sunday) we did our usual chores. We went to the grocery, picked up some pet food and have been chillin' around the house all afternoon. I hear Alan preparing our traditional Salmy Sunday dinner, so I guess I should run down and offer some help - which he'll refuse - because he's smart - and I'm completely fine with that :).

Have a great night, Bloggy Friends. I hope you have a great week.

Love you much,
Joshua


Picture Title: "Just 'cause we don't care to tie the knot, don't mean we shouldn't be able to. Shit."

I'm Pooped!

Hello.Hey, Bloggy Friends!

What a whirlwind of a few days this has been! I honestly don't think I have sat down to rest since - well I can't remember when. As you know, Wednesday afternoon Casey flew into Philadelphia for work. He was only here until Friday afternoon, but we were fortunate enough to spend a little time together every day he was here. His hotel was literally steps away from my work, so at nights when I finished I would just pop by and we'd head out on the town. Friday afternoon before he left we spent the day together touring some of Philadelphia's historic sites. I saw the Liberty Bell for the very first time! We closed our visit with a little lunch in Old City, and some light shopping on Walnut. We had such a fantastic time. It was so great to see him. Having him here helps to reconfirm my belief that God blessed me with some of the best friends in the whole world. You're the best, Mimi!

Saturday afternoon Alan and I met up with his aunt, Jude, to see the latest play put on at PTC - The Happiness Lecture. This play, starring Bill Irwin, was a highly entertaining piece of performance art. I was a little skeptical going in, because I thought it was going to be a silly show about clowns and magic - boy was I wrong. It was such an uplifting, comical show that had me laughing out loud - and holding back tears of joy at the end. The show was full of dancing, singing, special effects and puppetry. One of my favorite aspects of the performance was the usage of the entire theatre space, by the actors. They were running through the aisles, climbing up rafters and even communicating with some audience members. It was fantastic. If any of you are in the Philadelphia area - I totally recommend seeing this show. Bring your loved ones and be prepared to be overjoyed! It's a winner.

As always it was fantastic to see Jude. When the show was over we headed to a restaurant on Pine Street, called MIXTO. We conversed over drinks and a little dinner. Jude's husband, Lou, was a little under the weather, so she had to rush off a little quicker than usual. We hated to part so early, but hope to see them again soon when Lou is all better. Speedy recovery!

Today we woke up and took care of all our puppy duties. This includes several potty breaks, feeding, playing, and watching him incessantly. It is starting to feel like a hassle and is a huge reason why I don't feel like I have been able to chillout in days. He has been doing so much better since my last post, though. Thank you all for your advice. Around one o'clock we headed a few miles away to the home of our pet sitters, Scott and Zoe. They have been helping us out since December when we go on vacation, or when we are not here during the day to take Galileo out. They were hosting a Garden BBQ for friends and clients, so we went along to meet some folks and let Galileo socialize with other puppies. He had a great time running around with this cute French Bulldog named, Driver. They are about the same age, and nearly the same size, so they became fast friends. It was great to see him take so well to other dogs. We also met a lot of interesting people. The food was delicious and the weather was fab. I'm loving the Philadelphia summer.

So, as you can see we have been running rampant over the past few days. It has all been worth it, but like I say in my title - Josh is pooooooooped! I have some great videos to share of Casey's visit, and of course the final two parts of our Kentucky road trip - so stay tuned for those in the coming days. When I close this blog I am going to head downstairs, make myself some warm tea and crash on the couch for the rest of the evening. Does that not sound dreamy???

I hope you guys had a lovely weekend and here's to a perfect week. Below is a slide show of PICTURES we took over the past few days - most of which are from Casey's visit. Gotta run, Galileo is barking for some attention!

I love you all. Good night.

Josh

Birthday Shout-Out: My Friends Tim & Sarah

Hello.Hey, Bloggy Friends!

I hope you guys have had a funtastic weekend. I'm sure you are all jazzed about the three-day break! We've had a lot of fun over the past few days. Last night we attended a birthday party for my friends (& co-workers) Sarah and Tim. Their birthdays aren't until next week, but they wanted to go ahead and celebrate this weekend for whatever reason. To kick off the night Alan and I joined Sarah, and her friend Jackie, at a vegetarian restaurant in Chinatown called, SINGAPORE. It was delicious! From there we met up with a larger group of friends at a pub on Sansom Street called FERGIE'S. We basically had a whole room upstairs to ourselves. Everyone seemed to have a great time. We had drinks, chatted, acted silly and tried unsucessfully to sing with the band. It's always fun for me to spend time outside of work with my co-workers. It's a great chance to get to know one another on a more personal level. I really do work with a great group of people. I'm so thankful.

Everyone join me in wishing Sarah and Tim a happy birthday! I think Sarah stops by the blog from time to time. I hope you guys have awesome birthdays. Thanks for being born!

I've attached a slideshow of pictures from the evening below. You can also check them out HERE, to see the pictures in color. I just liked the black and white/curtain effect!

Have a great afternoon. I'm going to be honest and admit that I'm nursing a pretty grueling hangover. Ugh!

Love you all to pieces!

Josh