Sales.

c. David Grim (taken 8/6/10)

On Thursday evening I drove out to Bellevue to have a look at a book sale at a small community library. It was $5 to get in for a sneak preview, and when I arrived there fifteen minutes early there were already several people lined up waiting to get in. They were all almost identical- out-of-shape and looking older than they probably were, and either marginally or "self-employed". And they seemed to know each other, as the banter they were exchanging featured their first names. Each one of them had a large tote bag (or empty box) and a portable bar-code scanner.

I've mentioned previously how much I resent having to compete with these "semi-professionals" for treasures. I'm not particularly looking for items to resell, but rather just trying to add to my "to-read" pile. And these jokers rush in with their flaccid bulk and block my access to the non-fiction table almost immediately. I guess that's where the best prospects for profit lie. Who would have thunk it?

One thing I did get first crack at was the kids' section, which I guess is fortuitous because I am indeed looking to supplement little E.'s library. I got a bunch of older classics and a Blue's Clues DVD (and I must note that Steve and his little cartoon friend get annoying a lot more quickly than a lot of my son's other favorites). I had a few words with a fellow traveler who was looking for reading material for her mixed-gendered pair of whelps. Not surprisingly my tastes ran to the strange when compared to hers, so we weren't fighting over our selections.

Ultimately I withdrew with armfuls of books that justified the early admission fee. I spent ten bucks total, and scanning over my finds I knew I got my money's worth. And I still had the weekend and a neighborhood sale in the misleadingly titled Edgewood Acres housing plan (it's actually in Forest Hills, if you ever have call to visit). It was a good diverting early start to a weekend I hoped would distract me from my troubles. In retrospect, I guess it served that function adequately.