Return to Witch Mountain

After the December episode of Twilight Rummage Sale, I came to terms with the deteriorated state of the basement's hygiene.  Here's an example of poor storage quality:  for months I had books stacked on an upended box containing a child's booster seat.  On top of the box, plastic wrapped bathroom tissue (a few of which had been taken upstairs to the hall closet).  On top of that, more books.  I had loads of other books in disarray piled on a table nearby.  My goods from the last Twilight sale were in the garage waiting to be sorted, including things I was keeping for myself.  Last night I brought my laptop downstairs, put on season 2 of Orange is the New Black, and got to work.  I sorted out most of the books into "keep", "Powells", and "swap meet" piles.  I fit the last roll of old carpet padding in the garbage can, so the collectors could get it this morning.  I found a small pile of stuff to bring upstairs and put away.  Before I knew it the old basement was starting to look like a safe haven again.

We've only just begun

White lace and promises

A kiss for luck and we're on our way

Selling books at Powells has been going really well...the last time I went I got a ride so I could take about three times as many books as I usually carry.  Which isn't saying much, but now there's a dent in the shelves where I had them before.  Sooo...many...books...there used to be three or four times more too.  Unbelievable.  When the weather gets dryer, I'll start lugging them over to the book buyers again.

The last Twilight sale was blessed with a great turnout and my usual excellent regular customers.  There's been talk of the Eagles Lodge being sold but that's not going to happen, at least not for a long time.  I am so relieved, I can't even tell you.

I just finished a book by Emma Brockes, She Left Me the Gun.  I was reading it in The Fresh Pot when a guy at the table next to me wanted to know what I was reading.  I held up the cover and said it was a biography.  Then the guy asks me if it's a romantic novel. I said no, it's nonfiction (hence the word biography).  It's about the author's mother and how she left South Africa to escape her horrifically abusive father, but I didn't want to get into that.  Then the guy says, "But it probably has some romantic stuff in it, huh?"  I don't like to ascribe sexism to someone's motives two sentences in, but it was complete nonsense coming out of him in any case.  It reminded me of the time that a guy at the Gap asked me about a book I was carrying, Cries Unheard: the Story of Mary Bell by Gitta Sereny.  I think no one really wants to know what you're reading, it's just an awkward way to open up a conversation.  There's nothing more awkward than bringing up Mary Bell at the Gap.

The Real Housewife of Turntable Valley

Hard to believe that I haven't done a post about the Twilight Rummage Sale in so long.  I took a couple months off to spend time with family, but I came back in June to be both salesperson and DJ again.  Like before, I shared the duty with Estaban, the same DJ/seller that worked with me previously.  It went really well and Jake, who months ago helped me figure out all the equipment I needed to get started on this wild lifestyle, told us that we'll probably be part of the ongoing core group that play music at the sales in the future.

I DJ'd again for the Sweet 16 party that was hosted at the I.P.R.C. as the Portland Zine Symposium's opening event.  Usually I just bring my mixer, a few connectors, a turntable and an iPod.  This time I had to set up a PA and speakers too!  The speakers were taller than I am!  I was really surprised that no one told me to turn things down.  I even had my own private dancer!!  A woman started gyrating in a crazie fashion to Strafe and kept it up for a good 20 minutes.

I love it when people want to know what I'm playing and what they especially like.  A lot of folks mentioned this cover of Love Will Tear Us Apart.

Now I have to look up pictures of Robert Smith.  I make myself sick.

Last Saturday was plain old Twilight Rummage Sale with just me at a table with a zillion DVDs and old magazines.  I do have other things I need to bring, so that will entail me sorting through the basement some more. 

In the Night Time

It's time for my review of the latest Twilight Rummage Sale, which was last night at the usual place.  Now that fall is here the crowds are getting bigger and the dealers are looking a little perkier because sales generally pick up around now.  I did pretty well.  I  came with two boxes of DVDs and left with one.   I brought a bigger number of horror movies with me this time, with successful results.

I had my laptop with me so I decided to make it a party for everyone.  I had enough battery power in my laptop to show Killers From Space and Ghostbusters.  An older guy asked me if he could buy my laptop.  It was display only, but it reminded me that I have little idea where or how to buy a new one.  I told him he could maybe get one at the Mac store, but my recommending a Mac or Apple store to anyone is like telling them to stick their arm in a meat grinder.  When I pass one of those locations I feel the same way I felt watching the first ten minutes of The Wolf of Wall Street, i.e. adverse in the extreme. 

STILL have not won the raffle, but I'll keep trying. 

Hello my little Chickadee

I did the Twilight Rummage Sale last night at the Eagles Lodge.  It happened a week earlier than usual for reasons yet unknown, and the Bite of Oregon festival probably stole a lot of our potential visitors.  I did all right though.

The crowd there is totally right for the kind of stuff I keep bringing.  A lot of fans of film noir, British spy films/TV, horror of all kinds, and sci-fi B-movies.  Not doing so great: dramas about failing marriages in the 1970s, documentaries, or action films.  Here's a tip for you shoppers: when you set something down, you better make sure you pick it up again when you're still standing there.  I had a woman place a box set aside thinking I knew she wanted it, and another guy nearly nabbed it.  A guy who I see everywhere, who I used to think was J Mascis, left his UFO or Die 7" on my table and went home without it.  Don't worry dude, I'll hang onto it until I bump into you again.

I spoke to the guy who DJs the sale, who also happens to be one of my regular comics customers and a pretty nice person overall.  He showed me the equipment I'll need for when I DJ at the next Comix Thing happening in November.  I know it's super soon to be thinking about it but it turns out that I need a mixer, which I don't have.  I have everything else I need.  Another guy who works at the Lodge has offered to help me practice setting up and trying out everything.  When I worked at the radio stations they had everything there you needed, plugged in and ready to go, so this is the first time I have had to set up almost from scratch.  I have trouble figuring out how to set up my stereo at home so you can understand the head start I'm giving myself.  I know a lot of DJs and they are all so friendly and helpful, there are no snobs among them.

Saturday night, Sunday morning

The Twilight Rummage Sale went super well, and I went home with half of the DVDs I brought to sell.  I've marked them way down since I discovered I have way more to sell than I once realized.  There's a lot still at home left over from The Bad Apple days as well as the personal ones that I don't need to keep anymore.

At the end of every evening at these sales there is a "free table" designated for those tablers who wish to simply lighten their loads for the way home.  I've been bringing stuff just to leave there and not sell, hoping it would find a user.  I had one of those old-fashioned men's razors with loads of razor refills.  I think it had to be from the 1970s, but it still would have been good to use for someone.  I put all the pieces and razors (safely encased in metal dispensers, you're welcome) in a baggie and someone claimed it from the free table.  If I had given it to Goodwill it would have been thrown out.  I threw some other thingies on the table as well.  I left the building several boxes lighter than when I arrived!

I hadn't been to the sale since April.  Last time I was there and the time before I had been seated next to a woman who gave me and my stuff a ride home in her van.  She bumped a truck while backing out of the lot and asked me if I thought she should speak to the other driver.  She then gave me a whole lot of advice about how to "cleanse" my house of my husband's spirit using sage, which of course she had on hand.  At times like this I find these people entertaining even when they're being douche-y and unintuititive.

Whatever, here's a video for a song that plays a role in the zine I'm working on.  I'm not so into this animation but it's better than looking at a black and white photo of the band for three minutes.  

Tabling is my life

This is my table from the most recent Twilight Rummage Sale, that took place last Saturday night.  I did even better than the last time I was there!  I brought more stuff too.  I'm looking forward to the September edition of this event.  Look at all my cute signs!  I ended up leaving a few things on the "free" table at the end of the night.  I got a few awesome things from there too!  Glass bookends, a framed seashell shadowbox, and some crafty supplies.

Here's the rhinestone eagle I talked about before, it's way better than I could make it sound, right?!

This has been a super busy month of festival and sale related activity.  The Portland Zine Symposium was two weeks ago and the Projects art festival is happening this weekend.  SF Zine Fest is right around the corner too.  With my new work schedule, things are hectic!!

Rosebush Negligent Homicide III

I attacked the weeds in my garden today and pulled out a million, I even got some of their roots.  The chickens next door came over to feast on all the scurrying critters that I unearthed.  When I was almost ready to call it a night, I found a surprise waiting for me amongst the last of the weeds.  The nubs of the rosebush!  From the way it was mangled, it looked like it got hit with the mower.  But, there were some tiny hopeful leaves near the base.  I put some fertilizer pellets near the roots and cleaned up the stems with the rose nipper.  Roses have a way of coming back from the dead so maybe it will thrive in time.

I have a feeling I'll be paying for my labor tomorrow in muscle aches.  I put my all into gardening today.  I got an especially stubborn woody pest of a plant that had really deep roots.  There's some bizarre treelike thing growing near my compost bin.  I keep watering it to see what it will turn into, but I think I'm going to regret it.

I'm going down to the basement to make a shelf space for all the things I want to store up for the next Twilight Rummage Sale.  I won't be able to attend until next month, so I'm getting a little too obsessed with it.  I've even made colorful signs for the different things I'm bringing.