I am about to go to two days of meetings at the Allen Center at Northwestern. It make me feel very old to go back there, not as alum, but as a professional.

To the rest of you, this may be tax day. To me, it's the day responses to graduate admissions offer are due. It has been a ridiculously crazy day.

I finished Stiff a few days ago. Very good book. Working on Visions now.

Finished Foie Gras Wars, which was very good. I wish there has been a bit more Chicago focus, but it was a surprisingly even-handed survey of the issue.

Today at work, I am meeting with people who are deciding whether to come here for a one-year M.A. program. They all want to figure out if it's worth the money. If nothing else, this economy has really focused everyone's thinking. I can't answer that question for them, but I do hope they're considering what in the world they'd be doing for the next year if not in school.