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

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

The Bitch is Back!

Hey, Bloggy Friends!

I hope everyone is doing well today. It's starting to get chilly here in Philly. Wow. I feel like it went straight from summer to winter. Ok, it's not that bad, but it's pretty darn cold. I have a very busy week ahead of me, complete with an exam, a speech and a paper due by Friday. This is definitely a hectic semester, but I have it all under control - just like a good diva should.

Speaking of diva, our good pal, Bloggy Friend Bill, has posted a new video about his favorite diva - Maria Callas. Once again, he knocks it out of the park. Good job, Girl! You can watch it below.

Are you excited about the debates tonight? I am. I noticed today that we only have 28 days left until the election. How exciting! From the reports, polls and predictions I've seen, Obama pretty much as it in the bag. But we shouldn't, as my Mammommy used to say, count our chickens before they hatch! It is looking good, though.

Well, I guess I should run. Have a fantastic afternoon. If you aren't feeling up to snuff, head over to Rick's blog, where he has several, funny videos posted in his "SNL Hilarity Series." There is definitely a smile to be had there! Talk to ya soon.

Love, Josh

Kentucky Road Trip, Pt. 3 (Back to Philly!)

Hello.Hey, Bloggy Friends!

I hope you are having a fantastic night. This has been a great weekend for us. It's been super hot in Philadephia - with temperatures reaching far into the 90's both Saturday and Sunday. I love the hot weather, but it's getting a little stuffy in our apartment, since we have no central air. We do have a window unit downstairs, which keeps most of the first floor cool. We may have to breakdown and get a unit for the upstairs, too. I don't mind the humidity so much, until I go to bed at night. Icky, Sticky! I also have an array of guests coming over the next few months, and I want to make sure they are comfy.

Anyways, here is the third and final video of my Kentucky Road Trip series. I know it was a long time a comin', but work and raising a new puppy has been keeping my hands full. It is all about our return trip back to Philly, bringing the puppy into his new home and introducing him to Abigail and Mary Todd. Enjoy!

I hope you guys have a fabulous, cool evening. I wanna send a shout-out to Mimi, who is on a fabulous trip to Manchester, UK! Check his blog for possible updates on what he's up to over there - it's a bunch of no good if I know that Mimi!

Love you all,

Joshua

Kentucky Road Trip, Pt. 2 (Louisville)

Hello.Hey, Bloggy Friends!

I hope you are all having a terribly terrific Tuesday! Everything is sunny here in Philadelphia. Here is part two of my Kentucky Road Trip series. In it we drive from Lancaster to Louisville, to pick up Galileo and spend time with family and friends. We had such a great time. I hope Puss doesn't mind that I show off his apartment to everyone! I envy his eye for decoration. My brother has it, but I just didn't get that gene.

Love you all. Have a great day!

Love, Josh

A Dream Come True!

Hey Bloggy Friends!

One of the highlights of Rick's visit this week was going to see Hillary Clinton at a rally on Tuesday. She spoke to a crowd of thousands at Temple University in a forum she refers to as "Solutions For America." Seeing Hillary was a dream come true for both Rick and I. When she came out of the curtain and I saw her with my own eyes, I teared up. After months of thinking of her, following her campaign and talking about her I felt so emotional, baby.

The diverse crowd was so pumped up and she was very energetic herself. She spoke mainly about the things she would do when she becomes President - like universalizing healthcare, bringing the troops home, boosting the economy and creating new jobs - in Philadelphia particularly.

It was such an exciting night that I will not likely forget. Pennsylvania is a huge state for Hillary. I imagine you will be hearing a lot about us in the news over the next month. I am so glad that the race has made it thus far so that I can go in that ballot box and put a huge checkmark next to Hillary's name!

I hope you guys are having a great week. It has been so fun having Rick here. We've been doing a lot, so stay tuned to another video or two of his visit.

I love you all, Bloggy Friends - enjoy the video! and if you want to watch more of her speech than the small amount of clips I pulled for this video - you can watch it HERE

Talk to ya'll soon!

Josh