i’m back from the criminology meetings in st. louis and working my way through correspondence. in brief,

1. favorite paper:

The Assessment and Consequences of Legal Financial Obligations: Evidence from Washington State by Alexes Harris and Katherine Beckett (University of Washington).

fine work. the authors assess a classic question with important contemporary implications — the imposition of financial obligations on those convicted of crimes.

2. favorite restaurant:

riddles on delmar in university city. friendly and unpretentious, with an amazing menu and wine list. if i lived in the area, i’d go twice a week until i’d worked my way through the menu. then i’d go three times a week.

3. favorite music:

i saw a fine blues guitarist named rich mcdonough, but the band that truly twanged my strings was the cosmic cowboys — warm, genre-busting music rendered with real affection. when i asked front guy richard dempsey about their inspired gram/merle/earle/buckaroo/burrito/byrds set list, he said that after a lot of years in the business they’re just playing what they want to play.