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.

Oh no, the great book plan is already crumbling. Matthew gets free books from Amazon sometimes because he is considered a helpful reviewer by the Amazon community. Or something like that. Anyway, I just got the book he ordered a few days ago. I didn't know what he was getting, but it turns out to be a book I've been wanting to read. And I was already thinking about going to a talk by the author this Thursday! Clearly, I need to bail on the 10-book list and read The Foie Gras Wars instead. I just hope that doesn't mean I need to read ten more books before buying a new one.

There must be a recession: I mended my sweater before work today.