With the blink of an eye, our month in North Carolina has come to an end. I had originally imagined having lots of time not only to study and work, but also to go out and explore the area. But alas, with the free central AC, cable TV, and cable modem access at the apartment, I found myself vegging indoors most of the time. Nevertheless, I did manage to generate some pocket money from freelance work for Kaplan, and also teach some techniques to a collaborator at Duke. The warm weather also allowed for many refreshing trips to the outdoor pool in the afternoons. But after dinner, the back-to-back line-up of Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, and Law & Order: CI episodes kept us on the couch for much of the evenings. This nightly lull was broken only by the introduction of another addiction: computer games. Elder Scrolls: Oblivion is the 4th chapter of a popular role-playing game series. Whether we were shooting at trolls, stealing food, or collecting ninroot, the game offered a vast world of adventures which kept us entranced into the wee hours of the morning. We ate out several more times on our last weekend there, only to be disappointed again. We did, however, enjoy a visit to the Magic Wings butterfly exhibit at the Museum of Life and Science, where the friendly insects happily sat on our fingers for various photo-ops. Our drive back up was much more adventurous, with a bird flying into the side of our car, a speeding ticket from a Virginia trooper, and a sesame oil spill in the trunk which made for a messy cleanup. However, we did get to enjoy a delicious Chinese banquet-style engagement dinner my parents threw for us in New York. Now back in Boston, I’ve got about a week to run a bunch of errands before I start with Peds in July.