oh, to live in this neighborhood

Best yard sale ever, as described in the WaPo:

Some people lose their illusions. Alan decided to sell his, or at least the ones he no longer needs. So he organized this yard sale and -- to ensure that no trade secrets would leak out -- admitted only official card-carrying magicians.

About two dozen magicians appeared, from as far away as Norfolk and New Jersey, shelling out $10 to ponder Alan's illusions.

'This is a sword levitation,' said Jack Julius, 44, a magician from Annapolis. He was squatting on the grass, checking out a device containing three long, curved swords. 'You take the girl and you lay her down on top of the swords. You remove two swords and the third is still sticking in her neck.'

'That sounds like it could be dangerous,' said Julius's wife, Tanya, 34. She looked a tad worried, which wasn't surprising, considering that she would be the 'girl' lying on the swords if Julius bought the illusion, which was priced at $600.

'You just have to stay straight and be hypnotized,' Julius said. 'It's like acupuncture. It's like you're lying on a bed of nails, except it's three swords.'