It's a black, black day

I've made a lot of mistakes in my life. I mean, who hasn't? But the one that currently weighs most heavily is my obviously incorrect insistence that today's New York Mets are interchangeable, at least in my mind's eye, with the 2006 Met team that was, arguably, the best team in baseball.

And now they've fired Willie Randolph--a man of whom I was fond. And Cyd Charisse is dead.

Then you add to this toxic mix the news that the Celtics thrashed the Lakers to within an inch of their lives last night and, really, once I'd finished my two-eggs-over-easy-with-sausage-and-hashbrowns, I had to ask the waitress for a large coffee to go, so I could digest the sports page in private. Away from bystanders whispering to each other: "What's wrong with that man?"

Do they want an alphabetical list?
Please. Could you just go easy on me today? I mean, it's a black, black day.
Do you know what Bob Marley used to say?
No.
"In the abundance of water, the fool is thirsty."
You're referencing the recent email from my dealer?
Yes I am.

So my upstate dealer (as if I actually had a New York-based one) writes:

Geoff,

The first info on the show just went out to the arts organizations, calendars, newspapers etc. It will, of course, be followed by press releases, invitations, etc.

It's gonna be big, Geoff.

Geoffrey Raymond
The Greatest Portrait Painter of the Century
Opening Gala: August 2, 2008
Andes Art and Antiques Gallery

That title makes me smile, and I wonder what "big" means, quantitatively. In any case, I do love a gala (although my preference would be a masked ball). Makes me feel like I'm in an episode of Gossip Girl.