I was checking out Amazon to see what beer books I missed this year. Huge sale on so, being the canny Yuletide 2009 beer photo context administrator I am, I picked up a few extra copies on the cheap of Pete Brown's books for you US readers who have been frozen out by some insane publishers who refuse to place it into your bookstores. Never fear. Canada is here. Entries are getting backed up and I don't know if I have enough to give away. Remember to get your entries in this week as next week is too late. Contest closes 12 December. Rules: 5 photos (unless you can't count), no flash photos of beer next to a plate of food, snow shots get a bonus, remember to include your postal address. I think those are all the rules. Oh, and not 19,476 KB photos. I don't like spending my evenings reducing the scale of digital photos on a 2003 era computer. You can hear the cogs creaking when I do.

Also, heading off into the northern reaches of upstate New York today for Christmas shopping and hopefully a dip into Bessette's stock in Canton NY. Taking a six of McAuslan oatmeal stout as a gift for the hosts of the NCPR volunteer Christmas party - I answer volunteer phones in another country. Who ever thought it would come to that? More later.

Update post haul: Got the tiniest lecturette at Canada Customs, the guard eager to point out that half my taxes and duties were "due to that beer" - like I ought to know better, like I shouldn't. Too bad he was unaware that $4.99 a bomber for Stone is pretty sweet as is $5.99 for Sly Fox Route 113 IPA so far from home. The larder is well padded now. Found one six of Troeg's porter just sitting there, 17 miles from the Canadian border. Other stuff as well. I am giddy as a schoolgirl. Well, maybe as a 46 year old who is totally Dad.