Yes, today's update comes from outside in 20˚C weather. It's quite nice.

(I expect to be slapped when I get home. Obviously)

As part of my shopping travels yesterday, I had to walk through UNC campus to get to the bus stop. Always an odd feeling. I know I made the right decision to come home again five years ago, and the only reason I met all my friends here is that I gave up doing the degree in the last three months of the semester, but whenever I walk through the throngs of students, I do always ponder what would have happened if I stayed.

But the thought went out of my head as I walked past the group playing in the Pit (to be filled with other, just as pointless thoughts, but they're not worth dwelling on either). It was time to go shopping! Now, normally, I'm reasonably sensible when it comes to this part of the trip (aside from getting it all in my suitcase at the end of the journey), but this time around Thursday would be the only day I could probably go shopping, because the buses wouldn't be running on Friday, Saturday Christa and I are planning for Europe, Sunday is Easter (and contrary to what you might think, America shuts down then even more so than the UK does) and Monday I'm flying home! So it was Thursday or nothing.

I started at 10. Christa found me outside Whole Foods a short time after five clutching a barrage of bags and about to head off to the ABC store to buy all the alcohol for tomorrow night's party. So I didn't have to walk a mile and a half back to Collin's with five glass bottles and a bunch of other shopping (including about 2lbs of sweets). Hurrah!

We also had foodscience! plans for last night. Specifically, hot ice cream. It involves a chemical called methylcellulose, which thickens as its heated. The idea is to add a bunch of the chemical to a liquid (in our case, a recipe that involved a blend of cream cheese, yogurt, agave nectar and vanilla) and then immerse scoops of the liquid in boiling water, which should make it set.

Should. Needless to say, perhaps because our measuring was off, or perhaps because we were doing it wrong, we couldn't get the liquid to set properly, except for a little bit at the edges. We need more experimentation there, I think.

On the other hand, frying oreos, cookie dough, brownie bits, cheddar, and cream cheese in 7up/Bisquick batter worked pretty well. Even if everybody else has a bad stomach this morning...