Day Trip to Gettysburg

Hi Bloggy Friends,

This weekend Alan and I drove to Gettysburg to meet our friends Bill and Gary. They drove up from Washington D.C. so we could all spend the day celebrating Bill's birthday (July 27). Our plan was to spread a blanket and have a lovely picnic in the park, but a storm moved in almost as soon as we were about to take our first bites. And it wasn't just any storm, either. The rain gushed down and the wind whipped our prissy asses all over that battlefield. We even began to contemplate a tornado plan, you know, just in case. 

Needless to say, we had to move the festivities inside Gary's Volvo, which would have been extremely roomy if we didn't have to share the space with an oversized picnic basket, a cooler and Bill's monstrous hat, which, minus the net, must have been made to fend off bees in the buzziest of honey hives.

Crop Dusting New York City

Hi Bloggy Friends,

Last Saturday I took an overnight trip to New York City with my friends Julia and Holly. Things have been hectic for all of us lately, so we thought a nice getaway would do us worlds of good.

We were carted there on the second level of a double-decker MegaBus, which dropped us off on the corner of 7th Ave. and 28th St. in Chelsea. From there we didn't waste any time before hitting up a few galleries in the Village, a smelly anarchist book fair in Greenwich and finally the latest exhibit at one of my favorite contemporary art venues, the New Museum. We covered a lot of ground within the first few hours of our arrival, but after trudging from neighborhood to neighborhood wearing heavy backpacks, we decided to hop on the Metro for our resting place in Brooklyn.

Julia's friend Ashley (or Shlee) was kind enough to let us crash at her spacious, three bedroom apartment in Clinton Hill. She's busy finishing up her second semester as a grad student at the Pratt Institute, but that didn't keep her from being a fantastically attentive and gracious host. We were all so grateful to have a cozy place to stay.

Despite feeling a bit weary, we didn't wait three seconds before tearing into two bottles of wine - one for Julia and one for the rest of us. When the buzz started to kick we started thrashing through our bags for what we were going to wear out on the town that night. We were supposed to go to a Baroque party in the Village where everyone would be dressed like Marie Antoinette, so I put on something Parisian and hairsprayed the holy hell out of my hair until it looked like I had stuck my finger in an electric socket. Holly twisted buns on each side of her head and wore something totally mismatched, Shlee threw on a dress that could have come from the Golden Girls wardrobe department and Julia, being the smooth operator she always is, just kept it simple and cool.

The night unfortunately didn't get as wild as we planned. I blame starting with red wine. The Baroque party was as lame as an outgoing President and the next bar we went to, Double Down Saloon, was decent at best. Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of great moments, but things just didn't reach that pinnacle of crazy you tend to expect from a night in the Big Apple. My favorite part of the evening was spent chatting in a diner over pistachio milkshakes and three open-faced reuben sandwiches. This was the first time I'd eaten meat in ages. I loved every single chomp, but it may explain the nonstop crop dusting. Whoopsie!

That night I slept rather comfortably on a blown up air mattress in Shlee's living room. In the morning we had a magnificently priced brunch in Williamsburg - $12 for an entree, a mimosa or bloody mary and all the coffee you could stand. I opted for the eggs benedict, a mimosa and a single cup of java. Good brunch with the best of company equals heaven - and a few more dusted crops.

Afterward, we thrift shopped in Williamsburg before heading to Central Park to kill time until our bus departed. While there Holly, being the adventure-seeker she is, joined a team of potheads for a hilarious game of kick ball. Julia and I watched from a bench like a couple of lazy bitches. Our bus pulled out around 7 p.m. from Penn Station. A great time was had by all.

I hope you have a great night.

Love, Josh

Your SKYY 49 News Anchor...

Hi Bloggy Friends,

I hope your week ended with a fabulous sha-bang.

For weeks now I've been sharing photographs of the work we've been doing in my studio news classes - well now I have some video. This is a 10-minute local style newscast we were asked to do in my broadcast performance class. I don't know what else to say except bless my heart.....

If you're on Facebook click HERE for the video.

Have a great weekend.

Love, Josh

Soul-Sister Spotlight: Betty Wright

Today I want to share with you the second installment of my Soul-Sister Spotlight series. This time the spotlight is on soul-sister, Betty Wright. I'm sure most of you have heard about her. She has enjoyed a good amount of success since she emerged on the R&B music scene in the late 1960's. She was never as huge as some of the more well-known female soul singers, like Aretha or Diana, but she had a few hits I'm sure most of you are familiar with.

Like most R&B singers of that time period, Wright began singing gospel music at her childhood church in Miami. At the young age of 15 she scored first hit, "Girls Can't Do What Guys Can Do." It wasn't until the following decade, however, that she released her signature tune, "Clean-Up Woman." Reaching the top five on Billboard's pop and R&B charts, "Clean-Up Woman" would be Wright's highest ranking hit. Over the 70's and 80's she released a whole slew of funky, soulful tunes. She enjoyed continued success in the 90's and 2000's after several popular artists, like Mary J. Blige and Beyonce, sampled her music in songs such as a remix to "Real Love," and "Upgrade U."

I discovered Betty Wright while living in Chicago. I heard one of her songs in a restaurant one evening, and quickly recognized that hers was the kind of voice that would provide me hours of soulful groovin'! I picked up one of her greatest hits, and have subsequently found other releases of hers over the years. The song I am sharing with you today is called "Shoo-Rah! Shoo-Rah!" It was released in 1975, and it reached #28 on the Billboard R&B charts. It's one of my favorites, because it showcases everything I love about Betty Wright. I love her gritty, tough voice. Her music is funky, playful and upbeat. She speaks strongly for women everywhere, who have had to deal with one of those no-good, snake in the grass kinda men! You should definitely try to pick some of her stuff up, if you haven't already! Thank you Betty Wright for your undeniably important contribution to the soul music. We love you for it!

Have a great afternoon. I'll chat with you guys soon.

Love, Josh

P.S. Most of the facts I used in today's post come from Betty Wright's Wikipedia page.

New AmeRICKa - Reeeeeemix!

Are you ready, Puss?

Hit it!

The Wanderer: Discovering the Wissahickon Valley!

Good afternoon, Bloggy Friends! I hope you're having a nice Tuesday so far. It looks like it's another cold one in Philadelphia. I'm going to be more prepared today. I'm deckin' myself out in long johns, leg warmers, a hat and the whole nine yards! Ain't no cold gonna hold me down!

Today's Bloggy Video is a new segment I want to start doing called "The Wanderer!" When I have time I like to get out in my neighborhood and discover new things, to familiarize myself with my new place of residence. Alan told me about this trail near our home that he found while out jogging one day. He said it was really nice, so I wanted to check it out for my own self! It is part of the Wissahickon Valley, which supposedly stretches for many, many miles across Philadelphia. As you'll see in the Bloggy Video today, it sure didn't disappoint. It's so nice to know that there is something like this so close to my front door.

I actually filmed this on my birthday a few months back, I just haven't had a chance to put it together with so many other things going on. So this is also kind of a Time-Warp Tuesday! I can't wait to see what the Valley looks like when the springtime comes. I am looking forward to that warm weather!

Have a great day, Bloggy Friends. Catch ya later!

Love, Josh

Media Monday!

Good morning/afternoon/evening, Bloggy Friends,

A new week is upon us. I hope it's off to a good start for all of you. I am a little nervous today because, in a few hours, I am going to get wisdom teeth pulled. Wish me luck.


We had a really fun weekend. As I said before, on Saturday we went to Media, Pa to see a show about Ethel Waters called His Eye Is On The Sparrow. The Hedgerow Theater was a spectacle in itself. It was a uniquely designed venue that really helped to further the mood of the whole experience.

I really enjoyed myself in Media. We spent some hours before the show strolling down State Street, which is the main street in the city. It was full of cafés, fair-trade shops and restaurants. I really love these little towns that are all within a stones throw of our front door.

Well, I hope you all have an awesome day and blessed week. Enjoy my little video of our trip to Media.

Love, Josh

Concert Reviews: Sister Rosetta Tharpe Tribute

Last Friday night Alan and I went to the KESWICK THEATRE in Glenside, PA to see a benefit concert held for the Memorial of SISTER ROSETTA THARPE. The list of fabulous, legendary entertainers is what initially drew me to the list. I knew that this is one that I could not miss! and boy was I right! On that evening I saw true legends take the stage to sing many, very familiar, gospel tunes that have been sung throughout the history of modern music. Maybe many of you haven't heard of a lot of the performers that were there that night, but for a true fan of old school, Black Gospel music I was floored by the whole experience. The concert was held to provide funds for the memorial of Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Would you believe that she is buried here in Philadelphia, beneath and unmarked grave!?! Hopefully this will be the resolution to that most unfortunate circumstance.

I hope you enjoy the video I made of the evening's festivities. It is pretty heavily edited, so if you see a performer that you are particularly interested in you can click on their name below to view other, more complete performances by them. I recommend watching Odetta's performance, time literally stood still when she was on stage. You may appreciate her as a one who Bob Dylan cites as one of his greatest inspirations.

We had a truly awesome time, clapping, shouting, stomping our feet and singing along. I hope you can feel a little bit of the spirit that moved us through the night!

Love, Josh



Here is the list of more complete performances!

Odetta
The Huff Singers
The Johnny Thompson Singers
The Dixie Hummingbirds
Wila Ward
Marie Knight

Time-Warp Tuesday: Goin' Waaaaaay Back!

Hey Bloggy Friends! Today's Time-Warp Tuesday is a rare and special treat. Recently my friend Eddie, from high school, posted pictures he had of us in high school on his facebook page. The year was 1994 or 95 and I was 14 or 15 years old! It was a total blast from the past to look at the pictures and realize how much I have changed over the years, and to understand what a long history of friendship I have with these particular people.

I made a video collage of the pictures and included a few pictures from our most recent get together in the Spring of 2006. You will recognize my brother, Derek, in one picture and meet a few more friends of mine that you have never seen before.
We are all still great friends, and we try to keep in touch as much as possible. I'll be seeing them at Christmas time and I can't wait!

Enjoy my video and I hope you all have a great day!

Love, Josh

P.S. Thank you all very much for your kind birthday wishes. It was truly a great day!

Birthday Shout-Out: Yours Truly!!!

Good Monday, Bloggy Friends!! It is a special day for me, because it is the anniversary of the day I was born! Thankfully, I have the day off so that I can enjoy myself and relax like a good birthday boy should! I don't have any huge plans, except maybe to go out to dinner tonight. One thing I must have on my birthday this year is a big ol' piece of carrot cake!! I love carrot cake, Bloggy Friend, and I don't mean that boxed Betty Crocker kind with the flavored carrot pieces!!! For my birthday gift, Alan got me a huge closet for my dressing room! I have been wanting it for a while, since I have such an un-diva-ly small amount of closet space available. I am so excited about it. I will surely show you in an upcoming Bloggy segment!

Just for a little history. I was born early on December 3rd in 1978. My young parents were named Bruce and Kim Middleton. It was a trying day because there were complications, and the doctors actually thought I may not make it, but I pulled through! I lived all my early life in Lancaster, KY until I got the the nerve to fly away and experience the world on my own terms! I guess that's kind of how I ended up here today. I have a lot to look back and be thankful for. Thanks to all of you who have contributed to my life in such a positive way. I truly feel blessed.

So, I do have a Bloggy Video today that doesn't pertain to my birthday. The day after Thanksgiving, like I told you before, I went to meet Alan's aunt and uncle. At first I was a little nervous, but those feelings quickly subsided as soon as I met them. I had such a great night. They are such a cultured, intelligent, liberal couple that embraced us with open arms. They have lived here in Philadelphia for ten years. We started the afternoon meeting Alan's aunt at the Reading Terminal Market in Center City. It is a really neat place that I am anxious to return to at more of a leisurely pace. Later, we went to their home, where his uncle was awaiting us with a nice bottle of good ol' Kentucky whiskey! I'm usually not a whiskey drinker, but as a proud Kentuckian, I wouldn't dare pass up an offer such as that! We chatted about anything and everything under the sun until we were served the most delicious dinner, that included the most tender wild salmon I have ever eaten. It was the most enjoyable of evenings! I think it made Alan feel good to take that step, in coming out, to his family. They both warned us, however, about his mother! Bless her heart, I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it!

I didn't get too much of them in the video, but I did film a little. One interesting tidbit is about Alan's uncle, Lou. Monica and her runner friends will appreciate that they were both hardcore runners as well. They ran marathons all over the world and took it very seriously. Lou even helped run the famous burning torch across America at the 1984 Olympic ceremony. The torch that he carried is on display in his home, and I get a little shot of it towards the end! It was really neat to see that. He is proudly featured in the book One With The Flame by Mickey Herskowitz

Anyways, have a fantastic start of the week, Bloggy Friends. I hope you had a great weekend.

Love you all!

Josh

Birthday Shout-Out: Rick (Miss Pussy!)

Hey Bloggy Friends! I feel terrible today. I totally didn't realize yesterday was the 29th, and the birthday of one of my best friends, Miss Pussy!! I'm notorious for that at times, I've just never been really good with remembering dates. Forgive me Puss! You know I love you, Gurl! I'm a day late, but I couldn't not post a special birthday shout-out to the one and only diva-supreme!

I met Rick about seven years ago when I moved to Louisville to live with my Dad. He lives there still and is working hard as a student at UofL, studying Art. He is a fantastic artist, who just purchased his own studio in downtown Louisville, so that he can begin to create art and hopefully sell it to the general public.

I have learned a lot from Puss. His impeccable style, sense of humor and demeanor towards living is one that I have found to be quite contagious in my own life. We have had some fantastic experiences together, not only there in Louisville but traveling to different fabulous cities throughout the nation. He is one of my few friends who has actually made it out to visit every city I have lived in, since we met, and for that I am very thankful.

I hope you had a great birhday, Puss. I'm so sorry that I didn't come to my senses yesterday and realize what the day was. I'm going to call you now and attempt to grovel for a minute until you forgive me!

Have a great weekend Bloggy Friends! I'm going downtown today to treat myself to a facial!!!

Love you all!

Josh

Last night as I was walking to the train station I strolled through City Hall to see a little holiday celebration going on in the plaza. To my excitement, I was there just in time to see disco legend, Melba Moore, and cast sing a little preview from their upcoming show, Ain't Misbehavin'! I didn't have a lot of space left on my memory card, but I got some footage. I believe Melba Moore is the one in the pink dress. Enjoy, Bloggy Friends!

Thanksgiving Bonus Footage: Talkin' With Mamaw

Hi Bloggy Friends!

I had a little extra Thanksgiving footage that I just had to share with you. Whenever a holiday comes around one of the first people I call is my grandmother, I call her Mamaw. She is quite a character and I always love chatting with her. She can be so funny on the telephone. When I was in high school my friends would make me call her just so they could hear her talkin' away. We usually like to sing together, especially when Christmas comes around, but this year she just wasn't having any Christmas carols yet. She was being a diva I guess!

I love her so much, she is definitely one thing that I am most thankful for in my life. One of my fondest memories of her was when I was a senior in high school. She grew up on a farm in Lancaster called "The Rice Farm." They didn't grow rice, I guess someone once owned it named Mr. Rice. Anyways, she still goes out to The Rice Farm to take hikes and explore the valleys where she grew up. It is one of her favorite things to do. But, this particular year she took my brother and I out walking with her once each month of that year so that we could see for ourselves the vast changes that took place throughout all the seasons. There were certainly days that she had to drag us out of bed to hike, but we did it and I am enormously glad that I did. She led us down secret passages, sang us songs from her childhood and shared countless stories that she has collected over the years. She knew just when every particular bird would fly in or out for the season - and could even distinguish them by their calls. Those twelve hikes were twelve of the most fantastic days of my life. These are moments that I will cherish in my heart for as long as it beats.

Enjoy my little conversation with Mamaw and the little extra piece of footage I have at the end from the land around The Green Valley Inn. Oh! HERE are some pictures we took that afternoon, too!

I love you, Bloggy Friends!

Josh



Today's song is one of Mamaw's favorites:

Wildwood Flower
The Carter Family
Can The Circle Be Unbroken?: Country Music's First Family

Thanksgiving Exturkeyganza!!!

Hello Bloggy Friends!!! It's great to see you guys back after the long, holiday weekend. We had such a terrific time on Thanksgiving. I must say, that this is probably one of my favorite Thanksgivings since I left home. This is also the very first Thanksgiving Alan and I spent together. It was great.

Thanks to Bloggy Friend Bill, we found out about a Thanksgiving dinner at a local restaurant called The Valley Green Inn. Let me tell you, it was the perfect place to spend the holiday. The weather was out of this world gorgeous and the food was double delicious!! The Green Valley Inn is nestled in the Wissahickon Valley of Fairmount Park, so the scenery was breathtaking. The colorful trees were shedding their leaves, the creek was flowing gently and there was a constant hum of happy people milling about the grounds. After we cleaned our plates we took advantage of the park area, hiking along trails and crossing cobblestone bridges - not to mention stopping to bust a move every now and then!!!

I have so much to be thankful for, Bloggy Friends, and I spent every minute of Thanksgiving day reflecting on that. I hope you did the same, because I know you are all very blessed and grateful as well.

I guess I should take this opportunity to say thanks to all of you who stop by to see my blog everyday and thank those of you who write your own blogs, providing me the perfect diversion from a hectic day! It's always nice to stop and smell the bloggy friends!

Have a great day and I'll see you soon!

Love, Josh

Musical Theater..... Wednesday...

Good morning, Bloggy Friends! I originally recorded this piece to call it Musical Theater Thursday, but tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I'll be too busy stuffing my grill to post bloggy videos. It's a little something different that I thought I'd try to spice things up a little!!! Cha-Cha-Cha!!

The music comes from this music textbook I got a year or so ago while taking a voice class at City College. It has been lying around, so I thought I would put it to use and learn a few new songs! Singing is one of my favorite things in the world, so I hope you enjoy!

Have a fantastic Thanksgiving, Bloggy Friends. I'm not sure what we will be doing tomorrow, but on Friday I will be having dinner with Alan's aunt and uncle who live here in Philly. This will be the first time I have met anyone in his family, so I am a little nervous. I have intentions of getting footage for a bloggy video, without freaking them out of course. We'll see what happens!

What are you guys doing for the holidays? Traveling? Having friends over? Singing Christmas carols? Gonna brave the crowds on BLACK FRIDAY? I'd love to know!

Have a great rest of the day. I'll see you after the long break. Have a great one!!!

Love, Josh

Bloggin' & Eatin' & Shoppin" and Other Total Randomness!

Hi Bloggy Friends!! One down, and two to go till Thanksgiving!! I hope everyone has exciting, delicious plans for the holidays. I'll be here in Philadelphia with Alan if anyone wants to come have tofurkey with us!

So, lately we have been frequenting the aisles of various stores in the city. Whether it be Target, Loews, Bed, Bath & Beyond or IKEA, we have definitely spent our share of time(and not too mention too much mula). In San Francisco we didn't live near stores like this, so I have to admit, it is fun to have these options once again. I believe, though, that I am ready to shop in more adventurous places, like antique stores, thrift stores and maybe even junk yards, for any other unique pieces of goodness we may find and like.

Anyway, todays Bloggy video touches slightly on our recent shopping escapades and a few other random bits of fun.

I also feature a restaurant that I loved in the video, and I forgot to include the information about it - so here it is:

GIWA
1608 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 557-9830

This is the best place I have eaten at so far in Philadelphia. It is a delicious, authentic Korean restaurant that serves all kinds of tasty veggie dishes. They even have kimchi, which I admore in all its spicy-ness! It's nothing fancy, we ate at a counter, paid very little and enjoyed it a whole lot!

I would also like to thank everyone for thier suggestions on painting my wall. I appreciate the feedback SOOOO MUCH. I'll defnitely let you know when the time comes to make a final decision.

One more side note. You guys should definitely check out my friend Casey's blog. He just returned from a trip to Buenos Aires and has a lot of exciting stories to tell, and even a few bloggy videos, too. I love it so much and I think you will too. You can find his page HERE, or by clicking his name in my favorite links to the right.

Ok, enough blabbing. Have a blessed day, Bloggy Friends!

Love, Josh

The Return of the Bloggy Video!

Bloggy videos killed the radio star!

Have a great beginning to a short week, Bloggy Friends!

Thanksgiving, here I come!!!!

Funky Fitness: Let's Get Physical!

Time-Warp Tuesday: My Hometown

Hey Bloggy Friends! Time-Warp Tuesday has officially returned!!!

Last spring I took a trip back to my hometown of Lancaster, Kentucky. It was a beautiful time to be there with all the new leaves and flowers sprouting up everywhere. It felt great to catch up with my family and friends. I don't really foresee myself living in Lancaster again, but it will always be what I call "home." I cherish the young years that I spent there, and wouldn't trade it back for all the money in the world.

Noteworthy: Can you notice how my voice deepens by a few octaves when I am speaking with my family? Pretty strange!

Warning: There is definitely some permage going on in this video - watch at your own risk!

Have a great day!

Love, Josh

Gettin' Things Done: My Hood!

Hey Bloggy Friends! I hope you guys had an awesome weekend. We were very busy, as we shopped all around the city for some apartment essentials before we move in next weekend. It was quite a success! We purchased some great new items for our home and I can't wait until it all gets set up!

For those of you interested, I found this short video about Manayunk on Youtube today and thought I would put it up for you to see. Manayunk, as some of you know, is the neighborhood we are moving into. It is a cute, trendy, rather quaint neighborhood just outside of Center City Philadelphia. I'm excited to get to know it better and become an official Manayunker!

Have a great Monday, Bloggy Friends. Talk to ya soon!

Love, Josh

Gettin' Things Done: Movin' & Shakin'!

Happy Friday, Bloggy Friends!

I hope you've had a great week and have an awesome weekend planned. My good friend Casey, and his beau, Hal, are in Argentina this week! I'm sure they're having a blast.

Well, the movers arrived and brought our stuff from San Francisco into our new place! It was an exciting day, until we realized that we hardly have enough to fill the place! I guess we should have realized, since we are moving from a tiny studio into a three bedroom house. It's going to take a while to fill it up, but that will be the fun part! Little by little we will get it together - starting with more important things like a bed and couch.

Today's bloggy video shows the fun events of that afternoon and I give you a little tour of the place, as promised. I'm really excited to move in!!

Have a great weekend, Bloggy Friends. See ya next week!

Love, Josh