My Best Friends' Weddings

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...

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!

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