today i did something subversive: i set up shop on the sidewalk in front of our house. i never thought i'd be able to part with my books, but after i sold the first one, the rest was easy. it was nice discussing lit with passers-by, being visited by children and dogs, having hippies pass the pipe and relax in the chairs i provided. we even sold the box of tongue depressors left over from last year's solstice parade preparations. one of my favorite new york memories (actually, it was jersey city) is of a group of guys bbq'ing chicken in the middle of a sidewalk next to a fenced-in vacant lot. it was incongruous, beautiful, and unmistakably alive. viva sidewalk culture! ...and now i must step outside.