too embarrassed to ask

I've just promised to bring a bag of ice to a party tonight, forgetting that the birthday girl lives 40 minutes away on the other side of London. It'll be fine when I'm outside as it's pretty cold, but I have to get on the tube which is room temperature.

Is there any way to keep the ice from melting? I don't have a cool bag or cooler.

I'm in a long distance relationship, I live in London and my boyfriend live in Exeter a couple of hundred miles away. We don't get to see each other much because train fares are expensive and we both have very busy lives. In the first weekend of February we were going to go to the zoo together.

But I just got a facebook message from my best friend who lives in Oxford (about halfway between Exeter and London). She's been going through a tough time lately because her boyfriend of five years dumped her just before Christmas. I've promised to come up and visit her some time but haven't been able to yet. The message was inviting me to come see a play performed by the amateur dramatics group we used to be in together and (you guessed it) it's on the first weekend of February!

So do I let my boyfriend down and go to the show which would result in weeks more agony before we're able to see each other, but I'd be being a good friend? Or do I go to the zoo and keep my prior commitment to my boyfriend and keep my long distance relationship going, but let down my friend who would probably like the chance to talk to me face to face? The only other option I can think of is taking my boyfriend to the show, but it would cost a lot of money, we'd have to stay with my friend and that might be awkward, my boyfriend doesn't know my old friends outside uni very well, I don't think he'd enjoy the show, and we wouldn't get to spend time together in the same way as when we're alone.

What do you think?

Hi, so I need somewhere online where I can just b*tch about things I have no right to b*tch about. Like my boyfriend being a bit cr*p sometimes (or even worse; too nice) or my best friend making a prick of himself in the pub. I have a diary, but I kind of want somewhere intractive where all us whiney cows can get together and pat each other on the back, or give virtual b*tch slaps.