1. Burnt out. At first, you think you get great results after waiting so long before your econometric model converges. Then you start making sense out of the obtained estimates. Then before long, you realize: many of them are plainly non-sensical. What will you do? I was happy to find out that all variables for school quality are in expected signs and significant. Households prefer buying a home close to public school with smaller class size. Those who speaks English reveal this effect stronger. So as those who live in W. Furthermore, those who stated that school quality is a very important factor in house buying decision reveal stronger effect. Great. I expected all this. But what is going on with lot size and house size? As standalone variables, they are good: houses with bigger lot and larger living areas are preferable. But why are these effect LESS strong on those who actually think that these attributes are very important? I am confused. Also a little surprised that family size and child(ren) presence are insignificant. Environmental-related variables are so far less complicated. So are income and price variables.

2. Moore wrote a satirical column on Saddam. He analogized Saddam with Frankenstein (he of course meant Frankenstein's monster). Unfortunately Moore wasn't careful. Did he ever read that Frankenstein novel? He mixes up the analogy like almost everybody else. True, the accidental creator of the monster in the original Mary Shelley's novel is Victor Frankenstein, but the crature never has a name! and Victor Frankenstein is NOT a doctor, he's a graduate student who likes to experiment in his own scince room. I bet Moore only watched those misleading movies.

3. The day as it is ending: Breakfast: self-brewed Arabica coffee, macaroon, ginger bread, tangerine. Lunch: grilled chicken sandwich topped with Swiss cheese and green pepper. Dinner: salmon, salad, tortilla chips (yes, getting bored, but still alhamdulillah), Starbuck's coffee ice cream. Reading: AlterNet (Moore's column). Work: see # 1. Radio: Gov. George Ryan's and Attorney General John Ashcroft's corruption scandals. Music: Modern Jazz Quartet, Mahavishnu Orchestra, George Benson. Others: 21-32 F.