mail order blues

The winemaking kit from Midwest Supplies came in on Tuesday. I did the appropriate happy dance on the porch. In my head, I've already made several batches of yummy wines, they all taste wonderful and my freinds and family are duly impressed. Then I did something very unusual. I read all of the instructions straight through. This is what's known as a buzzkill.



In the basic kit, you get a bucket and a big bottle, known as a carboy, tubing, a stopper and airlock for the carboy, and enough yeast and stuff to make 15 gallons of wine (wait, did you hear music?). However, it did not come with a little device called a hydrometer. The hydrometer is used to measure alcohol content and helps the vintner to know when fermentation is finished. This is important. I also realized that I would need more than one carboy, some corks for my finished bottles and something to put the corks into the bottles. Bottles I've got. An embarrasing number of empty wine bottles. Sigh.

Also on my online shopping spree was a rack and a set of folding baskets for the back of my bike. Since my bike is my primary week-day transportation, this is imminently practical. The amazon.com listing stated that the bicycle accessories were easily installed and were universal in fit. That should have been the first warning. The rack must be installed first and the baskets hung from the rack. The rack comes with a set of three screws and a bracket in case the universal fit isn't.

After 15 minutes of searching for a hole in which to put the screw (insert double entendre here), I managed to align the screws and the openings. Let me tell you something. Size Matters. The screws were too short to pass through the rack and the hole on my bike and grab the washer and nut on the other side. Off to the hardware store during my lunch hour.

Another Amazon order gone awry. I place an order for a couple of books and a CD a few weeks ago and recieved double copies of everything.

I think I'll stay off the surfboard for a while...