Rabbit Holes

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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...?

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

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