library sale

Signs of economic distress- this year's sale drew a crowd roughly three times normal size. My usual tactic is to buzz through once at high speed, grab as much obvious stuff as I can lay my hands on, then go back over the non-fiction sections at my leisure.

This time the dense, clamorous crowd caused such a violent decompression of stock levels I wasn't able to find much after that first pass. Some lit for the store, a couple of videos for the Fuss's perusal.

I did find my usual oddball winner, an unprepossessing paperback hidden between two thick volumes of Reader's Digest astronomy guides.

Even with the increased competition I ended up with a sizable pyramid of stuff.
I always feel like the fat dude at the buffet, my tray piled two feet high while everyone else has a bowl of jello and a roll. It isn't entirely true, there are always a few other dealers and low-level sellers picking things over, and the scanner demographic sweeping up after the parade.

It was foggy at the start and by the time I loaded up the car it was around 80 degrees. The old Mercedes diesels accelerate like an old diabetic on crutches, but they don't give a crap if they're hauling 300 pounds or 3000 pounds. Is it the torque? Calling all gearheads!