Ah yesterday...we got to the Basement of Mystery and lo and behold but there was a student, Jonathan, to move boxes for me; seven boxes to sort and price, and my mom helped me do both...Nancy, the nice woman who gives me batches of New Yorkers and hugged me as soon as I saw her, was in the same room, filling out slips for the treasures. I ooohed and aaahed over a Folio Society Complete Jane Austen, but eventually decided against it as it was too expensive and too clean; if it was a bit grubbier (and therefore cheaper) I may have claimed it. Work was good and much more social than usual. I told Genevieve that I am interested in cookbooks and I went over to the open sorting box for them and found Peg Bracken's But I Wouldn't Have Missed It For The World - not a cookbook, obviously (it's about travelling) but as she is best known for her cookbooks, it automatically went there...I got that for free and claimed Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol. 2 for myself - it was sitting in about the middle of one of the many many piles by Genevieve's desk. Then we went to the New York Deli on Bay St. for dinner and walked down the (inevitably) wind tunnel that is Bay St. and then tackled the project of getting the laptop computer I'm writing this on up & running; by the time I went to bed it hadn't been connected to the internet (this happened at about 2am by my mom, who had to use a flashlight to see what she was doing). I woke up at 3:30 (usual time) and smelt...smoke? Incense? It was definitely the smell of a wood fire, but not strong enough to be anywhere near the apartment building...turns out the big 5-alarm fire at Dupont & Dovercourt's smoke was spread out all over downtown (an abandoned building, btw). Tried to go back to sleep, gave up, then went back to sleep around 5...I think I am now living in two timezones, not one, and whenever I look at my watch I always add five hours and think..."He's having lunch now" or "He's going home" or "He's asleep, probably."

Today I helped my mom and some ACT II people at Ryerson and thought about my wedding. It's an odd thing to think about, but as I'm engaged...and I've decided that unless people in N. America REALLY want to attend, I do not expect anyone to travel to London for it. I hope to figure out a way to make the wedding accessible to those who can't attend, beyond photos, but it's tough, a kind of long shot...I did see a dress (ACT II is doing a vintage clothes auction/sale) that one woman said would suit me, and I agreed...and I had time to sit and think about the ceremony itself and how so much of it doesn't suit me. I don't want anyone to 'give' me away; how could anyone do that, when I went over to see Marcello myself and stayed with him, which Passport Control Woman Younger Than Me and Miss Manners and God knows who else would consider very risky behavior? Sigh...

The nights are getting colder; the trees are starting to change color, here and there, and it's almost autumn. After getting Sloan I feel sated in the world of music for now, and as the Vic, UC, Trinity and St. Mike's sales are all coming up, any spare change will go to cookbooks and more Peg Bracken (she is so wise & funny) and Roland Barthes/Gaston Bachelard, if any can be had...my cold is almost gone, I need to get my strength back...

I will be at Word on the Street on Sunday, 1-3pm, luring innocent booklovers with bookmarks and promises of chances for $25 gift certificates to one of the sales. Wish me luck!