Sulpicia vs. Conference vs. Sourdough Starter

So, I got rejected from the UBC conference (not a surprise since it is for grad students) and wait-listed at Cornell (which is probably good because I can no longer get financial aid to go there since I got so much for the St. Thomas conference. However, I was accepted to the Willamette conference, and I will be presenting my final chapter of my thesis! This chapter is the one where I unveil my crazy theories about Platonic dialectic, so it should be interesting to see what the classics community thinks of it. On the other hand, I need to finish my third chapter first. Wish me luck.

The second major project I'm endeavoring right now is making my own sourdough starter. Cerinthus loves sourdough, and I also would like to be able to not have to buy commercial yeast all the time (it's expensive!). So, I'm making some. My roommate, Cynthia (1), does not look pleased, but she was excited by the prospect of sourdough bread.

I now have a use for my old pasta sauce jar! According to Cerinthus, in the US reusing is more efficient and better for the environment than recycling so I'm trying to reuse as much as possible. I'm going to reuse my yogurt containers to grow fresh basil. Yum.

Here is the inside after eight hours:

It still looks like lumpy oatmeal (2). What did I do wrong? Maybe it's just not warm enough in my apartment. I'm going to give it a 48 hour testing period to see what I can do with it.

Endnotes:

1. Cynthia is Propertius' lover from the Monobiblos and the two successive poetic cycles (although I believe not in Book IV). She is characterized by a philandering heart, a wild temper, beauty, flightiness, spontaneity, some minor intellectual prowess, and controlling strength. My roommate, whom I love dearly nonetheless, fits this description very well.
2. According to Steve from Breadcetera, at the beginning it should look like lumpy oatmeal: http://www.breadcetera.com/?p=58