From the LA times: Slide-rule celebrities: economists who author blogs are drawing fans who see nothing dismal about the discipline. About economists who write blogs with more substance than where they went to dinner last weekend...

Now I've heard everything...fat studies as a new field of study in academia.

This weekend: trip to D.C. for the Wichita State - George Mason rematch of their 2006 sweet sixteen game. Shocks win, 72-66, on the night George Mason unfurled its 2006 final four banner. This was the fourth sellout game in GM history.

Afterward: Coppi's on U Street and Mr. Smiths in Georgetown.

See pictures from the game, as well as pictures from Madison (earlier in november) here.

Tonight: Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Met. With one exception, the voices in this performance were a cut above those I've heard in recent Met operas. The German soprano Diana Damrau was spectacular as Rosina, in both voice and character, with the perfect combination of breeziness and technical accuracy. Her voice was so perfectly projected and her diction so crisp that each syllable was heard with perfect precision, as if she was standing five feet away. The way in which she purred each of her spoken (or quasi-spoken) lines was chilling.

The Figaro, too was amazing--Swedish baritone Peter Mattei. He brought incredible energy and personality to the role, not to mention a forceful, solid voice. Performing Figaro with a sly smirk and raised eyebrow, he was non-stop entertainment. My favorite bass, Sam Ramey, was Basilio and the comical, powerful John del Carlo was Dr. Bartolo. The big disappointment was the over-hyped Juan Diego Florez, as Count Almaviva. His voice--strained, pinched, and off-pitch, exactly as the New York Times review noted--was difficult to listen to. The audience gave him an overwhelming ovation for his optional aria at the end of the second act--but I didn't see what the fuss was about. I could have done without both the optional aria (which sounds much better as Non Piu Mesta in La Cenerentola) and Mr. Florez.

This new production was directed by Bartlett Sher and the set design was by Michael Yeargan (A Light in the Piazza). The set--with its fall colors, orange trees, and constantly moving doors was pleasant.

Picture from the NYT (click to enlarge):

Spending the weekend in New Haven visiting Mushfiq and taking in Yale...

This weekend -- I'm in Madison, Wisconsin for the Association for Public Policy and Management fall conference.