Our Return to San Francisco

Hi Bloggy Friends,

When Alan and I moved from San Francisco five years ago, we were ready to scram. Four years of urine stench, chilly temps and being thousands of miles from our families eventually drove us away. But as time went by, our fondness for it began to rebloom, so we decided to mark our half-decade away with a spring trip.

We weren't sure how much the town had changed since we left, but we were happy to see a lot of our old faves still thriving — a welcome sign coming from a city that seems to flip businesses like they're going out of, well, business. There does seem to be a fresher, Upper-West-Side chicness blended into the culture, something we learned is the result of relatively local dotcoms that have blown up in the years since we've been gone. Big-namers like Facebook and Google run shuttle services that cart their employees in and out the Bay Area, a move that's driven up rents and added heft to the commonest of price tags. We even hear the grimy Tenderloin will be spiffing up soon with the arrival of the Instagram headquarters. Oh, snap!

For our trip, we mostly stuck to the areas we knew best, strolling through hoods like the Mission, Haight and Castro, visiting our favorite eateries, and reveling in the departure from reality that comes with being in that crazy-ass city. Here are some quick highlights:

Extra! Extra! Reader All About It!

Hello Bloggy Friends.

I hope you're having an exquisite evening. What a great week this has been! It's been very cold in Philadelphia. We didn't end up getting that warm day the weather men promised on Saturday. We had a great weekend, though. I hope you did too. Friday night we went to see Kate Winslett in "The Reader." It is an amazing movie. We loved it. I definitely recommend you check this one out, whether it be in the theater or on DVD when it's released.

Saturday, instead of going to the Reading Terminal for produce, we decided to go to the Italian Market. For those of you who don't know, the Italian Market is the largest open-air market in the United States - and it's only five or six blocks away from our front door! The produce is top quality, and the prices can't be beat. We walked away with three bags full of produce, and only dropped fifteen bucks. It was amazing- except for the moment when I got involved in a screaming match with one of the grocers because I accidentally stepped behind the counter where he was working. I'm sure it was entertaining for the other shoppers, though! To cool down from the confrontation we stopped into a delicatessen for lunch, where we enjoyed a fabulous Caprese sandwich. For a moment we felt like we were dining on the streets of Rome again. No grumpy, ol' grocer could take that away!

On Saturday we also took Galileo to Pampered Pooch to get his monthly grooming. I've attached some before and after pictures. What do you think of his new do? Saturday night Kelly and Ed came into town to do some site-seeing. We met up with them in Chinatown for dinner at Vietnam Palace. It was good, but the service was lousy. We decided to never go back there again. Can you believe they tried to charge us a $12 corking fee for our bottle of wine! What a rip off, especially when the Zagat lists them as a B.Y.O. Later that night I met up with my friend Tim for karaoke at a restaurant/bar called Elephant and Castle. We had a great time. One of the highlights was when they drew my name out a raffle for a $50 gift certificate to dine there in the future. I love winning things!

This afternoon Jude came by to for a visit. We had tea and chatted about what's been going on in our lives over the past few weeks. I love spending time with Jude, her presence always leaves me feeling inspired! She's a gem. Tonight for dinner Alan tackled a new recipe we found in a quarterly Whole Foods publication. It was Winter Squash Stuffed with Lentil Pilaf. I love winter squash. It was delicious! We've really started to explore new options in the kitchen, and no I don't mean that in a kinky way! We've found some amazing recipes over the past couple of weeks. Salmy Sunday is under a few renovations!

Now the time has come for us to plop down on the couch in our lounge around clothes. I think we're going to watch a lifetime movie we DVR'd last night called "Prayers for Bobby," starring Sigourney Weaver. Have you heard about it? It's about an overly religious mother who gives her teenage son a difficult time for being gay. I don't want to give away anything, but I think the pressure leads him to drastic, unfortunate measures. It's gotten a lot of hype. I look forward to seeing it.

I hope you guys have a great night. Have a great week too! I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

Where Were You When....?

Happy Day, Bloggy Friends!

I have been waiting for this day for years now. This afternoon, when Barack Obama made history by becoming the first African-American President, I breathed a sigh of joy as long as the National Mall itself. After one of the longest election processes in history, we have finally arrived at a place of finality. Wow. Wow. Wow. The magnitude of this moment is too large to describe with words. Just think of how far we have come as a nation. Just think of how powerful that moment must have felt to Barack Obama, Michelle, and particularly those in attendance who remember the days when African-Americans weren't allowed on the steps of the Capitol - unless they were to clean it. Wow. Wow. Wow. This is a day I have been dreaming of since I was a child. I used to read books about John F. Kennedy's "Camelot Years," and walk away with the sense that those days passed as quickly as the bullet from Oswald's rifle - but they are back. Hope. Inspiration. Progress. We have arrived once again. We have another chance. Yes! Yes! Yes!

One day those who were not around to witness these events will ask, "where were you when Obama took office?" What will your answer be? Were you blessed enough to be there in person? We didn't make the trip to Washington D.C., but we were blessed enough to be able to spend it together. Alan decided to take a "work from home" day, which he totally utilized in case anyone from GSK is watching! We sat on our comfy couch and watched the whole ceremony from start to finish - in HD! It was beautiful. The sun was shining so brightly. It was the perfect day for such an monumental occasion. I can't even begin to describe the amount of pride I felt growing inside me once again for our nation. Over the past few years there were moments when I doubted our collective decision making ability, but I tell you what, America has been redeemed! We have taken such a terrific step forward. Congratulations America, Congratulations!

I hope you all have a wonderful night. Let what we have seen today be a reminder that we can all do whatever we set our minds to. We are magnificent beings who have the abilities to create anything we set our minds to. We have infinite potential. Yes We Can! Yes We Can! Yes We Can!

I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

P.S. The pictures I've shared today are images of what things looked like in our household during the Inauguration. Feel free to share your stories as well!

Slummin' Around Town

Salutations Bloggy Friends!

Did you have a nice weekend? I hope so. We sure did. After a week of mostly being here alone throughout the week, it was nice to spend quality time with Alan. The winter weather has been fairly mild in Philadelphia this year. It's strange because it seems like cities all around us are having snow and chilly temperatures. It's like we're in an oasis. Maybe a bit of that sunshine we brought from California is still sticking around to keep us warm. I hope it stays this way. Anyway, this what we did all weekend:

Friday night we went to see a movie I've been wanting to see for a while now, "Slumdog Millionaire." It was so good. We've heard so many good things about it, and it has been nominated for several Golden Globes (on tonight), so we just had to check it out for ourselves. It's a very cute, multi-layered movie about a kid, living in the slums of India, who makes it on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire." Throughout the process of telling us how he came to be on the show, the viewer is also provided insight into the harsh conditions of the Indian slum life. It's funny, telling and excellently shot. I highly recommend it.

Saturday we did some shopping in Center City. We had a list of several things we needed for the house, so we got some of that accomplished. We stopped into one of my favorite tea bars, Remedy Tea, for a little break from the running around. To stick with the movie theme from the night before, we had dinner at an Indian restaurant called Minar Palace. I give it three thumbs down. Sorry Minar Palace. After dinner we drove out to the airport to pick up my friend Kelly, who had just arrived from a Christmas trip to San Francisco. Her boyfriend, Ed, met us there as well. Before we took them home we went to Lonestar Steakhouse (Ed's choice) to celebrate his birthday. Alan and I had already eaten, so we just enjoyed a glass of wine and chatted. We had a great time. It's always nice to see Kelly and Ed. Did I mention they are newly engaged? Congratulations guys!

Today we have been up to our same ol' grocery shopping shananigans. We're in that period where we are out of a lot of things at once, so we had a lot to pick up today. We enjoy grocery shopping, though. It's one of my favorite times of the week.

I hope you guys had a nice weekend. What were you up to? What's the weather like where you are? Are you watching the Golden Globes tonight? We are. I'm looking forward to it. Whatever you're doing tonigh, I hope you have a great time at it. Take care. I'll chat with you soon!

Love, Joshua

Gettin' Back on Track.

Good evening, Bloggy Friends!

I hope you're having a nice evening. This is the first weekend we've had in Philadelphia for a few weeks. It was really nice to be back. We've had such a nice, relaxing week together. We haven't done much besides read, watch movies, cook, drink and a little lite shopping. Unfortunately, Alan starts back to work tomorrow. I'm still looking forward to my time off, but I will miss having him around as much as he has been.

All weekend, like I said before, we haven't done too much. On Friday we hit a local bookstore called Robin's, to take advantage of their going out of business sale. We picked up three armloads of great reads for only $70! If things go as planned I intend to knock a few of them out before I start back to school. I know once I get back I won't have a lot of reading time. I just finished a silly read called Stori Telling. It's the infamous tell-all Tori Spelling penned last year, about growing up in Hollywood. I've been a big fan of hers since I was a kid, so I have been anxious to read it. It won't change my life, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. My next venture will be a little deeper. It's Mississippi Sissy by Kevin Sessums. My friend Eddie recommended it to me a few months back. He and I share a similar upbringing, as gays in Lancaster, Kentucky. I can't wait to read it. In the book Sessums tells his story of growing up gay in rural Mississippi. I have a feeling I will discover several parallels to my own upbringing in Kentucky. This one may change my life! I love southern writers like Flannery O'Conner, Truman Capote and William Faulkner. I'm hoping to find a little inspiration here so I can possibly scribble down my own memoirs one day. Would you buy a copy?

Saturday evening we did a little shopping after we finally forced ourselves out of the house. We needed to pick up some things from Trader Joe's, including some produce for my new juicer. We've been juicing fanatics lately. I love it. We've made some great juices with carrots, apples, ginger, celery and oranges. Thanks Dad! I've wanted one of these for so long. While we were at Trader Joe's we also picked up some things to make Indian food later that night. It was delicious. I love going out to eat, but nothing beats having dinner at home.

Today we got back on track by doing our weekly grocery shopping. We have to get back into the groove since Alan starts back to the real world tomorrow. We had a nice visit with Jude and Lou in the later part of the afternoon. She served us tea and biscotti. We chatted for an hour or so, and she showed us her whimsical, fabulously decorated Christmas tree. It was really great. Before we left she loaded us up with some homemade crab and artichoke dip and some aioli she had leftover from a holiday party. We'll use the aioli tonight with our salmon! Thanks Jude! She knows we love to eat.

So that about wraps up our weekend. I hope you guys have had a nice one as well. I'm sure most of you are also just getting back to work this week after the holidays. Good luck getting back and getting into the groove, as Madonna would say. I'll chat with ya'll later on.

Love, Josh

We're Home!

Hi Bloggy Friends!

We're back! Are you still here? I hope so. I missed chatting with you while we were away. We had a great time back home for the holidays. We spent about eight days with a ton of family and friends that we don't have the chance to see on a regular basis. Christmas felt a lot different to me this year. It didn't quite feel like "Christmas," but the good thing about it was that it felt a lot more laid back. I divided my time between Lancaster with my Mom, and Louisville with my Dad. Alan and Galileo spent a few days with me in Kentucky, but the majority of their time was spent in Knoxville with Alan's parents. They had a nice time too. Alan's parents have three dogs, so Galileo had a busy social calendar of his own. He's so cute.

It felt so good to be back home with my parents and my brother and sister. I love them so much. I spent most of my time with my brother, Derek. We ran around seeing friends, and attending traditional family gatherings. We don't always get along perfectly, but he remains my very best friend in the whole world. Everyone else seems to be doing really well. It feels strange to be considered a visitor in a world that was once my own. When it came time to leave I felt really sad. I think leaving your family is the hardest thing in the world to do. I've had to do it several times. It doesn't feel right, but I know my place is here.

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas/Holiday/Kwanzaa/Hanukkah. You can check out some photos of my trip by clicking HERE and HERE. I divided them up between Lexington and Louisville to make for easier viewing. I'd love to hear how your Christmas went. Do you feel that Christmas seemed a lot different this year? Is it the economy? The state of the world? Or is Christmas just changing altogether? I happened to enjoy it more this year than I have in a while. In the past few years Christmas has just seemed like a major hassle. This year, however, people didn't seem to get too hot and bothered by it. We all gave thoughtful, cost-conscious gifts and didn't have to sweat spending a ton of money to make people happy. This year we seemed to focus more on the togetherness of family. I think that's just what Christmas should be about. Don't you?

Have a great time celebrating the new year tonight! I'm not sure how our night will unfold. We have dinner reservations with a few friends, but what happens after that is up in the air. We both have the whole rest of the week off. I'm so thankful for that! I'll chat with you guys soon. Have a fun, safe, fulfilling evening.

Love, Josh

A Weekend With A Mission!

Good evening Friends of the Bloggy!

I hope you've all had a weekend that thrilled you. Ours mainly revolved around a particular mission - Christmas shopping! We spent the greatest majority of Saturday and today hitting the streets, in search of Christmas gifts. Saturday we kept mostly to Old City, and today we divided our time between the Walnut/Chestnut shopping district and Queens Village. We both found some great stuff. I can't wait to give it away! With the exception of one tiny thing, I am completely finished. Now all I have to worry about is wrapping them up. I love that part, though. Have you finished your shopping yet? Did you find any good deals? We did! Good luck with whatever you have left.

Besides completing our shopping tasks, we also set aside some time for the arts. Friday night we went to see Frost/Nixon at my favorite theater in the city, the Ritz 5. It was a fantastic movie. It's about the revealing, 1977 interviews between Richard Nixon and David Frost. It's the first major interview Nixon gave after the Watergate scandal. I believe it's very deserving of the Golden Globe nods it received. I won't get into a huge review, because I just don't feel like it, but the acting was phenomenal. The interactions between the Frost and Nixon characters are completely captivating. I think it's a totally worth-while film. If I had to recommend it to two people, I'd pick Gary and Jude's husband, Lou. If they haven't seen it yet, they'll love it!

On Saturday night we went to see a comedy show, in which I will refrain from mentioning or commenting on.

So, there you have it. I'm approaching my absolute final week of the semester. Over the course of this next week, I will have three finals and a voice recital before I can officially stick a fork in it. Believe me, I have a fork in my hand and I'm ready to stick it anywhere! I've attached part two of my 2007 Holiday Series. Every year, on the 23rd of December, we spend the evening with my Dad and Dawn. We always have such a fun, crazy, cut loose kind of evening. I love them all so much and can't wait to see them this year. I hope you all have a wonderful evening.

Happy Holidays!

Josh

What We Did This Weekend.

Hey, Bloggy Friends!

I hope you're having a lovely afternoon. It's gorgeous in Philadelphia today. The sun is shining bright. This is a stark comparison to yesterday's weather, when we had a ton of snowflakes falling from the sky. It looked like it would have stuck, but there must not have enough of it to make a difference. Am I a Scrooge for saying I'm not a big fan of the snow? I just don't like to be cold, ya'll.

This has been a nice low-key weekend. Friday I had to work, so we didn't do much that evening besides snuggle up at home in front of a movie. We were pretty busy Saturday. We started the day running a few errands in Center City. On our trip we decided to stop over at City Hall, where they have Christmas village set up between now and Christmas. It was neat. There are tons of booths which sell a variety of goods, like blown glass decorations, Christmas tree ornaments and various textiles. There are also booths set up selling hot drinks and food. It felt very...Christmas-y. I purchased one of my gifts there. I haven't decided who it's for yet, but I'm sure whoever gets it will love it. Buying one gift sort of put me in the mood to do some more shopping, so we hit the streets looking for some other gift ideas. I ended up getting three other presents out of the way. It feels good! I don't have too much to buy this year, but I'm glad to get somewhat of a start on it.

Later in the evening we went to University City to see Cadillac Records, starring Adrian Brody, Jeffrey Wright and Beyonce Knowles. Alan was the only white person in the theater, but he's used to that. Most of you know how much I love jazz, and the blues, so you can imagine how excited I was to see this. Brody gives a typically stellar performance as the founder of Chess Records. I was a little surprised to see him in this. He usually does loftier films, but I guess he has to pay the bills everyone else! The colorful cast of characters also include notable Chess artists like Muddy Waters (Wright), Little Walter (Columbus Short), Chuck Berry (Mos Def) and the one and only Etta James (Knowles). I thought Wright did a particularly great job as Muddy Waters. He portrayed him as a very understanding, likable character, despite his womanizing ways. I was a little nervous about how Beyonce would portray Etta James. Etta is one of my favorites. I think she did a pretty decent job. I just have a hard time looking past the fact that she's Beyonce, and I'm kind of tired of seeing her everywhere. I mean, she played "Diana Ross" in Dreamgirls, and now Etta James. Does she have to play every female music legend that ever existed? Did I also mention she was listed as Executive Producer? She did seem fully committed to the character, however. She "let go" a little more in this performance than I remember seeing her do before. She doesn't come in until the second half of the movie, which was also the time the film seemed to usher in bit of unwelcome camp. I don't think it was her fault necessarily, it just started to get a little less good at that point.

The music was my favorite part. To my knowledge, the entire cast performed the songs on their own. Columbus Short, as the hard-drinking Little Walter, did a fantastic version of "My Baby." Mos Def, one of my favorite hip-hop stars, did a great job as Chuck Berry. He was very comical, as he strutted around the stage like a rooster! Beyonce sang the hell out of her numbers, but I don't think she hit Etta's groove spot on. There was a certain grit that was missed. She did growl, and groan through some of them, though! My favorite Beyonce moment was when she sang, "I'd Rather Go Blind." I love that song. Overall, I really enjoyed the film. I appreciate the fact that films such as these are made to shine a spotlight on how the music I love came to be. If you liked "Ray" or "Dreamgirls," I definitely think you will enjoy this.

Today, Sunday, we got up early to complete the rest of our weekend chores. It's very sunny outside, but the wind is about as chilly as it could possibly be. We're about to start getting ready for my big birthday, karaoke bash tonight. I'm really excited for it. I hope you can make it! I hate to keep going on and on about my birthday, but I received a very special gift this morning that I want to share. Bloggy Friend Bill created a video to celebrate my passage into the 30's. It is so sweet, creative and glamorous. I love it. Thank you so much, Bill. Check it out below!

Have a great night. I will chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

Lady Mary Todd's Favorite Perch.

Have a Saturday that's high above the rest, Bloggy Friends!

Love, Josh

Post-Birthday Reflections

Hey, Bloggy Friends!

Thank you all so very much for the kind birthday wishes you left yesterday. This was truly one of my favorite birthdays ever. I received so many cards, calls, texts, emails and comments. It really touched me. Sometimes I am nearly blown away by the thoughtfulness of others. It's what life is all about. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I had such a great day, besides the fact that I had to spend most of it on campus.I'm nearing the end of my semester, so there are so many things to accomplish before my last day next Wednesday. That didn't keep me from throwing it all down to celebrate later on, though! When I got home a delivery came from Edible Arrangements. My step-mother Dawn sent me a balloon and a beautiful array of chocolate covered strawberries and apples. Yum! Alan surprised a bit later, by getting home much earlier than usual. As we were moving about the house, he somehow managed to slip a secret package on the bar for me. Inside were tickets for the two of us to see Rufus Wainwright at the Kimmel Center in February, and Tori Spelling's biography I've been meaning to get. He's such a sweetie! Not long after, Jude came by to give me a funny card and a bottle of Italian, sparkling wine from her and Lou. They are the best. Thank you so much, Jude, the wine was FANTASTIC! It meant so much.

Later, Alan took me to the Old City district to a restaurant I've been dying to try for some time now, Buddakan. It's an amazingly chic, Stephen Starr restaurant that serves modern, Asian cuisine. The interior was ultra-hip. The dimly lit room was decorated with funky, contemporary designs and an impressively large buddha statue firmly placed as the focal point. The food we supreme. As an appetizer we tried a delicious edamame ravioli, in a truffle scented sauternes-shallot broth. It was heavenly. For an entree I got the Japanese Black Cod with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes. The fish melted in my mouth. It was great, but still not as good as Jude's halibut! Alan tried a medium-rare Filet Mignon with Mashed Sweet Potatoes. He doesn't eat meat a lot, but he loved it. For dessert we tried their variation on my favorites, carrot cake! It was a delicious, lite slice of carrot cake with vanilla ice cream served on the side. They served it to me with a dazzling sparkler in the middle! Alan created an incredibly special night for us. I will never forget it. I love you!

This was definitely a birthday for the memory books. Once again, thank you all so much for taking the time to say hello throughout the course of your day. Every message brought such a smile to my face, and a warmness in my heart. I'll be floating for days! I hope you have a fantastic afternoon. I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

Birthday Shout-Out: Me!

Good Morning, Bloggy Friends!

Today is my big day! Thirty years ago, on this very day, I was born. This is one of those monumental birthdays where you're forced to reflect on where your life has taken you. My 20's were an amazing time. I've seen so many things, been so many places and met so many wonderful people. Today I am excited to enter a new adult decade of my life, the 30's. In a way I feel like I am beginning again. Ten years ago I never thought the 30's would be like this. I feel so young, fresh and present. I am so thankful.

What do I want my 30's to look like? Well, in the next ten years I hope to finish school and find a fascinating, rewarding job. I'm ready to begin the "career phase" of my life, but I don't want the career to take over. I still want time to travel, I want to spend a good amount of time seeing the world. I see the two of us buying a home in the next ten years, establishing a place that is comfortable and stable. It is important that the next ten years finds me surrounded by a positive support system of good friends, and family. I pray the next ten years brings health, prosperity and happiness to us all!

Thank you for stopping by today to spend some time with me on my special birthday. I guess I won't have another "big" one for another 10 years. I'm not sure what we'll be doing tonight. Alan seems like he has something up his sleeve. On Sunday I am throwing a little get together with some friends here in Philadelphia. We are going to rent a karaoke room, and sing the night away! If you're in the area, feel free to stop by. It should be lots of fun.

I wish I had time to do some more reflecting, but I'm in the middle of another busy week. The clock keeps ticking! I hope you all have a fantastic day. Thank you for being a friend!

Love, Josh

This is me in 1982, just gettin' started!

Thankful 'n Thoughtful

Good Evening Mr. and Mrs. Bloggy Friends!

Well, the long weekend has finally wrapped up, much to my dismay. I take it you have all returned from you weekend getaways, and are geared up for a fresh new week. This will be my last full week of school for this semester. After this, we have a half week, then a week of finals. I am so excited to be finished. This semester has been rewarding, but I'm just over it, plain and simple.

Since I've already blogged about the rest of our Thanksgiving weekend, I'll just finish up by saying we had a delightful Saturday together. We shopped around the city, picked up some exciting new things for our home and had a delicious dinner. In the later part of the evening we went to the Ritz 5 to see Gus Van Sant's MILK. It is a wonderfully inspiring, heartbreaking movie. One of the best I've seen in a long time. Please get out and see it. Sean Penn was amazing, James Franco was dreamy, and the shots of San Francisco brought back so many fond memories. I miss it so much. Go see it!

Today (Sunday) we were supposed to go with Kelly and Ed to the Valley Green Inn for brunch, but when we woke up it was so rainy we decided to postpone. I think it was a great decision on all of our parts, because the rain held steady all day long. Instead, we braved the weather to do our usual Sunday chores. Tonight Alan made the most amazing dinner. Jude gave us a recipe from her culinary inspiration, Ida Gartner, called Roasted Mustard Fish. It called for things like capers, shallots, crème fraîche, dijon and whole wheat mustard. It was out-of-this-world. Along with that we had roasted fennel, mashed potatoes (thanks Bill) and a green salad. It was sinfully delicious. Wow. I'm so thankful Alan loves to cook.

Below I attached a video of our Thanksgiving in D.C. with Bill and Gary. I hope you enjoy. It was definitely one for the memory books! Have a great week. I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

Birthday Shout-Out: Rick P. Watson!

Plus Our Thanksgiving with Jude and Lou


Good afternoon, Bloggy Friends!

Today is a very special day. One of our best friends is celebrating his birthday. It's Rick! I hope he's in Louisville having the birthday of his dreams. As you may know, he recently ventured from the Highlands to live in another of Louisville's more hip addresses - Old Louisville. I've seen a few pictures, and his new apartment looks fabulous. Is this the best one yet? Rick is currently studying Interior Design at the University of Louisville. It won't be long before he has his B.F.A., then jets out into the world to create some architectural magic! I'm so proud of everything he has and will accomplish. Rick is one of the most thoughtful, inspiring, humorous people I know. These attributes help to place him high in the ranks of my greatest friends on earth. Thank you, girl! I hope you have the best birthday to date. We'll have to have a birthday blowout(!) when I make it back to Louisville for Christmas! I love you.

We're still reeling this morning from a fantastic time at Jude and Lou's last night. Is it fair that I've had two outstanding Thanksgiving meals in two days!?! As usual, Jude pulled out another crowning achievement in the culinary department. She kept in mind that we had a large meal the day before, so she thankfully decided to keep it on the light side. For our main course we savored the tenderest, most delicious piece of halibut - skillfully baked with fresh scallions. It was the most splendid combination you could imagine. The halibut melted in my mouth, just as the scallions decided to pop with flavor. My toes curled again. Along with that we had fingerling potatoes, with dill, a fresh green salad, a baguette and my favorite side dish of the evening - a fresh fennel, celery, yellow pepper salad. It was glorious and unlike anything I've ever tried. After dinner they served Alan and I a delightful piece of carrot cake from Termini Brothers. Carrot cake is one of my favorite desserts - so you know I was in heaven. As a digestif, we had a shot glass full of an Italian favorite - limoncello liqueur. I was so stuffed by that point, so Alan had to finish mine for me.

I believe last night was one of my favorite times we have spent together. I'm so thankful they're here in Philadelphia. Jude has sort of started to become somewhat of a life mentor for us, newly situated Center City-ites. She knows so much about the city, and just living in general. Lou is also such an inspiring, intelligent, funny man. I could chat with him for hours. They've lived such fascinating lives so far. The more time we spend together, the more it feel like I'm with family. It's a wonderful feeling that I've missed in my my mostly nomadic, adult life. Thank you Jude and Lou for another fabulous evening - and for the very generous housewarming gift! We love you both so much.

I hope you all have a fantastic day. This is the one day of our break that we don't have plans. I think we're going to get out in a bit and do some shopping. It's a beautiful afternoon. Let's all wish Rick a divalicious birthday! Have a great day.

Love, Josh

Thanksgiving with Bill & Gary

Happy Black Friday, Bloggy Friends!

Well, we had a fantastic time at Bill and Gary's yesterday. I am so thankful we had the chance to go there this year. The four of us created wonderful Thanksgiving memories to carry all throughout the year. I can't say enough about their truly wonderful hospitality. They were so generous, warm and caring. We immediately felt right at home in their fabulous, cozy home in Washington D.C. It was filled top to bottom with books, eclectic art pieces, and a ton of furry friends to keep our legs warm. I love their sense of style. They have collected so many neat things over the years. Gary has so many books. You wouldn't believe it. I kept finding myself distracted as I browsed the thousands (literally) of titles, and feeling inspired to read more in my own life. I love books.

We drove down Wednesday night. The traffic from here to there was steady, but we didn't find ourselves stalled. We made great time. They welcomed us into their home with a crackling fire, a spread of hors d'oeuvres and an endless supply of red wine. We spent that night relaxing in the study, chatting and watching Bill as he brined the turkey for the next day. It was an interesting process. I had never seen anything like it before. When it was time to retire, Alan, Galileo and I slept cozily in the guest room they prepared so lovingly for us.

The next day was all about the food! When we woke up Bill and Gary were already in the kitchen getting things prepared. They really worked so tirelessly to get things finished. We started the morning with one of the nicest breakfasts I have ever eaten outside of a restaurant. They prepared one of my favorite dishes - Eggs Benedict! To compliment this little piece of heaven, we were served mimosas and one of Gary's specialties, a fresh fruit salad, loaded with grapes, cherries, pecans, peaches, and an array of plump berries. It was titillating! What a way to start the day.

As the turkey slowly cooked in the oven, we took an hour long walk over to the famous Rock Creek Park. It was an unbelievably beautiful day. The park was gorgeous, and so close to their home. I'm glad we had a chance to do a little site-seeing. It was also nice to work up another appetite after that wonderfully filling brunch.

Well, I can't even think of the words to describe what happened next. You should have seen the dinner spread they laid before us. They packed the table tight with so much food, I could hardly believe my eyes. We had turkey, whole rainbow trout, two kinds of stuffing, pecan-cranberry relish, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, gravy and a root vegetable salad. A mere description could never do justice to the way it was so beautifully presented. Everything was so fluffy, steamy and fresh. My goodness, I'm getting chills just thinking about it. Bill and Gary went so far out of their way to make this the most absolutely perfect Thanksgiving dinner I could have ever imagined. It was heavenly. For a good hour we sat around the dinner table eating, drinking, chatting and laughing. What more could you ask for?

Pumpkin pie - that's what! When dinner was over, and when our food had some time to settle, Alan brought out a delicious, organic, pumpkin pie he had made. It was fantastic. To conclude our stay we sat around the fire with dessert, warm coffee and a bunch of furry, animal friends. We were becoming so comfortable, that having to leave felt forced and unnatural. Our time with Bill and Gary was starting to feel like a way of life! Thank you guys so very much for everything you did. You truly helped to create what will remain one of our most cherished Thanksgiving memories. I am so thankful.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well. Like I mentioned earlier, ours has only just begun. Tonight we are going to Jude and Lou's. I can't wait to see them. You can check out pictures of our stay at Bill and Gary's by clicking right HERE. I hope you enjoy. Check back soon for a video. Have a fantastic break!

Thankfully,

Josh

Our Thanksgiving Plans

Happy Wednesday, Bloggy Friends!

I'm sure you are all excited to wrap up your early week, and rush off to your perspective holiday gatherings. I've been looking forward to this week for a while now. Not only am I so relieved to have a few days away from school, but I am so excited to spend time with good friends over the next few days. In a few hours Alan, Galileo and I are leaving for a fabulous over-nighter in D.C. Two of our dear Bloggy Friends, Bill and Gary, have been gracious enough to invite us to their home. I am so excited to see them both, and to check out some of this delicious, Julia Child-inspired food we've heard so much about! It sounds like Bill has quite a spread planned. I can't wait to spend time with them both.

Friday we are getting together with Alan's aunt Jude and Uncle Lou. We had Thanksgiving dinner with them last year as well, so I'm hoping we have a little tradition brewing. I cherish every minute I can spend with the two of them, and it's not just because they always feed us well! Mmmm....

As if that wasn't enough eating, we're getting together with our friends, Kelly and Ed, on Sunday. We're going to have brunch at the Valley Green Inn in the Wissahickon Valley. Alan and I went there last year for Thanksgiving, and it was FANTASTIC. We're looking forward to going back. I think Kelly and Ed will love it.

So, that's our itinerary for the 2008 Thanksgiving season. It's a busy one, but I'm so jazzed about it. We may be running from here to there, but I plan on taking it easy, eating well, and having a few too many merry cocktails.

Let's not lose sight of what Thanksgiving is all about - reflecting on the things we are most thankful for. I have so many things to give thanks about - Alan, my pets, my family, my friends (you), our health, our able-bodiness, my job, my ability to do well in school, our beautiful new apartment and the love that completely surrounds our lives. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Thank you, Bloggy Friends, for stopping by today. Thank you for sharing my life with me, and letting me know how much you care. You could never know how much your presence means to me. I love you all!

Have a wonderful, safe holiday season. Let me know what you guys are up to.

Love, Josh

Whole-Wheat Weekend Wrap

Good afternoon, Bloggy Friends!

I hope you all had a nice weekend. Ours was busy. Busy in a good way. With the holidays approaching, being busy just goes with the territory. How many times can I say busy in a paragraph? Busy, busy, busy!

Bright and early Saturday morning, Alan and I arose from bed to take Galileo to the animal hospital. After two weeks, it was finally time to get his stitches taken out. The whole process took about 3 minutes. We actually figured we could have snipped the stitches out ourselves. It looked so simple. Anyways, he healed up nicely and he'll be glad to know I told you that he no longer has to wear that hideous collar around his neck. He was mortified when he found out I posted that picture of him online.

When we returned home it was already time to get ready for another outing. We met up with Alan's aunt Jude for coffee before we went to see the latest show at the Philadephia Theatre Company. The show was called Unusual Acts of Devotion, it was written by famed, gay playwright, Terrence McNally. I was particularly excited about seeing this show, because it was starring none other than Richard Thomas. My southern sisters will recognize him as John Boy Walton from the 1970's sitcom, The Waltons. I met him a few times backstage, and he is such a nice man. The show was pretty good, I honestly wasn't crazy about it. It has been doing very well, though. We've been selling tickets like crazy, and have even housed a few big name celebrities like Nathan Lane, and Angela Lansbury! It's always exciting when famous people come to watch.

After the show we brought Jude over to see our apartment for the first time. She gave us some helpful hints on how to "umph" up the place. I'm excited to try some of her ideas. You guys know how much I love spending time with Jude. Later that evening we met up with my friend, Tim, for drinks and karaoke at a local pub called Moriarty's. It was pretty fun. After seeing the show, I felt the need to do a little performing of my own. I sang two songs and enjoyed countless other performances while we were there. Good times in Center City!

On Sunday Alan and I took care of our chores. We went to the Reading Terminal for produce, and Whole Foods for the rest of our groceries. I love grocery day. After that we rushed over to Temple University to see the opera, La Boheme. I was required to see it for my Voice Class, but unfortunately it was all sold out when we arrived. I'll have to try and make another performance before the semester's over. Darn. That evening, we had my friend Terra over for dinner. She works with me at PTC. It's always fun to spend time with her. Alan made our traditional salmon (with rosemary and lemon), garlic mashed potatoes and a delicious spinach salad. It was delicious.

Well, this is getting a little long. I told you were were busy! I guess I'll cut it out for now. I hope you guys have a fantastic week. What do you have planned for the holidays? We have lots going on, and I absolutely can't wait. This is going to be a very short school week for me. Most of my classes are canceled, so I only have to go to campus today! This will afford me extra time to work on some writing assignments. 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

Can You Feel the Love?

Good Morning, Bloggy Friends.

Congratulations to Ms. Rick P. Pussy. He was the first to comment yesterday, and therefore the winner of the Miriam Makeba cd. Be looking for it in the mail soon, Puss! Let's all wish him well at his brand new address in beautiful, Old Louisville.


I wanted to stop by today to share this picture Alan took over the weekend of Mary Todd and Abigail. I thought it was so sweet. Where does one kitty stop, and the other begin? I hope somewhere in the course of your day you come across this much love. Whether it's a call from a dear friend, a hug from your beloved, or a smile from a stranger on the street, I hope you get that warm fuzzy feeling that accompanies a sense of acceptance.

I'll chat with you soon!

Love, Josh

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