the sad thing about the upper east side is that there are no garage sales. and how are two semi-newlyweds living in manhattan supposed to find incredible bargains? well, we may not have garage sales, but what we DO have are sidewalks. and whatever people don't want goes on the sidewalk for the garbage man. or, if you happen to walk by at the right time, you can just pick it up and bring it home.

mike is an expert at this. he is constantly picking up all sorts of things he feels i might be able to use. last summer, we got several electronic devices that the kids at the library took apart with screwdrivers. mike carried two microwaves, a vcr, and an old computer several blocks to make that program possible. (microwaves are heavier than you might think)

but what he brings home the most are bookshelves. yes, i have a lot of books. but the floor space in our apartment was having a hard time accomodating five new sets of book holders.

and then, one bright morning (or dark early afternoon - man, i wish we got more light in our living room), it came to pass that i had an inspiration. every time i look at decorating magazines or fancy homegoods catalogs (like, you know, ikea), i am drawn to the bookshelves that fill walls.

my solution:

my very own wall of books.