Paul Krugman's Recession Chillout Playlist

Has the state of the economy got Paul Krugman feeling a little frazzled? Or maybe winning the Nobel Prize in economics made him feel pressured to do even greater things?

A sharp-eyed Mixed Media reader recently stumbled across what appears to be Krugman's Amazon.com wish list. It's packed with albums of New Age music with titles like Shamanic Dream, Zen Relaxation, Natural Stress Relief, Soothing Sea and Whispering Woods. See?

I emailed Krugman to confirm that the wish list -- which also contains a futon and a book on French provincial cooking -- is his own creation and not someone's idea of a weird joke. He responded: "Actually, it is my account -- but you should know that my wife, in addition to doing economics, teaches yoga; hence the music."

And hence also the Essential Oils Desk Reference, I'm guessing.