Ask the Readers: Your Best Dumpster Dive?

It’s that time again.

The air is getting warmer. It’s still sort of light outside when I leave work. And I find myself taking shortcuts through the alleys.

Why?

You know why.

Has it happened to you? That pulse quickening that happens when you think to yourself, “It can possibly be… left out for garbage?” But it is. So you quickly look over your shoulder, over the tall fence that separates the dumpster from the property owner — and not a soul in sight.

Just you. And your incredible dumpster dive.

I’ve rambled on about the best thing I’ve ever found in an alley.
What’s yours?

Shop Update: Religion! Glamour! Scholastica!

Some new items in the BackGarage Etsy store…

Weekend Craigslist Roundup: Chicago

Flickr Finds: Bookshelf Behind the Couch

Mary responded to a post I wrote a long time ago about how to successfully place a couch in front of a bookshelf, saying, “did you ever figure out a solution? I am thinking of bookcases behind sofa as an option, but I want to see how it might look implemented, before I commit.”

I decided to round up a few photos for inspiration…

So there are a few ways to do it. Damn — I love the reading lamps in this last picture. What are those called?