The best part of my job is seeing a student get that "got it!" moment in class or in office hours (or sometimes a nice email.) The second best is the conference session that goes so damn right. Yesterday I had one of those -- a session on measuring for political economy that had four papers that fit better than I could have hoped. Absolutely wonderful time, and we ended up in a Starbucks in excited discussion for two hours after it was done. Eight of us talking about the same thing, surprised and delighted to find others doing the same thing I'm doing.

It's much like finding good blogs and linking and crossposting, but it's also quite different. A long unplanned private chat with seven really smart people (and me). Just awfully cool.

Later in the day went to dinner and to see Beach Blanket Babylon. Two friends have insisted I go for years. They were right. If you're in SF and like musical comedy, particularly topical humor, you have to see this show. The send-up of Barbra Streisand was worth the show all by itself.

Today was wine country for the day. I thought about wineblogging, but it would have slowed me down. A few thoughts:

• I like the movie Sideways a great deal, but it's made the last area where I could go winetasting for free an endangered species. I've never had to pay for tasting in Sonoma before, but one place hit me up for $3. A nuisance, but a sign of the times.
• This time it was the Russian River Valley, and we had some great wine. I'm a white wine fellow by and large -- I am still of the era of the clean chardonnay that tastes like the butter you want to go on top of your corn on the cob -- but RRV makes some damn fine Zinfandels. A small vineyard -- Davis Bynum -- has a 2002 Clopton Valley that was bold, fruity. I also loved the reds at Hop Kiln. It's as pretty a winery as you'll see.
• Our favorite winery had to be hit as well, which is this one. Bought up both their zin and some carignane, a grape I never had before but was the discovery of the trip. A whole day of wine shopping and I have a case of red and only two bottles of white.
• Comically, we had six people and expected to have a van but all had to fit in a Lincoln Town Car. The group was a blend of my friends, some from St. Cloud and one from DC who was the life of the party. A great time. If you go winetouring, be sure to take friends. And two days, because this one wasn't enough.

I am flying back late tonight on a red-eye, which is how I'll show up on NARN tomorrow. Hope you'll listen in!