If You See Me at the Liquor Store

OK, yes, I go to the liquor store. I try not to frequent the same one, no sense in giving all my business to the same guy. But, if you see me coming out of a liquor store...I hope you don't get the wrong impression. I know, it looks pretty condemning, I have a brown paper sack and in it you will find a bottle of Everclear.

Now for the explanation..I work in a laboratory. One of the most common methods in all water laboratories is a bacteriological test for coliforms. (The bad bacteria from poop, like E. coli) Anyway, the cheapest method for finding this bactera requires an agar called mEndo-LES. It is a great agar that has some dyes which make coliform group bacteria fluoresce under UV light. However, you can't autoclave this agar, so you have to put 2% by weight of 90% alcohol into the media while you are cooking it over a hot plate to sterilize it. We also use Everclear to flame sterilize forceps while we are working.

Well, technically I could simply order this from my scientific supplier, but I don't know anyone in the industry that actually does that.  Why would you? Everyone has a corner liquor store down the street that is selling that wonderful 180 Proof Everclear, which just happens to be 90% alcohol. Even when I worked in Utah, with their restrictive liquor laws it was easier to simply go down to the State Liquor Store and purchase 8-9 bottles of the stuff.  But now I work in Clifton, with more liquor stores in my respective boundaries that any other businesses, so buying Everclear is even easier.

I know, "the appearance of evil" and all that sort of stuff.  Let me assure you that barring that one incident in Iceland (the bakery was Icelandic, how was I to know that those lovely coconut covered chocolate balls were soaked in rum, until my husband, a former liquor connoisseur, tried one and told me) I have never  had or tried any liquor except what is in a bottle of Nyquil.

So if you see me in Clifton, heading out of a liquor store with a paper bag...judge away. I've got nothing to hide.