There are some people who look to a certain day in mid- to late-April to celebrate and commemorate because of its numerological and countercultural significance. I'm not one to judge, but I am just not one of those people -- what I can get behind though, is the commemoration of March 14, aka 3.14, as "Pi Day."

If you've forgotten your geometry lessons, Pi is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. Pi is abbreviated to 3.14 but continues indefinitely. As the world's most famous mathematical constant, Pi is important to many formulas used in mathematics, science, engineering and statistics.

The Illinois Science Council, a nonprofit organization supporting appreciation of science, technology, engineering and math, asked Chicago-area bakeries and restaurants to offer specials on Sunday, March 14, to acknowledge the importance of pi in our lives by celebrating with pie specials. Cute, huh?

The participating establishments include:

• Sweet World Pastry, 5450 N. Milwaukee Ave.
($4.99 cherry pies and free Kolaczkis to anyone who arrives there at 3:14 p.m.)

• Cafe Selmarie, 4729 N. Lincoln Ave.
(specials on Apple, Turtle and Cherry Streusel pies)

• Bleeding Heart Bakery, 1955 W. Belmont Ave.
(specially created pie cupcakes as well as "pi" cookies)

• Molly's Cupcakes, 2536 N. Clark St.
(cupcakes decorated symbolically for Pi Day)

• John's Place, 2132 W. Roscoe
(will add a special Chicken Pot Pi to their dinner menu)

• Medici, 1327 E. 57th St.
(free a la mode on all dine-in desserts)

• Tank Sushi, 4514 N. Lincoln Ave.
(a special Asian-inspired pie on their dessert menu)

And, on a somewhat related note, Albert Einstein was born 131 years ago today in Germany.