Today, Barb is: working at a gold mine, goin' down down down.

so technically, a bank could be considered a gold mine.
but whatever.

So this is my 4th day here at the bank and I enjoy it.
It is starting to make more and more sense the more and more that I do the things that I am going to be doing. I am balancing the ATM, balancing the cash in the morning from the day before, opening new accounts i.e. CDs, checking, savings etc, and dealing with the incoming and outgoing wires.

Those are just some of the things that I am going to be doing. But so far I really like the people I work with, and I really like the customers that I have encountered.
So needless to say, Barb is having a good time with her full time job.

Other than that, there isnt a whole lot. As you all know I graduated.
My mom and I went down to the ATL for our trip. I will try and get all my pictures up on my site for everyone.

That is another thing, Joe paid for my picture site so there is another year of updated pictures (hopefully). I am still working at Home Depot on the weekends. Hopefully I will be able to keep that going and bank everything I make at the Bank and then hopefully live off of what I make at Home Depot. That is hopefully my plan.

Ok, well time is winding down and it is starting to get to be quiting time. I will be back eventually. Hope all is well for everyone~!
-b

Today, Barb is: sorta tired, but good none the less.

At the behest of my sister in law Kristene, I will update my blog.
Things new to date -

- Barb graduated on Dec 16th
- Barb has a job lines up at Pinehurst Bank in St Paul starting January 8th
- Barb and Mom went to Atlanta for a fun weekend
- Barb had a good Christmas and a fun New Year
- Barb hopes that everyone else had good holidays also

That is all.
Good night and good luck
-b

Today, Barb is: still chugging away!

so barbs current life is starting to come to a head.
in a matter of days (5 to be exact) i will be finishing with a very big part of my life. college.

yes ladies and gentlemen, barb is GRADUATING!!!!!!!!
college is going to be over and done with for a few years atleast, and barb is into the real world.

i have a job lined up and everything, i am very impressed with myself!

yea for me!
-b

Today, Barb is: hungry, sad, happy, and excited all at once.

confused?
well, there are reasons for all of them.

First, I am hungry. Well I consider that self-explanatory, I haven't eaten breakfast and so now at 11am I am hungry.

Sad? Barb is sad because Wisconsin passed the marrige ban. It was hyped up as being a ban against gay marrige. But the reality of it is, that it will affect straight people to. It basically says that only one man and one woman can legally be married and have all the rights and benefits. What they don't tell you is that it takes away all the benefits that straight couples who are in committed relationships have also. Not to mention that gay marrige is illegal in WI now, which is wrong, because I am pretty sure that it is using the constitution to discriminate!

Happy!! Happy? Happy. Happy because Donald is out, us Democrats have both the House and the Senate, and it is a major turning point for our country.

Excited!?!?!?!
Barb gets to spend time with Erin and Matt tonight! I am going to hang out with them tonight, play some Chibi-robo and have a grand ole time.

la'er!

Today, Barb is: sitting in the public library being cold.
or you could say that i am lying here depreciating.

so there is this commercial on TV and it is people talking to a bush. they are asking about affordable health care, and stem cell research, and getting out of iraq, setting

grrrr
be back soon

Today, Barb is: tired

yep still here.

still working.
still going to college.
still living at home.
still working at home depot.

all in all the life is still going and i am going right along with it.
i went and dropped my aunt peggy off at the airport today because she is leaving for turkey in a matter of hours, actually she might be on her plane right now. we had fun. i went to pick her up, we had lunch at Noodles and Company and then had dessert at Coldstone Creamery. we then proceeded to the airport. i dropped her off and then got stuck in 20 minutes of a detour because of stupid 494!!! i ended up being almost 15 mins late for class, but i didn't care.

now i am off to work again.
its like a total cycle

Today, Barb is: back within the same week for a second post!

so. the computer that i own (and my brother/s built for me when i graduated from high school over five years ago) is sorta kinda a peice of crap. i am trying to decide (with Joe's help) if i just want to upgrade it or if i just want to bite the big bullet and buy a new laptop. take into consideration that i am saving money becaue i am living at home with my parents, but that is offset by the increase in gas expenditures. but i am still saving money. that i am hoping will be able to go to a car/house/living expences when i find a new job. i would be able to deal with spending a few hundred to get the desktop updated. but i do fully enjoy the thoughts of having a laptop that i can drag around with me a heck of a lot easier than the desktop.

so. the question arises.
do i upgrade my desktop?
do i wait until thanksgiving/christmas and buy a cheapy generaric laptop?
do i wait until thanksgiving/christmas and buy a newer kinda on sale laptop?
do i go on craigslist and try to get one there?

i will be more than willing to take a poll and find out.
so... GO

confused barb

Today, Barb is: back within the same week for a second post!

so. the computer that i own (and my brother/s built for me when i graduated from high school over five years ago) is sorta kinda a peice of crap. i am trying to decide (with Joe's help) if i just want to upgrade it or if i just want to bite the big bullet and buy a new laptop. take into consideration that i am saving money becaue i am living at home with my parents, but that is offset by the increase in gas expenditures. but i am still saving money. that i am hoping will be able to go to a car/house/living expences when i find a new job. i would be able to deal with spending a few hundred to get the desktop updated. but i do fully enjoy the thoughts of having a laptop that i can drag around with me a heck of a lot easier than the desktop.

so. the question arises.
do i upgrade my desktop?
do i wait until thanksgiving/christmas and buy a cheapy generaric laptop?
do i wait until thanksgiving/christmas and buy a newer kinda on sale laptop?
do i go on craigslist and try to get one there?

i will be more than willing to take a poll and find out.
so... GO

confused barb

Today, Barb is: stress free which means twitch free!!!!

whoop whoop to the no eye twitch.
as kristene posted it may have been because of stress but i don't think i was stressed out at all. but i don't care. because all i do care about is that i don't have a twitching eye now

be back soon

Today, Barb is: going crazy because of a stupid eye twitch!!!

so it is official, i have had this eye twitch for over 24 hours and it is really starting to bother me! i don't know why it is twitching, but it is the first time it has ever happened.

eye twitch + barb + long time! = annoyance!

so far school is going good. we are about a third of the way through which means i will be graduating soon.

there isn't really a whole lot to report.
still living at home, still working at Home Depot, just hanging in there.

-b

the world may continue spinning, barb is back!

ok. so i know that it has been a while since i have last posted, ok.. so it has been a LONG WHILE. i have finally slowed myself down a bit and am sitting at a computer for longer than 10 minutes. why? becuase school started!!!

but i am getting ahead of myself a bit here. lets go back to my last post and catch you all up on what has been going on with me lately.

so i started working at the Home Depot (sorry christie, there is no discount unfortunatley, i dont even get a discount and i work there, so i am not going to be able to hook you up with anything, sorry!)

i do enjoy it there. more so the people that i work with rather than the actual job, because standing on cement for 8 hours a day is really not fun. the customers are too bad. there are the few here and there that make me want to slam their face into the cement blocks they are purchasing, but for the most part, i love my customers.

i did finish with all three of my classes for the summer. i got two B's and an a. A WHAT?????!?!?!?! an A!!!
so yea.

i have officially moved back home with the parents. it is kinda scary, but it needs to be done. money will be saved more of, but slightly more spent on gas for commuting 4 days a week. the moving part wasn't to horrible, because i have AMAZING friends; Erin, Matt and John. They came and helped move me out of the apartment and into the parents house. they are some of the best friends a girl could wish for! but they are all going to be busy during december and january so they won't be able to come with me to do any traveling. so, i am looking for a new travel buddy and possibly a new travel destination. i haven't written the west coast off yet, but there are quite a few states that i haven't been to yet.

lets see, so today is the last first day of school for me!!!
and to celebrate mom took me to IHOP for breakfast. it was ok food, but the waitress totally forgot about us and we didn't get anything to drink until after the food came. we had our juice before we had our water!

and then today was my first day, but my real first class was cancelled, i don't know why, but i got an email a week ago from the prof saying that we weren't going to have class until friday morning. so that meant that my first class was BOWLING! i was super super excited, but alas upon arrival of the teacher he talked for 10 minutes and then sent us on our way. no bowling for barb :-(

i have two more classes today, my enemy math. Stats actually and then Small Business Management also later tonight. so yea. i have a full schedule when it actually gets going in full swing. i did spend 15 minutes getting my whole schedule into my Palm so i have it programmed to tell me where i need to be at and where i need to be going.

i think this will be all for now.
i hope you have all had your fill of me. i may be back today, i may be back tomorrow, i may not be back for a month. you never know.

ok ok ok. don't freak out. i am still alive.

well, after the pulling and cutting and burning of branches, i threw my back out. so i was pretty much mostly not moving a whole lot for about 4 days. and when i was moving i was normally crying because i was in so much pain. i did go to see the doctor and she put me on my 800mg of ibuprofen 3 times a day just like when i had my TMJ. so me and my ibuprofen have been pretty close.

so what else is going on...
well my second class started. Operations Management. going really well so far.
jim and kristene came over and spend some time in Newport. didn't get to spend much of anytime with them because i had to work on sunday and then i had to go to class on monday when they were acutually home.
i went to Shilohs (brett and cori's daughter) birthday party. it was very fun to see everyone again.
joe and kim came back from Nationals with a bunch of medals.
mom, dad and i are going up to the Shepards Cabin this coming weekend so that will be fun.

i am gainfully employed by Home Depot now, so if anyone out there needs anything, let me know. i am not above abusing my discount.

my lease is officially up at the end of August, so if anyone is interested in helping me move, just let me know. i am going to try to space it out over like a week or so, becasue then i have have my room at the parents house cleaned up and ready to remove back into.

that is about all that is going on really, i think.
but i have to get back to my homework.

OHOHOH!
So after graduation in December I am thinking of going to visit some family in Oregon for a couple weeks. my friend Erin is also thinking of coming because her grandparents live in Seattle and she has never been out there is visit them and so we are thinking of doing some Washington State and Oregon State touring.

Today, Barb is: nursing all her bug bites.

so. my dad, his friend friend dave and i have been tearing down a bunch of trees and branches because they are all dead. my job has been to cut the branches smaller and burn them. it has been pretty fun so far. but my legs have been getting covered with mosquito bites so that hurts of course.

OH OH OH!
guess what?
i cut my hair and dyed it also! it looks really cute. it is really short, like to my ears short!!! and it is a red-brown color to. i love it alot!

Today, Barb is: still kinda of in pain.

so. Monday went and was diagnosed with TMJ.
tuesday, was still in a bunch of pain.
couldn't get ANY sleep on Tuesday night.
called wednesday to get an appointment because the dr told me to call back if i was still in pain. went in and got a shot of steriods in the joint. went to the dentist and made an appointment to get fitted for a mouth guard for when i sleep. so i have that appointment on tuesday for my fitting.

today i am starting to get better. i am trying to rest my jaw as much as possible and not talk and eat soft foods. i am still taking all my meds. 800 mg three times a day. that is 4 pills three times a day for one week. so lets do the math
4x3 equals 12 in one day.
12x7 equals 84 pills in one week.
SO MANY PILLS. just not enough time in one day.

Today, Barb is: having an ok day.

so.
spring classes are finished (see below)
my first summer class is also finished.
I took an International Business Law; Eurpoean Union.
Our professor was from Denmark and so it was really fun to have his perspective not only on the differences between Denmark and Wisconsin, but also having a professor who knows the in and outs of European Union Law. So that was two weeks of intense class for 5 hours a day.

Now I am just kinda hanging around looking for a job. If anyone out there knows where I can find on, let me know.
On the down side, I went into the Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist again yesterday because my ear was hurting so badly and mom and I just wanted to get an appointment. We ended up waiting there for about 15 minutes and they said that they would just add me on. So after waiting we went in to see him and I have TMJ.

For those of you who don't know, this is taken from WedMD

What Is TMJ?
TMJ, or temporomandibular joint disorder, means that the hinge connecting the upper and lower jaw isn't working properly. This hinge is one of the most complex joints in the body, responsible for moving the lower jaw forward, backward and side-to-side. Any problem that prevents this complex system of muscles, ligaments, discs and bones from working as it should is called TMJ. Often, TMJ feels like your jaw is popping or clicking or even "getting stuck" for a moment. The exact cause of this misalignment is often impossible to determine.

So that is what I have right now. I am taking a bunch of ibuprofen to take down the swelling and that seems to be helping when I am awake.
So yeah, that is an update on Barb!

Today, Barb is: having a grand ole day!

finals are done.
projects are finished.
WEEEHEEE!!!

So, I was surfing some of my friends webpages and I came across this.
I just had to repost it because I think it is funny and has good comebacks.
Thus said, Enjoy!

10 Reasons Why Gay Marriage is Wrong:

01) Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, air conditioning, and hotdogs.

02) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

03) Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

04) Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

05) Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britany Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.

06) Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.

07) Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

08) Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.

09) Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.

10) Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.

Today, Barb is: taking a break from studying so she doesn't pull her hair out.

i hate the week before finals.
it drives me crazy.
i hate the week of finals.
it makes my brain hurt.

hate hate hate hate
i normally try to not use the work hate because it is a very stong word, but this deserves it.

Today, Barb is: getting over the frustration.
so a few days ago i had this wicked entry.
and it never loaded or something happened when it was loading. but the out come is that it was not posted through no fault of my own.

so i have finally gotten over my anger towards blogger and have decided to give it another go.
there is really not a whole lot going on.
i am working, still unicycling, going to class, freaking out over finals, you know the usual.
yep, it has reached that time again when finals move around and freak everyone out. it is really not that fun. my actual finals week is an easy week, but it is all the stress and projects leading up to finals week that kills ya.

so. with finals and class being done for the semester just around the corner, it is crunch time. so don't be surprised if no one sees me at all and if you still haven't heard from me by the end of May, then you can worry! :-)

Today, Barb is: wishing that her life was a musical.

so mary and i are now just sitting around watching West Side Story.
and ya wanna know what?
i want to have my life as a musical.
people breaking into song and dance just for the heck of it!

go to the dance tony, you won't meet maria if you don't!!!!

ahhh musicals.
i have always enjoyed musicals. that was one thing that i really liked when Joe was in pit band, we would always go and see the musicals that woodbury did.
that is another reason that i like river falls, they have a decent musical pretty much every year.
i've seen Cabaret, Rocky Horror Show, and a bunch more.

i want someone to sing a song about me.
i will be taking any and all entries. who knows...... its only just out of reach!

maybe tonight!!!!!
-b

Today, Barb is: still tired from standing for such a long time.

so finally after my legs gave out, i was carried up to my hotel room and recovered. :-)

i am back from the trip.
it was a great time had by all.
we did alot of different things, from monuments to ecological parks, to bars and karaoke and dance clubs. we got to see the paciic ocean and kinda eat some of it from it being sprayed in our faces.

i got to see some really amazing places and got to spend lots of time in airplanes.
this is to pacify the masses. i am trying to get my pics up on my website.
i will notify all when they have been posted.

over and out

As you read this, barb is standing in her hotel in Taipei Taiwan.
HI!!!!
so yea, i am in Taiwan for spring break and so far so good.
the plane ride over was LONG and there were 3 legs of it.
i was able to stay awake for just about all 19 hours of it. but on the last 2.5 hour leg from Osaka to Taipei I did fall asleep.
I am very glad that I didn't sleep becasue i was the only one who didn't have jet lag this morning! :-)

so yea i am here and tired after all the running around i did today.
there was a cycling trade show that went on today and i was lucky enough to be able to register and get in for free. and then i got to meet up with Roger and meet Amy from unicycle.com and Kris Holm (he's amazing!)
but in order to get there, i had to jump through a bunch of hoops and people who were trying to help me didn't speak english and those who did speak english were mean and didn't want to try and translate for me at all! but eventually i did get roger on candys phone and we came and got us and showed us around for the 45 mins we were able to be there.
i got about 45 pounds of books for Joe to have, and there are only like 4 books, so just figure that out!
umm yea, so it is 9.30 at night here on friday and we are thinking of going out to a jazz club later this evening so i gotta go.
i am not sure if i am going to go or not, but we will see in like half hour if i am still this tired and just wiped from carrying around 45 pounds of book across half of Taipei!

love you all!
-b

Today, Barb is: excited to know that the world still revolves without me blogging.
so yea, guess what?
March 4th will be the third anniversary of my blogspot.
march 4th, this little blog will be three whole years old!
i think it is my longest diary type thing ever, but that is kinda expected since i have some times where i wasn't here or paying attention.
but still, its three documented years of my life

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME!

Today, Barb is: doing good.
so these past few weeks have been good, bad, and everything rolled into one.
so.
my birthday was good.
then school started. it is going good.
my parents went on a cruise to the mexican riveria.
they came back and that night we got a call saying that my uncle bobs trailer had been on fire and they didn't know where he was. 2 am we get a knock at the door from the Newport Police to tell us that bob was in the trailer and died.

thus starts the bad part.
thursday i went up north with my mom to start helping get things ready.
we saw the trailer, saw some family, met some new friends, had a memorial for bob. came back home.

had to work, had to study, had a test.
basically i have no time other than to sleep.
i had to forgo unicycling yesterday because i had to do stupid homework! i hate it.
i wish i had a real job that i could just be there from 9-5 and not have to take anything home with me! then i would be able to unicycle all the time!

this weekend is my grandmas 80th birthday party.
i have to work friday and sunday at E&G's. saturday is the party. it should be fun. the whole family will be there. and then some.

so yeah, that is my last few weeks in a nutshell

Today, Barb is: feeling like a change is rippling through the air...

so if you can't tell, the blog has gotten a face lift. i decided that with the new years and everything that things are going to change and be new again. hence the new updated look.
like it?
hate it?
tell me about it!

Today, Barb is: bouncing around because she has to pee

so yea, i have to go to the bathroom. but i told myself that i needed to post before i allowed myself to pee so this might be quick.

unicycling is going good. i ended up sleeping through my practise on thursday so that sucked. and i had a really weird dream while napping and so after dinner with mom and dad to celebreate my birthday (belated) and while we were driving back, mom decided that i should call the dream doctor and see what the dream was about. i called and i actually got in. the dream meant that since mom was sick and i was frustrated with not being able to go out and celebreate my birthday with the family in town, and then since joe and kim were sick on thursday they couldn't come to that either. so the dream doctor told me that since mom and dad took me out, that now joe and kim need to take me out to make up for it. :-) so joe and kim, when are you going to take me out? :-) yea , and then friday i was at work in the student center all day and then after that i went and showered, and was going to go and see Chronicales of Narnia at the 3 dollar theatre, but they were all sold out at 6.45 when we got there for the 7 showing. so we decided to go bowling. did you guys know that they have all adult bowling leagues on friday nights? both Hudson and River Falls. so we ended up going to Matts room and just hanging out and watching the movie KungFu Hustle, which is good, but i have seen it before. but it was nice to just be able to hang out with Erin, Matt, and John.

so yea, and then i found this quiz thing online... and i took it. i really liked it so i am going to post it here.


***The Keys to Your Heart***

You are attracted to good manners and elegance.

In love, you feel the most alive when your lover is creative and never lets you feel bored.

You'd like to your lover to think you are stylish and alluring.

You would be forced to break up with someone who was insecure and in constant need of reassurance.

Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with.

Your risk of cheating is low. Even if you're tempted, you'd try hard not to do it.

You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred.

In this moment, you think of love as something you thirst for. You'll do anything for love, but you won't fall for it easily.


What Are The Keys To Your Heart?
http://www.blogthings.com/keystoyourheartquiz/

so yea, i took that i and think that it really is quite accurate. now normally i when i take stuff like that, i don't think that it really is me, but this i like. its good. so yea, take it or don't, i don't care!

now i am going to go. later all!

Today, Barb is: tired but good.

so i know that it has been a while. but don't worry. you haven't really missed anything. christmas was really good. i got a unicycle! it is from joe and kim and i love love LOVE it! clothes from mom, jumpdrives from dad and Sin City the unrated, unedited version from jim and kristene. so it was good.

ummm, my birthday is coming soon.
January 18th. i will be 23.. gulp! dang thats old. i remember when i was little and my big brother joe was getting his license to drive with and i never thought i would be that old. now i am going to be 23 years old. only 7 more years past that and i will be 30. and from there on, it is just downhill. oh well.
so yea.

ummmm, thats about it!

new post!


Today, Barb is: trying to take it easy since her brain wants to explode.

so there have been requests for an update of the blog.
i regret to inform you that finals have commenced and so my life currently revovles around studying, studying, and more studying. but the good news is this: i am updating. here. now. for you.

thank you by the way for stopping by and keeping an eye on me. have i told you how pretty/handsome you look today? it always brightens my days to see you here!

so the goingons in life up to now.
christmas is around the corner and i have no money.
but barb, you work alot, where is that money? two words ladies and gentlemen: tuition (and) rent. that is where it goes. so yea, i am thinking that most of the presents this year are going to be little things with note attached saying IOU present from tiawan. so we will see how that goes.

like i said earlier finals is in full swing, so that is always a barrel of monkeys. a barrel of monkeys with rabies!
so i have done 3 of 5 finals.
my first final was the worst, i think i may need to take the class over again. but i am not sure. we will cross that bridge when we get to it. the other two have been my speech finals. one was a test and that went really good. the other was a really big presentation that we did last friday and we kicked butt!
total and complete domination. so we had to do the last presentations on tuesday and we just were able to sit back and hang out since we had already done ours! it was good.
so yea, i have my other 2 tomorrow and so those shouldn't be horrible, but i am kinda worried about the accounting final. but i have been studying and so i think i should do fine.

ok, so this is my update.
know that your life is now complete since you have gotten the most updated point of view from the life of barb.

Today, Barb is: STILL ALIVE!

yep you heard it here first ladies and gentlemen, Barb Lind is still living!

so i know that it has been a while since i wrote here and i apologize.
school is starting to get crazy with finals looming around the corner and everything.
but life is good,

Today, Barb is: feeling like crap.
so i am sick again.
i blame my roommates.
they are always sick.
this is the second time that i have been sick this semester. it is not good. i normally never get sick until like a few months into winter and technically winter just started for me since it just started snowing. yep folks thats right. it is snowing outside. and actually sticking. so yea it is not much and will probably be gone in a matter of hours, but still... it is snow.

so do we have any suggestions on how to keep my immune system up?
i will take all the help i can get.

and just a recap as to what has happened to barb.
she went to chicago and had the BEST TIME! she got her own room in a really swanky hotel. (now when i say swanky, i mean SWANKY! i have pictures, i will try and post them)
umm past that, i don't really remember what else happened.
i have studied, worked, slept, ate, and studied that much i do know.
had some uni time, actally since, chi-town i haven't. the classes were cancelled, but i am hoping to go tomorrow. i don't know. it kinda depends on the snow and roads.

so yea, that is all from me
-

Today, Barb is: on her way to CHICAGO!!!!
so we leave in a few hours, but i am still going to chicago!
why?
for a conference
where am i going to be staying?
Hotel Allegro
www.hotelallegro.com
check it out, it seems really nice!
what conferece?
for ACUI (associated college unions international)
it is our regional conference and sounds like fun!

i will keep you more up to date in later posts. it looks like they have computers with internet, so i might be able to post over the weekend. if not, i will let everyone know what went on when i get back!

if you need me, call the cell.
if you don't have the cell number....
well to bad! (insert evil cackle here) :-)

later all!

Today, Barb is: BAAAACCCK!

so after my 2 weekish absence, i am back!
i never really went anywhere, i have just been really busy.
so after my brush with the men that i want to have all their babies, i have been busy. no not stalking them, although i should!

i have been busy with school.
school? what is this school you talk of? BLECK
yea school. it is what i have spent 5 years doing.
so it was like all the tests and everything had to be done and so i have been busy doing homework and studying and taking tests and going to class and working. so yea. but i am back now. so never fear!

joe has a picture of me unicycling. i need to get them and post one.

Today, Barb is: on cloud nine!
and i don't want to come down!

so today is saturday, yea saturday.
last night was one of the best night in my life!
so we had the concert last night and i was helping to sell stuff for IRA and so we were waiting for them to come, just hanging out.
they were supposed to be there like around 4.30ish, but they didn't get there until like 7.30ish, but it was all good.

the first guy i met was tommy, and i didn't even put it together that he was Tom O'Donnel, the IRA bassist. so yea, that was a shock there. but then Andrea and I got the stuff set up and it was fun. they then played their set, it was amazing! like, just unreal. i loved it so much. the Hopefuls played before them and they just rocked the house! but then when IRA got up there, it was something else. they were so freakin awesome. they rocked so much! and then when they were done, it was cool because we sold a bunch of stuff. and then i got to meet the band. the WHOLE band. they all know me by name right now. and after that i got my picture taken with them and they signed my sign and i was SO excited. after that, they had gotten all packed up and i asked them where they were going to go, if just back to the hotel or out to a bar, they wanted to go back to the hotel so they could get out of their sweaty clothes. and then they wanted to go out to a bar. i told them that the only bar worth while was Emma's. i convinced them to come out to emma's with the group of us. it was amazing! so i went and grabbed some food since i hadn't eaten anything since around 2ish that day when i met mom for chipotle. so i grabbed food and went there and 2 seconds after i walked in, they did too! it was three of the guys and their driver/roadie. it was amazing! we hung out, talked, Ike bought me my drinks, Ike bought me FLOWERS!!!!! yea that is right, i have had flower bought for me on 2 occassions. once was freshman year in college when my friends Ryan and Eli bought me a rose, and then Ike bought me a boquet of flowers! so Ike is the nicest guy in the WORLD! like the whole band is just amazing.

and then! so after hanging out with them for like, 3 hours i had to go home so i said goodbye to them all and we hugged and kisses were given on the cheek, ahhh, it was great. so i went home. then this morning, since i knew they were staying at the Country Inn and that is like 200 feet from my apartment, as i was driving to work this morning, i decided to swing in and see if the bus was there or if they had left, as i am driving in, the bus is there and the guys are standing around getting in and ready to leave. so i jumped out of the van and went to say goodbye to them. it was great because they all knew my name and told me that they all had so much fun and that they wanted to see me at their next show in the cities which is in November, and Ike said that Karyn(she is our campus event coordinator) had his email and that i should email them and they would put me on the comp list so i can get in for free! and they all said goodbye and then drove off into the sunset. but the driver did ask me for easiest directions on how to get to 94, ahhh so yea, if anyone wants to go to a KICK @$$ show with me, just let me know, because i will be there!

so in short,
i love the Ike Reilly Assassination!!!!!

Today, Barb is feeling: F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!!!
so yea today is friday!!!!!!!!!
reasons why barb is in a good mood,
#1 - Ike Reilly Assassination (IRA) is going to be here tonight for a concert.
#2 - Barb gets to meet the IRA tonight because she is selling their stuff.
#3 - It is Friday! which means that tomorrow is Saturday!
#4 - Barb has a quiz in Econ that she studied for!
#5 - Today in speech, Barb has to do her box (4 things in a box that describe you).
#6 - The pain in my leg is starting to go away.

what pain you might ask?
well, i started Unicycling on tuesday!
yep that is right, barb on one wheel.
so it was going pretty well, i always landed on me feet when i fell, so that was good, and the muscles in my legs were working like they had never worked before and so they hurt. my right muscles are fine now, but my left are still sore. but it went really well i think. joe and kim were there for like the last 20 mins and so that was nice. i go back on tuesday again! hip hip HORAAY

Today, Barb is feeling: like she wants to hurt someone.
but that is another story for another day.

so the good news on the front today is that i am not moving!
so yea, that is a good thing. because that means that there will be no help needed to move my whole apartment and all the roommates stuff within a few days, so HAZAAA!

the other really fun news is that tomorrow i have my first unicycle class tomorrow. so i will let you all know how that goes.

other than that, i am just waiting for the hubbub to die down so i can start my homework. so yea, that is about all from me right now....

Today, Barb is feeling: colder than a penguin being pushed into the sea.

so today is Friday.... and i am SO excited.
i have to work and such over the weekend, but it will be nice to have some down time again. last night since it was the first night this week that i had nothing to do, other than homework, i went to my cousin matts house and had dinner. he made grilled pork, homemade mashed potatoes, gravy, and canned green beans. it was great!it was really fun to be able to hang out with him, he is like in my top 3 favorite cousins so it was fun times. i watched Lock, Stock, and Two smoking barrels while i was there. good flick.

so guess what else i did yesterday?
i called and registered for my Unicycling classes.
i have paid. that means that it is official. i am going to learn.
so when i called my mom and told her this, she was very proud of me. we got to chatting and she brought up the time when i was taught to golf. i had no patience whatso ever with golfing. as i look back, i think it is because i am just not really interested in golfing. you walk around, swing your club, hit your ball. that is like baseball with walking to me. and i don't really like baseball. never really got into the sport.

now 2 sports that i really like is our football, and european football (soccer to us) now there you have people trying to hurt you kinda, and you have offense and defense and i just like those better than some other sports. now i will watch baseball, no problem there, but i can't really watch golf. i just find golf boring.

so yea that is my random rants of sports stuff for today.

Today, Barb is feeling: like spirling into the deep dark abbyss of nothingness.

so i am totally feeling better, still coughing up that phlemgh now and again, but for the most part i am better, so that is good.

but the weather SUCKS!
now it looks like it would be nice, it is cloudy, dark, overcast, and looks like rain. but it is HOT out. yes hot with CAPITAL letters. the humidity needs to break and then it would be better, but we had rain last night and that didn't help much. alright im not going to lie, it didn't help at all! so like just sitting in class and all you are doing is sweating profusley and not moving, that is just bad.

but now i am upstairs in the student center working at the Student Services desk and let me tell you, i have never been more excited for air conditioning than today! just sleeping works up a sweat, and last night i was contemplating just sleeping out on our couches so i could get some sleep.

and of course with all the humidity in the air, my hair is just going crazy! i showered last night and everything and put my hair up so it would look cute this morning, and none of that worked! i feel all yucky from sweating all over the place in Stats... bleck

so next tuesday i should be taking my Uni classes. unicycle for those of you who haven't talked to me in a while. that is right, i am again following in my big bro's footsteps and starting to uni. it will be fun. i will hurt and sweat like a mother, but i think it will be worth it!

Today, Barb is feeling: in pain.
so i am still sick, but getting better. i have been able to cough more and more crap up and out so that is good. but yeah.

so my mom send me this email forward. now normally i am not big into forwards and since i am lazy, i decided to just put it on my blog for EVERYONE to see!


To find your new name....

The following is excerpted from a children's book, Captain Underpants And the
Perilous Plot Professor Poopypants, by Dave Pilkey, in which the evil Professor
forces everyone to assume new names...

1. Use the third letter of your first name to determine your new first name:

a = snickle
b = doombah
c = goober
d = cheesey
e = crusty
f = greasy
g = dumbo
h = farcus
i = dorky
j = doofus
k = funky
l = boobie
m = sleezy
n = sloopy
o = fluffy
p = stinky
q = slimy
r = dorfus
s = snooty
t = tootsie
u = dipsy
v = sneezy
w = liver
x = skippy
y = dinky
z = zippy

2. Use the second letter of your last name to determine the first half of your
new last name:

a = dippin
b = feather
c = batty
d = burger
e = chicken
f = barffy
g = lizard
h = waffle
i = farkle
j = monkey
k = flippin
l = fricken
m = bubble
n = rhino
o = potty
p = hamster
q = buckle
r = gizzard
s = lickin
t = snickle
u = chuckle
v = pickle
w = hubble
x = dingle
y = gorilla
z = girdle

3. Use the third letter of your last name to determine the second half of your
new last name:

a = butt
b = boob
c = face
d = nose
e = hump
f = breath
g = pants
h = shorts
i = lips
j = honker
k = head
l = tush
m = chunks
n = dunkin
o = brains
p = biscuits
q = toes
r = doodle
s = fanny
t = sniffer
u = sprinkles
v = frack
w = squirt
x = humperdinck
y = hiney
z = juice

Thus, for example, George W. Bush's new name is: Fluffy Chucklefanny.


I just though that this was funny, and so here is my whole familys names.
We are the Farkledunkin Family
Dorfus Farkledunkin
Boobie Farkledunkin
Doofus Farkledunkin
Sleezy Farkledunkin
Dorfus Farkledunkin Jr.

just so you know, that goes in order; dad, mom, joe, jim and me.
so yea, if you want, figure out your name and post it for me!!!
that was we will all get a good chuckle

Today, Barb is feeling: tired and sick.

so i am sick. there is this like 48-72 hour bug that is going around. i am pretty sure that i have it. i have the soar throat, headache, achy body, coughing up stuff, but it is mostly clear. so i guess that is good atleast. all last night i was going through the hot and cold flashes, and that sucked let me tell you!

so yea, i don't feel good and all i want to do is sleep.

Today, Barb is feeling: so freakin excited it is CRAZY!!!!!!!!!

so it is monday morning, and guess what?
i have wicked good news!

The Ike Reilly Assasination and The (Olympic) Hopefuls are coming to River Falls!!!!
I am so uber uber excited to see them both!
For those of you who are not up to date with my music stylings, go here
www.thehopefulsmusic.com
www.ikereilly.com
those are their respective sites.

so yea, there will be random rants and raves about these bands before and after when they come and play here. so just be prepared.
my monday is so good!

Today, Barb is feeling: tired, worn out, and just out of it.

so i know that it has been a long while since you have heard from me. i h ave not dropped off the face of the earth. just the opposite in fact. i have been very busy the last month or so. so lemme play catch up for you all.

Joe and Kim came back from Switzerland. they had fun and have lots of stories and pictures. they were also really nice and brought me back a shirt and a swiss army knife... in purple. for those of you who don't know, purple is like top three colors for me. right up there with blue and green. it is always a hard decision when it comes to those so they made an AWESOME choice.

we had our churchs annual buffalo roast. it was a raging sucess. the new thing this year was we had a dunk tank and dad did screen transfers with the laptop computer and printer then took the picture using my camera and viola! a picture taken of you today at the buffalo roast!

i FINALLY moved in the my apartment. i am still kind of living out of like my clothing boxes but eventually i will move into my drawers. all my important stuff is hanging in my closet, so yea.

school starts tomorrow.
i don't really want to think about that. i feel like everything is coming so fast that i am a little overwhelmed. but i think that after the first wee is over with, the schedule will be settled into and things will become hopefully stress-reduced.

this is for my cousin christie,
we have Mike Malloy from AirAmerica coming to campus in a week.
he will be here tuesday night and i hope that i can go and see him.

oh yea, my van died.
last wednesday or thursday ( i don't remember it was a really long time ago) i tried to start my van and it didn't work. so i called mom and dad and they said to call Swede's (local car repair place) and have them tow it and figure out what is wrong with it. so i called and they towed it and fixed it and so i am waiting today until i can go and get it. i should be able to get it very soon, like in a half hour.
i hope.

ok then, i will talk to you all later yo!
-b

Today, Barb is feeling: excited.

so mom and alice left for Vegas today.
so i move in on saturday to the new apartment.
work is still going really well.

jim and kristene have pretty much everything moved into the house and it looks good.
joe and kim are currently unicycling in the Alps. it is pretty crazy. but so far so godo for them.

i dont know, there is nothing else going on.

cori and brett had there baby Shiloh. she is a really big cutie! i keep trying to remembeer to call them and see what is going on, but i keep forgetting. i did talk to Brett for like 2 minutes but i need to call them back.

i dont' know what else is going on, but if anythign happens, i should post it
later

Today, Barb is feeling: super uber good!!!

so i just got back from seeing my new apartment. and it is wicked cool!!!
granted it is farther away from campus that i wanted. it is like 2 miles away, but they do have parking on the streets and i am thinking that i can get a bike to ride during int fall and then more when spring comes around. but for the winter, i don't know. i think that between the 3 of us, we need to se if there can be any car pooling that can be done to and from the campus.

so yeah, i have a place to live and so that is really nice!

Today, Barb is feeling: tired.
dad and i dug up this little part of the front yard. granted we went farther down than over, but it was fun. haven't had a good diggin episode in a long time.

work is going good.
jim and kristene went back to beaver Dam to hang out there and be in their house.

happy belated fourth of july.

Today, Barb is feeling: pretty good.

so kristene got her job at Wayland academy so that means that i will hardly ever see jim and her anymore. i will admit that i really like having jim and kristene and sen at home with us. i will miss them a ton when they leave. but they will be getting a house that Wayland will pay for. the only thing they have to pay for it tv, internet, and phone. so that is really wicked good for them. but it sucks for me because i will never see them. yea i know that they will only be like 3 hours away, but between their lives and my life, i will pretty much see them as much as i would have when they were on Saipan. like joe lives like 10 minutes away and i only see him once in a blue moon.

so blah blah blah. enough.
things are still going well.
getting the room in order a littel bit more everyday.

Today, Barb is feeling: hot, slightly tired, but happy.

so jim and i are cleaning the basement.
ok `correction, jim is cleaning and i am just helping to sort through the clothes.

i am done with training for the sportsmans guide and tomorrow is my first official day on the job. and then i have 2 days off and then 3 days on.

the cleaning of my room occurred.
kristene and i got everything, and i mean everything out. think clean sweep.
and then we put some things back in the room and re-arranged it. while we were taking a five minute break, it started to rain, so all the boxes had to be brought back in the house. pretty much as soon as all the boxes were in, the rain stopped. so i just have to go through the boxes and make the final decisions as to what is allowed back in the room and what i can get rid of. i already got rid of a bunch of stuff that jim and i took to the thrift store today.

i am washing all my clothes so i can finish going through them and put waht i want to keep in my room and give away the rest.

this weekend it is just jim and me. mom and dad went up north with their church friends for a canoeing weekend. kristene is with her dad going to washington dc to help her sister move all her stuff since she has a job in Okinawa, japan. and then we hope that kristene will hear about her job on thursday and then she should be coming back sometime towards the end of the week.
alrighyt, then,
laters!
-b

Today, Barb is feeling: great

so guess who totally has a job!!!!!!!!
YEAH BUDDY! that would be me!

i went in for my second interview today at 2.30 and before 3.00 i was totally employed!!!
how freakin awesome is thath!?!?!??!?!
i am now employed at the sportsmans guide and i get to start on monday with training!

ahhh, it feels good to be employed again

Today, Barb is feeling: frustrated... yet again!

so the possible job is at sportsmans guide.
but i did apply at Borders Books. so i am not sure what is going on.
Sportsmans Guide is frustrating me because they are just kinda of giving me no answers.

so yea, it sucks.

Today, Barb is feeling: great!

so i think that i have a job!
i had my first interview today, and they want me to come in and have a second interview today. so that is good news. and they were talking about the training that is starting nest week and the fact that they don't know how much training i will actually need, but i will be getting paid and so that is a very good thing. and i have 32 hours for sure that i will be working; monday, thursday, friday, and saturday nights. monday, thursday, and friday are 2.30 until 11pm and saturday 1.30 until 10 pm. so my nights will be shot, but that is aok with me. but i can have another night if i want it. so i am debating about taking another night, but i dont know.

so what do you think? should i pick up another night?

Today, Barb is feeling: ignored.
people don't leave messages.
does that mean people don't like me?
that people have stopped reading my blog...

Today, Barb is feeling: ok.
hey all, so guess what?
i think, Think, THINK, that i might have a job. now i don't know for sure yet, but i should know by monday for sure.

i have decided that i have a few new tv shows that i am addicted to.
so the first is
Fire Me... Please!
it is a show where people go to a new job for the first day and trys to get fired as close to 3 pm as possible. it is so incredibly funny!

the other show that i really like is Clean Sweep.
i think this is becuase i am getting ready for the "Clean Sweep" that Kristene and i are going to be having here at the hosue for Mom. we have decided that we are going to make mom clean the house of her stuff and get everything sorted to that she can live in a clean house. our idea is to do the living room, dining room, kitchen, and porch. the kitchen and dining room should not be that hard, it is the porch and living room. so if anyone has some free time and wants to be indebted to me for the rest of my life, lemme know and you can come and work with us!!!

later

Today, Barb is feeling: FRUSTRATED!!! frustrated to the extreme!

i feel like i can't get a job anywhere.
tinucci's doesn't want me.
tennis doesn't need me.
schneidermans still have a few days to get back to me.
best buy is just giving me the runaround like there is no tomorrow.
caribou has enough people, but may need me when they open up.
i applied at Supermoms, and so we will see about that.
i just feel really bored and frustrated.
i want a job. i need a job. and i am a hard worker and should be hired. but the world is conspiring against me. grrrr

Today, Barb is feeling: kinda sad

i am still here.
i am still trying to find a job.
Jim and Kristene are back and so that is really fun.
they brought back their dog Sen. and so that is fun.
yea, there is not much going on.
jim and kristene are leaving for beaver dam today in a few hours.
they have spend the first week here. it was reall funny, on tuesday they got here and like no more than 2 hours after Jim got into the house, he got a call for an interview at Breck school. apparently they are a very houghty toughty school to teach at. and so on friday he had an all day interview there. we are not sure how it went. but he spend all day there.

and so they are leaving to go to Beaver Dam. kristene has a job interview with the school there. so she has an interview there to work at the school. so we don't know when we are going to know about who gets what job and where they are going to live. i hope they live here in the cities, but it all depends on the job situation.

so jim and kiristene will be in beaver dam for like about 2 weeks. the first week is for the job interview and for kristenes reunion. then the nest week there is a family reunion on the East Coast for kristenes family and so they are doing that also. after that, they are coming back here in Newport.

joe and kim are doing good. they are training for their huge month long uni europe trip. the house is doing good. they have a really nice rhubarb patch that we get rhubarb from every once in a while. so yea that is them.

ummm, Cori is VERY pregnant and she is going to pop soon. so that is exciting that we get another baby that i will know! ok then

Today, Barb is feeling: good but starting to get bored.

so i have been back for just over two weeks, and Best Buy has kinda been giving me the run-around. so that sucks. and i have applied at Jo Ann Ect. so, i need to find a job!!!!!

so if anyone knows of a place around the Woodbury area that is hiring and isn't food service, just lemme know!

so the transition coming back from Scotland has been kinda strange.
i still miss all the things that i really liked and enjoyed in Scotland. but i am glad to be back home with the rents.
i think that i might have a place to live in the fall so that will be wicked cool!
umm yea.

BARB IS HOME!!!!!

yep, barb is home now.
(and has been since last friday)

the transition had been a bit weird, but i am getting used to it again.
she had the best time in the whole world and once she is done paying off this trip, she is going to start saving up to go back again!!

6 hours and counting.......
and i am on my way back to the states.

Today, Barb is feeling: tired.
we just got done with a two and a half hour deep clean. it was fun and it went by fast, but it was hard! lots of bending and reaching and climbing on countertops (that was fun!) so yea, well, i have three of my grades back,
Ethical Leadership - B
Human Resource Management - B
SCC - i got a C... a 79 and there is no way to challenge for that last point! GRRRR (serious issues had by ALL with that class and just so everyone knows, the average in the class was a 72, so i am above average.... but i wanteed a B!!!!! and i worked damn hard for it) alright, now that the venting is over, the last grade that i am waiting for is my Gothic Lit grade. it is very possible that i could get an A in the class and have my 3.0 that i was working for.... so yea, cross your fingers for me! i should find out tonight at out party.

ok i need to go and clean some more.... i leave tomoorow.....lots of tears lie in wait.
-b

Today, Barb is feeling: saddened but happy.

i know, how can that happen? to feel sad and happy all at the same time.
well very easily.
i am sad to leave Scotland which feels so much like my home.
but i am happy to go back to my other home!
i miss my mom and dad, and friends, and church, and just everything there, but i know i am going to miss scotland too! i am torn. i want to be happy to go home, but i just can't be. i want to be sad to leave, but i just can't be.

i know i am one screwed up chickie.
so yea, as of right now.. we have a 36 hours and counting before we have leaving for the states again.
i will be back, probably with tears streaming!!!

Today, Barb is feeling: sad, stressed, and i kinda want to cry.

so i am sad.
today is monday and i am sad because i am going to have to leave here soon.
soon equals like 4 days from now. we leave on friday morning.

so i am stressed.
today is monday and i am stressed becaues it is finals week.
i have three finals to take. two tests this week and a paper that was a take home that i need to finish.

so i kinda want to cry.
today is monday and i kinda want to cry because we are leaving in four days and i don't want to go home!!!!!!! as much as i miss all my friends and family, i want to stay here. i want to come back here and just live here and stay here and never ever leave. just make everyone come to see me. we had our Host Family Dinner last night. it is just a time to get everyone together and for some people to say goodbye. there were some people who stood up and said what having a host family ment to them, i almost burst into tears twice. i get to see me 'mom' tonight and then again on thursday for our going away dinner. i am going to cry alot then.

i need to get back to studying. later!

Today, Barb is feeling: sun burn but GREAT!!!!!!!

ok oik ok, this is for all the people who are wondering about me
I AM STILL ALIVE

yes i am sorry to say, but there is no reason to rush over and see me.
i am alive and now fully healthy again. but i am sunburned now... so go figure.

yes i have spent the last 4 days on the Mediterranian. it has been spectacuarl.
totally not on the list of places to go, but whatever! it was cheap and beutiful!!!!

ok so... lets see what have i done since London...
umm not a lot.
i have spend a TON of time on homework as the end of the semester is coming soon. I went and saw Dracula. it was really good. since we have been reading it in my Gothic Lit class. it was an updated version with cell phones and email. i liked it.

the computer is acting funny, so here is the basci run down of spain.
got there tuesday
slept, ate, swam, drank
we went to the Mediterranian Sea on Thursday and spent the day there, hence the burn
then on thursday nigth we had a 4 am fire alarm. it sucked alot.
i hated running down the 5 flights of stairs in my pjs, at the same time trying not to scream in pain since my burn was still new and hurt like a mother!
yea it sucked.
then friday we stayed in the room. spent time on the balconey, took a nap, toop a quick swim.
watched 2 movies.
then saturday we woke up early and came home. we left spain at like 10 am and just got back around like 7.30 ish

ok later! going to go and spread more aloevera on me
-b

Today, Barb is feeling: slightly under the weather... yet again.

so i think that i am allergic to London.
i came back from London this weekend and i am feeling sick again.
i don't know what it is, but i guess i can't live in London. that is ok, because i wouldn't want to anyways.

so yea i am still alive. and i am sorry that i have been remiss in blogging for those of you who look forward to it every morning and it becomes your highlight of the day.

so yea, i was in London. we took the train and stayed in the bad hostel. we did a bunch of sightseeing. we decided that we saw Camilla on her way to the wedding. we were at Buckingham Palace and down the road there were all these police and people were gathering. and then there was like all the traffic being stopped and suddenly there were these 5 cars (really NICE cars) pulling out and they had like 6 police on motorbikes with them and so we were standing there and trying to figure out who it was, and we saw one female in the middle that had really poofy blonde hair and a bad hat on. we decided that it was Camilla. especially if you looked at what she got married in.!!!
http://www.msn.co.uk/htx/royalweddinggallery/
just go there. that was like EXACTLY what we saw. and so we decided it was her.

Today, Barb is feeling: tired, smelly, worn out, in slight bit of pain, and excited to be back home!!!

i am back in the palace.
i have been back for about an hour so there is no worries about me being lost somewhere.

here, and will stay for a while
-b

Today, Barb is feeling: great!

so i am still alive and here in Dublin now.
had a great week traveling around Ireland.
met some very nice people, met like 2 very mean people.

but all in all, it was a great time.
i am in a internet cafe now in Dublin and nicole and i just got done doing a bit of souviner shopping. i got something for my dad today, so i think that i have him taken care of. just need to think about the rest of the fam now/

om then, i will talk to you all later and have TONS of pics and TONS of stories to post, so it will take a while!.

love you all!
-b

Today, Barb is feeling: slightly under the weather!
boo hoo!
it is easter and i am kinda sick.
i have a stomach ache thing and i feel like i am going to throw up.
this is like the third easter in a row that i have not been feeling 100%.
but i am Dublin right now.
sitting at the hostel computer.

quick update,
flew to London, while in airport met kilted 3 scots. did get phone number of Tony, will try to stay in contact with Craig and Graeme also
in london, people suck.
nicole and i got stuck in a train for an hour when it broke down,.
we wandered around, got lost, got found, and took a trip on the Thames.
now in Dublin.
tomorrow we leave for the Paddywagon tour.
leave me comments!!!!!

love you all and happy easter!
-b

Just so you all know, this coming week is my Spring Break.
I may or maynot be able to contact you via email or blog.

But that does not mean you cannot comment or email.
I should be able to check the email every few days.
Thanks and have a good week and a half!

-barb

Today, Barb is feeling: hot and sweaty again, but that is expected, it is HOT here!
it is gorgeous out right now! i love it!

ok, so continuing on from the Durham and York trip.
we left really early on Friday to get to Durham. we drove alot. when the picked up Christine who would be our guide for the days. she is really smart and knows alot, but her voice kinda irratates me. but what can you do? so we got to Durham and ran around for a long time. it was fun. i got a bunch of really cool pictures and all in all it was just good. there really wasn't anything that stoof out to me that i can remember at Durham. then we got back on the bus and went to York. we got there and checked into our hostel. there were two rooms for the females. one room (the one i was in) held 18 females. it was alot. the other room helf 16 females. so we checked in and got our beds and then we went exploring. we decided to have dinner at the itailian restraunt and it was wicked good! homemade and everything! yummy!
after that we decided to go on a ghost tour of York. it wasn't scary or anything, but it was HYSTERICAL! the guy who did it was just a stitch and made himself be really serious. it was a great time. then after that we got kinda lost. there was some drama between the chiefies in the group and it just wasn't good. but then we got back to the place we were going to meet the rest of the group, it was an 80's club. i was saddened. i had forgotten to bring my ID with me and even though you had to be 18, it you didn't look over 21 then they carded you. i figured that since i have never really been carded there would not be a problem. WRONG, problem. they asked to see my ID and since i didn't have it, i had to go back to the hostel. sad. but that was ok, becasue then i didn't smell like smoke alot and i had a chance to read some of my book Dracula for class. i went to bed around like 1 and the bed was horrible. it was the kind of bed where if you move a quarter of an inch, you can feel a new spring poking you. it was bad and since i am a roller, i kept waking up. so needless to say, i did not get a good nights sleep.

the next day after i woke up and had my breakfast and got dressed and ready for the day, there was some more drama. sarah had originally been in my group since there was only one spot left in the other group with the biggest number of our group, but then it would have been me, sarah and eric. but alas, someone (who shall remain nameless) moved sarah and just decided to tell her in the morning. so she told me and i will admit i did not like it. i was very annoyed. and so i just removed myself and Cassandra and went around with Claire and her boys Ryan and Jack. so it was me with my professor and her kids wandering around York. we decided to go on this Viking thing. it was really cool. i figured since i have some viking (i do mom and dad right? like the whole scandinavian thing) we were going to stop and we did. it was £6 but it was worth it! i have some really funny pictures that i am going to put up as soon as i can. i think that will be a big thursday and tonight plan. so i made it worth my £6. and after that we had to meet up with the rest of our group and we got to tour the walls and the outer ramparts. after that, we had a quick lunch and met everyone at York Westminster. it was cool. we got to run around with our tour guide and got to take a TON of photos. we did that and then after that we had some free time to just run around with before we had to meet up again and hop the bus back home. so i wandered around with Carolynn and Breanna. it was cool because we just kinda got lost. but then we started on our way back and since we still had a little time, i decided to pop into the York Art Gallery that was having its grand re-opening that day. it was amazing! i knew there was a reasont that i loved art. so i was there for like half an hour with the girls and after that we had to get together to walk to where the bus was waiting for us.

after we got on the bus and got settled in, we were off. on the way home, we did this Quiz that was fashioned after the Pub Quiz, but the headings were Durham, York, General history, and general knowledge. the team was me, claire, eric, and sarah. we ended up in second place. by 2 points. we were sad becaue the first place prize was playing cards. but we got keychains instead. and then we got to watch a movie on the way home. The Incredibles. such a good film! i hadn't seen it and so i was so excited that i watched it again the next day!

yea, after we got back to the house at like 10pm, there was a bonfire that was going on and so i was there for a while. since i was tired i decided to go to bed around midnight. it was a good nights sleep. i was very excited to see my bed and pillow again.

alright, that is long but what happened.
i am going to lunch now!!!!

Today, Barb is feeling: tired and hot.

i just got done with lunch prep which means that it is monday again.
well the weekend was good,
friday we left for Durham at like 6 am. which wasn't bad since i had gotten only like 4 hours of sleep the nght before.
let me backtrack to thursday for ya
it was good.
st pattys day.
not that big over here unless you are Irish.
so i work up, class, lunch, blah blah blah.
i went so see the Woodsman. it was good. i went to see if all by myself and so that was a big thing for me to be able to go and do something by myself. so i was proud.
then after that when i got the bus back from Edinburgh i went to my moms house and had diner. it was yummy! we had soup, and like the chicken-bacon thing with corn on the cob and potatoes and the dessert was this fudge thing that was WICKED! then after that i hung around the house and talked to her and played with her dog. after a while i decided that i should go home. it was about 10pm. i figured that i could get a good nights sleep for the coming trip. but after i got back to the house, i relized that i needed to go to the cash machine and get some money. since it was kinda scary and dark i made Robert come with me. we were walking and decided that we would stop and introduce him to my mom and the dog, Maisey. since he has never had a good experince with a boxer. on the way there, we ran into desiree and so she invited herself along too. so it was the three of us knocking on my moms door at like 10.15. i knew she was still awake since i had just left her like 10 mins before and her lights were on. so we were there until like 11. when we decided that we needed to get going. from there we went to the cash machine and got some money. on the way back Robert decided that he was STARVING and so we stopped and he got a pizza and i got a pop. des got gralic bread. when we got back to the house we sat down and chomped away. so like barb didn't get into the room until about midnight. and then sarah was still awake and was going to take a shower and so we decided to have a shower party so we both took one. and that means barb wasn't back in the room until 12.45 . of course i decided to read for a while, and so that out me going to bed at 1.20. and i woke up at 5.15 so i could finish packing and everything for the coming 2 days.
that was my thursday. friday and saturday will be coming. i need to go and eat lunch.

This was a non-sober post.
It has been removed for the safety of all involved.

Needless to say,
Barb did not get her Resident Assistant position for the coming fall.
She is slightly confused about where she will live next year now.

Thank you.

P.S.
barb says that people need to post stuff!

Today, Barb is feeling: saddened..... tear

so i got my letter today about me being an RA.
i did not get it.
but i did get the Desk Assistant and WOW leader.

Desk assistant is what i was doing last year at the Info Desk and i love it.
WOW leader is just an orientation leader for the new students.
so it is not bad, but not the best either.

but alas, poor barb. she did not get RA.
oh well.
but this does mean that i will have more time for studying,
more time do work at Best Buy (hopefully i can get back when i come back),
and more time for myself in general.

the only draw back is the fact that now i need to find a place to live for the coming year, and preferably people that i will want to live with.
so, if anyone is looking for a roommate in the general River Falls area, lemme know.
i know that i should have waited until after Pub Quiz, but i couldn't help myself.
oh well.
i think i am going to go and have a few drinks tonight then.
maybe a pint and a shot. yeaaaaa, that sounds good.

Today, Barb is feeling: kinda sweaty.
i just got done with lunch prep and it was good!
i got to do the vegetables and do stuff with the pizza that we are having for lunch.
i am excited, we also get the really awesome cream of chicken soup.

so yea, and it is REALLY nice outside right now, so i think i might have to run into Dalkeith just so i can be outside!
i did get some pictures up, if you haven't already checked.

tomorrow is st patricks day.
one of my roommates Emily left yesterday for Ireland.
the group of us (some drama there) are going to start really early in the afternoon drinking because we need to be up and sober at 5.45 the next morning, friday, because that is when we are hoping on a bus to take up on the overnight Durham and York trip. i am excited. i guess York is like one of the top three places you need to see if you are even in the UK. so i am in the UK and i am going to go!
personally i think that i am going to go and see the Woodsman.
stars Kevin Bacon and his wife Kiera Sedgwick.
i have heard that it is a good movie but a VERY touchy subject. kevin plays a pedophile who is recovering from being in jail and so i want to see if i can get someone to come and see it with me.
i think i will ask Claire, one of my profs, to see if she wants to go and see it.

i am supposed to get an email sometime today about if i got the RA position for this coming school year. it will be nervous. i have decided that i cant check my UWRF email until after Pub Quiz because i don't know if i will want to be super excited or sad.
so yea, i will let you all know later!

ok then,
LUNCH TIME!!!!! here i come pizza!

Today, Barb is feeling: mad because she has to walk up and down like the equilevant of 4 stories to do laundry.

today is saturday and what has barb done?
watched Dirty Dancing 2 Havana Nights
done 2 loads of laundry
and now i am going to do a bunch of pictures.
so yea, go and check that out in a while.

who is the anounomous person who posted the 50 top bands in Scotland?
i wanna know!

Today, Barb is feeling: like all ... that ... jazz.

i just got back from seeing Chicago in Edinburgh!
it was so so so so so so so SO good. i want to go and see it again!
alrighty, so the ghost, the man and the trip. whew!
it was a busy weekend.

the ghost,
so the day that we had all day on Skye we were out all day, from like 8 am until about 6 pm. when i got back, Sarah and i went up to our room, because we were put in the same room. when we got there, my bed had been made and all my stuff and pjs were folded and put on the chair. sarahs bed hadn't been touched.
didn't think much of it. we just thought that they didn't have the time to finsih the other bed.
later we were playing cards with paul, troy (the man), and some others and we were asking them what their jobs were. troy dealt with washing and cleaning and paul was mainly reception. i asked who made the beds. they looked at me like i was smoking crack. i explained what had transpired and they just looked at me and said, are you in room eleven? yea i am. you have a ghost. apparently there have been a few different times where people had awoken during the night and had seen a elderly women petting their hair. not scared, but just confused. when they said stuff in the morning, that is when it was told that there wasn't any one but a ghost. paul also said that there was one weekend that he was all alone in the house and the room below number eleven and he could hear stuff being moved around. the only thing to move around is the chair, the beds are like super glued to the walls. so yea, we had a ghost. i didn't wake up to any elderly women petting me,
yea, that is pretty much the whole story about the ghost. there is kinda more, but i will tell you more about the ghost and troy next time. i want to go to bed now.
laters!
-b

Today, Barb is feeling: like she wants to put off all her homework until i have to leave!

but i can't.
i am trying to put off doing homework as much as possible, so yea, i don't think that it will last much longer, but i can try!

this weekend was a BLAST!
i met a man, Troy, unfortunatly there was no exchange of contact info... to bad because he was an aussie! yum!

ok, so we did Isle of Skye over the weekend with macbackpackers, and it was SO COOL!
i didn't want to come home. even though my room was haunted. but that was just awesome too. well i need to go and do homework and i will leave more later,
what do you want to know about?
the man or the trip ?

Today, Barb is feeling: like no body likes me, everybody hates me, so i guess i will have to go and eat worms!!!!!

in case you don't get that, go back and read the previous post and comments.
it was posted by my announomyous (now many more 'n' s do you think i could fit in the word?) comment-maker.

i wonder who the person is. i have suspicions, but in all reality, i have no idea because i really have no idea who all reads my blog thing. so the mystery remains.

but people really like me.... don't they?

Today, Barb is feeling: like a suppa-duppa bouncy ball that was just taken out of the package!

barb is good
barb is still working on the pictures, slowly but surley they are being added. i try to do like one new album every few days, so yea hopefully there will be more up tomorrow. just in case you need a reminder of where to go...
barblind.com
go there. or be square. or circly if you want.

so yea, we have Macbackers this weekend. it is three days of traveling around the country.
it is three days and we get to go to the Isle of Sky and stop at a bunch of different places along the way like Loch Ness, Inverness (maybe) and a bunch of other places that i am not sure about.
then the weekend after that is the Bowhill trip thing. and then the weekend after that we are hopefully going to Durham and York for an overnight trip.

lets see... spring break is almost done being planned.
then the weekend after that we are taking the train down to London and taking a few tours and going to see Stonehenge and all those fun places around the London area. so that will be a great time. i have to go and study some more now.
bleck to the studying!
please leave me comments. i feel unloved when i get nothing. :-(

-b

Today, Barb is feeling: like she got run over by a deer.

what did barb do yesterday?
she walked, climbed, stretched muscles that don't get stretched.

so what did i do,
we had a house trip to the Wallace Monument and Stirling Castle
so to get to wallace monument (from here on out referred to as the WM) you have to walk up this HUGE hill. it is like a 55 degree angle and it just keeps going up. but when you reach the top you get an amazing view. but does the walking stop there? oh no. i then walked up the 246 stairs to get to the top of the actual WM. this is the tiny spiral stairtcase that in order for two people to get up, one needs to hug the wall whilie the other squeezes by. so we went up the 246 stairs, up and up , up, up. and up some more. then there were levels every 80,70,60,34 steps.
first level was about William Wallace, and it had his sword. second was the history and the people who were involved, and the third was the other places that a WM had been erected. and the last level was the very top where you could look out and see for MILES and MILES all around you. it was absoltuly amazing. the views that i got were spectacular. just wait until i get my pics up!

then after that we went to Stirling Castle. now we are talking a castle that has been around since like the 1400's. it is absolutly specatular also. unfortunatly, before we went in, my batteries almost died and so i saved them for special pics only, but i was able to have my friends take some pics and will send them to me. there are some pictures that are just breath taking in the views. the castle was so huge, it is the biggest that i have seen yet. it was really interesting to learn the history behind all the buildings. it was really fun becuase what i did, was i got a self guided tour that was on tape so i could just go off on myu own and explore what i wanted to see. it was so magnificant. with the head phones on i was able to run around and explore what i wanted to see and get background about the buildings and stories about what happened in them. it was awesome. i have decided that i am going to buy Stirling Castle and live in it.

ok, so it is saturday morning and it is possible that we will be going to a film festival this afternoon in Edinburgh. so that should be a good time.
my toe is feeling better for those of you who want to know.
i don't remember all the questions that i asked but i was just going through a slight time of sadness. but that is all over now and i am back and better than ever!!!!!

so who is going to send me some mail?
i have yet to get anything even a letter from people! that saddens me. i think i migh thave my mom and dad send me a little care package. just the basics like mac and cheese, pictures of them, maybe like grape nuts and just some other stuff like that. not too much, but just enough to get me through. but they will need to send it soon since it takes like 2 weeks to get here. so, MOM AND DAD, wanna send me a package? :-)

laters all!
-b

Today, Barb is feeling: a bit tired

i hurt my toe
i think it is actually an infection. i was cutting my toenails and now my big toe hurts. it has a red bump on it. it hurts after i press on it. i dont know what to do. so any and all input would be appreciated. we should hold a contest, what should barb do and the winner get a prize!! like a postcard from me!
yea i think that sounds good.
contest is a go!

so barblind.com is up and running, but you can't yell at joe, because i haven't given him my pictures to put up yet. so yell at me instead. i think that either tomorrow or wednesday i will have time to put stuff up online. i have homework to do for most of tonight.

so yesterday i got to talk to both my mom and my dad and even my grandma! it was a good time had by all. so as i sit here at the computer, with my flipflops on so my toe can get air and stay dry i wonder who is missing me back at home.
what is it like back there without me?
will i get my Resident Assisstant position that i want?
will i get the infodesk position that i want?
is Best Buy in dire need of my special help that only i can give it?
do people at my church even know that i am not there?
do i look sad sitting here hunched over with my hood on?
what is the time air speed of a swallow?
can i mentally connect with my computer so i dont have to type, i just have to think?
am i really sad, or do i just think that i am because i am not at home?
if i found a clean needle and poked my little red bump on my toe, would i get puss and would it feel better?
do i wallow in self pity this much at any other point in time?

hummmm
interesting set of questions, i wonder what my answers will be tomorrow

later!
-b

Today, Barb is feeling: tired but excited!!!!!

so on sunday there was a reception for the people who have host familes.
i was there since i have one.
my mom and dadnever showed up! I was an orphan. I was sad.
But! i get to meet my mom today!

Michelle (my host sister) and I are leaving the palace around 3 ish to go and see if we can find out where she lives. it will be interesting. she sounds really fun so that excites me.

yea i am tired but that is because it is really early here still, its about 8:30 and all i want to do is go back to bed. but i can't. i have to take a shower and get ready for lunch prep.
i do lunch prep every monday and wednesday.
on monday i figured out that Henri, our chef, hates me.
Why would someone hate barb? you might ask, well i have proof!
Henri locked me in the frig.

it was actually an accident and he feels really really bad about it, but now i can look back and say it was funny.
it wasn't funny when it was actually happening because it scared the crap out of me since i didn't know if there was a release from the inside (i know now that there is). but DAMN! I went into instant panic mode and started yelling and pounding on the door. after about 2 seconds of that, Henri opened the door and was really really sorry. he apologized like 6 times to me that day. it was cute. so, we have scary, funny and cute. i know, weird story.
for those of you who want, i will be taking a picture of my frig. and will hopefully have it up on a website soon.... (hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge, joe)

laters!
-b

Today, Barb is feeling: like i have wicked cake building skills!


You are Pedro Sanchez and love holy chips.

Which Napoleon Dynamite character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Today, Barb is feeling: a little sad.
today is valentines day.
will you be my valentine?

i cant be that sad, after all i am in Scotland!
so god news, i have decided what i want to do for spring break.
i am going to London for 2 days and Ireland for 7 days. there is this tour company called www.Paddywagontours.com
and they have a 6 day tour of all of ireland for only £180. which is really good because that includes the places to stay and all breakfasts and even the enterance fee's to the places where normally you would have to pay to get into. so i decided that since the airfare from Edinburgh to London isn't that bad, only like £3 and then from London to Dublin is only about £8 and then from Dublin to Edinburgh is only like £12 then it is a really good deal. i know people who have booked only the flights and it is more than that. i know a couple people who are going to spain and just the flight there was £250. so i kinda figured that i picked a good choice.
my other choice was to do Amsterdamn for 3 days, Berlin for 3 days, and Prague for 3 days. but i didn't have to see those places, and i REALLY wanted to see Ireland the most. so i think i did good.

yestrerday we were supposed to meet our host families, but i was an orphan. :-(
my fmaily never showed up., so i have to call them tonight and figure out when i am going to meet them. ok, well,m short and sweet.

laters
-b

Today, Barb is feeling: tired, happy, excited, good all in all!

so we have had a crazy past 2 days.
yesterday we went and spent time in Edinburgh just because there really wasn't much else to do. we walked up and down the Royal Mile looking for Sara because she said she was going to meet us at the Edinburgh Castle, which is HUGE. So as Charles and I walked, Erica and Lexie went to the National Musuem because they had a thing they had to do for class.

charles and i never found sarah, (she did get back to the palace ok) and the musuem closed at like 5 so erica and lexie were only there for like an hour.
prior to that, we had gotten a quick lunch and as we were walking around we saw a bus and car collide, hit, wedge together. i don't really know what happened but the car and bus were closer than a you ever want to see them. and then we heard a crunch! not good. but it looked like the car and bus were both ok.
other than that, we just walked around all day.

today on the other hand, we went to Roslyn Chapel in Roslin.
if any of you have read the DaVinci Code, that should sound familar.
it is a really really really old church that when some maurauders were in the area and were trying to desroy everything, they came to the chapel and just couldn't bring themselves to destroy it. and so it has stood. it is made of all rock and just BEAUTIFUL!

i have some pictures and such.
then today after we went up and down some of Princes street and just walked around. it is now about 7 pm and i am tired since i have been up since about 7 am. while we were walking, we came across a used book store, which excited me! i found a book that sounded interesting and so i picked it up. depending on how i like it, maybe i will bring it back to the states with me, but if not i only paid a pound and a half for it and i could leave it here inthe library.

so yea, i will talk to you all laters!
oh!!!!!

Barb Lind
WIS - Spring 2005
Dalkeith House
Dalkeith, Midlothian
Scotland EH22 2NA
United Kingdom

that is my address to my palace!

Today, Barb is feeling: slightly under the weather.
not enough to warrant much other than lots of water and a few cough drops, but enough to make me want to sleep the whole night through. from about 6 until 7am. but atleast now i am well rested and pretty much starting to really have my body adjust.

so i just got done with breakfast.
breakfast is from 7:30 am until 8 am.
then classes at 8:30, 10:30, lunch at 12:15
that the the morning schedule, i dont have the afternoon schedule set fully in my mind yet.

so we got assigned jobs in the palace, and i get to do Monday and Wednesday lunch prep. so that will give me something to go and it is working with Henri our chef. he is so FUN!

so yesterday i had my one class of Ethical Leadership.
it will be a good class, and then i had my SCC, Scottish Culture Colluequim class.
that will be an interesting class. there aren't really any class classes, we meet like a total of 5 times the semester. but we have to write a paper and make a presentation about Scotlanda and what not. so it will just include all the stuff that we do here and all the trips and all that stuff.

the today i have Human Resource Management.
and then later tonight i have Exploring the Brtitish Gothic Novel. it will be 3 hours once a week on Tuesday nights, but i think it will be good.
and then my wednesday i will have lunch prep and ethical leadership.
and thursday i will have H.R.M.

as you can tell, i only have 4 classes, (12 credits)
now when i first came over here, i had 5 classes, 15 credits. then when we had orientation going on, Mary (our Resident Director, who has been here for 8 semesters) told us that we should all think about taking 12 credits. there were some people who were taking 17 or 18 credits! Mary said that taking more than the 12 credits is more trouble than it is worth. she said that there are always people who come crying to her halfway through the semester about not being able to do everything that they wanted to do becuase of all the work. now, the 12 credits includes the internships that some people are doing. this means that they have the SCC class, one required Brit class, and then internship. now when i was told this, i wasnt sure if i wanted to drop the one extra class that i had. but i decided to becuase then i would have been in BOTH literature classes and they weren't allowing anyone to do both since in Womens Lit, we would have read about 6 books and then in Gothic Novels we are going to read about 7 books. there is only one person that is in both, and that is my friend Sarah because she is an English Lit major and she needs both of them. so yea,
i am trying to remember what else i have for you all but i can't remember.
i will talk to you all laters!
-b

Today, Barb is feeling: good but in a little pain

so today was the trip to Edinburgh, sorry about the spelling.
we had a scavenger hunt to go on for different stuff that we needed to take pictures with, amswer questions with, such like that. my group gave up about half way through which frustrated me, but since it was nine against one, i had to give in.

so the little pain is my back.
i don't know why, but today it has been really hurting. i took some tylenol and that helped for a while, but i don't know what else to do if it keeps hurting like this. it is not extreme pain, but it makes it hard to want to move around. i think it might be because of the beds. they are horribly hard! i feel that i would get more support and cushion sleeping on the floor! but i don't know what to do about that. so hopefully, either i can adjust or the pain will go away.

so i heard from Joe today. he get me my birthday present! wanna know what it is?
www.barblind.com
he says that it isn't up yet, so i will let you all know when it is going and working and has all the pictures and stories and evrything up.

well, it is just about midnight here, which means it is just about 6 back home. i have to go and get ready for bed. we start classes tomorrow. my first class isn't until 10:30, but i will need to wake up and get breakfast. so i will proably be back tomorrow!

good day to you!
-b

Today, Barb is feeling: like a million bucks and then some!

so guess where i am?!?!?!?!?
huh huh huh?
well, just to help you out, i am in SCOTLAND!!!!!! it is amazing so far.
i have been here for about 3 hours in the palace, and we have our rooms and we just got done eating lunch. i am living with 5 other females in one room. good thing is that the room is very big. my bed is by the window and so i will be able to look out it every morning. i also have a window that will open there so i will be cool no matter what.

so i am working on figuring out how to post my pictures on either this website or my website from school, so i will let you know.

i will be spending the next 3 months living in a palace in SCOTLAND!
it is amazing. and i am so excited to be here, but you probably wouldn't be able to tell since i have not slept since 7 am yesterday. it is about 8 am in the states now, and it is actually 2 pm in the afternoon here. we are 6 hours ahead here. they say that is it best to try and stay awake as long as possible before you fall asleep because then you can fall into the time here and it will work better.

the palace is amazing. it is 4 floors. the 4th floor isn't actually used anymore because it used to me the servants quarters, and i don't know what exactly happened, but one of the main guys here said that if we wanted, he would take us up there and show us around.

we have 2 horses that are running around in our front yard. just past that, there is a big jungle gym/swingset made for big kids. it looks like it would be fun.
my brain is so filled right now, that i don't know what else to say.
i love you and miss you all.
i will include my email, addy, and phone numbers next time which will hopefully be tomorrow.

love you and miss you!!!!
-b