Yesterday was the first day of classes at Case Western Reserve University, and, sitting in the student union at lunch, looking at all the fresh and enthusiastic faces, I felt old and depressed.

Of course, a friend of mine pointed out that the freshmen are approximately a third my age. (Their parents are my contemporaries, or younger.)

I guess Iíll get into the scheme of things for the new academic season soon enough, but it just takes a while to get started, alas. More than anything, I despair the end of the-summer-that-wasnít, the coming of fall, which, of course, means the coming of winter, my least favorite season. But that is for another dayís worryÖ.