To be honest, not much has happened here lately so I don't quite know why I am updating this. I'm sure I'll be able to find something to ramble on about though!

On Saturday it was Julianna's last official Saturday in the city. It was a bitter day..... so cold! We wandered round China town trying to find things for her to take back home as presents. I hate China town. It is so busy and people are always in your face trying to sell you things. It is grim. But eventually Julianna got what she wanted (or didn't want as it turned out) and we headed to Times Square and met with Sara........ and had some pizza, looked around a few more stores.... I bought Relient K's new record called 'Let it snow baby.... Let it reindeer'. Catchy! We went to the Rockerfeller Center to check out the famous tree. Pretty impressive. Then a Starbucks stop where we met up with Carina. Finally the Connelly's the Irish pub. Great fun.

Will be very sad when Julianna leaves!

but at least England won't be going to Austria and Switzerland either........ shame!!..........

Just a quick note on the Scotland match being totally objective.....
Now I know Italy had a goal wrongly disallowed but (ok, objective bit over!) COME ON! That should never have been a free kick to Italy at the end.
We deserved to go to Austria and Switzerland more than anyone. We worked our socks of (and by we I include the fans!) to get where we did and it all came to nothing!
My Dad said, 'It is just sport.'

Yeah. Whatever.

Wow! It has been so long since I updated my blog!! Ooops! Been kinda busy!

So I'm in the US of A. At the moment I'm having a great time (even if I did weep a lot on Saturday when Scotland lost to Italy. So emotionally draining!). The family that I am working for and living with are great. The girls are generally ok, although can be difficult. I'm making some new friends..... two of which are the ones I hang out with most - Julianna from Brazil and Sara from Italy. Wonderful girls!

So I'm living about 40 minutes on the train away from NYC. It is great. We go there almost every weekend. I love it, although when it is really cold it ain't so fun!

Have been to two amazing gigs since I've been here - Kaiser Chiefs and Switchfoot and Relient K. Going to see KT Tunstall on Wednesday. I love that I have the opportunity to do that kind of thing.

It is also Thanksgiving on Thursday. Of course, I am going to the Thanksgiving Day Parade in the city and I'm really looking forward to it even though I'll have to get up excessively early! But it is a once in a lifetime thing so I can't miss it!!

This is just a short update. But I will post some pictures soon!!

I also agreed on a placement yesterday. I am really happy with the family that I am going to live with next year! They live in New York and have three girls aged 12, 8 and 4. Six families contacted me in all which I was really pleased with but it made for some difficult decision making!
I am now really excited to start my year in America!

I am now:

Miss Joanna Macdonald MA (Historical Studies) with Merit!

Ok, some pics from Austria...... This is the view from Sophie's garden!
Her house
Sophie and her Mum and Gran
Sophie's younger sister Valerie
Sophie and me

And again
Peter (whose flat we stayed in in Vienna) with sons Bernhard and Georg with Sophie

Gosh! It has been a long time since I posted on here........ I guess that is cos I thought no one reads this but now I now that at least one person does! Hi Sophie!! :-)
Quick round up:

Had a brilliant time in Austria..... just fab! Apart from shoes that ruin feet in Vienna.... not fun and they still are not back to normal! Was awesome to see Sophie and her family and mainly just relax! Brilliant! I will maybe try and put some photos up when I next use the laptop!

I managed to pass all my uni exams so I am graduating next Wednesday at 4pm. I really can't be bothered with it all but I guess it is just one afternoon.

Finally, I got accepted onto the au pair program. SO excited and extremely nervous!!!!

Also the Campbells are coming to Darlington today. I can not wait to see them! It is a shame that David isn't coming too. It is weird that he won't be preaching in our church at all this year. But it shall be great to catch up with Mairi, Meg and Tina!

I'm currently totally stressing about getting my au pair stuff organised before I go away to Austria. I am not stressing about my World Religions exam. It is just a complete nuisance!

ANNOYING!!!!!

I can't believe that I only have a couple of weeks left at uni. It is such a strange feeling! I am currently working on my Christian Theology project which I am doing on The Truman Show. After that I only have two exams and then I am done!! WOOHOO!
I'm really excited because at the weekend I booked my tickets to go to Austria to visit Sophie. I haven't seen her for a few years so I really can't wait. We are planning to go to the Austria-Scotland friendly (football) if we can get tickets for it which is amazing! Hopefully there'll not be too much tension! lol

Not too much news at the moment because I am so busy with uni work! Joy of joys!!

I am not skilled to understand
What God has willed, what God has planned
I only know at His right hand
Stands One who is my Savior

I take Him at his word and deed
Christ died to save me this I read
And in my heart I find a need
For Him to be my Savior

That He would leave His place on high
And come for sinful man to die
You count it strange, but once did I
Before I knew my Savior

My Savior loves, my Savior lives
My Savior's always there for me
My God He was, my God He is
My God He's always gonna be.

Yes, living, dying; let me bring
My strength, my solace from this spring
That He who lives to be my King
Once died to be my Savior

That He would leave His place on high
And come for sinful man to die
You count it strange so once did I
Before I knew my Savior

My Savior loves, My Savior Lives
My Savior's always there for me
My God He was, My God He is
My God He's always gonna be.

~ Aaron Shust, My Saviour My God

I realise that I haven't updated my blog for a long time now! Not that anyone really reads it!! lol
Anyway, what have I been up to? Well, I'll give you a rundown of what I've done over the past week.....
Monday: drove to Glasgow to get some library books, bought lots of decorations etc for my party. All in all I spent about an hour and a half in Glasgow before driving home again. I wasn't expecting to do that, I thought I would stay longer or even overnight. But I'm glad I did it cos now I know I can! I didn't think that I could drive so much in one day! I enjoyed it!
Tuesday: I got up, had breakfast and then went back to bed until about 1pm!! In the afternoon Mum and I went round to June's house (she is a lady from our church) to help her clear her sitting room and bedroom to have new carpets fitted. It was fun.
Wednesday: I didn't do much during the day. Then in the early evening June called because she needed a lift to the hospital so Mum and I took her. After June was safely back at home again I went to pick up Beth to just hang out.
Thursday: Beth and I went to a party shop in the morning to buy a few more things for my party. Also went to a craft store where I had to reverse into a bay in between two cars for the first time!! It was awful! In the afternoon Clair came round with Bethan and Ben. We took her car to the garage and while we waited for it to be fixed we went to the park. After that Clair and I went into town because she needed an outfit for a wedding - she had most of it sorted but needed a top to go with it.
Friday: Dad, Cath and I went to Chester. We saw Darlo play absolutely appallingly! But we managed to get a draw 1-1. At least we came away with something but we certainly didn't deserve it. I was thinking while watching the match that Sam Russell was the only one who was playing for us at the end of last season. The rest were all new (apart from Alun Armstrong who went away then came back). It's weird.
Saturday: It was another glorious sunny day and Mum, Dad, Hattie and I went for a walk. Just an easy one but made very tough due to the lack of shade (we went at lunch time as well - on reflection that was pretty dumb!) and the fact that we didn't bring any drinks. So I did struggle a bit but still enjoyed it. Hattie certainly did! She loves going into the river!
Sunday: church as usual - a bit thin on the ground though this week cos everyone was away! But lovely to see those who were there! It was nice to see Sarah again because she was away last week.

Today I came back to Glasgow again. The roads were so quiet! It was great. I have an exam on Wednesday that I am not looking forward to.... joy of joys! Can't wait till it is over and I can go home for my birthday!! YAY!

This is a Tennents advert that was on the back of the match day programme at the Scotland v Georgia game on Saturday. This is about football (or soccer!!) for those of you who don't know. The first time I saw this was on the Glasgow subway and I couldn't stop laughing. I think it is just brilliant! At the moment we are topping our group for the Euro 2008 qualifiers. It has been dubbed 'The Group of Death' because it includes Italy (world champions), France (runners up at the world cup), Ukraine (also a very good team), along with Lithuania, Georgia and the Faroe Islands. It is amazing that we are in the position that we are in and who knows if we will qualifiy so I will savour it while it lasts! But heres hoping!!

So here it is:

Scotland Hopes.

Hope is knowing that football fans, like the scarves we wear, are made to be lifted up.

Because our greatest glory consists not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall. Confucius said that. Or was it Steven Pressley?

Like Hampden’s fearsome roar, hope arouses a passion for the possible. It helps us achieve the unthinkable –

Scotland 1 France 0

Hope 89’

We can live 40 days without food, 3 days without water and 8 minutes without air. We can live 4 days in the Ukraine without changing our replica shirts. But we cannot live 1 second without hope.

Hope is not caring if we lose every game, as long as we top the group.

Hope is calculating that we only need 6 points from our last 2 games, provided the Faroes hold Italy and Ukraine beat France by 2 clear goals. And Hope is pricing flights from Glasgow to Zurich ‘just in case’.

But most of all, hope is like a path in the country – there never was a path, but when many of us walk the same ground, the path comes into existence. This is the path we follow – WHEREVER IT TAKES US, WHATEVER IT TAKES.

I started my new courses today! They went really well. I went to Philosophy at 10am (the same class is held at 2pm as well - needless to say more people go to the 2pm one!!), then Christian Theology at 11am. Both were good and both were actually very similar in nature although not in content.
Then I met Laura for lunch, which was lovely, and then I went home for a while. My next class, World Religions, was at 4pm. It was also good.
At the start of the classes I did feel out of my depth somewhat cos I have missed a few lectures but I soon got into it. I'm feeling pretty tired now. It is weird coming home after 5pm!

My hamster, Zinzan, has discovered a new trick. In hamster cages there are wheels that they run around in to get exercise. But Zinzan is not your usual hamster. She has started running ON TOP of the wheel instead of in it! I don't have a clue why she started doing this or how she discovered she could do it! I bought Zinzan a new cage a few weeks back and I think she is used to it now. She has a lot more space anyway which is good!

I read an article on the bbc website today about where the loudest and quietest urban areas are in England. To see the article follow this link http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6320799.stm
Quite frankly I think it is utter rubbish. Darlington was placed fourth noisiest on the list..... erm, what?? Darlington isn't noisy! What is that about?? I just don't get it! What stupid things scientists do studies on! Like doing a study on whether dogs get jealous or not! I could have told them that without them having to spend lots of time, effort and money studying it. Dogs get jealous!! Hattie is a prime example! Wow! What a ground breaking statement I have just made!

Here are some pics from the Minster Ball last Friday. It was awesome! Thanks Beth for letting me go! I had such a good time!! Beth and I
I don't know what I am doing
Jennie and I
The girls (l-r): Helen, Beth, me, Jennie, Bryony
Me and Beth

Thanks to Beth for the photos!!!

I borrowed this pic from www.darlofc.co.uk (or Darlo Uncovered). So Ryan came back to the 96.6 TFM Darlington Arena. I think this is such a lovely picture (even though I greatly object to Sam Russell's hair - he is the one in the blue). Ryan was captain for Wrexham which I thought was a nice touch. I was really angry when 'Manwoman' started shouting 'traitor' at him - how is he a traitor if he wanted to be with his family? Stay at Darlo or be with family in Wales and maybe get picked to play for your country? Hmmmm..... tough decision!
So, Darlo drew 1 all with Wrexham. It did highlight how much we miss Ryan. Craig James who is now playing in his place is poor in comparison.
The match turned really nasty towards the end. The Wrexham goalkeeper, Michael Ingham, (who has actually played for Darlo when on loan a few years back) apparently kicked a water bottle into the crowd and our supporters turned on him very nastily. To be honest I missed the incident totally but I certainly saw bottles being thrown ON to the pitch so I think a story about a pot, a kettle and the colour black would suit very well at the moment. It was actually quite scary towards the end and I felt sorry for Michael Ingham. It seemed to me that he didn't mean anything malicious and that the Darlo fans were acting like pathetic animals. I was ashamed to be sitting amongst them.
But it was so nice to see Ryan back in Darlo although I do wish he had been playing in black and white, rather than red!

At the moment I am sitting in an internet cafe that I passed when I was walking through Glasgow. My computer has broken (again!!) and Dad has taken it home to be repaired..... or made it is 'totalled' and I'll need to get a new one. It is getting a bit ridiculous though! I was going to go up to the uni library to use the computers there but I couldn't really be bothered so when I passed this place I thought, 'Why not?!'
So my news is that I will (fingers crossed) be graduating this summer, instead of next year. I was sick of honours and being thoroughly bored by the lectures and topics that were being covered. To be honest, I just wanted to go home and be done with Glasgow. But my Dad suggested maybe trying to move to a three year, non honours degree which I thought was a good idea. My plan was that I would take time out of uni until next year and then do the final year of the three year degree. So I went to see my adviser and he said that it was definitely possible to transfer to a three year course and that I may even be able to finish it this year. So, that is the plan at the moment. My adviser needs to work some stuff out but it should be ok!!
So there you go. A little update on a big change!

I'm sorry for the lack of posting recently. I've been pretty busy. Had Andrea and Ruthie visitng and that was good. I did so much driving but it wasn't as bad as I thought - in the end I drove even more than I thought and enjoyed it. The worst bit was the journey from Inverness to Darlington. It was really tough because I was just really tired. But I managed it and, of course, I didn't drive the whole way!
I hope Andrea and Ruthie had a good time. I think they now know more about Glasgow than I do and I have been here for 2 and a half very long years. In the second week I didn't really spend much time with them because I either had lectures or work to do or was ill.... what a great week!!! lol. We did have a great day in Edinburgh, even though the weather was awful!!
They left on Sunday morning and there isn't much to say about this week really.