Camerata

I finally have a digital camera! I chose the Nikon Coolpix 5200 with 5.1 megapixels and a 3x optical zoom. It was a toss-up between the Nikon and the Canon G6. The Canon has more manual settings - you can vary the F-stop, for instance. Mr. Brewguy preferred the Canon and claimed no ulterior motives. Yeah, uh huh. However Brewgal was just looking for a good point-and-shoot. I did briefly toy with the Elph but my hands are so big they covered the lens.

Look for project photos in the near future.

Brewgal 0 - Virus 1, or The Valentine's Day That Wasn't

"Where the heck has she been??" anxious bloggers wail. Brewgal and family have had a visit from the stomach flu, also known as Viral Gastroenteritis. Oh, man. What a nasty little bugger. Brewgal actually had to throw up on the side of the road on Saturday night. I felt like I was possessed by a frat boy. Needless to say, my Valentine's Day was less than stellar. I spent it on the couch watching reruns of Futurama and Project Runway while Mr. Brewguy fought his own viral version in the upstairs bathroom. The second worst part was going through caffeine withdrawal while waiting for it to pass. Brewgal likes her coffee.

Homebrew in the Funny Pages

This week's Get Fuzzy topic is homebrewing! Check it out here.

Medicine and Knitting Collide

I’m not the kind of person who has to have the correct box for everything. I make do with whatever is around. I love bookshelves for this reason. They hold my 10,000 books, my stereo, my photos, my tin canister collection… you get the idea. My steel crochet hooks are stored in a zippered cosmetics bag. My knitting needles are in a Fisher Price block container. I am the princess of make-do. But I have been surpassed.

I’m a sucker for knitting and crochet tools. I haunt yard sales and thrift shops. I buy all the needles I come across. I’m afraid to try Addi Turbos for fear I’ll have to get rid of all my beloved aluminum. Anyway, during my most recent bi-yearly pilgrimage back to Gettysburg to the Twin Oaks community yard sale, I came across a box of knitting supplies. Of course, I bought the whole box ($5!!). The previous owner had stored many of her sets in these lovely, form-fitting plastic tubes. “What a great idea,” I thought to myself. When I got home, I noticed that one tube still had its original label. I took a closer look at the tube…

“Argyle STERILE FOLEY CATHETER”

“Aieee!” I yelped. *Ewww!* thought my brain. (for those of you who don’t know what a Foley catheter is, see description here) Then I began to speculate about the former owner of these needles. She (I’m assuming it was a she) probably worked in the medical profession. She was probably a child of the depression and had been trained never to waste anything. She saw the cases being discarded and thought, “Those would be perfect for my knitting needles!” The needles were lovingly stored in their separate cases, carefully identified and protected from damage. So I applaud my unknown benefactor’s ingenuity.

Groundhog Day

Dragged from the burrow at the crack of dawn to face hordes of top-hatted Pennsylvanians to deliver the news that winter will be here for SIX MORE WEEKS! They need a rodent to tell me this?

I'm ranting today. I have been besiged by insane drivers over the last week. Allow me to vent.

• When I leave a space for someone trying to pull out of a driveway, that is not an invitation for Mr. Insane Driver to pull around me into that space.
• "Right turn on red" does not mean Mr. Insane Driver has the right of way.
• Do not slam on your brakes in the middle of a bridge because you are yelling into your cell phone. It alarms the rest of us.
• My hand-eye-foot coordination is circumscribed by the speed my brain's electrical impulses. I cannot start driving before the light turns green, no matter how much Mr. Insane Driver honks at me.

*cleansing breath* I feel much better now.

The baby sweater is done! It looks adorable, if I do say so. I will try to get a photo posted soon.