Volanskyism

The Attic

2011-08-21T15:46:00.003-04:00

My bedroom, for the bulk of my teenage years, was in the attic. It was a long, narrow room -- I couldn't stand upright in parts of the room. At age 11 (1980ish), when I moved into the attic, I picked the color scheme of pink and green. Why, you might ask?

Here's why:

For some reason, I was not looking forward in time to the period when pink and green would cause vomiting, regardless of whether or not booze was involved.

A couple of other things about that attic bedroom.

I used to fall asleep at the top of the steps, looking out the window at the full moon. Maybe, in another life, I used to be a werewolf, but something about that window afforded me a great view as well as some peaceful slumbers.

I can remember spending HOURS making paper dolls with my sister in that room -- I was a bit better at cutting and coloring than I was at making Barbie clothes. The attic was also the starting point for the long treks my sister and I would make as we played "Little House on the Prairie," dressing up as the Ingalls sisters making their way across the Plains. It was HOT up there in the summer, so it was a perfect replica of what we imagined the life of Laura and Mary to be.

One day in April, 1981, I sat in that room all afternoon with my friend Kim Vining while we played Monopoly and trying to laugh. We were there because the grownups were at the cemetery burying my brother Adam. I think she saved my life that day.

Later, when I was a teenager, the attic bedroom served as a mini-recording studio, while I listened on the radio for my favorite Springsteen songs and prepared my tape recorder to catch every note. I spent time lying on my bed learning the lyrics to every song on the "Born to Run" and "Darkness on the Edge of Town." I wrote REALLY BAD poetry. I cried a lot.

An important piece of information about my attic bedroom is that I had to pass through my parents' bedroom to get to it. For those of you who know me, you know that I am blind as a bat. Imagine a gangly, half-blind teenager barrelling down a steep set of stairs to get to the bathroom at 2:30AM. Bang. Bang. Bump. Ooops.

Sorry, Mom and Dad.

As I was much older, maybe when I came home from college, the location began to be a problem. One night, after a particular raucous evening with friends, I got myself upstairs but felt pretty awful and close to vomiting. The logical option: throw up outside of the window, no doubt sending spew down the side of the house. I can only suspect that it was raining outside, because my parents never said anything...

Again, sorry.

I later moved down to the back room, the room that had been "the baby's" room, where I stayed through grad school. It was better situated for returning home after late night activities (like rehearsals...) as well as studying. I could at least stand up...

The basement

2011-08-19T21:34:00.004-04:00

As I was walking through the house this afternoon, I spent some time in the basement, which is all packed up and ready for the movers.

The basement has been transformed on more than one occasion. When we were kids, the basement had, in the middle of it, a giant octopus-style heating system. This is what it looked like:

Not sure who that dude is, but he was not in our basement.

So, this thing was smack in the middle of the basement, our playroom when it was too cold out or bad weather or we were bored or my mom wanted us out of her hair. The floor, at the time, was cement. I know, great room to play in, right? What made the basement awesome to play in, with both the cement and the octopus, was that it was perfect for a roller rink.

Remember the roller rink? We made our own. We actually roller skated AROUND the octopus, on the cement, in the basement. Usually with music. Okay, almost always with music. And the music was:

And then there was:

I will happily admit that I LOVED Shaun Cassidy and Donny and Marie. LOVED THEM.

So we roller skated.

Later, the basement was the site for a Volansky-cousin Beatles singalong, the ill-conceived "gym club" (picture six eleven year olds doing push ups, sit ups and then giggling -- I blame Jane Fonda), and countless hours of Barbie playing. We had the townhouse style dream house (maybe that's why I love my row house so much...), the airplane, some sort of pool and a lot of clothes. My sister was a much better Barbie caretaker than I ever was. My Barbie's clothes were frequently stapled together. Sue's were lovingly crafted and matched. We both had the misguided thought that we could pierce Barbie's ears with straight pins. Her ears, sadly, always turned green. Poor Barbie. She did have friends: Ken, of course, and Skipper. Early on, there was Midge, but I'm not quite sure what happened to her. Her 1950s/1960s clothes seemed out of touch with the swinging stylings (albeit stapled) of Barbie.

The basement also housed my father's work area. My dad is not exactly a handyman, but he certainly spent a fair amount of time down there in recent years, making model cars, airplanes and boats. There was a decoy duck period. He did, after TOO much time down there, develop nosebleeds that I am fairly certain were a result of an excess of airplane glue. We called his putterings "art therapy." I think he has been happy down there.

Sometime after I stopped believing in Santa Claus (or maybe I was on the cusp of not believing in Santa Claus...), the basement was the place where one year I snooped around for Christmas presents. I have a vague memory of finding them, hidden in the back, at another end of the octopus. After I opened the bag, I felt guilty and quickly closed it and never looked again.

My mom has a habit of keeping a LOT of things around the house, "just in case." An example of this is the 5-7 bottles of ketchup that were stored in the upstairs pantry. After the octopus was replaced by a more conventional heating system and some carpet was put down (so much for roller skating after THAT), a storage freezer appeared. In the freezer was kept frozen sides of beef, countless breasts of chicken, orange juice (2 for $3!), homemade pasta sauce and who knows what else. When my parents replaced their refrigerator, buying one that had the freezer on the bottom for greater ease, the old fridge went to the basement, housing a LOT of beer, mixers, and food overflow for Thanksgiving, Easter and other holidays. There was also another cabinet, stocked to the edges with what I think was Lawry's marinade, in a bunch of different flavors. There was extra sugar, coffee, salad dressing, aluminum foil, Saran wrap, rice, pasta, seasonings.

My sister and I would frequently go "shopping" down there. Somehow, I missed out on the packing of that cabinet because, now that I am looking at my own pantry, I seem to be out of Lawry's...

First memory

2011-08-19T17:41:00.002-04:00

The first memory I have, ever, is the day my sister was born.

If you look at the picture, you will notice that the house has brick front steps. Back in the day, those steps were cement, and there was a railing on the right side. Also, there were bushes that had these weird red gooey things that were, so we were told, poisonous. DO NOT EAT.

At any rate, I was just a little over three when Sue came along. The story we are told is that she came FAST -- my dad was speeding toward Cooper Hospital and, upon being pulled over by a startled cop early in the morning, was given an escort to the hospital where she arrived shortly thereafter. It was Father's Day. The joke was that Bob wanted a tie -- he got Sue.

My memory is this: my mom was trying to get out of the house to the car (maybe it was green) and I was holding the hand of my grandfather heading down the stairs.

A detour: I learned how to walk with a towel over my head. Maybe I knew that, later in life, I would be a profound klutz and it was better not to see anything. Whatever it was, my early steps were made with a kitchen towel pulled over my head.

Walking is not my strong suit.

Those steps were a bit frightening, even with the railing and trying to rush, as we were, made the walk that much more uncertain. And I was excited.

Whatever it was, when I close my eyes and think about that day, I am holding my grandfather's hand for dear life, chugging down the stairs. My little red shoe slipped off, into those poisonous bushes. "We'll get it later," I remember him saying.

I don't ever remember wearing red shoes again. I wonder if, when my parents cleared out the shrubs and replaced them with the beautiful flowers and natural grasses, they found my missing red shoe?

After 42 years, saying farewell to 911 Belmont

2011-08-19T17:29:00.003-04:00

My parents moved into 911 Belmont Avenue, on the border between Collingswood and Haddon Township, New Jersey in 1969. I was one.

On Monday, they will be moving to their new home in Montoursville, PA, where my sister lives with her family.

This weekend, my brother and I will be spending time at the house. I'm hoping to take a walk around the old neighborhood, visit my elementary and high school and generally revel in all the amazing things that happened here over the past 42 years.

I hope you enjoy my walk down memory lane.

gotothellifyouhatefreedom,
Volansky

Ruminations on Current Events

2011-06-09T20:12:00.002-04:00

Friends,

I've been sitting on this Anthony Weiner thing for a couple of days, trying to pull the lens back in order to look at what it all means. Obviously, it is fun to snicker about his last name and what part of his anatomy that got him into trouble. It is also mildly entertaining to consider the level of discourse this usually-verbally-dexterous politician seems to have sunk. The connections to Bill Clinton are also somewhat tittering.

And then there is on-going sense of bewilderment of "who did he think he was?" While watching the press conference on Tuesday, part of me wanted him to respond, "Just a guy," when the media asked that question. I also kind of wanted him to say that he was being a GIANT idiot.

Then I read Alec Baldwin's fascinating piece, posted on the Huffington Post, entitled, "Anthony Weiner is a Modern Human Being." What I find compelling about what Baldwin says is the reminder of the availability of such online behavior. Consider this:

We tell ourselves that these devices help us communicate more effectively. What they actually do is allow us to bypass the person lying right next to us, across the room from us or at an airport heading home to us, in order to meet our immediate, even inconvenient, needs. To bypass their moods, their current view of us and their own desires, or lack thereof.

There is something to be mined here. You may be in the most loving, generous, safe and profound relationship ever. But. There are potentially millions of people out there that you haven't met yet. And they just might love you.

Of course there are a hundred problems with this, not the least of which is the fact that Weiner is a married man, with a smart and talented (and maybe pregnant?) wife. I am not interested in the series of questions about whether or not it is cheating: I think that determination is between Weiner and his wife; his press conference clearly indicated that, to them, it marked a betrayal of some sort. Which is, I think, a form of cheating. So, why did he do it?

Because he could. Nothing more complicated than that. Because he is, in Baldwin's words, "a modern human being."

I reach the same conclusion that Alec Baldwin did, and probably a lot of others. I would like to add my own take on this. I think that fidelity is a difficult and challenging thing; I have wrestled with it myself over the years, before the Internet and Facebook and YouTube and Twitter made it that much easier. How fun is it to live chat with an old flame? Or an old prospective flame? Or a co-worker? Or someone you read about and think is smart/sexy/gets you...whatever. But too many people I know but their real-life, flesh and blood, "til death do us part" relationships in jeopardy because it is just so damn easy.

And it is ultimately sad.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
Volansky

Remember me?

2011-06-03T16:48:00.002-04:00

Hi Friends,
I woke up the other morning feeling a bit adrift -- I had submitted my dissertation and did not know what to do with myself.

I had been working on writing this thing for three years, doing the research for another two. And then, BAM, done. What's a girl to do?

Obviously, there are school things -- department chair, faculty council chair, courses to prep. There are naturally plays to read. But gosh, what a weird feeling.

If one person comments on this, then I'll continue to offer insights into our changing world. Or even if no one comments...I bet I'll continue. My fingers need to be kept occupied.

Final two thoughts: I'm reading Colum McCann's LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN and man is it good. You might pick it up, if you are looking for a good read.

Other thought: I could not have survived finishing my dissertation without these guys. I feel a little like I am cheating on Bruce with them, but heavens to murgatroyd they are damn fine.

And remember:

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

V

How the heck are you?!

2008-12-08T14:15:00.003-05:00

hello, friends,

i really should not be blogging because i simply have too much work to do. but i had a really compelling conversation on saturday night with some friends that has been nagging at me and so i felt like i needed to share.

the discussion (full disclosure: there was wine involved) began as an investigation of the pros and cons of bailing out the big three -- GM, Ford and Chrysler. should we or shouldn't we? we drifted around that for a while, recalling the problems (and, at my insistence, the lack of congressional oversight) of the financial bailout. why bail out companies like AIG and not the automotive industry. there was general disdain about the UAW, and the suggestion that some industries needed to fail so as to correct the market.

let me say that i don't pretend to understand the market. i simply was asking about what was going to happen if the US lost 2.1 million job , according to this website.

here's what it says:

The EPI paper, titled When Giants Fall, estimates that a total collapse of all three U.S. auto makers would result in the loss of up to 2.1 million American jobs within the next year. Tax revenue losses and additional governmental costs would top $150 billion within three years if the three companies enter bankruptcy.

Without cars to export, the U.S. trade deficit would rise by $109.3 billion, the study also found.

The job numbers encompass direct job losses from the automakers' potential shutdown, as well as indirect job losses in technical and service industries and vehicle production-supported industries, such as auto parts, electronics, steel, tires, aluminum and plastics. The study also estimates the loss of "re-spending" jobs as a result of the wages lost by workers in motor vehicle industries and other sectors supported by car production.

The study's author, EPI economist Robert E. Scott, said that Congress should act quickly to provide a bridge loan to the auto industry, noting that it is an investment that the U.S. government will likely recover with interest.

"It is in the national interest to invest in a bridge loan now, rather than pay the consequences of bankruptcy for one or more domestic auto-makers," Scott said.

"The domestic auto-makers don't have the same bankruptcy and restructuring options as the airline industry does," Scott explained. "Customers are unwilling to purchase a vehicle from a company that might not be able to offer a warranty or repairs."

The study estimates the loss of jobs by industry, with manufacturing leading the pack. Motor vehicles and parts and transportation equipment also stand to lose tens of thousands of jobs.

The EPI study can be viewed at http://www.epi.org/briefingpapers/227/bp227.pdf.

For more information about the Economic Policy Institute, go to http://www.epi.org, and for more about the Keystone Research Center, go to http://www.keystoneresearch.org.

SOURCE: Keystone Research Center

consider the fact that 12.5% of all americans live in poverty, according to the US census

consider the fact that while it is admirable that 72.5% of americans have internet access, there are still 27.5% who do not.

are we living exclusively in a world of darwinistic survival of the fittest? my friend suggested that there were some people who would not or could not take advantage of the opportunities offered to them and that some in our country would always "just fail." is this okay? am i just a pollyanna, or do i have my sense of social justice out of whack?

can you sleep at night?

think about what jimmy carter said (thanks sister sue): "a peaceful world cannot exist when one third is rich and two thirds are hungry."

my friend is a just and admirable person, concerned about family and survival. there is compassion and responsibility. so if THIS friend thinks this way...

think about it.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

where do we go now?

2008-11-11T11:35:00.003-05:00

Well, the Phillies won the World Series. And our guy got into the Oval Office. There was definitely an excitement/anticipation vacuum happening there for a few days. Is Chinese Democracy the most important thing to look forward to? I might argue yes, but it's a kind of apathetic yes. And most of you pirates have probably already downloaded the thing. I am a dinosaur in that I like to "buy" albums in the "store." Strange, I know. I actually like reading the liner notes and looking at the cover art. Is that so wrong?

At any rate, I can't think of anything in the immediate future worth getting ramped up about. Christmas? Inauguration Day is too far afield to think about, there is much to be done before then. If anyone has any thoughts on something to get excited about in the upcoming weeks, I would love to hear it.

yes, we did

2008-11-05T08:52:00.002-05:00

Yes, we did.

Here is the transcript. It is worth a read.

politics as usual

2008-10-16T09:04:00.004-04:00

Let's not talk about the debate, or the economy, or Iraq, or anything else from this election.

Thought: while living overseas, I paid zero attention to American politics in general and just barely enough attention to the presidential elections as to confirm the nature of my vote.

Now that I am home, and now that it is an election season, it seems I'm as obsessed with the electoral map and outlining key issues as I am with the Phillies. But I wonder how I'm going to feel exactly one year from today. Am I going to care as deeply or as passionately or as consistently about, say, the selection of Supreme Court justices?

Honestly? No. Sad. How about you? Will you care a year from now?

I have spoken to a few people recently about the 24-hour news cycle. I know I am not crazy about it, but I've had a hard time figuring out why. But I think I'm onto something.

I think that the constant flow of news makes it difficult for us to separate the signal from the noise. Is the ACORN thing important? How about ties to the Keating Five? Maybe yes, maybe no. But when those things get as much air time as the war, there is a problem. Is there any way to fix this problem?

Well, I have a thought. The pre-election voter registration drives and calls to activism are great. Truly American. But where does all that energy go once the election is over? Why does it seem like we only care about these issues in the months leading up to a big November?

Lobbyists and political activists often get a bad rap in this country, sometimes for good reason. But one thing they do is keep a constant focus on issues at hand, regardless of whether it's October 2008 or February 2006.

I think all of us need to be doing that, in a very real way. Perhaps I am underestimating America (or at least the readership of this blog) when I say that I doubt any of you out there are as politically active or vocal as you are during election season. But if that were the case, then none of those campaign tricks would make a bit of difference in the polls or in the outcome of the election. However, close observation of the polls reveals that those campaign tricks do, in fact, work. What does that tell us?

The 24-hour news cycle is not going away. So it is up to us to demand real news, all the time, so that when election time comes around, none of the nonsense will get in the way of figuring out who the candidates are and what they stand for. The candidates themselves will be forced to outline these things clearly, and the media will be forced to convey this information to the consumers. Think of it as trickle down pandering.

One final point, in the form of a question: who is the politician pictured?

rednecks for obama

2008-10-09T14:10:00.005-04:00

There is a lot of crap hurling out there today (Ayers, Keating, etc.) but little I deemed to be of newsworthy note. This, though, speaks to me.

My dad has been steadily warning that what he calls the "Bubba vote" could come into play at the last minute in the election. That is to say, a lot of folks will get behind the curtain and find themselves unable to pull the lever for a black man. It certainly is something worth thinking about.

So when I saw this tidbit, http://www.truveo.com/Rednecks-For-Obama-At-DNC/id/3175192384 I felt that perhaps getting the word out about these guys could be helpful to the cause.

"We hunt, fish, drink beer and support Barack Obama," said Tony Viessman, one of the group's two, count 'em, two, members. "He ain't gonna take your guns away, don't you worry about that."

Spread the word.

PS: Jeff Foxworthy was quoted in the article with a definition of redneck. He said it is "a glorious lack of sophistication." I like that.

da doo run run run . . .

2008-10-08T09:12:00.003-04:00

Or maybe that should be "bomb, bomb, bomb/bomb bomb Iran." One of those classics.

The da doo run run run thing is sort of a lame joke about the debate last night being essentially a re-hash of the first. Somebody on a blog last night said that they tuned in 15 minutes late and only realized it wasn't a televised repeat of the first debate when they saw Tom Brokaw. I don't know if they were being serious or not, but I understand the sentiment.

A buddy just said he was bored during the thing. I wouldn't say I was bored, but it definitely was not as emotion-inducing as the Biden-Palin battle. At the very least, I was screaming at the television about 60% less last night than I was during the vice presidential debate.

Having said all that, while my allegiances are pretty clear, I don't feel like I'm being partial when I say that Obama was the clear victor. Whether you agree with his policies or not, he was more clear and concise in his explanations. I feel as though I understand better what he wants to do than I do McCain.

I read a bit of the Fox News website this morning, which I usually do not do. I stick to the BBC, and generally try to avoid sites that are going to be overwhelmingly partial. But because I felt that Obama was so clearly the winner, I was interested to hear how the conservative arm of the media was going to spin it. Interestingly enough, most of the pundits on there conceded victory to Obama. Sure, they had their gripes, but I think that even they know that many of those gripes are unfounded. They complained about the town-hall format, which, as we all know, was McCain's choice. They complained about Brokaw. I couldn't imagine a more impartial or intelligent moderator. And, most curiously, at least for me, they complained about Obama's eloquence. They said he was too cool and smooth and smart. Hmm.

That's all for today, my friends.

veep

2008-10-07T08:59:00.001-04:00

And, you know, if speeches aren't your thing, there's always this:

springsteen

2008-10-07T08:52:00.002-04:00

I know there are some rabid Bruce fans who read this blog. I am a moderate Bruce fan. But I became a bit more of one this past weekend after seeing him at a rally for Obama in Philly. It was a decent show that included a good speech. Here's a transcription:

“Hello Philly,

“I am glad to be here today for this voter registration drive and for Barack Obama, the next President of the United States.

“I’ve spent 35 years writing about America, its people, and the meaning of the American Promise. The Promise that was handed down to us, right here in this city from our founding fathers, with one instruction: Do your best to make these things real. Opportunity, equality, social and economic justice, a fair shake for all of our citizens, the American idea, as a positive influence, around the world for a more just and peaceful existence. These are the things that give our lives hope, shape, and meaning. They are the ties that bind us together and give us faith in our contract with one another.

“I’ve spent most of my creative life measuring the distance between that American promise and American reality. For many Americans, who are today losing their jobs, their homes, seeing their retirement funds disappear, who have no healthcare, or who have been abandoned in our inner cities. The distance between that promise and that reality has never been greater or more painful.

“I believe Senator Obama has taken the measure of that distance in his own life and in his work. I believe he understands, in his heart, the cost of that distance, in blood and suffering, in the lives of everyday Americans. I believe as president, he would work to restore that promise to so many of our fellow citizens who have justifiably lost faith in its meaning. After the disastrous administration of the past 8 years, we need someone to lead us in an American reclamation project. In my job, I travel the world, and occasionally play big stadiums, just like Senator Obama. I’ve continued to find, wherever I go, America remains a repository of people’s hopes, possibilities, and desires, and that despite the terrible erosion to our standing around the world, accomplished by our recent administration, we remain, for many, a house of dreams. One thousand George Bushes and one thousand Dick Cheneys will never be able to tear that house down.

“They will, however, be leaving office, dropping the national tragedies of Katrina, Iraq, and our financial crisis in our laps. Our sacred house of dreams has been abused, looted, and left in a terrible state of disrepair. It needs care; it needs saving, it needs defending against those who would sell it down the river for power or a quick buck. It needs strong arms, hearts, and minds. It needs someone with Senator Obama’s understanding, temperateness, deliberativeness, maturity, compassion, toughness, and faith, to help us rebuild our house once again. But most importantly, it needs us. You and me. To build that house with the generosity that is at the heart of the American spirit. A house that is truer and big enough to contain the hopes and dreams of all of our fellow citizens. That is where our future lies. We will rise or fall as a people by our ability to accomplish this task. Now I don’t know about you, but I want that dream back, I want my America back, I want my country back.

“So now is the time to stand with Barack Obama and Joe Biden, roll up our sleeves, and come on up for the rising.”

email thoughts

2008-09-04T08:48:00.002-04:00

I have been writing to some of my friends overseas for an international perspective on the election. Aussie ex-pat living in Thailand Ian Slater and I have bounced back and forth a bit over the last couple days. I wrote him this email today. I liked it, and I think it says a lot of what I am thinking about the whole thing, in very general terms. As I am too lazy to really write anything for the blog itself, I'll just copy and paste this email.

Slates--

Thanks for the thoughtful reply.

I didn't think it was possible that I could become as obsessed with any mainstream media event as I was with the Olympics, but, perhaps because the consequences are so great, I've been pretty much glued to this election coverage. Because of that, I could probably write several hundred screens here. I'll try to keep my thoughts in check, and then maybe go type something up for the blog.

Anyway, getting into it . . .

I generally believe that a lot of people vote from a fairly narrow perspective. The obvious one there is the pro-lifers, who would rather set fire to an ob/gyn's office than vote for a pro-choicer. Haha. You have your death penalty people, your NRA enthusiasts, etc., who vote for candidates based on those single issues.

Having lived overseas for so long, I've figured out that the motivation behind my vote is, largely, how the candidates a) view the rest of the world and b) are perceived by the rest of the world. Which, incidentally, is why I wrote to you and a handful of my other non-American friends for thoughts. I just wanted to confirm my suspicions that, yes, the majority of the rest of the world wholeheartedly supports Obama. (By the way, I trust there was no question in your mind that I am an Obama supporter.)

Saying something like "I cast my vote largely on how the candidate is perceived by the rest of the world" would no doubt get me in hot water with your standard middle American. In fact, it has before. But what I try to explain to people is that it's not so much that I am swayed by the opinion of the rest of the world, it's just that I realize that our world is so small, the value placed on our choice president so great, that I think the wrong choice by the American people can potentially reflect so badly on us and our government that I think it can actually harm us more than we even realize. Putting a guy like McCain in office tells the rest of the world that we are more or less ok with how the country has been run, both inside and out, for the last 8 years. It tells the world that we are looking for a fight. It tells the world that we are going to put our interests first, militarily and financially, and that you better get the hell out of our way. Putting the wrong guy in office can hurt us economically, can charge up terrorists, can make small countries with cowboy leaders like North Korea and Iran want to step up and get in our face. Is that making America safe? Is that protecting American interests? Is that helping our economy? I think not.

I am all for a strong America. But I think you don't have to be a bully to be strong. To take it one step further, bullies are usually bullies because they are hiding some deep-seated insecurity or weakness. And, anyway, what usually happens to bullies? They get knocked on their ass, usually by somebody much smaller.

At this point, I think that the only people who still believe that America is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the military and economic world are a small few Americans. The rest of us realize that our economy is weak, our dollar is sagging, and all of the guns in the world just aren't strong enough to win wars anymore. Perhaps we need a different approach.

There is strength in understanding, diplomacy, compassion. Obama represents those things.

Now, like you said, whether Obama has the ability or capacity to deliver on these things remains to be seen. That is definitely part of the intrigue of this election for me. And I'm sure if you ask even the staunchest Obama supporters who have fallen for him hook, line, and sinker, even they will admit, deep down, that they really have no clue if he's going to be able to accomplish what he says he's going to accomplish.

You know what, though? I'm willing to take that risk.

Or, to put it as a friend of the family put it the other day, "It's all bullshit. But I'm willing to buy Obama's line of bullshit over McCain's line of bullshit." You could probably apply that line to any election, anywhere, when you get right down to it.

One final thing. You mentioned that bit about Kennedy being unqualified, a fraud. First off, Jesus Mary & Joseph, don't let my mother hear you say that. She'd swoon.

I think a lot of other people, Americans and non-Americans, would also take umbrage to that statement. Why? Well, not necessarily because Kennedy was . . . . Kennedy. (One of the talking heads the other day said, in reference to comparisons between Barack and JFK, "Even Kennedy wasn't Kennedy." I liked that.) Anyway, getting back on track, in the world of politics today, perception is reality. It IS all bullshit. Beauracracy is so slow, the global economy is so big, world events are so out of control, that, unless a guy is extraordinarily bad, as Bush is, it would be hard for a single person anywhere on the planet, even the president of the United States of America, to fuck the world up completely. By the same token, unless he is some sort of diety, it would be hard for a president to heal all the wounds of the world. While people get pretty passionate about Barack, I don't think anybody believes that he's going to step in there and every problem is going to magically disappear.

But having said all that, I think people WANT to believe in this guy. He inspires people. He makes people want to do good. He makes people want to work to heal the problems. He makes people want to repair America's reputation in the world, he makes people want to search for solutions to environmental problems, he makes people want to search for solutions to economic problems. And that, for me, is enough. I am an optimist, and as trite as it might sound, I believe in the goodness of people, and I believe in the goodness and strength of the American people. Do I think Barack Obama can singlehandedly accomplish all that he says he is going to accomplish? Of course not. But do I believe that he can move people's hearts and minds? Yes, I do. We've had plenty of the moving of physical things these last 8 years, and not enough of moving of intangibles. I think people sense that, and I think that's why he's become so popular.

McCain is promising change, to shake Washington up. But what I think he's missing is that it's way, way beyond Washington. It's bigger than Washington, bigger than politics. Perhaps he can bring about some change in the way the governing of this country is conducted, but I don't think that's enough. He needs to bring about change in the attitudes of this country, and change in the way we view the rest of the world. Obama understands this on levels that he just doesn't get.

So there ya go, Slates. I think it got a little out of hand on me. I hope you're still reading.

I miss Thailand. Have a frosty Leo (or whatever your beer of choice is these days) for me.

peace--
RV

getting back into it

2008-07-23T11:10:00.002-04:00

Middle of the 9th. Phils have just scored 6 to go up by 3. Miraculous, kind of. I am at (what I shall always call) Pat's Pub in Haddon Twp, NJ. I turn to my buddy and say, "I hope they don't fuck it up." Thus is the plight/mindset of the consummate Philly sports fan.

Got a text this morning from Chris D. He said he loved watching Johan Santana dominate only to be foiled in the end once again.

So, moving toward "the point."

Santana is a great pitcher who often seems to find himself in the unfortunate circumstances of pitching superbly, only to have his Mets blow it and leave him with a loss or a no-decision.

Gut question: do you feel sorry for him? (Try not to let your allegiances, wherever they may be, influence your answer.)

Another scenario:

I play hoops with a bunch of guys every Monday night. Mostly, everybody is around the same skill level. Mostly, it is friendly competition. Competitive, but friendly.

There's one guy who is a little slower, a little less athletic than the rest of us. Nice guy. But slow, not a great basketball player. However, he has a little 8 foot jumper that is quite consistent. If you slack off of him, he hits it. If you get up in his face and play hard D, it is very easy to shut him down.

Again with the gut: what would you do? Would you ease up on him in light of his slightly lower skill level, or would you exploit it?

Me and a couple of the other guys have been discussing this conundrum recently. At times we think that as it is friendly competition among 30-something guys who are just trying to fend off the beer gut, it probably isn't necessary to get up in his grill and shut him down. It seems like this is unnecessarily assholish behavior that's just going to make him upset and ruin his Monday workout. But then, at other times, everybody on the court is trying to WIN, and you should do whatever you can to help your team do so, even if that means blocking this guy into next Tuesday every time he puts up a shot.

Probably, as with all things, the answer is somewhere in the middle. Play him tough sometimes, ease up sometimes. As we are all in varying stages of fitness, that's how everybody pretty much plays defense on everybody else anyway.

But the fact remains that most of us could, without exerting too much effort, shut the guy down. If we wanted to. Hence, the question.

This discussion has meandered naturally to a discussion I've had with another friend over the years regarding dodgeball on elementary school playgrounds. She is against it, I am for it. You can probably figure out the arguments for both sides if you think about them for a second, but I'll gove over them anyway.

Her: dodgeball is barbaric, lord-of-the-flies-ish. Kids don't need to get pegged by a ball at that age.

Me: the world is a tough place. They're going to get pegged, in one form or another, sooner than later. They might as well start toughening up early.

Her: there's plenty of time for that. Let them enjoy their childhood.

Me: if left to their own devices, kids will "enjoy their childhood" by playing competitive sports or, worse, being outright mean to each other. Fighting, hurling insults. We are an inherently aggressive species, and that starts off early.

Her: well, adults should not contribute to kids hurting and abusing each other by encouraging dodgeball on the playground. They should be fostering more community-centered activities.

Me: I think adults chaperoning dodgeball games is just what the doctor ordered. We ARE aggressive creatures. Rather than letting that aggression run rampant, channel it. Let the kids be competitive with each other, but teach them how to do it with rules, and respect for the game, and respect for each other.

And on and on. Obviously, I've painted my own arguments in a more positive light because, well, I am doing the writing. She ain't here to defend herself, so I am capitalizing on that advantage. Does that make me a bad person?

So to recap, think about the questions:

Do you feel sorry for a pitcher who plays well but whose team often blows it for him?
Would you play aggressively against a weaker opponent in a competitive/friendly weeknight basketball game?
What are your thoughts on dodgeball on the playground?

try again to put a link up . . . .

2008-07-18T09:58:00.001-04:00

yes, we can

2008-07-18T09:57:00.001-04:00

Maybe gonna start working on this again. For now, check this out:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=1yq0tMYPDJQ

why business casuals herald the downfall of western civilization, or vice versa

2007-12-01T21:17:00.000-05:00

I simply could not choose between these two images. Feel free to debate on which one best represents the nebulous concept of "Business Casual."

Sometime during the 1990's, IBM relaxed its legendary dress code. Out with the dark pinstripe suit and white shirt, in with the khaki and button-down look.

That, my friends, was the beginning of the end. Symbolic, yes, but isn't the beginning of the end always so? And don't the people who are living in the period usually miss it, bigtime?

Well, I didn't. Took me a few years, but I'm pretty sure I've found the exact point of the downfall of the human race as we know it. IBM, and business casuals. I will now use a diverse series of analogies ranging from fat kids to Frank Purdue chicken to illustrate my point. It all comes together, I promise.

The Japanese have a concept/expression pronounced "dara dara." Loosely translated, dara dara means or symbolizes a few ideas:

--not taking care of one's personal appearance.

--not putting one's best foot forward.

--having a generally slovenly, slacker-y attitude.

Let me offer an image of an extreme example of dara dara:

An overweight high school kid with a hat on backwards, baggy sweatshirt and jeans hanging off him, big headphones blasting in his ears, dragging his untied Nike hightops along the sidewalk as he eats a candy bar and lets the wrapper drop in his wake. That is dara dara. Got it?

So. Onto Frank Purdue.

I remember growing up there was a Frank Purdue chicken commercial that had a song which began with the line, "It's the pride of this great country, that makes it the best it can be." (I can't recall how they went from there to chicken breasts, but I suppose it doesn't matter.) Anyway, I was a young kid watching TV with two sisters from England, friends of the family who had come over to visit. I remember one of them saying something like, "you would never hear something like that in a commercial in England." The images in the ad were of a wholesome, spotless farm somewhere in the midwest. Whitebread family, sunset over the paddock.

So, to segue, in a conversation I had recently, Buddy Evan said that the most common first impression of America from the international students he used to teach was that they couldn't believe how dirty this country was. The streets of New York. They'd grown up watching films and television shows featuring a clean America. Even the gritty, street-level gang flicks didn't really give a sense of the rubbish at your feet. They were shocked at the lack of care. Granted, many of them had come from places like Korea and Japan, where cleanliness is a national pastime, but even the Europeans were taken aback.

(As a little homework assignment, next time you're walking down a city street or even through someplace like a mall parking lot, mentally calculate the number of standard-sized trash bags you could fill up with the garbage on the pavement and along the curbs of any football field-ish sized area.)

There is a LOT of talk about the pride of this great country these days, and not just in Purdue chicken commercials. It's blowing from the politician's mouths straight on down to Average Joe at the watercooler dutifully supporting the troops. Everybody's a patriot. Right?

Well, if we care so much about our country, why can't we even keep it clean? I'm not talking Singapore Immaculate here, either. I'm talking, you know, tidy. Isn't it the least we can do?

There are a lot of major problems with our country and our government our world. They are so big and so pervasive that I have a hard time even identifying them (which is why I write on this blog; it helps me to organize my thoughts). In attempting to diagnose these problems, I try to look at obvious symptoms.

Trash on the streets is an obvious symptom.

Trash on the streets tells me that there are certain things about which we no longer care. And not just appearance things. This is not a campaign to recycle. It goes much, much deeper than that.

We have plundered the earth. Plundered the damn thing. Raped and pillaged. But this is not an indictment of oil companies and mining companies and big business. It is much more personal than that.

I think I can understand why the streets are not clean. People do think about oil companies pillaging the earth on some level. And they think, "if we're destroying the planet anyway, what is one more candy wrapper going to hurt?"

Maybe they don't think about big business on a conscious level when they're eating their Snickers, but I'm certain that it plays a part.

And you know what? Who can blame them? When I envision myself telling that kid not to throw his candy wrapper on the ground, you know what answer I envision getting back?

"Why should I give a shit?"

Hmm. Why should he give a shit? Any thoughts?

Another answer I envision:

"It's not my responsibility."

Hmm. Another good point. Whose responsibility is it?

I don't like pointing fingers, but I'm going to point some fingers.

The aging segment of the population grew up on a planet that, as far as they knew, was not yet decaying. Those under, say, 20, grew up in a world that was decaying no matter what we did about it.

But there's that middle ground there. The first Earth Day celebration in 1970 put the health and appearance of the planet into the national consciousness, made it a necessary plank in the platform of every politician worth a salt.

For all practical purposes, middle-aged America should be the most environmentally conscious group of people on the planet. And, to a large extent, we are. Clap clap clap.

But this brings us to business casuals and the downfall of western civilization.

Here's what probably happened there, with IBM:

Some HR guy somewhere analyzed some statistics and figured out that people would be more productive if they didn't have to wear a three-piece suit every day. Productivity increased, but the price was appearance.

For me this begs the question of how the guys who built IBM managed to be so darn productive despite their uncomfortable pinstripe suits. Are we that weak-minded that we actually think and work better in cotton rather than wool? How much more comfortable do we need to be? How soft are you, corporate America? Shall we go to work in our pj's? How high do our workplace environment standards need to be? Is this what our Unions are defending, the right to wear business casuals? Don't give me child labor laws. Don't give me big business abuse of the common worker. Those days are long gone. At the moment, it seems like a lot of people nitpicking because we live in a country where everyone is entitled to absolutely everything, including the right to wear Dockers and Old Navy in the office. What about the guys standing in the wind and rain on top of the skeleton framework of a new IBM office building in Dubuque. How much workplace comfort do you think they have? And we're bitching about wingtips?

Now, one could argue that those guys in the pinstripe suits had a lot to do with the plundering of the earth that I talked about above. They looked good, but they made the earth ugly in the name of making a profit. Fair enough.

But this is a post Earth Day world. We know how to make business and keep things relatively clean.

To me, the decision by IBM to soften the dress code is not the cause of the downfall of western civilization, it is merely a sign of it. A big sign. A sign that says that it's ok to be dara dara. It's ok not to be 100% all the time. It's ok not to look 100% all the time. It's ok to carry yourself with a little less panache.

I'm not going to try to figure out where it started, whether it started with the people on the street throwing their garbage on the ground or with big business sinking their wells into the earth. Whether it's trickle up or trickle down is irrelevant. What matters is that it has reached the middle class, the middle aged, the masses. You're always going to have diversity on the fringes. Fascists, communists, tree-huggers, moonshiners. But when any movement reaches the meat of a society, it has truly taken hold.

Dara dara has taken hold in middle America.

Let's get back to our fat kid dribbling his candy wrapper onto the street.

Me: "Why did you let your candy wrapper fall onto the street, young man?"

Kid: "Everybody else is doing it."

people who love bruce springsteen

2007-10-23T15:18:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

good pal and theater maker david bradley published this piece in the philadelphia daily news and it certainly bears a reprint here.

i was at the october 6th concert in philly (my 34th!) and will be attending the show on november 11th in DC. bradley's words resonate deeply...enjoy.

michele

Bruce Springsteen Sounds the Alarm

By David Bradley

The 2008 presidential campaign made a two-night stop at the Wachovia Center last weekend. Instead of a bevy of candidates there was a band of musicians. Instead of a smiling front-runner there was a strutting front-man. And instead of massaged messages, there was open talk of lies and lost liberties.

It wasn't Hillary or Barack or Rudy or Fred onstage. It was Bruce. Springsteen, that is, along with his comrades from the E Street Band. It was rock 'n roll not politics, but only someone who wasn't listening closely could say it was only rock 'n roll. And I liked it even more because it wasn't.

Springsteen mentioned no candidate, and, unlike the "Vote for Change" tour that backed John Kerry, offered no endorsements. Instead he used the metaphors and imagery of art to sound an alarm, singing in a new song, "Woke up Election Day, skies gunpowder and shades of gray." The song is called "Livin' in the Future," and you can tell Springsteen hopes this ominous forecast doesn't come true.

That number has a bright bounce to go with a sunny refrain: "Don't worry darlin'…none of this has happened yet." But it's a false shine, and that's the point. This song's about denial, about how we proclaim success in the face of defeat and impugn as doomsayers those who disagree.

He might not admit it, but Springsteen's framed the debate of the next year for us. It's all about telling the truth, counting the cost and living up to ideals. "Is there anybody alive out there?" screams his new song "Radio Nowhere," a tone-setter for his current tour. Saturday night, I heard it as a wake-up call to see the shadows surrounding us and hold our leaders, and ourselves, accountable.

Springsteen's music came of age alongside the betrayal of Watergate and the admission of American malaise from perhaps the last real truth-teller in the White House. But his characters didn't need a president to tell them things weren't working. They saw it in the factory and felt it behind the wheel as they raced towards a promised land fading from reach. Somehow, though, they still believed they'd get there.

If the music grew up in the dark night of the seventies, it flexed its muscle in the gleam of the eighties, against the glossy façade of Ronald Reagan's morning in America . Reagan tried to co-opt the grit of the Boss's "Born in the U.S.A. " in his 1984 campaign, blithely ignoring the cutting irony of the lyrics and embracing only the patriotic-sounding title. Springsteen's been on guard ever since, his songs less anthems of faith and more cautionary tales of surviving falsehood.

So there he was Saturday night, giving a shout-out to the Constitution in its hometown, pointing his telecaster and taking aim at the truth-twisting of those in power. But with his legendary knack for fusing rock 'n roll revival with a tent meeting for serious business, he enlarged the conversation past party or personality, which he never discussed.

Instead, he sang of a fallen soldier mourned by his buddies, a huckster illusionist ready to saw us in half and the "long walk home" between the choices we've made and the values we profess. He closed the show with " American Land ," a Seeger-esque tribute to "the hands that built the country" that are "still dyin' now." There was no mistaking the gap he sees between where we stand as a nation and where we could be.

A long time ago, the young rebels in Springsteen's songs had faith in spirits in the night, whose magic held forth the possibility of change, the idea of transformation. Saturday night, introducing the title song of his new album Magic by criticizing politicians who would turn truth into lie and lie into truth, Springsteen exposed the underside of the enchantment. "This ain't about magic," he stated, "it's about tricks."

Be warned, he seems to be saying. We're in the shadows of a precarious night, and it's an open question as to whether we can really change. Are we up for a fight or content with a show? In what will we put our faith--real transformation or hollow tricks?

Is there anybody alive out there?

David Bradley is a writer, theater artist and educator who lives in West Mount Airy

bulletproof glass

2007-10-09T00:56:00.000-04:00

Michele just sent me an email about this blog which read:

update it.you have some things to say.say them.

Umm. Ok.

It's 1:00 AM Monday night. I just got back from an open mic at a bar called Fergie's, on 12th and Sansom in Philly. I played three songs accompanied by the drummer of the house band. We had never played together before, he had never heard the songs. But it went ok. Better than last week, my first performance since being back Stateside, which was less than stellar.

But the details of my music career are quite inconsequential.

Well, sort of.

I ride my bicycle through the streets a lot. I generally enjoy it. If I have my iPod in, I'm rocking out. If I don't, I'm usually either running through some of my songs, or thinking about riffs and lyrics and melodies for new ones.

So I've got an idea for a new song. It is called Bulletproof Glass. I conceived it waiting on line at the post office. A thought along the lines of "why the fuck is there fucking bulletproof fucking glass across the fucking counter at the fucking post office? Who the fuck is robbing the fucking post office?"

It was probably hot, I'd probably spent a frustrating day pounding the pavement looking for a job (speaking of, if anyone reading this would like to employ me in any capacity whatsoever, I am open) and running errands and trying to put a life together here in America. Easier said than done, and it's not even easy to say. Just looking at that sentence makes me cringe, makes me think about the DMV and other such sucky places.

So let's get back to the bike. I ride my bike.

In Sapporo, I also rode a bike. A heavy silver metal one with a basket like all the old Japanese ladies ride. I'd go blasting through the downtown area with the iPod on at all hours of day or night, in all states of consciousness, and never once worried about anything or anyone, ever. Period.

The other night I was riding along on my way to go eat Mexican food with my friends down in South Philly. I was heading into what was obviously a "rough" neighborhood. My bicycle is old, and creaky. When I've got the iPod in, I forget how much noise I'm cranking out as I barrel on and off the sidewalks. So anyway, I come up behind this black kid, probably a teenager. And I've got the earphones on but I must be making one hell of a racket, the old rusty frame straining against the tires, the pedals going round and round defying ten years beneath my parents' back deck.

So as I pass the kid, he turns, and swings. Closed fist. That is his instant, and natural, reaction. He does not hit me. He stops himself when he sees my face, when he sees that I am not . . . . I don't know who or what he thought I was. A threat, obviously. I mutter (or scream, probably, in order to hear the apology over Tupac, who I think was playing on shuffle at the time) an apology, pedal hard, and do not look back.

Moments later, I make a decision to get out of that neighborhood and onto Washington Avenue, a well-lit main drag.

Buddy Evan Young, a magazine editor and comic book writer and almost novelist, provides a startlingly accurate description of the smell of Philadelphia somewhere in the pages of his unfinished novel. I won't even attempt to reproduce it here.

The point, though, is that I would like to somehow figure out a way to describe how the streets of Philadelphia feel.

There are a great number of wonderful things about this city. Say what you want about the sports fans, but they are among the most knowledgeable in the country. The musicians at Fergie's pub on Monday nights, to a man (or woman), are kind, open, funny, welcoming. The art museum rocks, the traffic doesn't seem to bad, the skyline is well on its way.

But when I ride my bike through the city, day or night, I am afraid of almost everyone I encounter.

Perhaps I am a big pussy. Or perhaps my sense of what is safe is skewed. Perhaps I am misinterpreting multiculturalism for racism. Perhaps I have been living in Japan too long.

Let me ask a question. There is a lot of talk about rights these days. What we should be allowed to do as citizens, what our government should be allowed to do as a body. But in the year 2007, at the pinnacle of civilization and culture and technology and awareness of diversity, shouldn't everyone on the planet, and not just those in Japan and a few other countries around the world, have the basic right to walk outside of their home and go somewhere without having to worry about "rough" neighborhoods?

Travelers to foreign lands, historically, have always had to worry about safety. From the first hunter-gatherers all the way up. Fear of an unknown person or entity is a natural human reaction.

But there are very few unknowns anymore. At least not in America. We're all very well aware of whites and blacks and hispanics and Asians and other. We have a pretty good understanding of what each race is about, what they eat and how they interact with each other and how they get married. It's all right there in front of us everyday.

So why am I afraid riding my bicycle through the streets? Where does that energy come from?

Please don't tell me I've been away too long, that I don't know what "reality" is. And please don't tell me that it is only my perception of things because I've been out of the country for so many years. People who live and work in the city and have been here for a long time have told me which neighborhoods are safe and which ones are not. They've told me to watch my back, to be careful, to avoid talking to strangers. Somebody offered to buy me a can of mace, and somebody else told me that I should not be so "aggressively friendly".

I don't want to expand this into a broad comment about fear and anger and race in America, because not all the facts are in, and because I am not yet informed enough about these topics. I am simply talking about how I feel a lot of the time. And why there is bulletproof glass at Taco Bell, and at filling stations, and, as I said, at the post office. It has become, I suppose, necessary.

One final point. Living in a safe world is a basic human right. But often rights must come with responsibility.

In a word, the safety of our world is all of our responsibility. So, like, what are we going to do about it?

with no power, nothing to do

2007-08-10T23:12:00.000-04:00

I have absolutely nothing in mind as I begin this post. No agenda, no theme. But I suppose I must start somewhere.

Michele hijacked back and posted a couple weeks ago to talk about the Senate debate on the war and to answer some of the questions I posed. I just read through that post and, once again, the part about Americans being a "cowering, inarticulate" people afraid to express any opinions for fear of pissing someone off struck me, as did the bit about America being another "failed political experiment."

Sobering thoughts indeed.

Has anyone read anything serious about the fall of the Roman Empire recently? Or the fall of any empire, really. I haven't, but I'm guessing that there are checkpoints along the way to the downfall of any political, economic, and cultural juggernaut, and I'm wondering how many of those America has passed. Perhaps someone could do some reading and enlighten us. Or maybe I'll do some myself.

As far as people being cowering and inarticulate goes, hmm. Obviously, I am not an expert on the current state of America (which is why I pose so many questions in this blog), but, at least from the things that I read and from the people who respond here, I don't think people are necessarily inarticulate. I think people genuinely don't know what to believe anymore. Let me explain.

Every once in a while, when I gain a flash of interest in politics, I do this little thing where I try to put myself in a vacuum, a vacuum free of all other thoughts and influences and prejudices. And then I think of issues. War. Abortion. Health care. Social services. Etc. Whatever's on my mind, whatever issues I think need to be addressed in any functioning society.

So I go into my little vacuum. Actually, wait. Just as I'm about to go into my little vacuum, I think about what will be my guiding light once inside, because that shit gets fucking dark. So my guiding lights are love and compassion, usually. Something along those lines. So I go into my vacuum and say to myself, "Right. So what's your stance on the war?"

Then I answer myself. "Love and compassion, love and compassion. Well, love and compassion would dictate that we supply all of our troops currently in Iraq with food, clothing, medical supplies, and building supplies. We send them out into the country and have them rebuild destroyed structures along the way. We then re-write the budget so that a chunk of the funds that have gone toward the war effort will now be distributed to those who have lost loved ones. In the meantime, George Bush and his entire staff, along with every member of Congress and every participant in the coalition of the willing, go to Iraq to publically apologize for the unexplained invasion. Once every building has been rebuilt and finances have been distributed evenly to all parties (which could take several years and several billion dollars, but then again, so will the ongoing war), we begin working on changing the hearts and minds of the people who have been hurt or wronged. We establish goodwill running both ways, perhaps we even form a communication system for the parents of dead American soldiers and the relatives of dead Iraqis. Anything to bridge the gaps of fear and hatred and distrust."

So. How does all that sound? Reasonable? No?

Why not? It's more than just love and compassion. It offers practical solutions to the problems. It has a financial component. We're spending all this money on the war anyway, why not redirect it to a more positive solution? It addresses the issues of health care and infrastructure in Iraq. And it will likely reduce terror. Everybody wins.

I like my vacuum.

But then reality sets in, and I start telling myself, "this is impossible. Nobody would go for it." Even you readers of this blog, you who are critical of the war and of the administration, you who are compassionate and free-thinking and "liberal", are no doubt thinking something like 'this guy is fucking nuts.' Or if you're not thinking that, you're thinking that it is impossible, that it will never work.

This, I think, is the problem. On some level, we all agree that my plan is crazy. But that is because we do not, at the moment, believe that something like that is possible. This, I think, is part of the reason why, like I said above, we don't know what we believe. Every ideal we have gets muddled and squashed down by world politics and Red States and Blue States and bureaucracy. Rather than thinking in our vacuums, we are thinking about everything in relation to everything else. Or, worse, we are thinking in terms of everything that runs against what we believe and hope in our hearts.

That, my friends, is fucking bullshit.

I am a believer in the politically-incorrect but aptly-named Great Man Theory. That people come along every so often, people with conviction who are willing to stick to their ideals at all cost, and dramatically change the course of human history. Sometimes they're good guys and gals, sometimes they're bad guys and gals. But they stick to what they see in their hearts in their own little vacuum, and they make it happen in reality.

Now, I realize that even the good guys and gals probably had casualties along the way. And I also realize that if there are 6 million idealists running around the planet bumping into each other, there will be as much conflict around the globe as there is right now.

However, you gotta start somewhere. Think about this question: what is your guiding light? What guides you when you are inside your vacuum thinking about issues that matter? Forget about reality for a second. Decide who you are and what you believe, regardless of whether it is practical or not. That's all for today, class dismissed.

an insight into your humble narrator, as expressed by hunter s. thompson

2007-08-10T06:11:00.001-04:00

"At first I was tempted to laugh it off, to give him as hard a time as I could and let him do his worst. But I didn't, because I was not quite ready to pack up and move on again. I was getting a little too old to make powerful enemies when I held no cards at all, and had lost some of my old zeal that had led me, in the past, to do what I damn well felt like doing, with the certain knowledge that I could always flee the consequences. I was tired of fleeing, and tired of having no cards. It occurred to me one evening, as I sat by myself in Al's patio, that a man can live on his wits and his balls for only so long. I'd been doing it for ten years and I had a feeling that my reserve was running low."--The Rum Diary

Sorry to be so sporadic. More to come soon.

dead rock stars/condoleeza's rice

2007-07-23T20:51:00.000-04:00

Well folks, utterly EPIC weekend. And I don’t throw that word around lightly. One for the ages, one reminiscent of the Bangkok days. Let’s get right into it.

Started off Thursday, actually. Me and Cowboy Rob Pinckney took our guitars up to local ex-pat watering hole TK6 for a short-notice set. The place was packed, people weren’t listening too much, but we steamrolled through some of my originals, some of his Johnny, Willie, and CCR covers, we did Brown Eyed Girl, and ended up with a half-assed version of Hotel California. I actually suggested we play Tequila Sunrise, but he was well into the intro before I got around to telling him it was the wrong song, and by then it was too late.

So I told myself that after the set, I’d have two beers, and then head home, as Saturday was the monthly Dead Rock Stars event (http://www.myspace.com/deadrockstarssapporo), an evening of five local bands organized by the gentleman spies. Jon and Andy of the spies asked me to do a couple solo acoustic sets between bands. It’s kind of a big thing in town, so I didn’t want to get too messed up Thursday night and lose my voice.

Movie cut: me banging along on the bartop at 3:30 AM as American Andrew blasts his iPod through the TK6 sound system rocking everything from Ray Charles to Zep to GN’f-in’R. Awesome night. Salsa dancing with this American girl who claimed to be a lesbian but I have my doubts. I ran screaming before I did anything remotely unfaithful to my special lady friend. Just throwing that out there. I am many things, but adulterous is not one of them.

At any rate. Slept in Friday, regrouped, hydrated, had an early one, home before 2:00.

A couple of the boys from my former place of employment, Hokkaido Outdoor Adventures (aka HOA) (http://www.rafting-hoa.co.jp/) were coming into town for the Dead Rock Stars and for the international party at a club called Mole later on. We started off with a few afternoon lukewarm ones at the beer garden in the park in the middle of town (more on that later, as well) before heading over to club 810 for the music.

First band was ok, my first set was ok. Video footage pending, perhaps.

The next act was an all girl band. Right away you could tell they were something special. HOA boy Jesse fell instantly in love with the drummer, HOA boy Jarad chose the guitar player. The singer was a chubby little thing in quasi Gothic Lolita attire, couldn’t have been more than four foot ten, but man did she hold the stage. Then on the last song, the guitar player, a hot little thing with perfectly straight, soft, smooth black hair flying everywhere, was rolling around on the floor Hendrix style, wailing, soloing, and doing a damn good job of it musically. I turned to Montana Jon, who was smoking a cigarette watching with a smile on his face waiting patiently to take the stage next, and said to him, “You have many things in your band, but what you do not have is hot Japanese girls rolling around on the floor playing lead guitar.”

The spies were good. Jon and Andy are both up around 6’5”, and their music is as towering as their stature. They went through a slick set of what Jarad referred to as “dirty rock”, closing with the ever-rousing “Conoleeza’s Rice”. Jon’s vocals are a little muffled on their myspace page, but check out the lyrics on all four songs (http://www.myspace.com/thegentlemanspies). There’s some good writin’ in there.

For my second set, spies drummer Makoto pulled up a tom-tom and played along with me. As the next band set up and I was tuning up behind the screen, I ran through the chords and changes and rhythms of the three songs I would play. Makoto and I had only met once before, and had never jammed. But man did he rock it. He was right there with me, picking up steam as we went. I was a little drunker, the crowd was a little drunker, when I got to the second half of my politically-charged “Miss America”, the sweat was pouring off of me and I was in the zone. People responded. Closed with “She’s So Lovely”, a song that is becoming so popular that it is asked for by name almost every time I pick up a guitar. My special lady friend, who put the “lovely” in “She’s So Lovely”, was almost as much in the spotlight as me. Great fun, great set.

The next band up was fronted by a heavyset Japanese dude with sweaty, straggly hair and big fuck-off pork chop sideburns. They were good, but, in retrospect, they were just a prelude to the final act.

I don’t know if I could quite describe these guys without accompanying video footage. When they opened, their lead singer, a five foot two, 110 pound Japanese guy in skintight red pants and a skintight red top with a butterfly collar, came out on stage and stood there smoking a cigarette, just staring at everybody. It was exciting. Cool, funny. Girl drummer, guys on bass and guitar.

Maybe we should skip to the last song. Red dude in the corner behind the amps screaming unintelligibly into the mic. Drummer holding steady. Bass player CROWD SURFING on the shoulders of two of the probably less than 50 people in the place. Guitar player has his axe laid across the metal bars in front of the stage, strings down, feedback screaming, and, in a very realistic fashion, making humping motions using the instrument as an extended phallus.

The place was electrified. All the way through, musically, they were absolutely tight, but loose and creative and jamming all at the same time. They did all originals, I think, but their sound ranged from power punk to modern rock to 60’s pop and everything in between. People in the crowd were screaming, jumping up and down, hugging each other. Cowboy Rob was just as into it as the little goth chick in the corner. The bass player was in a white suit with a floral button-down shirt. He would occasionally come to the front of the stage, stare directly into the lights with a murderously serious expression on his face, hold the beat with one hand, and open the jacket to reveal a mismatched floral pattern on the inside lining. He did it three or four times, and every time he did it, the place, inexplicably, erupted. The singer at one point went flat as a board and fell straight back, knocking over the guitar player and banging both of their heads into the PA. I swear people were comparing them to The Doors.

So they finally all threw down their instruments, and the three guys did this little quasi a capella thing at the end while the drummer kept a beat, and then they threw the microphones down and let feedback ring for a full minute or two before the sound guys cut the power.

Host Jon, ever gracious and humble, hopped up on stage, picked the mic off the floor, and delivered the only line that could have come after such a performance.

“People wonder why we don’t headline our own shows.”

You know, I was going to continue on with a recount of the events of the rave party we went to afterwards, and then of drinking at Rad Brother’s, Sapporo’s resident dirty foreigner bar, until 7:00 AM, and then getting up at 11:00 and going directly to the beer gardens for another 10 hour drinking session, but most of you have probably if not participated in such debauchery, heard stories about it. You didn’t even have to live in Bangkok.

I was also going to make some point about music being one of the two international languages that everyone can understand, but it’s Tuesday morning 9:30 AM, and I’m still sort of too hungover to think properly. But there is a point in there. I could understand very little of what little red dude in that closing band was saying, but it was just as powerful and moving as any set I’ve ever seen. Conversely, quite a few Japanese people were dancing along to my upbeat acoustic numbers and to the gentleman spies’ set, and both my music and theirs is very lyric-oriented and therefore would be almost unintelligible to even the sharpest of Japanese English speakers.

But, like I said, I’m just too hungover. I guess that’s what being 32 is all about. Two-day hangovers.

The other most effective international language, in my personal experience, and since you asked, is sports. Maybe more on that next time.

Speaking of next time, while I appreciate Michele's thoughts on the re-hijack, like I said, I'm in no condition to address them at the moment. But the dialogue is open, let's keep it up.

Rock out with the cock out, people! You might get hit by a bus today.

mess o' potamia, more

2007-07-18T01:57:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

i am hijacking back tonight because i've spent the last two hours watching the senate debate on the iraq war and needed to chime in on a couple of brother rob's questions and thoughts.

okay, how many of you knew that the senate was pulling an all nighter? as steven colbert pointed out, they are preempting things like the infomercial for the "magic bullet," a "very special episode of BLOSSOM" and coverage of the NHL rookie training camp.

what a great time to debate this war, between the hours of 11PM and 4AM. usually, i am listening to coast to coast AM with george noorie.

i guess, to answer rob's question about the difference between democrats and republicans is that there is none. i am squarely behind barack obama, but i also am frustrated by the fact that NO ONE is asserting themselves fully to say "stop the nonsense."

i'm currently listening to washington state senator maria cantwell, who is asking for a pull-out. she is asking for a public presentation of what a senator's opinion might be, and i agree whole-heartedly. stand up and reflect the opinion of what the people elected you to express. are we really being spun that much that there is actually a question. everyone i know wants out -- am i really in the minority?

what is the fear of just calling a vote and putting the question to the mat?

there is such a sense of apprehension, an overwhelming sense of fear here, rob, that no one is able to a) articulate their opinion b)hold fast to that opinion and c)accept being wrong or pissing people off that we are a complacent, cowering and inarticulate people.

what was once the great "american experiment" has turned into yet another example of the tyranny of power. we are no better than any other of the failed political experiments.

whew.

i dare you all to keep watching this debate and challenging your elected officials to reflect your opinion.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

cherry poppin' anonymous

2007-07-14T23:31:00.000-04:00

As the sort of non-response from anonymous was the first comment I've received since I took over the blog, I feel obligated acknowledge it.

First off, thanks. Much appreciated. Glad to know people are out there.

That said, I realize that "responding to jackass Volansky blog" falls well below items like "go to work," "feed the cat," and "fight for truth and justice" on most people's daily To Do list, so I don't get hurt or upset if no comments come through. Also, I understand that it was a long hiatus between Michele's last post and my first one, so I'm sure many people moved on to younger, more vibrant, attractive blogs. Perhaps this blog needs to buy one of these:

There is no substitute.

At any rate. A handful of emails have come through, so I know people are reading. If you have time, post a comment, if not, whatever. I'll get over it.

In other news, some buddies and I got together Friday night to do a bit of live music at a local bar, a place called Brian Brew. It was very casual, but if it did have a name, it would have been something like "White Men With Acoustic Guitars". Montana Jon and English Andy of The Gentleman Spies (http://www.myspace.com/thegentlemanspies) played a fun blend of covers and originals, including a strong version of the L. Cohen song "Hallelujah", a song that was made immortal by J. Buckley. After the Spies were done, Cowboy Rob Pinckney, farrier-cum-entertainer, hit us with some CCR, some Johnny, and some Willie. I closed with a set of mostly originals, but originals that have become familiar enough to the locals that there is some singing along. I also did my well-worn acoustic version of "Sweet Child O'Mine" that probably would have Axl & Slash rolling in their graves if they were dead. So that was that. Fun night out.

As Monday is a national holiday, I will momentarily be heading out the door to go camping with my special lady friend. Just the two of us, some trees, a fire, and an obnoxious amount of alcohol. Jealous?

Enjoy the weekend, folks!

gimme da fuckin' keys, cocksucker

2007-07-12T06:56:00.000-04:00

I like music. Listening to it, reading about it, talking about it. I play a bit of guitar and sing and write some songs, and enjoy it.

I check Rolling Stone’s website almost every day. It’s my pipeline to American music, American culture. (I’ve been living outside of America off and on for several years.) I read the feature stories, read the reviews. So the other day I clicked on a video clip where two members of the RS staff reviewed a couple albums. One was the new Velvet Revolver and I forget what the other one was. Anyway. They were sitting in like a conference room discussing Weiland’s vocals and Slash’s guitar, playing snippets from a cd player behind them and talking about the music.

They had some good things to say about it and some bad things. But what struck me most was that the two of them had this underlying tone of smugness throughout the whole thing. It’s like they were reviewing the record, but at the same time they were kind of acting like they were too cool to be reviewing the record. Like somewhere just below the surface, they were making fun of the whole thing. Does that make sense?

So, like Chazz Palmentieri at the end of The Usual Suspects, I began to put together clues from Rolling Stone articles I’ve read over the years, and from other blogs I’ve stumbled upon, and from other interviews with people in the artistic and entertainment industry. What I’ve realized is that that smugness was not an isolated incident.

I’ve spent a lot of years teaching junior high school students. One clear behavioral pattern that children in that age group all over the world share is the desire for privacy. Their bodies are changing and they are shy about showing them, their minds are changing and they are hesitant to offer opinions. Junior high school kids love to pass little folded-up notes in class and keep secrets from their friends.

In the process of teaching, I’ll often play communicative activities in which I ask the kids various questions. One activity focused largely on pop culture, sports, and entertainment. Who’s your favorite baseball player? Who’s your favorite singer? Perhaps because of the privacy thing, when I ask kids who their favorite singer or movie star or pop star is, they’ll often hmm and haw, will be shy about saying a name. It’s not that they don’t have a favorite, they just don’t want to look stupid by saying someone not cool or unattractive.

Of course young adults in America talk about music and movies and singers and bands and all that. They offer opinions and say what they like and don’t like.

But I see that smugness everywhere, that too-cool-for-school attitude. (I have heard of this thing called a "hipster", but I'm not quite clear on what it is. However, I do feel like this hipster thing is related to this smugness somehow.) I don’t see it as cool at all, though. I see it as kind of insecurity about looking stupid for saying they like a certain band or singer. The smugness deflects being identified with that group or style of music, waters down the true opinion, like a defense mechanism.

A few points on this. First off, this is a strictly American and British phenomenon. I interact with people from all over the world. Most of my close friends at the moment are Australian, Kiwi, and Canadian, and no matter how many times I meet one of them, I am struck by how genuine they are, especially when it comes to basic likes and dislikes. Many Americans and Britishers, on the other hand, when you ask them their thoughts on a bar or club, sports team, or cultural icon, will give you an answer, but a snide remark will linger just there, just in case.

Now, to be perfectly honest, I don’t care much about this in itself. If people want to make fun of bands, go for it. But I don’t see it as a strictly cultural thing. I see it as a symptom of a larger unwillingness to identify with anyone or anything that might be unacceptable to someone else. I see it as a symptom of an inability or unwillingness to take personal responsibility for beliefs. What I worry about is that if people are afraid to take a stand on a musician that they like, what hope do they have of holding fast on issues that matter?

Questions: is it easier to identify yourself with something trivial like a favorite band, or something serious like a political ideal? It’s hip to bash Bush these days, hip to stop global warming. Those are safe. But what about unsafe, divisive issues? What about the war in Iraq, for example? I am utterly opposed to violence, I don’t even kill mosquitoes, but I have yet to hear a convincing plan for the withdrawal of troops from the area that will not result in millions of Iraqis slaughtering one another. What do you think about this and other serious matters? I would imagine that the smugness disappears when more pressing issues come up, but do you think people really believe what they say, or is the smugness replaced by another similar defense mechanism that absolves them from really having to go to bat for something they believe? Do you stand firm in your own opinions, or do you waver depending on the situation or the people with whom you’re talking? Have your basic principles or ideals changed as you’ve gotten older? Is it easy or hard for you to express your opinions? Do you temper your opinions with some sort of defense mechanism?

I’m not pointing fingers here. I wonder if I do the same thing in barroom conversations and in other more formal arenas. My opinions shift as much as anybody’s. But this raises another question. We give shit to politicians who waver, but we also give shit to politicians who hold their ground in the face of heavy opposition or overwhelming disagreement. Why is that? Which do you think is less appealing?

Will close for now. Nobody seems to have taken up the question about Democrats and Republicans, but that’s fine. If I get answers, I’ll be glad to address them. If not, I’ve got plenty more where this came from, so I’ll just continue to bash away.

Take care, peeps. Have a good one.

opening remarks

2007-07-11T00:22:00.000-04:00

Michele tells me that I'm not allowed to actively advocate the overthrow of the American government on her blog. Fair enough. So let me go on record and say that I am not advocating the overthrow of the American government.

In fact, I'm not really political at all. Or at least I don't pay much attention to American politics. However, I have noticed that this blog contains a fair bit of political content, so I feel obliged to honor that as the surrogate poster. And what I'd like to do is open up the floor for comments, suggestions, or, most importantly, instruction in the workings of the current American system. Down to basics. I would like this blog to be more interactive, like those exhibits at the Franklin Institute, or a petting zoo. An evil petting zoo.

I thought it might be good to provide a few questions, easy questions, and then people can provide answers, and then we can go from there.

First off, what is the difference between a Democrat and a Republican? I have a pretty good idea of what they've represented historically, but what about now?

Please think about and respond to that.

Finally, I'll likely not keep this thing strictly political. It just occurred to me about a week ago to start doing this, so I haven't completely thought out what I would like to say in the sacred intellectual common ground of the internet, but I'd imagine I'll post on a wide variety of topics. Feel free to give suggestions.

Thanks! Have a great day!

hijack

2007-07-10T23:11:00.000-04:00

Hello, my name is Rob Volansky. I am Michele's younger brother. I will be taking over the blog indefinitely. Please read and enjoy. Have a nice day!

for now...

2007-06-25T15:18:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

it seems as though the dissertation, school, life in all of its wonderful incarnations and dramaturgy has taken its toll on the blog and it is now time to call it a day, at least for now.

you can still reach me at my email address, but i can't handle the pressure of knowing that i've not been able to post.

i trust you will understand.

go forth, fight the good fight and always remember --

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

leaving, part two.

2007-03-31T03:44:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

sitting in the lounge at manchester airport, having woken up at odark-thirty. i slept in the car ride over and now one side of my hair is smushed.

the day is going to be a long one.

i didn't want to leave the UK without mentioning that, as part of our travels in and around hull on tuesday and wednesday, helen and i went and visited the william wilberforce house in hull.

he's the town's favorite son. can anyone name the reason?

pause pause.

well, you can't avoid him these days.

he was the fellow who, in 1807, convinced the british to abolish slavery. this year is the 200th anniversary (the actual day was march 25, so my visit was really timely) and events are happening all over to mark it. you can visit the website for a complete run-down of the history, celebrations and impact wilberforce had.

the movie, AMAZING GRACE, is the story of wilberforce's efforts. i was sort of ambivalent about seeing it, but now i will.

and i urge you to sign the petition to stop the institution of slavery that still exists around the world today.

off now to find some chocolate homewheats for the lizard queen...hours more to go before i arrive back in the city of brotherly love.

kisses to all.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

leaving hull

2007-03-30T10:38:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

well, despite the fact that i was "warned" about the connection between eternal damnation and the city of hull, i've had a rather good week.

helen and i attempted to see the beverly minster...it ACTUALLY looks like this:

despite our smugness and helen's vast knowledge of the hierarchy of the church of england, it does not look like this:

the two do share a striking similarity (and, let's be honest, all big churches look pretty much the same), but we were just plain wrong. sigh. no wonder we are friends -- shared lack of directional abilities.

i've just finished my last module for the week and frankly, just in time. i am REALLY tired, having not slept much here. the bed in my room is a single and, since i'm used to a big queen, i've been waking myself up after whacking my arm on the wall.

oy.

i've also had little luck in finding some presents for you good, kind people, but the entire country shuts down around 5, which is when my classes have ended. it becomes like an instant ghost town. it is odd, but, once again, confirms why there is no more british empire.

really anxious to get home, and, luckily for me, i got bumped up to 'world traveller plus' in my seating, which gives me more legroom and space. and i got an exit row, so perhaps i'll sleep there. and of course, who can forget the "free drinks on overseas flights?" can anyone say "bloody mary."

all in all, it was a good trip and i feel really prepared to dig right on in on my dissertation. i do miss the girl -- i dreamt last night that she saved the life of a duck and was part of a car burglarly in which both my friend jeannie and my cel phone were taken. crazy where the brain goes...

right then, i'm off for a nap. then fish and chips for dinner.

and a 6:15 departure for manchester airport.

hope to see you all soon -- and much much love.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

volansky

online and rolling

2007-03-27T03:13:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

well, by some minor miracle, i am getting wireless access here in my little monastic room in hull, england. i think i may be stealing it from the italians (bon journo!) who are sharing the house with me, but no matter. i'm online!

things are going well here. i liked yesterday's session on "managing the research process," led by a feisty australian named "derek." he advocates empowerment of the post-grads, which, given my sleepy state, is not really something i am up for. however, i am discovering some things about the difference between writing a dissertation in the US and in the UK. very cool stuff. i'm anxious to meet with my advisor later in the week to explore where i think i am going. beware, library workers of the world...

i get to hang out with helen today, which is very exciting. i think we may tear up hull today and then take a little adventure tomorrow. i heard rumors from the kids about york and scarborough.

despite kate, rachel and erika's insistence that england is not as...um...technically backward as it seems, i am still cell-phoneless. it is sort of liberating. i do have a phone in my room and i had a good chat with brother bertie last night. one sibling in japan, one in england...mom and dad must be very proud of their world travelers.

off to class (good lord, my computer says that it is 3:21AM -- who knew i'd be up this early!) and in search of a decent cup of coffee.
be in touch -- i miss everyone. oh, and if you are looking for a little reading material, check out what is available later this week...

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

i'm in england!

2007-03-25T12:32:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

well, it has been a long while since i've posted. i've discovered that some of my opinions are rather boring to anyone except me and so i've chosen not to share each and every one of them.

however, before i launch into the travel narrative, i did want to turn your attention to two sites worth observing:

the first is this one.

i know that some of you are liking the other one, or maybe even the other one. but i like my guy. i can relate to him, i think he's smart. and i think he is different. not the usual suspect. which is, for me, what it is all about.

the other site i think is REALLY important these days is this one. josh was the first on this story, and has continued to cover it relentlessly. there was an article in the times which seemed to suggest that the scandal (is that really the best word?) around the firing of 8 US attorneys is a non-event, but i have to disagree. to fire a guy like bud cummins to replace a friend of karl;s (remember karl, gang? he's not gone ANYWHERE...) seems more than a little fishy to this blogger.

what do you think?

so, i am currently in hull, england. here is where it is:

think secaucus, new jersey. think about the monty python sketch regarding your lover in bolton.

that's hull. not a pretty place. but i hope to find some fun, adventure and my dissertation.

however, i have encountered some technical difficulties:

my cel phone does not work here.
my laptop cannot get wireless here.
the computers are ANCIENT.
internet access is extremely limited.
there are 3 television stations on the television my room, which is, hmm, 'sparse.'

last night i popped over to the 'old grey mare,' the closest pub. it was a MOB SCENE because, of course, england was playing israel in a sport we call soccer. they were completely overwhelmed and weren't serving food because of the crowd. so, i had 4 gin and tonics and 2 bags of doritos for dinner. i'm hoping for fish and chips tonight.

today's adventures had me walking walking walking looking for someplace, anyplace to be open. out of luck. i did find a little grocey and got some essentials (a chardonnay, some pasta, kleenex).

i am beginning to see why england lost their empire.

more later, but i miss everyone and feel very disconnected. you can try to email me (volansky@yahoo.com) but know that internet is not this island's best friend.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

make it stop

2007-02-12T22:05:00.000-05:00

friends,
i am at my wits end.
it kills me to watch/read/listen to anything.
my bone marrow is hurting.
stop the war in iraq.
stop the talk about invading iran -- the evidence is old and questionable.
shout it out loud.
make it stop.
make it stop.
make it stop.
demand answers.
demand answers.
demand answers.
and for god's sake,
gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

the party is over

2007-01-21T21:52:00.000-05:00

hello, friends,
interesting conversation going on in the "comments" section of my blog. i totally agree with jon the neocon, who observes that all wars are fought with young men. however, i'm not convinced that this particular president is taking a stand so much as he is unwilling to listen to ANY other options. there has to be other ways of dealing with the insurgency, the civil war and the number of military (both ours and iraq's) casualties and the ever-increasing civilian deaths. it just hurts and i feel completely helpless.
a couple of things to note:
i went to my favorite NYC watering hole on thursday --

where i had the great pleasure of seeing many, many fantastic new yorkers. not enough time, as always, but the mere taste left me wanting more. i'll be back to see the stoppard piece (http://www.coastofutopia.com/) in april. look for another outing then.

i suppose the big news is that the semester starts tomorrow morning. classes in american drama since 1992, dramaturgy and the junior seminar should make for a lively semester.

i am quite ready to return to work. while the reviews for DEX AND JULIE are good (http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/living/columnists/howard_shapiro/16491096.htm) and i certainly had a grand time doing it, my brain is a tad mushy. nothing keeps one sharper than a pile of 20-something deeply suspicious of what you are saying.

off to bed now, in anticipation of a gym trip in the morning. anyone want to take bets to see if i actually go?

and finally, a question from a great dinner party with the boys, buster and dp: can you tell who is a creamy peanut butter eater versus a crunchy peanut butter eater? discuss.

see you at the state of the union.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

now what?

2007-01-11T15:52:00.000-05:00

hello, friends,

i've read a bunch of blogs this morning, from those on the left and those on the right, and i have to say, there is not a lot of support for this escalation...

how's that for an understatement? whether it is coming from the most liberal of all, hilary, or from an ex-marine logged on to fox news, the response is more than a little clear.

i found myself watching the president last night and thinking a couple of things:

1. he looked terrible
2. he is standing alone, like the kid on the playground that just pooped his pants
3. he maintains a sense of arrogance and COMPLETE ignorance
4. the invocation of 9/11 along with "hint" of some action against syria or iran makes me believe that he is crazy, as betty asserted last night

a couple of weeks ago, the NYTimes printed an article observing that the bulk of the soldiers being killed in iraq at this stage in the game were young (under 25), white and from mostly rural areas. for some reason, that struck a chord with me. once again, we are sending those with few life options into a place to do someone else's dirty work. i would urge you, once again, to take a close look at the "names of the dead" listings in your local paper, or stare at the screen when jim leher shows the roll-call. it is heartbreaking and a staggering reminder that we here stateside having nothing to offer but our fervent wishes for it all to end.

write, call and challenge those who can make it stop.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

the year of the phlegm!

2007-01-04T13:30:00.000-05:00

hello, friends,

well, it sure is GREAT to be back. grading, christmas, new year's have all passed and now it is just winter break. nice, right? and a perfect time to hack up all that was bad about 2006 and spit it out onto 2007.

sorry. but i've had a bit of a head-cold over the last week. i'm on the mend, so let us catch up, shall we?

christmas was a laid-back event, spent with the o'brien's and a lovely little baby named walter. he and i chilled out and watched benedict XVI give the offering of peace and happiness. despite my feelings on catholicism, i am a sucker for all things ceremonial. this one seemed to be full of incense, wafers and a heavenly host. nice. for his part, the manfriend gave me heelys for christmas. those of you who are more suspicious think i am an accident waiting to happen -- well, i'll show you! just need to check with HR to make certain my insurance is up-to-date...

new year's was also a decidedly low-key event; uncle larry and the goodest of hearts get high marks and eternal love for braving, um, 1-95, and making it to philly for the event. those of you in chestertownvilleburgheightsuponavon, well, you missed out. and it was, perhaps, the last big volansky new year's eve party. next year's event is a secret. but a good time was had by all, i think. special shouts go to mc and jason, bethie and don, a multitude of medical doctors, some fine theater folks (look how happy murph looks! look at lois!) and the newly-engaged.

i have to take this moment to send out love to people i've not seen in a bit: dillmansky, mo and michel, wilner, and most especially the kirks. to all, i hope to see you in '07.

in the last couple of days (in between blowing my nose) i've been reading brother rob's novel. that's right, brother wrote an epic. it is REALLY good, totally original and if any of you have suggestions on publishing it, do pass them along.

speaking of which, if you are looking for early christmas gifts for next year, check out this link and start saving your pennies.

off to...well, either rehearsals, reading or possibly back to sleep. i love winter break.

be in touch. i miss you guys.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

please stand by

2006-12-13T10:15:00.000-05:00

hello, friends,
end of semester, start of rehearsal, found a loan (no monkeys involved...), a little crazy, so...

go forth and buy gifts.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

any help?

2006-11-29T16:08:00.000-05:00

hello, friends,

i need some advice.

i have successfully enrolled in a doctoral program at the university of hull in england. yay me!

i have tried to get funding through AES, sallie mae and through the stafford loan process. no one will grant me educational funding because i am doing a distance learning/higher degree through research program.

i then started applying for home equity loans and lines of credit. now, some of you know what sort of shape my credit is in and why...

i've been denied twice today in the last 4 hours.

i'm looking for alternative funding sources (foundations, grants, etc.) or a strong incentive to NOT rob a bank.

any suggestions?

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

happy and sad

2006-11-10T11:15:00.000-05:00

hello, friends,

i would be deeply remiss were i not to tip my hat off to ed bradley, who died yesterday after a bout with leukemia. i always loved the earring, and his love of jazz. he was one of the classy one, and he will most certainly be missed.

on a slightly less serious note, please see what the onion has to say about the resignation of donald rumsfeld. the headline is enough to cause a spit-take, "rumsfeld: 'my half-assed job here is done.'" it would be awful were it not so true.

have a great weekend and enjoy the warm sun, wherever you are.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

a new day

2006-11-09T22:47:00.000-05:00

hello, friends,

well, here we are. the democrats have captured the house and senate, nancy pelosi is the first woman speaker of the house and donald rumsfeld has resigned.

what happens next? it is far too early to tell if the democrats will take full advantage of this opportunity to turn the tide on so many issues -- our task, as i see it, as citizens, is to keep them honest. i will beg them not to play the "blame game," no matter how tempting it may be. we have to urge them to move forward.

to that end, i encourage you all to check out the following related sites, sent to me by playwright hilary bell: www.ceasefirecampaign.org and their parent organization, www.TheResPublica.org . this is their important message:

"This week the American people voted overwhelmingly to reject President Bush’s war in Iraq, and yesterday the key architect of the war, US military chief Donald Rumsfeld, announced his resignation. The winds of political change are sweeping the US, and the US-led Coalition in Iraq may -- finally -- be realising that they cannot win the war, and that they lack the legitimacy to bring stability and peace to the country without more help from the international community.

With a newly elected US Congress and a President who is finally in a listening mood, we now have a unique opportunity for a global public outcry to change the course of this disastrous war.

It’s the perfect time to act.

To seize this opportunity, we want to place ads in US and UK papers with a new global petition calling upon the Coalition to accept a larger role for the international community and a phased withdrawal of all its troops from Iraq. We’ll publish the number of signatures we get in the ads, so we need AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE to sign the petition.

This is our chance to make sure the pressure of global public opinion is being felt by Coalition governments as they rethink their war in Iraq, pressing them to accept a larger role for the international community and to withdraw their troops.

We know why it’s so important to act. A shocking study released by Johns Hopkins University last month suggested that hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians have been killed in Iraq -- more than anyone thought -- and experts warn that the civil war is about to pass a point of no return. October was the worst month yet for civilian casualties, with death squads moving house to house. The killing could place Iraq alongside Darfur as one of the greatest human catastrophes of our new century.

We must not let that happen. And if we each act quickly this week, we can each play a role in stopping it.

This may be our best chance for peace yet. Let’s take it.

The Ceasefire Campaign began when 300,000 individuals from over 150 countries came together to demand a ceasefire in Lebanon. The campaign is a project of Res Publica, a global civic advocacy group and registered charitable organization based in New York City. Please write to us at Team@CeasefireCampaign.org, and visit the Res Publica website for more information – www.TheResPublica.org"

i hope that you will join me in taking a minute to sign the petition.

on a related note, my good pal steve clemons is participating in the search for TIME magazine's "person of the year." check out his ruminations on his web site -- who would YOU choose?

i'm heading to beautiful chincoteague island for some much-needed rest and relaxation with the family, including sister sue and her gang, mama and papa, a couple of uncles and maybe a cousin or two. most exciting is the fact that the saint will be joining in on the fun. i'll say hi to a pony for ya'll. and dillmansky, i'll miss you most of all.

remember: keep them honest.

gotohelllifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

november 8

2006-11-08T10:57:00.000-05:00

hello, friends,

the above photo represents why america voted the way it did yesterday. let us NEVER forget that actual lives are being lost in fighting a war that has no focus, no objective and no clear ending. in my world, a paper with these elements would be graded with a big, green "F."

now is the time to look forward. we must not continue to blame. it is time to:

1. insure the uninsured and repair the health care system
2. raise the minimum wage
3. solve the problems in immigration -- we are a nation of immigrants!
4. reverse the tide of the growing national debt
5. guarantee civil rights for ALL
6. plan and execute a viable option for ending the war in iraq.

it is raining here in maryland, but it has not dampened my spirits.

let's get to work.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

truthdig.com

2006-10-23T20:07:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

smart, eagle-eyed larry passed this along.

i share it with you, withold comment and encourage you to read all of the postings which follow it. click here to visit the whole site. november 7 could be a mighty long night -- stock up on your toilet paper, milk and bread.

After Pat’s Birthday
By Kevin Tillman
Editor’s note: Kevin Tillman joined the Army with his brother Pat in 2002, and they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. Kevin, who was discharged in 2005, has written a powerful, must-read document.

It is Pat’s birthday on November 6, and elections are the day after. It gets me thinking about a conversation I had with Pat before we joined the military. He spoke about the risks with signing the papers. How once we committed, we were at the mercy of the American leadership and the American people. How we could be thrown in a direction not of our volition. How fighting as a soldier would leave us without a voice… until we got out.

Much has happened since we handed over our voice:

Somehow we were sent to invade a nation because it was a direct threat to the American people, or to the world, or harbored terrorists, or was involved in the September 11 attacks, or received weapons-grade uranium from Niger, or had mobile weapons labs, or WMD, or had a need to be liberated, or we needed to establish a democracy, or stop an insurgency, or stop a civil war we created that can’t be called a civil war even though it is. Something like that.

Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns everything that it is.

Somehow our elected leaders were subverting international law and humanity by setting up secret prisons around the world, secretly kidnapping people, secretly holding them indefinitely, secretly not charging them with anything, secretly torturing them. Somehow that overt policy of torture became the fault of a few “bad apples” in the military. Somehow back at home, support for the soldiers meant having a five-year-old kindergartener scribble a picture with crayons and send it overseas, or slapping stickers on cars, or lobbying Congress for an extra pad in a helmet. It’s interesting that a soldier on his third or fourth tour should care about a drawing from a five-year-old; or a faded sticker on a car as his friends die around him; or an extra pad in a helmet, as if it will protect him when an IED throws his vehicle 50 feet into the air as his body comes apart and his skin melts to the seat.

Somehow the more soldiers that die, the more legitimate the illegal invasion becomes.

Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground.

Somehow those afraid to fight an illegal invasion decades ago are allowed to send soldiers to die for an illegal invasion they started.

Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated.

Somehow profiting from tragedy and horror is tolerated.

Somehow the death of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people is tolerated.

Somehow subversion of the Bill of Rights and The Constitution is tolerated.

Somehow suspension of Habeas Corpus is supposed to keep this country safe.

Somehow torture is tolerated.

Somehow lying is tolerated.

Somehow reason is being discarded for faith, dogma, and nonsense.

Somehow American leadership managed to create a more dangerous world.

Somehow a narrative is more important than reality.

Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns
everything that it is.

Somehow the most reasonable, trusted and respected country in the world has become one of the most irrational, belligerent, feared, and distrusted countries in the world.

Somehow being politically informed, diligent, and skeptical has been replaced by apathy through active ignorance.

Somehow the same incompetent, narcissistic, virtueless, vacuous, malicious criminals are still in charge of this country.

Somehow this is tolerated.

Somehow nobody is accountable for this.

In a democracy, the policy of the leaders is the policy of the people. So don’t be shocked when our grandkids bury much of this generation as traitors to the nation, to the world and to humanity. Most likely, they will come to know that “somehow” was nurtured by fear, insecurity and indifference, leaving the country vulnerable to unchecked, unchallenged parasites.
Luckily this country is still a democracy. People still have a voice. People still can take action.

It can start after Pat’s birthday.

Brother and Friend of Pat Tillman,
Kevin Tillman

take care of each other.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

volansky

that point in the semester

2006-10-21T11:15:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

it's that point in the semester where i am drowning in a sea of grading. good friend paul sent along the following, which allowed me to go on. i laughed so hard, my coffee came out my nose.

enjoy.

Every year, English teachers from across the country can submit their collections of actual analogies and similes found in high school essays.

These excerpts are published each year to the amusement of teachers across
the country.

Here are last year's winners.....

1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.

3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the
country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those
boxes with a pinhole in it.

4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E. Coli, and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.

5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.

8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.

9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.

10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.

11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.

12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.

13. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.

14. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth.

15. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.

16. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River.

17. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.

18. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.

19. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

20. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.

21. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

22. The ballerina rose gracefully en Pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.

23. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.

24. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

another thought...

2006-10-17T16:21:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

so, on the heels of my question of yesterday comes this from bob herbert in the nytimes:

Why Aren’t We Shocked?

“Who needs a brain when you have these?”

— message on an Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirt for young women

In the recent shootings at an Amish schoolhouse in rural Pennsylvania and a large public high school in Colorado, the killers went out of their way to separate the girls from the boys, and then deliberately attacked only the girls.

Ten girls were shot and five killed at the Amish school. One girl was killed and a number of others were molested in the Colorado attack.

In the widespread coverage that followed these crimes, very little was made of the fact that only girls were targeted. Imagine if a gunman had gone into a school, separated the kids up on the basis of race or religion, and then shot only the black kids. Or only the white kids. Or only the Jews.

There would have been thunderous outrage. The country would have first recoiled in horror, and then mobilized in an effort to eradicate that kind of murderous bigotry. There would have been calls for action and reflection. And the attack would have been seen for what it really was: a hate crime.

None of that occurred because these were just girls, and we have become so accustomed to living in a society saturated with misogyny that violence against females is more or less to be expected. Stories about the rape, murder and mutilation of women and girls are staples of the news, as familiar to us as weather forecasts. The startling aspect of the Pennsylvania attack was that this terrible thing happened at a school in Amish country, not that it happened to girls.

The disrespectful, degrading, contemptuous treatment of women is so pervasive and so mainstream that it has just about lost its ability to shock. Guys at sporting events and other public venues have shown no qualms about raising an insistent chant to nearby women to show their breasts. An ad for a major long-distance telephone carrier shows three apparently naked women holding a billing statement from a competitor. The text asks, “When was the last time you got screwed?”

An ad for Clinique moisturizing lotion shows a woman’s face with the lotion spattered across it to simulate the climactic shot of a porn video.

We have a problem. Staggering amounts of violence are unleashed on women every day, and there is no escaping the fact that in the most sensational stories, large segments of the population are titillated by that violence. We’ve been watching the sexualized image of the murdered 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey for 10 years. JonBenet is dead. Her mother is dead. And we’re still watching the video of this poor child prancing in lipstick and high heels.

What have we learned since then? That there’s big money to be made from thongs, spandex tops and sexy makeovers for little girls. In a misogynistic culture, it’s never too early to drill into the minds of girls that what really matters is their appearance and their ability to please men sexually.

A girl or woman is sexually assaulted every couple of minutes or so in the U.S. The number of seriously battered wives and girlfriends is far beyond the ability of any agency to count. We’re all implicated in this carnage because the relentless violence against women and girls is linked at its core to the wider society’s casual willingness to dehumanize women and girls, to see them first and foremost as sexual vessels — objects — and never, ever as the equals of men.

“Once you dehumanize somebody, everything is possible,” said Taina Bien-Aimé, executive director of the women’s advocacy group Equality Now.

That was never clearer than in some of the extreme forms of pornography that have spread like nuclear waste across mainstream America. Forget the embarrassed, inhibited raincoat crowd of the old days. Now Mr. Solid Citizen can come home, log on to this $7 billion mega-industry and get his kicks watching real women being beaten and sexually assaulted on Web sites with names like “Ravished Bride” and “Rough Sex — Where Whores Get Owned.”

Then, of course, there’s gangsta rap, and the video games where the players themselves get to maul and molest women, the rise of pimp culture (the Academy Award-winning song this year was “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp”), and on and on.

You’re deluded if you think this is all about fun and games. It’s all part of a devastating continuum of misogyny that at its farthest extreme touches down in places like the one-room Amish schoolhouse in normally quiet Nickel Mines, Pa.

i wonder how this might be received to the non-feminists.

smart kate passed along this link, which offers some insights that might prove valuable in this on-going conversation. check it out.

on a related note, i got an email today from a dear friend in canada. his plea, his observations and his resolution are all worrisome to me -- i fear once again we are hearing the fiddler tuning up. here's what he had to say:

Hey,

Well that's done it. This morning's signing of the Terror Interrogation Law has convinced me that America is not a safe place to visit anymore.

After rebelling against Britain for decisions made in isolation of the people affected; after 200 years of, however self-interestedly, exemplifying the benefits of a free society, where citizens can be assured of basic inalienable rights; after championing fundamental democratic principles such as freedom of the press; after creating a constitution with internal checks and balances to prevent the rise of tyranny, a constitution debated by some of the most prominent thinkers of the era, based on an understanding of history rarely demonstrated by public figures today; it's clear America has given up on itself.

It's been a while since the last appearance of America, altruist, but at least the lip service was still there. This most recent event, though, has shattered the last, hopeful, illusions I was clinging to. America is now soley about power and profit, it seems, and obfuscating its citizens into silence with sound-bite phrases like "The War on terror." (In itself an oxymoronic and inherently naive slogan.)

I know I'm preaching to the converted, I can't help it. I don't consider myself to be a reactionary, but I won't be travelling to the US until things change. A chance comment, and suddenly you're facing the death penalty in a court with no appeal, no recourse, no publicity, and essentially no defence? And the current US government won't hesitate to use it, I'm sure.

Not for me, thanks. I'll stay in countries that still respect fundamentals pioneered by America way back in the 18th century, and bolstered by multilateral agreements like the Geneva convention, among others.

For god's sake get busy and get the democrats to sweep the house and senate this fall! Failing that, we could probably use help getting rid of our own neo-Stalinist up here. A couple of million even mildly left-leaning Americans moving in to Alberta would make an enormous difference in the Canadian political landscape.

And we have good beer.

Gotohellifyouhatefreedom, indeed.

Cheers

pleasepleaseplease make sure you vote on november 7th. i fear what might happen if we continue on this track unchecked.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

feminism, liberalism and other dirty words

2006-10-16T16:00:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

this is pledge week in radio land, so if you go ga-ga over glass, tipsy over terry or moon over morning edition, make sure you give to your local public radio station. i'll be sending some cash to WHYY (www.whyy.org) and to YPR (www.wypr.org) .

i would suspect that "public radio" falls into the "dirty word" category.

the question, "are young women today feminists?" has been bandied around my circle for the last couple of weeks and the answer was recently revealed to me: a resounding NO.

out of 19 students in one class (10M, 9W), a grand total of THREE (2W, 1M) identified themselves as "feminists;" that is, they believe in the movement known as "feminism."

does this upset anyone other than me? has that word become so closely associated with the rush limbaugh-created "feminazi" that the advancement of "core" feminist issues -- equal pay, sexual harassment awareness, reproductive rights, victim advocacy -- are sidelined?

we do liberalism on wednesday. i'll keep you posted.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

america's newest sweethearts...

2006-10-08T22:55:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

is it mattolansky?

is it michechris?

brad and angelina may have a better word combo, but look at the joy, the love, the adoration.

the picture is worth a thousand words...

this is to prove to those folks who believe that i only schmooze with republicans... (see http://volanskyism.blogspot.com/2005/07/rove-story.html for further details)

on a more personal front, thanks to all involved for a terrific weekend. though i was an OLD WOMAN for most of it, i did have a dandy time. and for the record, at trader joe's today (www.traderjoes.com), i bagged my own groceries, thank you very much. and mr. walsh's hair was most assuredly in place.

and for those of you who are so inclined, please go see the fabulous pete pryor as michal in the wilma's production of martin mcdonagh's wonderful story, THE PILLOWMAN. here's a way to check it out: http://www.wilmatheater.org/)

finally, go eagles. it got a little tense there, but thank god for leto. whoa whoa whoa. you know the words. and you want to sing along...

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

volansky

SexualHarassmentsexualharassment

2006-10-06T09:27:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

raining here in chestertownvilleburgheightsuponavon-shire, but i think that is okay. fall seems to have arrived for good, which makes at least one philosophy professor happy.

so, i've been reading up on this mark foley business and, given my history with OLEANNA, bob packwood (extra credit for anyone who can identify him -- where is he now??) and other related matters, i've found it to be completely fascinating.

have we learned NOTHING since the sexual harassment epidemic of the early 1990s? anyone remember anita hill? huh? the only difference between a pubic hair on a coke can and IMing to check what one's "friend" is wearing (or not wearing) is a wee bit of technology courtesy of al gore. am i right?

i joke, but of course, it is not a laughing matter. i am FURIOUS over the knee-jerk response of "pedophile = gay" and "abuse = alcoholic = gay." i mean, have we not moved along AT ALL?

for a more thoughtful analysis, you might want to revisit my good friend steve clemons' www.thewashingtonnote.com. he's been right on the money in examining the situation from a political point of view. and there are DARLING photos of oakley to boot.

one final thought. does anyone think that tonight's version of larry king is weird: "tonight, mark foley's former page speaks out! plus, olivia newton-john!"

my brain goes to weird places.

be good to each other.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

moving along

2006-10-03T23:26:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

sitting here at chez miller watching a wee bit of my hero, jon stewart. his guest this evening is dennis miller, a fellow that i really once truly loved (almost as much as stewart himself), but i've been a tad perplexed since he went to the dark side. i don't understand why he is now a "regular contributor to fox news." is it me, or is it upsetting?

he is still referencing himself into oblivion, which is funny.

i am wondering what the heck is going on with the page system down there in DC -- i did suggest to some friends that they should dress up as mark foley and his lad friend for halloween. feel free, anyone, to use it.

i am really knee-deep in work, people, which explains my sporadic postings. on the docket is a reading of bruce graham's new play (see http://www.ardentheatre.org/2007/dexandjulie.html for details) later this month, a workshop of MY NAME IS ASHER LEV and, oh yeah, my dissertation. if anyone cares to share stories about ken tynan or frank rich, i am open to suggestions. the topic: theater critics turned cultural observers. i am ENTHRALLED with my topic and am willing to engage anyone in a conversation.

i've said a sad farewell to the divine miss jess and have started a serious grown-up cleaning of 2210. if anyone has an extra twin or double bed just rotting away in their basement, i'd love to take it off of your hands. and then invite you over to sleep in it!

i am missing a lot of people these days, what with all of the work -- you know who you are. but i think of each and every one of you before i go to bed at night and hope to see you all again soon. come down for a visit!

a special shout-out to brother rob, out there in japan.

THIS JUST IN: the persian and the polack arrive on our eastern seaboard on or around october 23rd! stay tuned for details on where and when to shower them with kisses.

fight the good fight.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

Remembering

2006-09-11T09:20:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

here we are, september 11, 2006. did anyone, on that day, think that we would be here now?

as i sat down at my computer this morning, here in chestertownvilleburgheightsuponavon-shire, and lovely wendy's house, i flicked on CNN, as i always do. the scroll along the bottom was listing the names of the nearly 3,000 who were killed on that day five years ago.

coincidentally (that's not the right word, i know...), they were on last names that began with a "k," and i sat quietly waiting for danielle kousoulis' name to appear. she was the little sister of one of my dear friends from elementary and high school, and one of my own sister's friends. while faith and i had certainly lost touch since high school and college, five years ago, all of our history came flashing back to me.

there's a great article in the city paper, written by another alum of haddon township, that sort of captures what we all -- those of us from a little town in the new jersey suburbs -- might be feeling today. there are also thoughts from peter kousoulis, danielle's sister. it's a good read: http://www.citypaper.net/articles/current/phillyblunt.shtml.

i also think of my old friend julie, with whom i shared that day. we sat on my couch in philly in stunned silence.

september 11 changed so many things, and there are, i believe losses that are less tangible that those that are obvious -- i think there were losses of marriages, of friendship as well. i know that i experienced some of that.

and so, on this day, let's remember to be kind to one another -- we need each other.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

sweatin' to the oldies

2006-09-03T15:51:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

i hope this finds everyone doing well, having survived hurricanes ernesto and john, as well as the president's recent address to the american legion.

the republican word for the day is this: islamic fascism.

i know that we all recoil when he opens his mouth, but i think, we should start listening again. he has reached a level of delusion that has not been seen since, oh, i don't know, since sister sue and i convinced brother rob that superman would fly past his window and see rob in his superman underoos.

sorry. childhood moment.

at any rate, there's the president. and then there's the senate race between santorum (and we all know how to translate THAT word, right -- see dan savage for details...in this and only this instance, wiki is acceptable: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savage_Love) and bob casey.

now i've heard some of my fellow left-leaning folks say that they just can't find it in themselves to vote for EITHER candidate. however, may i remind all of you of the need to look at the BIG PICTURE. by regaining the congress, we can spend the next two years impeaching this president and his cronies, while, at the same time, trying to turn the titanic upright again. tim russert, on this morning's "meet the press"(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/) hosted a lively debate between the two. at one point, casey called santorum "crazy." big fun was had by all. for my fellow pennsylvanians, i hope that you'll remember to look beyond our humble little borders.

classes have started again and gosh, i love my students. smart freshman and smart upperclassman will make for a fantastic semester. i'm teaching "great american speeches" and "theatre in performance" for the freshman and "dramatic theory" for the smarty-pants drama majors. aristotle, anyone?

and it is delightful to be back in the land of the wednesday night gang.

i would encourage anyone who likes the land of blogging to check out the new one from our good friends in the star center: http://revolutionarycollege.blogspot.com/ dreamboat adam goodheart and friends have been digging around chestertownvilleburgheights-upon avon and have come up with some remarkable things. follow them.

finally, we are saddened by the defeat of andre agassi at the US open. i'll be the first to admit that i was suspect of him when he first arrived on the scene (and even more so when he married brooke shields...) but he's sort of grown on me. fare thee well, andre. enjoy the retirement.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

ps oh, hey, if anyone, speaking of brooke shields, has anything to say about the recent reconciliation between brooke and tom cruise, please share.

summer wind, part 2

2006-08-20T13:56:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

i wanted to alert you all to the fact that i'll be on the radio on tuesday, august 22nd at 11AM EDT.

the link is here:
http://www.whyy.org/91FM/radiotimes.html

you can stream it via real audio, itunes or windows media player or you can download it onto itunes (also downloadable for free) for later listening again and again.

you can also call in and harass me.

i'll be talking about the relationship between artist and audience with marty and philadelphia critic cooper robb.

essentially gassing on.

listen to me make a fool of myself for a WHOLE HOUR!

one can only hope that the 7-second delay will be in effect and that michael powell will be in crawford with the rest of the crew...

enjoy.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

Summer Wind

2006-08-20T13:38:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

well, the summer is certainly winding down here in volanskyland. despite the fact that i've been essentially off since may 21, i still feel as though i need a bit more vacation before we call it a summer.

let us recap, shall we?

terrific fun was had by all during summer advising at washington college in the middle of june -- lots of nervous freshman, born (sit down, please) in 1988. take a brief moment to think about the fact that this year's incoming class of freshman was born in 1988 and then bang your head against the wall. just flash back to ANY image you might have had from 1988 and you'll know what i am talking about. in the next couple of weeks, check out this link: http://www.beloit.edu/~pubaff/mindset/ for a bit more information about these kids.

there was the dixelman lovefest in minneapolis -- may longevity and the gifts that were given be a part of every day of your wedded lives.

playpenn brought a slew of new friends and new plays -- let's give a shout out to mister paul and mister fran for helping us all get through it. and, again, for those of you who know and love lucy and aashlesha, please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

ATHE was the subject of the last post, but remember how much we love those chicago gals. to the guys, well, sorry that i missed you, but girltime was certainly needed by one and all. and miz laura, gosh, i miss you. sometime soon on the east coast, okey-dokey.

then there was the AWESOME vacation with mister chris to treasure lake in the untapped alleghany mountains. i think surviving a vacation together certainly gives us some props, huh? and a special shout-out to the kings who came up to join us. how much do we LOVE eating pie for breakfast?

in between all of this was quality time with bethie, the boys, the brit and his cute girl, jess and the pattis. i do wish that there was some more d.p. time, but there is still a breath of summer left.

and last night's adventure with theresa, jo, sheila, linda and billy was a FEAST of fun. if you've not been to a melting pot, save up your pennies and go to one. here' s a link: http://www.meltingpot.com/index.htm. and make sure you use the mouthwash.

finally, to those of you in chestertownvilleburgheights-upon-avon, lock up your children. i'll be back soon.

enjoy.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

This Just In...

2006-08-05T19:48:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

mel gibson has just started launching weapons at israel.

sorry. that wasn't funny, but i just had to weigh in there...

i'm sitting in the palmer house hilton in beautiful downtown chicago, having spent the last several days at the ATHE (association of theatre in higher education) conference (see www.athe.org) for more details. i've also had the great fortune to have seen a LOVELY production of bruce norris' new play, THE UNMENTIONABLES, directed by anna d. shapiro and featuring the always-luminous amy morton, along with shannon cochran and rick snyder. great work.

in addition, i've been on a sort of "culinary reunion" here in chicago. yesterday, it was all about the potbelly sandwich (www.potbelly.com). that poser chain known as quizno's has NOTHING on a vegetarian potbelly sandwich, though miz liz swears by the PB & J. and then there was dinner with the divine jessica, a VERY pregnant mrs. lance baker and a glowing leason at none other than kamehache, the BEST sushi this side of sapporo. we were later transported to hipster central, known as the landmark, where anna d. is apparently a regular fixture. the fun didn't end until about 2, when miz liz and i shared some iced amarettos.

the conference has been good, as i get to spend some quality time with treasured dramaturgical friends. and, since it is chicago, i've had the good fortune to see some of my old peeps. i am feeling a little homesick for the girl, but i am THRILLED that al gore has started reigning in that global warming business.

i have been reading thomas e. ricks' book FIASCO, which is subtitled THE AMERICAN ADVENTURE IN IRAQ. i'm still early on, but i am perhaps most stuck on the notion that, in a meeting on postwar iraq, a powerpoint presentation was given that consisted of only 32 badly written slides. 'nuff said, right?

stay strong.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

On the brink

2006-07-20T14:37:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

i've been watching both CNN and THE DAILY SHOW on a regular basis and frankly, it is impossible to tell what is real and what is satire. the situation in the middle east is so staggeringly awful that i find it hard to believe that life in the US continues in such an oblivious way. we're idiots in so so so many ways.

here is my point of view on the matter. i believe that the holocaust was one of the worst atrocities man has committed against itself in the history of time. i believe that slavery, the armenian genocide, the various slaughters made by the british over the centuries in the name of "civilization," the bosnian crisis and the nightmare in the congo were all equally horrifying. like many of you, i have been aghast at the terror in darfur.

i cannot get on board with israel on this one. i just can't. i am prepared for the onslaught, but let's be honest -- it is awful on BOTH sides. BOTH sides are wrong, so horribly wrong. the whole region is one that carries centuries of mistrust and misdeeds. each and every country, from israel to palestine to lebanon to syria, has the right to exist on the same parcels of land. there is no answer. and my heart breaks for everyone and i feel completely helpless.

good chum lindsay forwarded this link from a blogger in beirut: http://mazenkerblog.blogspot.com/. check it out. and if you have a blog that you'd like me to share with others, send it along.

be good to each other.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

Make it Better

2006-07-12T22:38:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

in the middle of fast and furious rewrites with both playwrights -- i'm amazed at their ability to turn around great, solid work in such a short time. there's a symposium tomorrow night at 8PM on the topic of "let them eat cake? audiences and performance in the 21st century" that should be great: eduardo machado, sociologist michal mccall and poet/hyperlinker michael joyce and me. fun abounds! then, the readings begin on friday at 8PM and continue saturday at 3 and 8 and then sunday at 3PM. drinks on sunday night. we're at the adrienne on sansom between 20th and 21st. come along -- for specifics, go to www.playpenn.org. and this year, we're doing nothing but thinking about the much-loved and missed veronica. here's to you, my friend.

today's message was inspired by a passing comment i heard on the street two days ago. one teenage girl smacked her friend on the arm and barked, "make it better." the hitt-ee said, "okay, okay, okay." it seemed so simple, so obvious that it really stuck with me. wanna make poverty a thing of the past? go here: www.one.org. interested in the work of doctors without borders (whose membership includes my former pediatrician, dr. jerry erhlich!) and their efforts towards providing emergency medical services? go here: www.doctorswithoutborders.org. howsabout the protection of our first amendment -- and of those who report it? learn more about the international federation of journalists: www.ifj.org. maybe it has to do with pets: www.hsus.org or health coverage and other issues related to and for children: www.childrennow.org or possibly even a grand experiment involving books and park benches at www.bookcrossing.com.

i guess my point here is again "do something." don't be a slacktivist. make it better. if a teenager can play along, surely you can too.

on another front, it is my great pleasure to welcome to the world kendall madison simms, born at johns hopkins yesterday, july 12th. she weighed in at 7 pounds, 5 ounces and is 19 inches in length. her surgery date, likely to be friday or saturday, will be decided soon, so keep her, her parents karen and steve and her unsuspecting brothers jake and greyson -- they have no idea what a baby sister is going to do to their boy-ish lives. -- in your thoughts. congratulations and much love.

and if you get a chance to watch a repeat of the "american masters" show on woody guthrie, do so.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

National Cemeteries -- At What Cost?

2006-07-10T08:54:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

another good day in rehearsal yesterday. i'm working on two plays this year: lucy thurber's SCARCITY directed by brian mertes and BAD FOR THE JEWS by peter morris and directed by danny goldstein. we're having a bang-up time killing trees (ironic, huh, given the post from yesterday) with all of the rewrites.

today's message is as a result of the trip to minneapolis. as betty was dropping me and morgan off at the airport, we passed fort snelling national cemetery. this is what we saw from along the road and through the gates:

i don't know how many of you have been to arlington or one of the other 123 national cemeteries in 39 states, but it is really a sobering sight. there are over 2.5 million war dead buried in these cemeteries from every conflict in our nation's history. it makes one stop and wonder what the purpose of it all is.

so, today's message is: "at what cost?"

if you take a look at a cemetery like arlington, or fort snelling, or cave hill or any of the others (see http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/cems/listcem.asp for a complete list) that i've been to, you will see row after row after row after row after row of these simple white headstones. how many of us actually absorb it? it is impossible for one human to take in all of it, but don't we owe it to them?

on a related note, don't we owe it to them to read their names when we see the box listed in the "new york times"? don't we owe it to them to be silent for a minute while the "newshour" shows the photos of the recent dead in iraq or afghanistan.

answer the question.

i am happy to report that sylvia poggioli (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=2101034, our favorite NPR gal) is partying like a rock star with the players of the italian world cup team. after surviving bosnia and the recent papal elections, sister, you deserve this:

am i right?

have a good day, folks.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

volansky

Dawn of a New Day

2006-07-09T09:09:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

here at volanskyism, we've been getting up fairly early to go to rehearsals for playpenn, which are held from 10-7. as most of you know, i don't generally see 10AM, so it has not been "fun" and my gym attendance has fallen a little short (however, i can still kick a lot of ass -- and the ass is smaller!).

sorry, shiny objects.

at any rate, as i was in a barfy feverish state the last two days (don't you hate being sick in the summer?), i realized that i was living a metaphor. it IS a new dawn. isn't that exciting?

to that end, i am going to get political.

the folks on the other side of the aisle are SO GOOD at putting everyone on message every day with cutesy little phrases ("cut and run," anyone?) and not-so-subtle backdrops that i thought i would take a cue from them.

since it seems clear to me that this side of the aisle can't quite pull that off as effectively as, say, i can, i thought i would pitch in and do my part.

today's message: "it's HOT, you little snot!"

i recently checked out the EPA's global warming site and, as suspected, there is a disclaimer at the top that suggests, like evolution, that global warming is only one theory among many. this is the environmental protection agency people.

here's just a little bit of info about the role of carbon dioxide (that's us) in global warming. just so we have the facts right:

Warmings take about 5000 years to be complete. The lag is only 800 years.
All that the lag shows is that CO2 did not cause the first 800 years of warming,
out of the 5000 year trend. The other 4200 years of warming could in fact have
been caused by CO2, as far as we can tell from this ice core data.

The 4200 years of warming make up about 5/6 of the total warming. So
CO2 could have caused the last 5/6 of the warming, but could not have caused the
first 1/6 of the warming.

It comes as no surprise that other factors besides CO2 affect climate.
Changes in the amount of summer sunshine, due to changes in the Earth's orbit
around the sun that happen every 21,000 years, have long been known to affect
the comings and goings of ice ages. Atlantic ocean circulation slowdowns are
thought to warm Antarctica, also.

From studying all the available data (not just ice cores), the probable
sequence of events at a termination goes something like this. Some (currently
unknown) process causes Antarctica and the surrounding ocean to warm. This
process also causes CO2 to start rising, about 800 years later. Then CO2 further
warms the whole planet, because of its heat-trapping properties. This leads to
even further CO2 release. So CO2 during ice ages should be thought of as a
"feedback", much like the feedback that results from putting a microphone too
near to a loudspeaker.

In other words, CO2 does not initiate the warmings, but acts as an
amplifier once they are underway. From model estimates, CO2 (along with other
greenhouse gases CH4 and N2O) causes about half of the full
glacial-to-interglacial warming.
how's that for some stuff? the source is www.realclimate.org.
that's the message for today. now get out there and spread the word.
gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

Drop Kick

2006-07-08T14:09:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

thank you all so much for the phoners and emails you left regarding the last post. and i am most sorry for bumming out uncle larry -- his extended summer vacation should not included thoughts of suicide on my behalf. and i do apologize for going down the rabbit hole a bit -- between the wedding in minneapolis, the start of playpenn (www.playpenn.org) and a recent tummy upset, i've been remiss in checking back in .

but i think it is important to remind ourselves of the power of communication, whether it is spoken or physical. we are not one another's mind reader and nothing any one of us can do will make a complete and utter understanding of what the other is thinking possible. however, by listening and clarifying and, well, let's be honest, dramaturging, we can perhaps come close.

i've found, in recent days, that i've been doing a lot of questioning and talking and it all seems good. i am learning so much about myself and others that it continues to shock me that i've been around for so long knowing NOTHING. yikes. but i feel grateful to have such great pals to keep me propped up.

so, on to several topics.

first, the wedding was beautiful. there was weeping, sunshine, lake harriet, joy, commissioned plays and a lot of great friends and reunions. so happy to see kling, ackermann, kokernot, halvorson, marnich/blessing -- way too many to mention. betty was a FANTASTIC co-pilot, along with the mysterious widow grant (you know who you are...) -- and if you ever get to minny, make sure you take a look-see at the carrie/andy lovenest. so lovely.

while in minneapolis, i visited the mall of america, which, for the record, won. i walked for about 4 1/2 hours and frankly didn't get to see all of it. however, i did buy a BRA. here's the deal:

i've been watching stacey and clinton and they have repeatedly mentioned that no matter how small you are, the girls will fall. coupled with chirps of "oh, shelley, please get a bra" from both mama and sister sue, i felt the time was right. i walked into the victoria's secret in the mall of america and said, aimlessly, "i've not owned a bra since 1984 -- can someone help me?" craziness then ensued and a hush fell over the store. ashley and two of her closest cohorts whisked me into the design area, tossed 13 different kinds of bras my way and poof! i am now a proud owner of a 38B (stop laughing, i am too a 38B) one of these:

the only difference between this picture and the actual bra is that mine is in ivory -- this color happens to be "naked."

okay, stop laughing.

in related news, i am also the proud owner of a new leather sofa in the color of "cognac." if you are in the philly area, i invite you to come over and check it out: a dog-ass free comfy sofa. it is GREAT. the living room is in the middle of a transformation, so do check in for updates.

finally, i have to comment on the fact that the idiots in new jersey that have been fighting over the budget are ALL DEMOCRATS. if i were howard dean, i would come up, smack all of their heads together and say, "pull yourselves together, idiots. we're supposed to be fighting with the republicans." oy. november looks very bleak.

must return to dramaturgy now, but a special little shout-out to jelliott, who has become an addict of volanskyism...sooner or later, they all fall.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

volansky

My Best Friends' Weddings

2006-06-22T19:56:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

i'm feeling more than a little down today. i made an awful decision last friday night and i am now confronted with the repercussions.

[sidebar: this is going to be personal, not political, so if you have no interest in that, slide over to another blog.]

i've always prided myself on my generosity of spirit, my compassion for friends, my give-it-all attitude towards everyone; i've often believed that i give too much of myself to others and not enough to myself. well, i was incredibly selfish and stupid to someone about whom i care a great deal and, as a result, he's asked for a bit of time off. he's hurt and he should be. i totally wronged him.

i suppose the questions i am asking myself and you, my friends, swirl around the idea of the tension between taking care of one's self and taking care of others. as some of you know, i am a relative novice to this "adult relationship" thing and i've been doing it, as far as i can see, badly. what are the ways of showing someone you care? how does one really, honestly and truly listen to another person? is that even possible?

if you think i am an idiot and a selfish brat, please tell me. but i am at a loss at how to help me and my friend move forward, other than to continue to open my heart and head and trust that the world will throw me a bone.

as far as the heading goes, i've been reflecting a bit on weddings and next week, i get to go to the lovefest between liz and michael. i am reminded however, of my states of mind at the weddings of emily and aimee and can only hope that the third time will help me to fully revel in the love in front of me.

so that's all the news that is fit to print. light a candle, will you? and if anyone has an extra ticket to any of the springsteen shows (and maybe a chartered plane to get me there), it sure would help my mood.

and to that special someone, if you are checking in at all: i hope we can continue to learn and grown together.

be good to each other.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

Connie Chung is Terrifying...

2006-06-20T12:45:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

my good pal steve clemons, over at thewashingtonnote.com has posted a CRAZY link to connie chung's farewell song-fest. you can go there by clicking on this link:

http://www.wwtdd.com/index.php?type=one&i=1057.

it is worth watching the whole thing, if only to see how she manages to get off of the piano (aren't you totally intrigued by now???). i trust you will concur with the fact that the so-called "liberal media" has an even bigger uphill climb than we had originally thought.

i'd like to say a few words about the on-going war in iraq. in case you have forgotten, there was no proven link between saddam hussein and 9/11. those people who blew up the trade center, part of the pentagon and a field in pennsylvania were from a little group called "al-qaeda." and, for the record, if there is a "front line" in the war on terror, shouldn't we be going after the folks from saudi arabia (since most of the hijackers were from there?)

sorry. i just had to get that off my chest. it makes me insane every time i hear the president speak about the "war on terror." oh, and then there's the smirk...

be good to each other, please.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

she's back!

2006-06-05T15:23:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

well, i have certainly missed you. things have been busy and slow and silly and hot and new yorky and all kinds of stuff.

here's the update:

the book (entitled NO HEAVY LIFTING REQUIRED: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO PLAYWRITING AND COLLABORATION), co-written with bruce graham, is off at heinemann. we've done one round of revisions and then, sadly and to our great shock and dismay, our beloved editor lisa barnett died. so, we've been adopted by another great editor and we're awaiting our next move. they still anticipate a fall/winter release.

the 2005-2006 school year is over and i think i made it through, with no real damage. i did have a lovely moment with chris matthews at graduation (apparently, my laugh is a tad too loud), who gave a terrific commencement address.

i spent some great time in new york with WC's jason rubin. we saw HISTORY BOYS (solid and thoughtful good but had some audibility problems), LT OF INISHMORE (squealingly good) and AWAKE AND SING (beautifully good). i stayed in the love palace of chez bennett, did some quality time at the algonquin (heads-up to lisa and norah, joshie, pam, sheri, bella and di) and ate at un deux trois across from ralph fiennes. not too shabby, eh?

i start my phd program at the university of hull (england) in the fall -- from a distance. for those of you who care, i am writing about ken tynan and frank rich and their evolution from reviled theater critics to cultural observers and public intellectuals.

the boys are doing well, though, if you can, please light a candle for cat patche. he's been sick lately and could use our prayers. michael also served as a midwife/dula for 3 adorable little kittens. if you are interested in adoption, let me know.

and then there's this boy who, for the last couple of months, has made me happy. which is nice.

more later, but i wanted you all to hear the latest. drop me a line, okay?

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

Hiatus

2006-02-20T19:52:00.000-05:00

hello, friends,

because i have a manuscript deadline of march 15th and because i am drowning in a pile of work, i'm going to take a wee break from the blog.

i hope you'll check back later in the spring.

in the meantime, fight the good fight.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

Remember Me?

2006-01-29T18:28:00.000-05:00

hello, friends!

i know that i have been out of contact for a wee bit, but i've been trying desperately to get myself together for the start of classes. i am now only a half a step behind, instead of 3 weeks, which is where i was...at the start of classes.

it's a tough job being me, but someone has to do it, right?

so, i don't want simply report and repost, but i've been saving a couple of things that deserve sharing. in no particular order, here we go.

former intern mark apparently has a lot of free time on thursday afternoons and so has been sending along some silliness. here is one that i liked a great deal:

A frantic Sarah Getty runs into Abe’s Able Dry Cleaners. She says to Abe “Listen, I have a terrible problem. I’ve spilled ketchup on this blue dress, and I need it right away. Can you clean it and deliver it to me by 7:00?” Abe says “Sure, but why the terrible rush?” Sarah explains that she’s been named Dade County’s 2006 Burger Queen and needs the dress for the coronation at 8:30. Knowing all about Sarah’s beauty pageant aspirations, Abe immediately sets to doing his best work and is finished around 6:30. But just as he’s leaving the shop to meet Sarah, Abe is stopped by his apprentice with a question of how to treat a certain fabric. “I can’t talk now,” says Abe, “I have to deliver the Getty’s burger dress.”

okay, that's funny, right?

when brother rob arrived in philly, i brought him a balloon of one of our favorite images. imagine our combined sorrow when the little fellow floated away. here he is in his new home:

we like to think that he's making new friends at philadelphia international airport.

this in from a retired history teacher:

In the serious time of this season, it is important for all of us of all faiths to recognize these Four Religious Truths.

1. Muslims do not recognize Jews as God's chosen people.

2. Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

3. Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian world.

4. Baptists do not recognize each other at Hooters.

there is nothing like a good religion joke to keep us all on our toes...

cousin abaigh has been sending along quite a few fun things (perhaps a few too many...), but this one caught my eye:

then there are the alert dramaturgs who, desperate to find hilarity in their daily lives, thought this was outright crazy. i would tend to agree. so go here: http://www.theonion.com/content/node/44683 for a great chuckle. we can always count on the onion to be, um, not at all precious.

finally, in the reposting department, wendy-lou sent along a picture of her new little guy.

my goodness, he is cute...

on a more somber note, i've been watching the news both from canadia and palestine and it certainly seems as though there is something in the air (though, according to george w. bush, it has NOTHING to do with global warming...for more information, look up the name dr. james hansen in the new york times, the washington post or on CNN and then be very very scared). i think we all need to some out some positive vibes to our friends to the north and then light a peace candle for the middle east.

if you are in the chestertownvilleburggardensuponavon neighborhood on monday, PLEASE come hear birch bayh (daddy to evan bayh, one of my favorite governors...). i cannot promise that i will not attempt to grab his ass (see the rove entry) as this smart fellow is the only person since the founders to author TWO amendments to the constitution. and look how nice he looks:

the full story can be found here: http://www.washcoll.edu/wc/news/press_releases/2006/01/17_birchbayh.html

finally, i am giving a very special shout-out to a boy named cob. he's very nice and i like him. so there.

keep in touch, be warm and let us all scorn dr. sociology for spending the weekend at a "conference" in puerto rico. as if...

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

volansky

The Rant, or Why I love Dave Letterman Again...

2006-01-09T13:53:00.000-05:00

hello, friends,

okay, so i have loved david letterman for almost as long as i have loved bruce springsteen. i was one of the 18 or so people who watched his morning show back in 1980 (i have a vivid image of him taking a mini-kermit the frog on a bike and riding it across a pizza...).

over the years, my love has waxed and waned -- i've flirted with conan, i've converted to jon stewart, but yet there, in my heart, was dave.

this past week, dave played host to bill o'reilly. if you go here: http://thepoliticalteen.net/2006/01/04/oreillyletterman, you can see the entire thing.

the love has returned.

some of you know about my obsession with late-night talk radio (the conspiracy theorists, the art bells and geore noory's, the glen beck's, the matt drudge's). in the last couple of days, people have been talking about ariel sharon. here's my two cents:

i know we all have some questions about israel -- we believe in the idea, but do we believe in the reality? and lord knows, as a girl of irish extraction, i can certainly understand these feuds that last centuries.

but is it appropriate to focus ALL of our late-night radio energy on "he was fat and sort of had it coming"? isn't that on par with the recent comments from pat robertson? don't we want people to be safe and healthy?

i may be in line for the "can't we all get along" pollyanna award, but honestly...

one more thing. i have a deep suspicion that the secret service flies in brush for george bush to clear from his land. is it me, or shouldn't all the brush be cleared from the ranch in crawford, texas by now? i mean, he has spent A LOT of time there.

i look forward to hearing your comments...

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

Sick Puppy

2006-01-09T13:41:00.000-05:00

hello, friends,

i'm sorry for the hangtime in posting, but things have been a bit overwhelming.

the biggest scare came last week when the girl got very very sick. for those of you who don't know the girl, here are some photos:

so, in an attempt to make her feel happy and christmasy and loved, we gave her the bone from the prime rib had for dinner on christmas night. apparently, she's been living the life of a vegetarian dog for a tad too long and her entire upper-GI system got completely wacked (as did the rugs in both my parent's house and in my bedroom).

she is slowly on the mend, but it gave us all quite a scare. keep her in your thoughts -- and when you next see her, please don't feed her, no matter what she says.

2210 also had a great week of love with mo and michel, direct from kansas (via vargons, france and st. cloud, minnesota). we've missed them so very much and it was a great holiday gift to spend some quality time with them. they are definitely in the running for "best house guests ever."

i've been working on a new bruce graham play, which is beginning to really kick some ass. if any of you theater types out there are interested, do let me know or contact mary harden directly.

whew. now i have some work to do...but stay tuned for a political rant.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

What Happens Next?

2006-01-01T15:38:00.000-05:00

hello, friends,

well, welcome to 2006!

when i think about the events that unfolded in 2005, i can place high on the "yay" list my trip to japan, a successful year as a professor and meeting a host of amazing new people. clearly, the "boo" list includes all of the natural disasters, several relationships in the international arena and an ever-increasing national despondancy and despair about the state of union (do we have the exact date of this year's event yet?)

but there is so much to celebrate and here in volanskyland, we had a right good time.

the house in philly was visited by an excellent group of asshole college professors (some of whom are newly engaged -- congratulations to the 23-year olds!), a fair number of wacky theater types, old and new friends, boys and girls, and a special guest appearance by brother rob. also making their presence felt was the jane austen poster child, the hottest wood turner in the country and those nutty newlyweds who live in minnesota and FRANCE (it's a hard knock life...) i don't think that a better party was had anywhere.

there is a LOT of beer still in the house, so if you are feeling parched, do stop by. sambuca shots were generously proffered, while the tequila was initially reviled and then embraced. my great friend jeannie met some people she'd not met before, so that was excellent. and the laughter and giddiness (and an occasional punch in the face) went straight through until 5AM.

i would be most remiss if did not say a special "happy new year" to my smart, sexy friend steve, who put up a little link on his blog about this blog. he's at the washington note and my avid readers know that i rely on him for all my wonking needs. pay attention, people, 'cause he is the real deal. i may talk a great game and have some insights, but this guy makes shit happen.

he certainly did last night.

brother rob is needing a little love these days, so keep him and all those who may have consumed just a wee bit too much last night in your thoughts. and maybe, if you can, help them hydrate. go seltzer water!

off to go pickup the girl. she spent her new year's at the grandparents -- i think there may have been a rawhide bone involved...

be good to one another. ask questions. and have a peaceful and loving 2006.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

The War on Christmas

2005-12-21T10:52:00.000-05:00

hello, friends,

sorry for the long delay, but, with the end of the semester, things have been very busy in volanskyland.

let's catch up on some news, shall we?

starting local:

the smartest shakespearean scholar i know had a successful surgery, hopefully allowing her to have safe and snot-free travels over the winter break. we are both anxiously awaiting the start of "skating with the stars" on january 18th, so look for full reports once that begins. you can bet your bottom dollar that there will be no tonya harding's running around THAT show.

wendy-lou who got herself the second cutest dog in chestertownvilleburg. he's a 2-year old schnauzer named either luke or murphy (he's so adorable, he'll respond to any name as long as you say it with a chipper sound...). the girl had a relatively blase meeting with him -- she sniffed him out and then promptly ate one of his chewbones while he sat in my lap. what a cutie.

much success was had in second-year reviews. i think all of us came out on top, despite some "concerns." it would be inappropriate for me to say more. but, the gang will continue to play on for another year.

in related chestertownvilleburg news, we're all anxiously awaiting new year's eve and the arrival of mo and michel from the wilds of france and minnesota, respectively. we've missed their company this fall and it will be GRAND to catch up. we'll also get to see professor andy, who has been slumming all around the globe on sabbatical. he's been missed, too. finally, we must all shun drs. banks-brown as they will not be around to make us all breakfast on january 1. if you are up for the challenge, please chime in and proffer a menu suggestion.

widening the lens a wee bit:

your humble blogger and her faithful co-writer managed to get themselves a book contract for the tome entitled "no heavy lifting required: a practical guide to playwriting and collaboration." heinemann press is the lucky publisher, our manuscript is due march 15th and you can order copies soon. we need to sell about 10,000 copies before the serious royalties kick in, so sign up now! in all seriousness, it is really exciting and daunting all at the same time.

sister sue managed both great grades this semester AND her sanity. we are most proud. she also was able to bring professor clockwatcher to smile, which makes us in the profession much happier.

brother rob has a car in japan. ask him about it.

what else?

i could go on about the ruling in dover, the surveillance of this white house, the ramped-up marketing campaign for the war and other such matters, but people smarter than i are covering it. all i will say, however, is that it is our civic responsibility to be informed, so pay attention, get involved and make your opinion known.

i will suggest, however, that you visit the NY Times website to read nicholas kristof's challenge to bill o'reilly to go visit darfur. it is inspiring.

i'm missing a lot of people this holiday season: thebus, dillmansky, perlow, shapiro, eason, engelman/dixon, the marvins, pat from louisville. i hope you'll all check in over the holidays.

i'll report in after brother bert arrives (tonight will be spent with the brothers donaghy!), but in the meantime, be careful (especially if you are in new york), be peaceful and,

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

Holiday Spirit

2005-12-06T20:53:00.000-05:00

hello, friends,

snow here on the ground in chestertownvilleburg and it sure is beautiful. the girl seems to think it was all done for her and she's been having some great fun bouncing around in the snowy backyard.

the countdown to brother rob's visit has begun -- he'll be here, live and in person as of the 24th of december. he sent the following picture from my favorite mountain this week. check it out:

isn't it beautiful? i think the pain of the climb seems to be subsiding.

i'm sitting here in the apartment watching a whole lot of charlie brown. it amazes me that, despite the fact that the christmas specials are older than i am, their poignancy and relevance reverberates. keep the message of the holidays in mind as you are clubbing sweating lady next to you in a desperate attempt to get the last pint of egg nog.

i'm not 100% of this, but i think that kipper is a stunt double for this one:

right down to the pink socks.

i have a great great family and for them i am most grateful.

in the meantime, i still can't figure out how to get rid of big chunk of white space at the top. faithful servant kate says that it seems to have something to do with my "browser settings," but she may as well be speaking greek. can anyone help???

on a more humorous front, this came in over the wire. it's silly and filthy, but must be shared.

Top Ten Sexually Transmitted Diseases Which I Just Made Up:

10. Wet Penis
9. Shuttlecock
8. Rooty Tooty Too Much Booty
7. Teddy Pendergrosis
6. George Bush
5. The Artist Formerly Known As Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
4. Careless Whisper
3. Randy Johnson (think about that one for a second)
2. Dirty, Dirty Pussy
1. I Think I Slept With One Of The Sound And Lighting Guys For Public Enemy

isn't life grand?

be good to one another.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

volansky

Technical Difficulties

2005-12-03T23:01:00.000-05:00

hello, friends,

so, it has been a nutty couple of weeks here in chestertownvilleburg, and the turkeys that were presented had a somewhat difficult time. however, thanksgiving is the time for us all to stop and think about all that we have -- and, even in volanskyland, we have a great deal. we have family, and siblings, and great friends, and all helped to remind us over the weekend that we are, indeed, really truly blessed. i am in great gratitude to all that i have, even if it is difficult sometimes.

in the good news department, new friend dan came out of surgery with flying colors and is making steady improvement. you can visit his website at www.danstumors.blogspot.com. he's a remarkable person that deserves our best wishes.

a gentle reminder: new year's is almost here and the annual party of volanskyland grownups (sans the breakfast makers banks-brown) will be assembled. it is a grown-ups-only party, so, despite my love for you all who are students, it will be for those who are over 23 only...if you have questions about the hotel arrangements or for party times, please email me. the more the merrier -- and we'll be joined by brother rob direct from his year-long engagement at the hotel sapporo. i hope you can come along for the ride.

the kids in middle hall, knowing of my love for john malkovich, sent along the following link. it made little cordelia wake straight up from a nap and take notice. it is the essential john and it made me laugh a lot. check it out: http://batmalkovich.ytmnd.com/

in other news, baby bjorn is growing big and strong, despite the fact that he seems to be the only kid in my world who is not soothed by "the gambler." odd.

finally, adam davidson made a GREAT impression on the folks at washington college. see the press release here: http://www.washcoll.edu/wc/news/press_releases/2005/11/21_davidson.html
despite the problems at amtrak, adam and a slew of great friends of the WC drama department had an amazing dinner (as always) at the kettledrum and, after the talk, a load of booze at andy's. if you don't know adam (who, i still contend, crashed my wedding with gifts of nature...), you should. iraq, paris, new orleans and banda acheh have only fine-tuned a great mind. it's a great pleasure to know him and have him come to my school.

i'm still seaching, and wishing, and hoping that you all continue to tune in and share the love with friends. it's a lonely life out here by myself -- i'm so glad you are along to make it a bit smoother.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

Tidbits of goodness (and a cry for help...)

2005-11-20T17:57:00.000-05:00

hello, friends,

i hope you are all well and enjoying what i hope is a beautiful late fall. winter-like activity arrived in chestertown on wednesday around 9:15 and it has been crisp and clear since then. i also managed to light my propane heater (something one HAS to see in order to believe it) down here in chestertownvilleburg without blowing up the block.

some of you wondered if i was doing okay after the last posting. i am, in fact, great. i'm centered and focused and prepared to take on whatever the world may throw at me. here's what one smart person observed, under the title "raising questions is not enough," based on that last post:

Of course you`re not doing enough to change the world you`re living in. Not even close.

The good news is that none of us are. Or is that really the good news?

There have been times reading that post of yours when I`ve wanted to write a blisteringly scathing comment to all of the intelligent, talented, well-educated, well-spoken, able-bodied people who get out of their cars and sit down at their computers every night to wax philosophic on the state of the world. How terrible this is or how terrible that is. I give them credit for at least thinking about it, but then I think, if they`re thinking about changing the world, why aren`t they doing it?

There are a lot of people out there who are just making their way and don`t really think about other people, people in other parts of the world, what the powers that be are doing, etc. I let them go. They`re the majority. For the most part, while they might not always be helping make things better, by simply making a living for themselves and their family, maybe they`re not making things worse.

But your blog readers. They SEE. They KNOW. They UNDERSTAND. So why don`t they DO? "Yeah, I see what`s wrong, I understand what`s going on, but, rather than do anything about it, I`ll sit here at my computer and show everybody how smart I am with incisive comments on the situation. That should be good enough. Somebody else can take out the garbage." FUCK that.

There are a few reasons why I don`t write a big fat FUCK YOU to every single one of them. The first, sadly, is that I`m not doing nearly as much as I want to be or as I could be to make the world a better place. I have absolutely no room to talk. But that will be changing soon.

The second is that there are enough people out there yelling FUCK YOU. For example, EVERYBODY. Me joining the chorus would be either counterproductive or, worse, another voice lost in the crowd. Cynicism and negativity feed on themselves, and a small part of the reason I don`t prefer to live in America is because those two things run high and strong there. Why is it that the voices of loving, caring, compassionate, positive people are ascribed to be crazy, hippies on the periphery of reality?

Positivity is where it`s at, yo. There is no problem on this planet that can`t be solved with love and compassion. I see it in my own life, I see it on a grand scale when the volunteer organizations come together to help out hurricane victims. Why should the conflict of nations be any different? Why can`t we view what happened to the World Trade Center, for example, as just another natural disaster? Those were people flying those planes, human beings borne of the same energy that causes the wind and rain of the hurricanes. We don`t try to kill the wind and rain when they go out of control on us, and, in my opinion, we shouldn`t try to kill other living creatures when they do the same.

The bell just rang, I gotta go. That`s ten minutes I just spent typing this message that I could have spent doing something else.

so smart, right? there's a lot of great stuff contained within that email, all of which i hope you will take to heart. we ARE intelligent, resourceful, etc. let's get the hell out of our cars.

smack dab in the middle of my application process for the university of hull's higher degree through research program. this is a british-model PhD program that sends one right into research for a dissertation. i'm VERY excited to begin exploring how dramaturgical inquiry might be applied to the larger culture. i hope that this is just a first step on the path that the above refers to.

a dear new friend of mine is having a major surgery tomorrow (check out www.danstumors.blogspot.com) for full details -- if you have any pull with any type of "intelligent designer," would you put in a call? and for the rest of us, light a candle or something. he's a good one and could use a healthy dose of our collective positive psychic energy.

a few things have come in that warrant posting.

that is courtesy of sister sue. i know that i goes against all that has been posted in terms of generousity and good will and everything...but...it makes me giggle. giggling is good, right?

this one is a link that comes from canadian superagent michael petrasek. more giggling. also, what's with the dude in the back: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6739710473912337648

cousin abaigh sent along a HILARIOUS windows movie entitled "arrested: texas style" that, because of blogging ineptitude on my part, i cannot figure out how to post.

(here is the cry for help: if anyone has any suggestions on how to post abaigh's video, how to change a link to say something, and how to get rid of all that white space at the top, there is a cocktail for you...!)

at the end of the day, we only have one life to make the most of, one chance to leave a thumbprint -- don't waste it.

in this season of thankfulness, i hope everyone travels safely and relishes all that we have.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

volansky

Slacktivist

2005-11-15T01:02:00.000-05:00

hello, friends,

i'm tossing and turning in my bed tonight and i just can't sleep. there are a number of reasons. here are several of them:

1. last night i dreamt that i was (again) rearranging my locker at haddon township high school. my locker was next to jess vitigliano and kim vining and, in the dream, i was the one with the messiest locker. i kept trying to figure out what books i needed to take to class in order to be "most prepared" for the day and just could not find what i needed. things just kept falling out of this locker -- i remember seeing notebooks and textbooks and scripts and all sorts of nonsense. kim and jesse just kept looking at me like i was completely insane. nothing would stay in and nothing i needed would come out.

2. tonight i went to hear a talk by the pulitzer-nominated photojournalist lois raimondo. she's a graduate of wittenberg college and she spent a good amount of time in afghanistan and in iraq, both pre-invasion, and her images from these places are unbelievable. real people, just like you and me trying to live their days despite the mayhem that is going on around them.

i sometimes feel like i am a complete slacker. i talk a great game about policy and politics, urging students to get out and live their lives and, alas, what am i doing? maybe there is something in asking the questions, but, at the end of the day, who is listening? it is a tough road to hoe when one snuggles up into bed at night with a beautiful and loving dog, but...sometimes one just needs someone else to bang up against to get one's head straightened out.

i spent an amazing weekend on chincoteague island with some family -- all of whom are smart, intelligent and rife with opinions. they've been with me every stupid step along my path, and i value each and every one of them. but, again, there i am.

i would like to say that i am posting this after a million glasses of white wine or some substantial gin and tonics, but i gotta say that this is the actual me, with no enhancement. sometimes i so value the solitude, and then there are those few waking hours where the waking hours are just so damn hard.

there's a part of every person that is the life of the party, the wise counselor, the happy-go-lucky individual to whom others turn when their lives are messy. i often wonder what those folks do when the lights go out.

people, now is the time to take a serious inventory about what your beliefs, values and opinions are. you will need to articulate them with your friends and those who are not your friends. i feel rough roads coming along, and we have to stick together. right?

in the meantime, i'll try to get some sleep. i trust you'll do the same.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

BBrrruuuccee

2005-11-09T23:57:00.000-05:00

hello, friend,

tonight, i saw my 31st springsteen concert and it was, in fact, a doozy. i heard songs i've NEVER heard live before and it just made my heart smile.

bruce also got me thinking about missing the boat on having babies, on catholicism, and why i like my own dad so very much.

best friend aimee was absolutely aces -- she scored the seats and gets high marks for not being pregnant at this show. last time we sat in the spectrum parking lot, we were there for a dead show and you can only imagine what went on then.

here's the report from backstreets:

November 9 / Philadelphia, PA / Wachovia SpectrumNotes: If you thought the 24-year gap between performances of "Drive All Night" was something, dig what Bruce broke out for the old-timers at Philly Night 2: "Santa Ana," last played live more than 32 years ago in the spring of '73. While much of the crowd was surely still scratching their heads over that one, Bruce really rattled their brains by stayed at the piano and going right into "Thundercrack," complete with a sing-along at the end. Both of these early gems were released on Tracks disc one, and both were tour premieres tonight. Also making its official tour debut was "Used Cars," last played at the Asbury warm-up back in April. Plus the tour's second "Independence Day"; rare visits from "Adam," "Janey," and "Cynthia"; and a "Dream Baby Dream" that clocked in at ten minutes. A whopping 17 songs not played at the first show makes a total of 41 different songs played at this two-night Philly stand.Setlist: Reason to Believe/Devils & Dust/Adam Raised a Cain/Long Time Comin'/Used Cars/Janey, Don't You Lose Heart***/Independence Day*/State Trooper/Nebraska/All the Way Home/Cynthia/One Step Up/Reno/Santa Ana*/Thundercrack*/The Rising/Spare Parts/Jesus Was an Only Son*/Two Hearts/The New Timer#/Matamoros BanksEncore: Growin' Up*****/Waitin' on a Suny Day/The Promised Land/Dream Baby Dream***=piano**=pump organ***=electric piano*****=ukulele#=autoharp

i love bruce springsteen.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

Why One Might Hate Freedom

2005-11-09T13:09:00.000-05:00

hello, friends,

an observant dr. bob submitted this for posting. i think you all might like it:

have a great day. i will be spending the night with bruce springsteen in philadelphia.

full report after the jump...

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

volansky

One from Japan

2005-11-08T00:02:00.000-05:00

hello, friends,

this just in from brother rob. it had me giggling all the way into my dramaturgy class today:

Top Ten Baldwins Or Sexually Transmitted Diseases

10. Chlamydia
9. Danny
8. Stephen
7. Crabs
6. Alec
5. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
4. AIDS
3. Herpes Simplex
2. William (Billy)
1. Gonorrhea

'nuff said.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

District of Columbia...

2005-11-07T23:00:00.000-05:00

hello, friends,

good chum gavin passes along the following link, which MUST be watched: http://filmstripinternational.com/

and you can sing along. the words are so easy.

would anyone from the district like to comment? this is an equal opportunity blog.

i am, in two short days, going to see my 31st bruce springsteen concert, with best pal aimee. she realized she was pregnant the last time we went to see my boyfriend, so i will monitor the beer and nachos intake at the spectrum.

if you didn't see THE DAILY SHOW last night, you won't know why i truly love this guy:

hey, i just heard that some people get 70,000 hits on their blogs. now i'm just feeling bad about myself. so, spread the word. agressively.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

volansky

Shiny Objects

2005-11-06T18:43:00.000-05:00

hello, friends,

it's been a busy couple of weeks here at volanskyism, with many student theses successfully presented, many meetings um...endured, lots of fun with friends. and i am anxiously awaiting a little rest and relaxation this weekend.

however, i didn't want too much time to pass before i shared some things that friends have forwarded to me. i encourage you to giggle along with me. and hey, take a minute to visit nick's new website at www.nickrye.com. it is VERY cool (and designed by our good pal greg -- with whom i still need to have a cocktail in the not-too-distant future...)

here are photos of some of our favorite drama majors -- this is for halloween, not "just another day in the drama department...":

zombie molly is on the left, stage kate is on the right. note the spike tape.

aren't they clever?

sheila w. sent along a VERY amusing riff on the classic "who's on first" routine made famous by abbott and costello:

George: Condi! Nice to see you. What's happening?
Condi: Sir, I have the report here about the new leader of China.
George: Great. Lay it on me.
Condi: Hu is the new leader of China.
George: That's what I want to know.
Condi: That's what I'm telling you.
George: That's what I'm asking you. Who is the new leader of China?
Condi: Yes.
George: I mean the fellow's name.
Condi: Hu.
George: The guy in China.
Condi: Hu.
George: The new leader of China.
Condi: Hu.
George: The main man in China!
Condi: Hu is leading China.
George: Now whaddya' asking me for?
Condi: I'm telling you, Hu is leading China.
George: Well, I'm asking you. Who is leading China?
Condi: That's the man's name.
George: That's who's name?
Condi: Yes.
George: Will you, or will you not, tell me the name of the new leader of China?
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Yassir? Yassir Arafat is in China? I thought he's dead in the Middle East.
Condi: That's correct.
George: Then who is in China?
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Yassir is in China?
Condi: No, sir.
George: Then who is?
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Yassir?
Condi: No, sir.
George: Look Condi. I need to know the name of the new leader of China. Get me the Secretary General of the U.N. on the phone.
Condi: Kofi?
George: No, thanks.
Condi: You want Kofi?
George: No.
Condi: You don't want Kofi.
George: No. But now that you mention it, I could use a glass of milk. And then get me the U.N. Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Not Yassir! The guy at the U.N.
Condi: Kofi?
George: Milk! Will you please make the call?
Condi: And call who?
George: Who is the guy at the U.N?
Condi: Hu is the guy in China
George: Will you stay out of China?!
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: And stay out of the Middle East! Just get me the guy at the U.N.
Condi: Kofi.
George: All right! With cream and two sugars.

if it weren't so very true, it would be mighty funny.

and then there is this from our man at disney:

i think that says everything, don't you?

finally, brother rob, emerging from the shadows, has made some new friends over there in japan:

brother rob is making great strides in creating global harmony. we should all applaud his progress. see you on the 24th, bird-man.

speaking of birds, i am sitting here in chestertownvilleburg awaiting the kickoff between the skins and the birds. with t.o. suspended indefinitely, i fear i may have to buy bella meal. and suffer the harassment of dr. ponzer on monday. crap.

enjoy the beautiful weather -- and do keep in touch!

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

volansky

The guilt, the Catholic guilt...

2005-10-26T23:38:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

so, this summer, i went to japan to visit brother rob.

i have been totally remiss in posting photos. there are literally HUNDREDS more, but i am posting those that i like best. suspiciously, the photos from my ascent of yote did not wind up on a CD -- this will be rectified shortly. i did climb that god forsaken mountain...

without further ado, this one is for bert:

this is the family that rob teaches japanese to. he's a cardiologist. the kids are SO CUTE.

rob likes to make friends, and, one night, when we were going home to go out (what was THAT about?), we encountered a street festival. rob stood on top of a newspaper box and took this really cool photo.

this is another one of rob's friends. it needs no explanation...

the photo below was taken at one of the many summer beergardens in sapporo. the beautiful girl to rob's right is aika. next to her, i felt old, fat, haggard, dowager-esque, hostile...you get the picture.

this was on the climb of yote. do you SEE how high up we were? do you see the cloud-lines? we did that two more times. oy.

but it sure was beautiful, right? this other photo,

which i do not know how to turn, was on our first climb. it was amazing (despite not having food or water or, frankly, rest). i keep thinking about what a remarkable thing it was, for my baby brother to use what can only be described as psychological warfare on me to make me continue.

rob, for all the bad words i used on you during my time in japan -- i am truly sorry.

there will be more. but aren't they so cool?

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

volansky

Persian/Polack Wedding

2005-10-23T22:04:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

the perisan princess' third cousin gilda (all US persians are, apparently related. to nakissa) sent some photos from both the wedding of the persian and the polack and the bachelorette party.

here they are:

it is shocking what weddings can do to some of the smartest people i know:

so, last week was a long one, with lots of theater time, as well as some late-night tossing and turning. i think i was on san fran time through to thursday.

the girl and i went back to philly on saturday (having seen a fabulous MOST FABULOUS on friday night), and had the good fortune of watching THE MOUSE THAT ROARED with d.p, jason and the sandwich. if you haven't seen this peter sellers classic in a while, do rent it. it rocks (and some of the lines sound eerily familiar).

we also took some time to visit with the ex-in-laws. i've actually been on an up-swing, feeling solid about myself and my life (thanks to all of you for your help) and it seemed like i was finally ready. we had a terrific visit, and i got to meet sister barb's baby colin. such a sweetie who giggles. it's darling.

busy week ahead, with a production of miss melly's play QUAKE (read it if you don't know it -- it's fantastic!) on the horizon. and a certain 23-year old turns...not 24.

be good to each other. please.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

volansky

A joke -- for the theater crowd

2005-10-19T23:38:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

this just in from gavin in DC:

Jack: So .... [pause]
Jack: So he won then. [pause]
Jill: Yes.
Jack: Yes. [longer pause]
Jack: He waited long enough.
Jill: Yes.Jack: Yes ... he did.
[pause]Jill: Yes, he certainly waited long enough.
Jack: Words. [pause]
Jill: What?
Jack: Words, in conversion, he was good at that.
[pause]Jill: Yes ... he waited long enough.
Jack: I think... [pause]
Jill: ...and pauses, he was good at that too.
Jack: Yes.
Jill: Yes. [pause]
Jack: Yes. [pause] I think his word/time ratio was the smallest ever heard.
Jill: Yes.
Jack: Yes. [pause]
Jill: Yes, he waited long enough...J
Jack: Well done, that's what they say...
Jill: Yes, they do say that...J
Jack: Well done, like the toast... [long pause]... How's your cornflakes, then?...

how much do we love this guy?

congratulations, mr. pinter.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

volansky

I'm Not Dead Yet

2005-10-18T23:26:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

it was as though it was 1987 all over again. but this time, i wasn't there.

i was driving back down to chestertown today, as i'd spent the weekend in california at the wedding of the persian princess and the polack. it was so beautiful -- they were able to combine traditions of both backgrounds, making for the polka, done persian style, a culture all its own.

i'll admit it: i cried. good friends, good laughs, good wine. and the sisters are total rock stars.

so, i was listening to the radio, checking in on the mayhem that took place in baltimore. if you've not heard, go here, click on the subject line.

but i was safe.

at any rate, michaela majoun was telling me all about the U2 concert last night and suddenly, she said it:

my boys were together again.

bono was playing in philly and who showed up but bruce springsteen? and patti came out to sing, too.

last time that happened, it was at the vet, and i was sneaking cigarettes from my sister with roomie emily.

so sad.

but not dead.

we're rounding 2000 visits friends -- let's get that number UP! do i have to repost the rove story, given recent events?

get out there and tell your friends about volanskyism.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

ps just got cable down in chestertown and i settled in to watch LAW AND ORDER: SVU tonight and there was NO MELONI!

Pesky Homos...

2005-10-11T22:50:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

...sapiens, that is.

those pesky humans who got Ai Ai smoking! i just don't know what to say about this, except if a chimp can do it, so can i.

here are the details:

A female chimpanzee in a Chinese zoo has managed to kick the habit after smoking for 16 years, Xinhua news agency reported.

Ai Ai, 27, first took up smoking after her mate died in 1989.

After a second spouse died in 1997 and her daughter was moved to another zoo, the broken-hearted chimp's health reportedly started deteriorating.

Zoo keepers say they are giving her mouth-watering food and playing pop music to improve her mood.
"In the first few days, she squealed for cigarettes every now and then," Xinhua reported one zookeeper at the safari park in the Shaanxi province, north-west China, as saying. "But as her life became more colourful, she gradually forgot about them altogether." Her new, busy lifestyle includes walking after breakfast, exercising in the evening and being served "fried dishes and dumplings at every meal" on top of bananas, rice and milk, he said.

Now and then, she can also borrow her human friend's walkman to listen to music.

It is not clear how Ai Ai developed her addiction, and whether she was first given cigarettes from the same guardians who have helped her quit.

now, i've had a problem lately with mr. tobacco. in fact, i just can't stop. but would someone please reassure me that i do not look like this:

other things to note:

i am a deep disappointment to paul rudnick and his stellar cast of MOST FABULOUS STORY EVER TOLD. i owe you guys one.

baby bjorn is growing up! he is cute-as-a-button and developing quite a personality. i hope to get some photos of him being cuddled by aunt shel.

aimee aimee and i had a delightful night on saturday -- we've been chums for over 20 years! yikes...if i ever do run for office, she's the one that the CIA will be watching...

off to sleepytime. peace, safety and love to all.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

volansky

Those Wacky Nobels!

2005-10-09T16:31:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

so, i didn't win the nobel this year. just like i didn't win a macarthur grant. ah, well. if we all be patient, i will someday rule the world.

i won't attempt to explain the winner for this year's peace prize. if you want some smart observations, visit steve clemons' www.thewashingtonnote.com as soon as humanly possible. he's also got some provocative comments about judith miller.

but physics, well, i do know physics.

stop laughing.

i'm serious. cut it out.

at any rate, i had a student last year who majored in physics and drama. he was my "got to" student who got the rest of us thinking differently about science (like, "wow. check out those particles!"). i fired off an email asking the question on everyone's minds: "what the heck are they talking about?"

helpful mike ridgaway responded back with a brief overview:

"Quantum optics, like regular optics, is the study of light and how it behaves. Quantum optics, however, deals withlight on an atomic level. I'm sure you've heard before that light acts as both a wave and a particle. The wave aspect of light has a frequency that corresponds to the color we detect, much like how the frequency of a sound wave correspondsto the tone we hear. These scientist have developed new and incredibly precise ways (within 0.000000000000001 units) to measure the frequency oflight, specifically the kind emitted from atoms. This is what they're talking about when they refer to the color of atoms. Their research extends to applications in atomic time measurements, where atomic emissions and behavior are used as units of time."

got that?

it is just so cool.

here are pictures of the winners:

aren't these guys just darling?

almost as precious as marbury and madison.

cordelia got a fantastic new haircut this weekend -- as soon as i figure out how to scan a picture of her, i'll post an image of the little cutie. she came out of the groomer with a big bow with a pumpkin on it around her neck.

fall break this weekend coming up and i get to go to san francisco for the marriage of the persian and the pollack. we've missed them greatly while they've been in london, but we have full faith and confidence that the event will remind us instantly how much we love them both.

that' s enough for now. be good to each other and light a candle for those poor folks living in pakistan, india and turkey.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

volansky

Former Students Working Hard!

2005-10-03T22:30:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

while we all ponder the implications of harriet miers and a roberts-led supreme court (and wonder why justice stevens had time to dine with super smart nicholas in new york city on friday, when we all know that red mass was happening on monday...), we are instructed by ms. popcornkernel as to the judiciary act of 1801:

here's what she has to say:

"Well, to begin at the beginning…

The Constitution declares that there will be three branches of government, but the details were a little vague. For example, the Constitution did not specify how many justices were to sit on the Supreme Court. Shortly after the Constitution was ratified in 1789, Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789 stating there would be one Supreme Court, three circuit courts, and 13 district courts (one per state). They also specified there would be one Chief justice and five Associate justices, but the scope of their power was undefined.

The judiciary act of 1801 gave Adams, who was at the very end of his presidential term, the power to appoint judges as he saw fit. He planned to fill the nation’s courts with Federalists to stack the courts against the incoming Republican president, Jefferson. He reorganized the district and circuit courts, changing their sizes and adding lifetime positions. The judges that Adams selceted were referred to as Midnight Judges, because it was rumored that these appointments were being signed at midnight before Jefferson could take office. One of these Midnight Judges was William Marbury, appointed on March 3. Keep in mind that Adams made all of his appointments in 19 days.

After Jefferson’s inauguration on March 4, 1801, he and his Secretary of State James Madison treated nearly half of the appointments as void, including Marbury’s. In the 1803 case of Marbury vs. Madison, the court unanimously voted that Marbury had a right to the Supreme Court position, but that the Judiciary Act of 1789 was unconstitutional. Marbury never got to sit on the Supreme Court. The case of Marbury vs. Madison was the first time the Supreme Court exercised the power of judicial review, declaring that acts made by Congress years earlier were unconstitutional."

isn't that impressive? i'm so proud of my girl.

ms. popcornkernel says that she's been unable to find concrete evidence that there was no supreme court from 1801 to 1803, but georgetown wouldn't hire someone who didn't know what they were talking about, would they?

absolutely not.

if this were a celebrity death match, who would you vote for?

no fair voting for the guy on the left (marbury) whose picture, due to the limits of this bloggers technical abilities, looks bigger than james madison.
so, i look forward to seeing who votes for who.
and, finally, oh brother, where art thou?
gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

Sad, sad news...

2005-10-02T20:15:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

the theater world has lost a monumental -- and overwhelmingly important figure: august wilson died today after his bout with liver cancer.

wilson, who only recently (august) announced that he had only months to live, had just completed his ten play cycle investigating the african-american experience in the 20th century. from JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE, to KING HEDLY II to FENCES, these plays, with poignancy, violence and profound insight, helped to articulate the long struggle from 1900-2000.

my own interaction with mr. wilson was limited, but certainly the highlight was the time he showed up for a performance of KING HEDLEY II at philadelphia theatre company. he had said that he couldn't participate in the "american playwrights in context" discussion, citing work on GEM OF THE OCEAN. i found a wilson scholar to discuss the great man's work. imagine my surprise when i looked out from the stage and saw him sitting there, grinning. we laughed a lot.

he will be so so missed -- and i challenge others out there to keep his memory, and remarkable work, alive.

RIP...

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

Rabbit Holes

2005-09-27T22:02:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

i've felt the need lately to blog a bit more, perhaps because i am wanting to continue to connect with all of you who come by and visit (and whose number is over 1500!), and perhaps because the weather is turning cooler and i'm thinking of hibernation once again.

as mentioned, there have been some clouds around lately, but as sister sue pointed out in a pointed voicemail today, "you have a great job that you adore, you have family and friends who love you and you don't live in the gulf region. now, come out of that rabbit hole and call me back, dammit."

sometimes, a rabbit hole is a good thing. sometimes there are cakes and snacks and juice.

the rabbit hole to which she was referring is not that.

d.p. introduced me to the term and it is just appropriate. sometimes you just want to get lost in a world of your own, under the busy earth and away from even those you most like.

the message was, as stated, rather direct and somewhat stern (there's a reason why young people in montoursville march in line whenever she looks their way), but totally right.

i do have many many good things and for all of it (and you), i am grateful. thanks so much for being around.

now before this gets too sentimental, i'm going to switch gears.

remember this guy?

come on, you know...

it's been quite a long time since anyone has heard from big brother tommy, said to be hiding out in mary and ted's guest house in LA. this is where my mind goes: LA? guest house? lovely cheekbones? somewhat jaded?

good god, my big brother tommy has turned from remarkable playwright to kato kaelin.

if you've seen or heard from him, please ask him to check in with his peeps in philly.

no one has yet to turn in their extra credit essay from yesterday. remember, if you fail to answer, the terrorists will have won.

be good to each other.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

volansky

Education

2005-09-27T00:22:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

skies are a little bluer here in volanskyland, but there is still a bit of rain with chance of fog. we thought for a brief time that there would be the much-feared "damaging wind and hail." but we hope for sunny skies as fall really sets in.

at any rate, as one can clearly see, i've been thinking a lot about the water lately, as well (and this isn't all that apparent) as the federal judiciary.

well, as i sat on my porch in chestertown, feeling the rain fall and looking at the catholic church across the street while talking on the phone to professor nick (whew), i got to thinking about all that was going on in our world:

1. weather
2. gays in the priesthood
3. marbury v. madison

it all seemed to come together.

and i learned something:

so, we all know that the judiciary act of 1789 created the US court system as we (almost) know it today, complete with districts, circuits, the office of the AG, the supremes and a few other things.

we know that the landmark "judicial review" holding from marbury v. madison essentially made the judiciary a solid 3rd branch of the US government.

this case was landmark because, as john stewart points out in:

prior to this, the judges were permitted only to make decisions on spelling and punctuation.

i love john stewart.

at any rate, what i did not know, and what the really smart professor nick informed me of (hey kids, if you want to go to law school, check out these folks: http://www.law.georgetown.edu/ )

they seem to know what they are doing.

gosh, the digressions.

what i learned was the there was no US judiciary from 1801 to 1803!

those who know me know that i do not acknowledge the punctuation mark (see how it all comes around?) called the "exclamation point." you get one in your life, but, at this time in my life, i think i'd like to buy a punctuation, alex.

imagine if that were the case now. a bunch of judges sitting around for about a year and a half, with nothing to do but think about their lives.

for those of you who know jose rivera's short play TAPE, you'll know why this image makes me so happy.

there's obviously a lot more to the judiciary act of 1801 and then the judiciary act of 1803, but nick's great teaching has made me turn my head with curiousity. check it out.

and the person who presents the best report gets extra credit.

i didn't figure in the catholic church. i'll figure that one out later.

in the meantime, be good to each other, and...

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

volansky

ps there are some great comments about the "sexy" stay-at-home moms on the, um, comments page. check it out.

pps though i do agree with the problems with biore and wine coolers, i do have to gush a bit about flicka's emmy. yay!

Zeitgeist

2005-09-22T14:05:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

it's been a rough day or so here in volanskyland, so if you have candles to light or chants to, um, chant, do them. a special shout-out to a special friend: kiddo, here's looking at you.

today, i would like to talk about THE ZEITGEIST.

the oxford english dictionary defines zeitgeist as "The spirit or genius which marks the thought or feeling of a period or age. "

for the moment, let us not dwell on the fact that this entry was probably submitted by an insane person...check out this book for full details:

at any rate, i like to think of myself as one who tracks what people are reading, what they are watching, what they are talking about, you know, around the water cooler (thank you maria for providing this much-needed item to the spanish house).

i recently purchased copies of FREAKONOMICS, tom friedman's book THE WORLD IS FLAT and zadie smith's ON BEAUTY. i was first in line to read bill clinton's book, got AMERICA: THE BOOK on the day it came out and bought wilco's last CD within a day of its release.

you see what you are dealing with.

however.

would someone PLEASE explain to me two things:

1) tuesday's new york times article that talks about women attending yale and penn who pay a fortune to get their degrees and decide that it is "sexy" to stay at home with the kids?

2) the chatter on discussion lists and on blogs about women who want to date/marry/have sex with SERIAL KILLERS?

here's what i know about the stay-at-home moms i know: they are all smart, talented, opinionated women who view staying at home as "one part of their lives." they are clear-headed and realistic about the challenges that may face them if and when they return to the workforce. all are well-educated and spent time working. i don't imagine that any of them would call staying at home, on certain days, "sexy."

can someone give me another perspective?

as far as the serial killers go, i got nothing. help?

finally, to tap just a bit further into my psyche, i had a very provocative dream two nights ago that involved bruce willis.

we all know my love and adoration for bruce springsteen. do you think that something got crossed in my REM wires and dreamland provided the wrong bruce for me to fantasize about? it was hot, but, um...it was bruce willis.

enjoy your days, keep my heart in your thoughts and be in touch.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

The Upcoming Plague

2005-09-20T21:59:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

well, we're three weeks into the semester and the plague has struck.

it happens every year. students get sick, faculty gets sick, staff gets sick.

if i were a normal human being, i would say that it is perhaps the changing of the seasons.

but it is still very warm in both chestertown and in philadelphia and i know a thing or two about the flu epidemic of 1918.

as far as the temperature goes, i suspect that the heat is what some would call an "indian summer." as with the names of professional and collegiate football teams, that term seems to have fallen into disuse. what it means to me is that i cannot wear my new tweed j.jill stuff and i have yet to transfer from my vera bradley floral pattern and into the vera bradley black microfiber. which is a bummer.

when one looks to the flu epidemic, well, all i can say is that draft two of my play was due on september 1st and it is still in the "cranial stage." suffice to say, don't go to any parades that are purported to support liberty bonds, don't hang around flocks of geese or other avian species and for heaven's sake, don't kiss any strangers.

that last part isn't all that true.

i had a great weekend with the lovely and talented neil blackadder (will someone hire him to freelance dramaturg in NYC this fall -- he's so SMART) and his bride natania rosenfeld (please please publish her short stories -- they rock!) and their poochie, bella. what a lovely time. we spent some time at the fringe cabaret with my good pal nick rye, where we chatted it up with my chum at WXPN michaela majoun (hey, if you aren't streaming and a member of www.wxpn.org, what the heck are you waiting for???). there was fire involved. that is all i am at liberty to say.

i'm looking forward to a visit from the spectacular jessica thebus -- just in time for a rewrite of WHISPERING CITY, and looking forward to some sleep.

i hope all of you are well in your worlds. be in touch.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

This Just In...

2005-09-14T17:35:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

after my post yesterday, a quick-thinking bella emailed me the following revision to laura's joke:

Q: What is George W. Bush's position on New Orleans?

A: He believes in the sanctity of life, and that no child should be left behind. Unless they're black. Or poor.

frankly, i can't do any better than that.

on another front, this just in: aaron burr kills alexander hamilton in a duel in weehawken, new jersey!

okay, so i know that it is a little late-breaking. but on thursday afternoon, in chestertown maryland, author ron chernow, who wrote ALEXANDER HAMILTON, will present the inaugural george washington book prize lecture. this prize, larger than the pulitzer and the national book award (though, suspiciously, less than the sophie kerr) was created by the c.v. starr center for the american experience here at washington college. the good folks at the starr center, joined i am sure by college relations, have come up with an audio broadcast that is both amusing and accurate. go team!

you can listen to it by clicking here: http://www.washcoll.edu/wc/news/press_releases/05_09_13_duel.html

if you are interested in coming down, let me know ASAP. i'll be having cocktails with mr. chernow and company after the 5PM talk.

be well. and kind to each other.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

Why We Love the Internet

2005-09-13T21:24:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

i had a great visit this weekend by the lovely and talented elizabeth bennett. before you all think that i am communing with characters from the novels of a dead victorian writer, think again.

it is elizabeth bennett, famed dramaturg and hot chick. some of us like to call her betty.

we had some bonding time with mother volansky, went shopping at viv pickle (check it out: http://vivpickle.com/) and had an impromptu dinner party with british nick, dp, ms. hogan and the boys. yummy all around. and good friends, well, you gotta have 'em. and i sure do.

i will not speak of the performance of the eagles last night. i fear i may be drafted into playing quarterback. it couldn't be any worse, could it. really?

a special shout-out to uncle cheezy, who achieved the masterful task of acquiring 8 -- count 'em -- 8 tickets to springsteen in richmond virginia. i'll be there. will you?

now, you may be wondering why this post is called "why we love the internet."

here are some reasons:

http://www.cafepress.com/busblog.15499153 -- mine is set to arrive on thursday.

laura perlow emailed the following joke:
Q: What is George W. Bush's position on Roe vs. Wade?
A: He really doesn't care how people get out of New Orleans.

and then there is this picture:

i don't think i need to say anything else, do i?

keep the faith. and listen carefully to the answers john roberts is giving (or not giving) at his confirmation hearings.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

volansky

The Future

2005-09-08T23:34:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

i nearly went to bed tonight without reporting on what the ben and the kipper have been up to. i wish i had a cute cute picture to post, but as i am using a WC laptop, i don't have my archives.

at any rate, ben started 1st grade this year, about which he was distressed to learn that such an endeavor would involve 3 hours of homework a night. this was reported to him by either morgan c. or morgan j. (i can't remember which), who, as sister sue reported to me, "is repeating grade one and the reason, perhaps, that he had 3 hours of homework a night, was due to the fact that he (morgan c. or morgan j.), was, in fact, an idiot."

so that's him.

kipper, after MONTHS of patently refusing the believe (following in grand volansky/gowan -- okay just aunt shel fashion -- of denial) that she would be starting school, has become a faithful servant of mrs. jones' kindergarden class. mrs. jones, who i think is on par to rival mrs. kaliss for teaching consecutive family members (mrs. kaliss had the long-suffering task of teaching volansky children latin for 20 years...), is navigating the kipster well. however, the quote of the start of the school year comes from kipper herself. when asked about how it was all going, she answered "okay, except for the homework. i mean, i can't READ, how can i be expected to do HOMEWORK?!"

that's my girl.

at any rate, the kids, having barely survived sister sue's wish for them the first day of school (after checking in with niece abbie and nephew...? -- ask me about this if you are interested), the kids watched hurricane katrina's devastation. they set up their lemonade stand and promptly raised $27.13, which they sent to the red cross. the next day, ben wanted to set up the stand near the local grocer's, where he thought he'd make more money. for her part, kip said she would advertise to allow someone or family to live in her guest room.

it is things like that which assure me that i'll be in good hands when i am the dowager aunt i am meant to be...

again, red cross and the humane society. or ben and kip's lemonade stand.

withthispostidonthatefreedomsomuch,
volansky

Where to start...?

2005-09-08T21:16:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

i hope everyone is doing well and safe and staying out of trouble. i have LOTS of opinions about LOTS of things, but i will try to keep the tone straightforward.

i acknowledge that it is not george bush's fault that the levees in new orleans broke. it is my understanding that, for years (and decades), the army corps of engineers has been among the first to be cut off the list for monies.

however.

i do blame FEMA (thanks to playwright jane anderson for alerting me to what that actually stands for: Few Enlightened, Many Assholes) and the bush administration for a slow slow slow response. even herbert hoover, as head of the department of commerce in 1927 was able to raise $150,000 million in the first three hours after the tidal surge on the mississippi. and we all know what kind of leader herbert hoover was...

i can't believe that FEMA is run by a guy who, though once a general counsel to the agency, came directly from an arabian horse farm. i can't believe he had no idea that the people in the superdome needed immediate water and food. as josh marshall, at www.talkingpointsmemo.com asked, "doesn't anyone in this administration READ?" jeez.

i am happy to hear that we've moved away from the term "refugee" and toward "evacuees." i am thrilled that washington college has offered full room, board and tuition to 8 students impacted by katrina. i am a little irked by larry king, but grateful that he has not dealt with natalee holloway in a week.

i'm also thrilled that my parents got me AAAplus for christmas, because today, on the way to cordelia's vet in new jersey, i got my THIRD flat tire in the last 8 months. dear god. so, thanks to miller's towing for taking me and my little dog to get another tire, another spare, and a lovely cheese hoagie.

my parents also bought me a bike today. do you think they are trying to tell me something?

heard from rob in the 'do (that's what the "in crowd" calls hokkaido) today, who assures me that it is still a town filled with gothic lolitas and drunk salarymen. and for those of you anxiously awaiting photos, i say, "get a life." seriously. no, i intended to do it today, but, because of the flat, my plans were changed. perhaps sunday, while i watch the kickoff of the NFL season.

i will not be watching or participating in the "freedom march." i hope that you will continue to send food, clothes, money to the red cross or the humane society. and go WAC writer's union for launching a book drive to go to the kids at the astrodome. if you have old kid's books or coloring books, let me know and i'll tell you how to help.

i think i've babbled enough.

be good to each other. i'll talk to you all soon.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

Labor Day

2005-09-05T19:22:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

so, this morning when i woke up and started thinking about what i was going to teach today (we had classes all day), i was reminded of a few things that my old neighbor in chicago used to say about labor day. i say "old neighbor" because, well, it was studs terkel and he is, indeed old. he also used to live in my neighborhood when i lived in chicago.

at any rate, studs, who always wore red white and blue, talked a great deal about the significance of labor day. he provided me (and anyone else waiting for either the bus or the el) with some information about the holiday that i seemed to have forgotten from my childhood schooling. here's a little bit of info you should know:

Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means

"Labor Day differs in every essential way from the other holidays of
the year in any country," said Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of
the American Federation of Labor. "All other holidays are in a more or less
degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife
and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another.
Labor Day...is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation."
Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor
movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American
workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers
have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is
still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.

Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the
Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation
of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature
have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."

But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor
Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor
Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5,
1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union.
The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on
September 5, 1883.

In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as
originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in
other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's
holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations,
and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The
first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during
1885 and 1886. From them developed the movement to secure state legislation. The
first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to
become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more
states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor
Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut,
Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had
adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress
passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday
in the District of Columbia and the territories.

The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in
recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and
huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in
emphasis and medium of expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union
officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given
wide coverage in newspapers, radio, and television.

The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of
living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us
closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political
democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor
Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership
— the American worker.

never let it be said that this blog perpetuated ignorance.

on another note, as some of you may have been emailed, cordelia and i have been struck by the pain of the animals and their owners in the areas impacted by hurricane katrina. there are so many worthy organizations that deserve our help and financial support, but cordelia and i hope that you will join us in supporting the humane society of the united state. you can contribute to them by visiting their website at http://www.hsus.org/.

i am completely amazed that this site has now recorded over 1,000 readers! give yourselves a giant round of applause and get ready to buy me some gin and tonic -- we're cool.

finally, there have been many requests for photos. i have, in fact, gotten the pictures out of hoc (target) and will, hopefully this weekend, be able to post some of the great pictures from my trip to japan.

stay tuned.

our thoughts and prayers are with all of those folks down south -- remember, god was NOT punishing the sinful ways of new orleans. sometimes, nature just happens.

in the meantime,

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

School!

2005-08-28T12:19:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

sorry to have been out of the loop (is anyone still reading??), but i've been trying to get myself back into the swing of things in anticipation of school starting tomorrow.

washington college hosted a lovely convocation, featuring richard brookheiser, who edited george's rules of civility. if you've not read what our favorite founding father had to say about how to behave, run, don't walk to get your own edition. he was a smart one, that fella.

several folks commented on my reaction to the proliferation of highway signs. of course, i know that they were originally installed to alert drivers of traffic jams, etc. what i find disconcerting is their new use as "tipster" alerts. i know we all need to be vigilant and somewhat cautious, but i find it really, well, orwellian (there, i said it) to have these things out there.

sometimes i think that USA Today is orwellian as well, for the record.

okay, enough with the politics.

i got my photos back from japan and once i get myself settled into this week, they shall be up for all to see.

enjoy the week, my friends, and stay in touch. please.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

Signposts

2005-08-24T10:07:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

i don't know how many of you drive along major interstate, but, in going back and forth to Chestertown, i travel along I-95. over the last 6 months, a slightly disturbing thing has happened. cropping up at 5-15 mile intervals are large LED-type screens. they are ominous, big and bulky and seemed to appear almost out of nowhere (kind of like the boxes for USA Today back when that rag started).

now, in and of themselves, i wouldn't have a problem with these things. however, the message on them is more than a little disturbing: "report suspicious activity: call 800-TIPS" or some number that indicates one would be calling the department of homeland security or donald rumsfeld or something.

these things were, at least to my recollection, first used to notify drivers of "amber alerts," which was a fairly quick and effective way of getting the word out that a child was missing. this new usage is, um, alarming.

it reminds me a little too much of big brother, a little too much of a police state and a little, well, unwelcoming.

anyone else have any thoughts on this?

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

ps if you type "Rumsfeld" into the yahoo search engine, one of the optional searches that comes up is "Rumsfeld angry". funny, right?

Where in the World...

2005-08-19T09:23:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

many of you know that i am an avid listener of NPR (my home station is www.whyy.org and in maryland i listen to www.wypr.org). i'll confess to a few rocky patches in our relationship. like, i was more than a little miffed when my old pal bob edwards was given the heave-ho. and i cannot figure out who, actually, the replacements are for "morning edition"(okay, maybe i don't want to know). and why oh why must michele norris pronounce her name like she does?

but perhaps my favorite element of NPR is senior european correspondent, sylvia poggoli. here she is:

isn't she darling?

and here is her bio:

Sylvia Poggioli is senior European correspondent for NPR's foreign desk and reports from Rome, Italy; the Balkans; other parts of Europe; and the Middle East. Poggioli can be heard on NPR's award-winning newsmagazines Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition.

Since joining NPR's foreign desk in 1982, Poggioli's on-air analysis has encompassed the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, the turbulent civil war in the former Yugoslavia, and noteworthy coverage from Prague. In early 1991, she supplemented NPR's Gulf War coverage, reporting from London on European reactions to events surrounding the war.

In 2004, Poggioli was the inaugural recipient of the WBUR Foreign Correspondent Award, presented to an outstanding public radio foreign correspondent. In 2002, Poggioli received the Welles Hangen Award for Distinquished Journalism from Brown University. In 2000, Poggioli received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Brandeis University. In 1994, Poggioli was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences "for her distinctive, cultivated and authoritative reports on 'ethnic cleansing' in Bosnia." In 1990, Poggioli spent an academic year at Harvard University as a research fellow at Harvard University's Center for Press, Politics, and Public Policy at the Kennedy School of Government.

From 1971 to 1986, Poggioli served as an editor on the English-language desk for the Ansa News Agency in Italy. Prior to her duties as editor, she worked at the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy. She was actively involved with women's film and theater groups.

Poggioli's reports on the Bosnian conflict earned two awards in 1993: the George Foster Peabody Award and the Edward Weintal Journalism Prize. She also won two awards in 1994, the National Women's Political Caucus/Radcliffe College Exceptional Merit Media Award and the Silver Angel Excellence in the Media Award. Poggioli was part of the NPR team that won the 2000 Overseas Press Club award for coverage of NATO's 1999 air war against Yugoslavia.

The daughter of Italian anti-fascists who were forced to flee Italy under Mussolini, Poggioli was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She graduated from Harvard College in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in romance languages and literature. She later studied in Italy under a Fulbright Scholarship.

poor sylvia has been all over the place and i've heard her sort of panicked sign-off from some of the worst trouble spots on the planet. "this is sylvia poggoli on the streets of sarajevo." or "this is sylvia poggoli from kirkuk." or even "this is sylvia poggoli from srebrencia." yikes.

i think she thought she had it made when she was on the papal death watch in rome, but, alas, off she goes to track the arrests of the alleged london bombers in rome.

i'll be tracking where sylvia is as she travels the globe. enjoy.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

volansky

The long journey home...

2005-08-18T16:21:00.000-04:00

hello, friends,

i'm now back home in philly and i thought i'd share a wee bit about the trip home.

rob and i left his apartment in sapporo at 7 for the 2 hour ride to new chitose airport. we listened to our two favorite CDs in the ride:

we hung out a bit until i got on my flight at 11:00AM. it was so sad to say goodbye to him, but he swears he is coming home for christmas, so that is good news.

the flight from sapporo to tokyo(nagoya/chubu airport -- the new one!) was packed -- and i was the only white face on the plane. there were video screens at the front of each section and the craziest thing happened upon landing. the plane apparently had a camera at the front of it, so we could watch ourselves landing on the strip. nutty. and, after we landed, the video switched to the TV news, which seemed to be reporting on the earthquake, which had happened just about a half hour before. people started talking, but of course, it was in japanese (as was the news) and all i could figure out was that something was wrong with the bullet trains. however, as we were descending, the water in the inlet around the airport was red and really rocky looking. it wasn't until i got inside the airport to get online that i realized that the earthquake had hit.

next, i took a flight to san francisco and again, every seat was packed. while i was sitting in the lounge, i observed a guy talking to everyone in the area. i thought, "dear god, please don't let chatty charlie sit next to me. it's THAT GUY that i just can't stand." of course, he was my seat mate and of course, at one point, he had his 3-year-old son take his seat for about 2 hours. oy. so there was no sleeping there, either.

i had originally planned to spend the night of the 16th in san francisco with the lovelies holli and robin, but all i wanted to do was get home (i had gotten an ear infection on the frickin' mountain...alas, not SARS, lois). i pleaded my case to a ticketing agent, who told me on the DL that there was "job action" happening with the mechanics. i said i didn't care, he waived all fees and wished me good luck.

so, the 8:25 AM flight that i lucked into still hadn't taken off when he put me on it at 10AM and in reality it didn't go until 1PM, putting me into minneapolis at 6:30. i missed my 5PM connection time, but was able to be rebooked on a 7:17PM. a dash through the airport, a regrets phone call to liz and MBD and one bottle of water later and i was on my fourth packed flight of the "day," this time headed for philly and home.

mama and dad picked me up at the airport at 11PM, bearing the girl and a cheese hoagie.

it was the longest tuesday, august 16th in recorded history. but i was home.

i did a little unpacking, ate the hoagie, sat up with ms. jess and went to sleep around 2. i had started my laundry, thinking i'd get up at some point to do it.

however, when i finally emerged, at 9PM on wednesday, jess had finished both loads. cordy, meanwhile, slept right next to my head for all 18 hours without asking to eat or be let out.

wednesday night i had another greatly missed meal -- pizza. and i got caught up on the missing episodes of ENTOURAGE. if you are one of the few people not addicted to these 4 cherubs and their prickly agent (played superbly by the finally-getting-his-due jeremy piven), run don't walk to your HBO agent to get it. or, check out http://www.hbo.com/entourage/index.html. look at how cute they all are!:

i have some final thoughts on the trip, as well as some questions about the future of this blog, so stay tuned in the next day or so. photos are also due sometime friday or saturday, so they'll be posted. in the meantime, look at how sad rob looks since i've been gone:

and thanks for being a part of my journey. i hope to see you all soon.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

Safe and sort of sound

2005-08-16T14:05:00.000-04:00

konnichiwa, friends,

i'm in the states!

i arrived about an hour ago into san fran airport, pleaded my way into a flight home tonight, only to find that northwest is experiencing a series of "job actions" and i may be here for a wee bit.

a few things of note: i think i saw the earthquake from my flight in, but i can't be sure.

don tells me that christopher walken is running for president (see www.walken2008.com) and brother-in-law chris points out that the rude pundit has a show in the NY fringe...

just another day in america.

more later, but i am back in country.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky