That'll teach you to buy an apartment with windows on the lot-line!

It seems what happens is you put ersatz windows made of mirrors where your useless windows are, and also you kind-of festoon the place with Interior Design.

If you're buying, that is. This happened to a friend of ours renting in Williamsburg with significantly less fabulous results. His solution: Move to Bed Stuy!

But the funny thing about people covered in the Times is the way their ample supply of money helps to mitigate their plight. (Do we hear crickets? OK, we cover rich people, too.)

Seriously, it's a fun piece.

Lurking inside, however, is a less light-hearted observation which we've made before, too: "Last year the city approved the construction of 25,208 housing units - more than in any year since 1972, according to the Planning Department. (A housing unit can be a single apartment or an entire town house.) So far this year officials have authorized 15,870 more units, setting a pace that could make 2006 a record year for residential construction."

Umm ... let's watch out for oversupply, or the Manhattan real-estate bubble might actually burst, and finding a way to repurpose the vanity in your bathroom when they brick over your window will be the least of your concerns.

Also in today's Times: Deedle-dee-dee-dee-dee / Two ladies!

Insane roommates let boyfriends move in to lower rent; The Times thinks of a non-menage-a-trois headline; and another observation about the market in general:

"There's definitely a housing shortage," Ms. Dekidjiev said. "For affordable apartments, people just have to think of more options, make compromises and be more creative."

Phew!

- Tom McGeveran