Midnight Madness, Prepare for Fair, Sunday 7

This post is entirely book-free, or at least free of discussing the contents. That will come in a separate post later under cut, for those who are still reading.

Midnight Madness
I went home early and took a nap on Friday, which is about all that kept me alive. Although the big party was in Silver Spring, where they turned an entire section of the street into Diagon Alley (Ben & Jerrys put up a Fortescue sign, Borders called itself Flourish & Botts, etc.,) we went to the Bowie store. After a shortish wait in line to get our sections for the actual sale, maureen_the_mad and I went for a long, caloriffic sit-down steak dinner before coming back and hanging out at the store. After a while, we ran into friends and spent most of the time chatting. Just before the main rush, fandance showed up to chat, but by then we were part of the rugby scrum around the entry to the cash registers. We were more than a little afraid that it would just be a mob scene, but they set up a checkpoint so that people really did only get up front according to their groups.

The first people to get the book - for free, even - were the winners of the costume contest, an entire family. Dad was in regular clothing with the nametag "Muggle." A boy who looked eight-nine-ish was Harry; his little sister was in a school uniform, pale makeup, and carried a toilet seat as Moaning Myrtle. Mom was wearing a hot pink 1960s style skirt suit with matching hat and shoes as a surprisingly stylish Umbridge. (We asked her where she got it. The answer was "Scarily enough, it was already in my closet.")

Opening of the line to M and I out the door was less than three minutes. It took longer for us to get out of the lot, because the police had pulled someone over in the parking lot and blocked our car in.

"Oh, look, Harry marries the squid," I said as I read the last page by sonic screwdriver light. M threatened to kill me.

Prepare for Faire
It was vital I get enough sleep that night to get through the yard sale. Naturally, I slept poorly. (And, I have to confess, it's a good thing that first chapter is so short.) However, shawan_7 brought donuts and fandance brought coffee which she turned into mocha for me, and a whole bunch of people showed up to help.

The final sales all haven't been made - my mother bought something off me today (!), dora_took took a sewing machine in the hopes of flogging it to the costumers, and some other checks are coming in, but so far we've made $1,775, which is pretty damned respectable!

After it was all over and we had the burnoff (fire sale prices to the people who've been helping all along), I was as ruthless with the stuff left over as I have been culling my own possessions. Some of the things have been in the sale all five years it's been running. So we packed up as much as somebody else might want - books & baskets to Goodwill, a friend took all the film for a film buff he knows, costumes to the SCA's Gold Key costume rental (or trash, but they get to choose), and what was left after that will be tossed in tonight's trash. I have kept a tiny amount as seed for Prepare for Faire '08, whoever wants to run that - one box of good garb, two sewing machines, and a box of trim.

Thanks to our wonderful helpers, it was all gone in a couple of hours.

Nantucket Nan, one of my earliest and favorite costumes, went to a friend and fellow costumer. While there were other friends who wanted it, there's just something satisfying about keeping it in the costuming family.

Afterwards, the V family, M, faireraven, and acroyear70 watched Hogfather.

Sunday 7
Today, aside from my parents visiting briefly to bring things and use my washing machine, I've been reading as fast as I can turn pages. I've been offline since 2:30 on Friday, so the mail & LJ are going to be scary and I'm sure potterdammerung is in full swing.

Still, got more than 7 gone yesterday. I've:
1) Donated my bowed psaltry to the Pirate Feast raffles
2) Donated the last of the unclaimed craft books to Prepare for Faire
3) Donated massage mat to Prepare for Faire
4) Donated another drum to the Pirate Feast raffle
5) Donated my aunt's sewing machine to Prepare for Faire
6) Donated my treadle sewing machine to Prepare for Faire (one of the first things to go)
7) Culled through my basket collection and donated fully half of it to Prepare for Faire

Better yet, I bought very little at PfF to add clutter back. Two baskets (I sent out something like a dozen, so that's not too bad), some cotton yarn, a couple of Irish dresses. At the end of the day the Maryland Rennfaire goblet I had donated hadn't sold so I took it back rather than give it to Goodwill.

Next week, I'm going to have to do double duty, as the weekend after that I'll be in Stratford.