No Roto

Well, Cookie got a freebie today -- he's been fine all day, following his morning "wet and wild" thrill ride. Better safe than sorry (or so we've been saying since December 2000).

And speaking of maladies, I've been suffering the last few days with a terrible brain infection -- the song "We Are the World" keeps looping through, flattening the brain-waves, raising the blood pressure. I need to break out of this. Maybe later I'll fire up some K.C. and the Sunshine Band.

I'm gonna put on...
My my my my my boogie shoes.

That'll clear the clutter. Or worse.

Saturday's intense, alcohol-fueled conversation with Tommy later put me in the mind of a story Stefan Kanfer told me some 25 years ago.

A wealthy man desired a certain drawing of a certain bird. So he went to a famous artist to commission the sketch. The artist agreed and a large sum of money changed hands. Shortly thereafter, the man called the artist to ask if the piece was done. "Not yet," was the response.

So the man waited, then called again. "Is it done yet?" But the answer was always the same. "No, it's not ready."

This kept happening. Finally, the man went back to the studio to confront the artist. The artist took out a clean sheet and while the man stood there he quickly sketched the bird exactly as requested -- it was everything he wanted, maybe even better. It was so good he suddenly forgot his frustration over the long wait. He thanked the artist and turned to leave. At the door he stopped.

"Don't take this the wrong way. This drawing is perfect. But it only took you a few minutes to do it. Why did I have to wait so many months?"

The artist nodded and waved the man over to a back room where stacked in the corners and pinned to the walls were hundreds of drawings of his bird, some of them complete, none of them as inspired.

Or at least I think that was the story Stefan told. I'm sure I'm botching the telling, but cut me a break -- "we are the world, we are the children" still wafts through my head like the scent of an odorous gorilla. A dancing gorilla. One who dances with the bride, then departs in mystery.

What does the story have to do with Ree's wedding? Absolutely nothing. But if I keep trying to explain what I saw there, I might eventually produce... a sketch of a bird.

But it'll be a good sketch. A really good sketch.