somewhere in the midwest was big on Vonnegut. nebraska maybe? can't remember but if you look up the Vonnegut society that might guide your search. Brian McHale at ohio state has written a lot on Pynchon and postmodernism
i spend about 200 a month on food. i try to make one or two big dishes and have them last for the week--things you ca eat with rice or quinoa. apparently grad students can get food stamps in wisconsin if you're working at least 20 hours a week.
tomorrow i start my 15 hour drive to a city i've never been to to live with people i've never met in person. it didn't even hit me until maybe a week ago that i was moving