the party is over

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?

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!

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