THE STOOP: A Trunk, The Cookie Monster, A Portable Chair Booster and Gideon Haigh’s “The Uncyclopedia”

This week we found an eclectic mix of eccentric stuff from a sugar-rushing Sesame Streeter, two humidifiers, books and a really nice trunk.

The trunk was by far the classiest, most intact and desirable item that was left stoop-side this week. The handles were sturdy, there was no mold and it suffered minimal wear-and-tear. A definite treasure.

An item that gave me a laugh was a small Cookie Monster perched, with legs crossed at the ankle, on a fence.

Some junk was a big broken dresser and two humidifiers, including the Bionaire Clear Mist.

A great read was Gideon Haigh’s book, “The Uncyclopedia.” This volume is a corpus of arcane and esoteric facts and categories that may help its reader beat an opponent during one of Park Slope’s many trivia nights at local bars. 

Its non-essential and miscellaneous facts span topics like suicide notes of the famous, thirty song titles containing the word “radio.” For example: the iconic tune, “Video Killed the Radio Star,” by The Buggles, Queen’s “Radio Gaga,” “Radio Clash” by no other than The Clash and more.

Haigh also spells out Japanese “dumping phrases” and another chapter is called “Said of Don King.”

A practical piece found, especially for a neighborhood that has a high population of children, was the Kaboost, a portable chair booster.

The most colorful thing on the street this week was a funky mattress.

A coffee mug threatened passersby: “Give Me Coffee, and no one gets hurt!” 

An interesting antique was a table that was meant to hold a sewing machine, but the machine was nowhere to be found.

Until next week, stoop it up!