Well, it looks like I'm officially transitioning to vegetarianism. I just bought my first box of Extra Firm Tofu (good for grilling, stir fry and sauteing) and am planning to try it out this weekend with a nice stir fry (zucchini, red bell pepper, onion, celery, shallot, edimame and tomatoes with rice). I've even found an interesting marinaded, baked tofu recipe for sammiches with tomatoes and alfalfa sprouts.

I do still plan to listen to my body when it says it wants a steak or a cheeseburger or a turkey or tuna sub, but meat is becoming less and less the star player in my day and more a nice break every once in a while. I'm learning how to keep up good levels of protien and calcium and won't cut out cheese or eggs. I'll have shrimp and tilapia and crab and lobster when my body wants it, too.

I'm already starting to feel a change in my energy and mental clarity. Not having so much cholesterol, fat, and preservatives in my diet is making me feel more awake and aware.

I'm still having a hard time fitting whole grains into my diet because granola is so expensive and I tend to over snack when I have it combined with vanilla yogurt (oh gods, is it delicious with blueberries, I can barely stop myself!).

Got myself a book on beginning vegetarianism and it's helping alot to assuage my fears about letting go of the emotional attachment to meat.

At this point, the weightloss isn't from a diet, it's from finally making the leap into an actual lifestyle change - and change feels REALLY good.

My Administrator is nominating me for the Elementary category of the 2009 Music Educator Awards given by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra!! I'm SHOCKED and THRILLED!!!! The awards ceremony will be a luncheon in April at the Ohio Theatre and attend a CSO concert where the winners will be honored. Knock me over with a feather!

Today marked a turning point with my blind flute student, Macy. She's chosen to go forward with an audition for OSU's School of Music as a Performance Major hopeful. I made contact with the flute prof at OSU and started a dialogue about how to modify the audition requirements - obviously, sight reading is out of the question - and concerns about her participation in ensembles (band or orchestra).

I was given the names of a few more faculty to speak with about what she can expect from the audition and beyond. I stated a wish for dual enrollment next year since Macy won't be graduating until 2010 and this was met with interest.

I need to open a line of communication with Macy's parents, too. This worries me as they have expressed disapproval in the past towards her getting involved in music. I'm hoping to counter with a double major of music and computer technology (her idea).

I don't want to seem as though I'm pushing her down this path, I want her choices to remain open. I'm eager to hear what OSU might have to say on her skills and if they are willing to work with her disability. I also don't want to raise her hopes too high. At every stage, I've been pragmatic in my advice and guidance.

As for Chaminade, she's on the edge of completing the memorization/absorption phase and nearly ready for the tweaking and injection of confidence phase. Her edge will come from the memorization of the piece which very few of her age (18) can manage. She's also polishing off an etude (exercise piece) she herself chose and is racking up quite an audition-approproriate repertoire. I'm hoping she'll be ready for the audition with OSU by late February.

She's been a practicing machine this past month. I saw her principal today when I signed in as a visitor and even he is shocked by her progress (lamenting that she doesn't work nearly as hard on her tests, LOL!). She isn't really aware of how far she's come, though. Just that she's very focused on getting these pieces of music firmly in hand.

Thank goodness I finally got through to her last night about shifting the focus back to the audition rather than endlessly discussing the nuances of the new flutes she's tried out from the different area music stores. First, the audition, then see what we can do about getting her a new flute (her disability qualifies her for some interesting scholarship monies).

I don't want my own history to color her potential or her sense of confidence, so I don't share many of my stories - triumphs or failures. I keep the focus on our work. Just today she's begun to push herself where I've had to push her in the past and that's QUITE the progress. Amazing what having a goal can do.