Rogers Park Apartment

This sale was just down the street from our house, and had a few interesting things in it.

First there were records. Lots and Lots of records. Lots and lots of opera and Broadway records, which aren't among the things that make me go, "Mmm." But they did begin to paint a picture.

And lampshades. More lampshades than there were lamps. Imagine what a crazy party you could throw with these, once they were atop the heads of all your guests.

At publication, the "Who's" in the title stood for "who is." Today, it's "who was." And isn't that a frantically happy expression on the face of Lucille Ball?

There were enough outdated self-improvement books to fill any bookstore during the eighties or early-nineties.

Naturally, this one caught my eye. Who would know better than John Travolta about staying fit and building a beautiful body while one is young and still capable of such things? I'd like to see a follow-up to this, one about getting older and kind of creepy.

Look at that JT go!

I think this is that A&F catalog that made such a ruckus a few years ago. It's from the fall of 2001.

I certainly want to buy overpriced denim and tattered hoodies right now. Don't you?

Given everything I'd seen, I thought I was getting a pretty clear picture of the gentleman who lived here.

Then I saw this.

And this.

And this!

I figure one of two people lived here. Either an older gay man who enjoyed entertainment news and kept a few dresses around for kicks, or an older woman who wore flashy outfits, listened to a lot of opera and Broadway, and was trying to get her mojo back with the help of books like The Testosterone Program.

Either way, you win.

Newgard Street Yard Sale

Yard and garage sales were my gateway drug, and I sought them out for years before finally graduating to the hard stuff. I don't go much any more -- someone's cast-offs displayed outside their house just can't compare to seeing everything they owned inside its natural environment.

But when a reader recently invited me to comment on her block's yard sale, I found it impossible to resist.

Just add beer and bourbon: instant Mardi Gras!

I have no idea what this organized during the week, or what you're supposed to do during the weekends.

I would have bought this, but I don't have the bowling alley to go with it.

Don't know what this is, but it could be your for just $50.

Religious figurines! Come and get your genuine religious figurines!

Hat or mask? Either way, completely terrifying, and more than likely pretty itchy, too.

I love the fact that I found this at a yard sale.