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!

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."

Weekend Update

Hey, Bloggy Friends!

I hope you have all had a great weekend. Ours has been pretty eventful. The weekends mean SO much more to me, now that I am back in school. Lately, by the end of the week, I am completely spent. I haven't fully adapted to spending five, full days on campus. It's not that I have to wake up any earlier than before, but the constant "on the go" mentality can be pretty exhausting. Can I get a "preach it, sister?" Anyways, the full week didn't keep us from getting out to have a fabulous weekend with friends.

Friday night, after a cat-nap, Alan and I wend to Old City to meet our friends Kaushik and Kaushiki for dinner at Cuba Libre. We have known Kaushik since we lived in San Francisco. He and Alan were in the same lab at UCSF. We met Kaushiki not long after we moved to Philadelphia. They were recently married in India, where both of their families live. The pictures I saw of the traditional, highly ornamental ceremony are the most beautiful wedding pictures I have ever seen. Besides the fact that they are a ravishingly stunning couple, the setting of their ceremony was breath-taking. It lasted several days and they followed every Indian tradition, step by step. It is fascinating to hear them talk about the things they went through. I believe I must have spent three-quarters of the evening asking them questions! If you are interested, you can click HERE to check out some pictures.

After dinner we headed down the street to a bar, whose name escapes me. We had a few drinks and spent an hour or so dancing. it was a lot of fun. I haven't been out dancing since I went to Montreal a few months back. It was so great to spend some time with them. Kaushiki actually lives in Columbus, OH at the moment. She is in grad school there, and hopes to transfer to a school in Philadelphia within the next year. I hope everything goes well in that transition. Not only would it be a lot easier for her and Kaushik, but I'd love to have her near. She's a ton of fun!

Saturday Alan and I spent the afternoon in Manayunk. We talked politics over cappuccino's at La Colombeand browsed some local stores for knick-knacks. The weather was great. We really enjoyed ourselves.

In the evening we drove to Wilmington to spend some time with our friends Kelly and Ed. Kelly's birthday is coming up, so we celebrated with a spaghetti dinner and cupcakes. After dinner we went out in search of a karaoke bar, but what we found was so sketchy we decided to call it quits all-together! It's always a pleasure to spend time with Kelly and Ed. They are doing really well in Wilmington. If you'll remember, they recently moved there from the bay area. I look forward to having them visit Philadephia in the near future. Click HERE for pictures of our evening together.

Today is the day we are taking it easy. We had to venture out for groceries in the early part of the afternoon, but now we are laying back, sipping wine and trying to keep the pets from killing one another. Galileo just won't leave those girls alone! I think I just heard Alan open the oven, which means we'll be enjoying our traditional salmy Sunday soon. It's a good thing, because my stomach just started to rumble! I have a few quick things to do in preparation for my coming school week, but other than that I'm free as a bird for the remainder of the evening.

I hope your Sunday is exactly what you hoped it would be and I hope your week brings a flood of smiles and good fortune. I'll talk to you soon!

Love, Joshua

Visiting the Frida Kahlo Exhibit!

"I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best."

Hello.Hey, Bloggy Friends!

Last weekend I took a break from my studies to go see the Frida Kahlo exhibit at the Philadelphia Art Museum. We tried to go once before, but it was so busy that we turned around and left. This time around it was a beautiful day, and the crowds were immensely less pervasive. We spent the afternoon tinkering around the Fairmount District. We loved it there, with all the coffee shops and beautiful streets. It is definitely a potential neighborhood for us when we start looking to move in the fall.

The Art Museum is monstrous. There are so many exhibits galleries that we only scratched the surface. We had time to check out the American Art wing and Alan's favorite - the Arms and Armor exhibit. My favorite part was the Pop Art section in the American Art gallery. They had some amazing Warhol and Lichenstein prints. It was exciting and funky!

When our turn finally came to see the Frida exhibit, they made sure I didn't take any pictures - so unfortunately I don't have a lot of that to share with you today. I did manage to get one snapshot, and you can see it in the video. It was a beautiful display. There were paintings I had seen before, ones I hadn't and an impressive collection of photographs from her personal collection. I had a great time learning more about her very interesting life. If you have a chance to check out a Frida Kahlo exhibit, I highly recommend you take the chance. Have you seen the movie Frida? You should definitely see that too, if you haven't already. It's one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen.

I am also proud to say that I became an official museum member this weekend. I guess that takes my diva meter up a few extra notches! I think it's set to explode pretty soon!! Actually, though, they had an awesome deal for students that I couldn't afford to pass. I know I will be coming back to check out everything else it has to offer - and this way I get free admission for the whole year! Some come to Philadelphia and tour the museum with me!

Have a great nigh, Bloggy Friends. I made a short video of our afternoon at the museum and HERE is a collection of pictures I took myself. I hope you enjoy!

Love you all!

Josh