Got a shipment of some Atkins Diet goodies. I tested my urine with a testing strip, and it turned a deep purple. This means my body is excreting a significant amount of ketones. That would be consistent with my fat loss!

My favorite piece of music is Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto. It is a tremendously challenging work to play, and a tremendously easy one to listen to. I have had the full score since 1997 but never got around to playing any of it. I finally did look at it tonight. What a rush! I had to stop because I am a poor sight-reader and I had things to take care of, but I am sure that I will read more and more of the piece in my copious free time.

I talked on the phone with one of my best friends from high school, Jeremy Robin. He is about to leave for France to study for a semester. He and I had a great time in French classes back in the day (along with Peter, mentioned elsewhere in this journal). Jeremy is a bright and confident fellow who happens to be personable and engaging and multitalented. Talking to him reminded me of AP Physics, which would have been a good class on its own merits but was made even better by its student constituency. Jeremy, Peter, Danny, Isaac, Noah, Annie, Debbie, Jon — even bad-asses Joey and James — contributed to a class atmosphere that felt like what school should always feel like: an expedition into the unknown. Too often it doesn't, but it can, and this knowledge inspires me to educate myself further.