happy 23rd birthday nate!!!!!! :)

hey everyone- it's nate's bday, so if you get a chance drop him an email or a post on his blog sometime today! ther0028@umn.edu or www.itsbacon.blogspot.com
yaaaaay! he will FINALLY (hopefully) be getting a cell today, so that will make both of us happy...wheeeew. plus it wont be so 'tres cher' as this summer for calling cuz we live int he same time zone and both in europe and our bills will/should be dramatically less andmore local charging rates. so that's GOOOD!
so, HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATE! :)

in other news, this past weekend on sunday i went up the the ACROPOLIS!!!! after exploring w/a new found friend jeff, i came back and wrote an email to a couple ppl about it and realized, 'i was on the freaking acropolis!!!!' this is something that ive been studying, among other surrounding sites and monuments, out of books and slides for the last 3 years and i FINALLY and fortunately got to acutally BEEEEE there! i was in awe during and after the whole thing and kept rambling on and on to jeff (philosphy and english major) about the features. guess im more knowledgable than i thought once i actually see the stuff! im so surprised w/myself that i got to notice all the lil details that normal tourists just pass up. soooooo exciting is all i can say! enough of that nerdiness for now. let's just say it was a good meadering and site-seeing day.
Mary- you are going to just die here next semester. iknow you visited a lil, but after you wander the city i think youll just be overcome!
sarah and erin- youve GOT to get here!
the last few days i have beenn slowly falling into the academic lifestyle that is my life these days and that us students somehow get addicted to in more crazy ways than we think. i started circling and posting my syllabi on the tackboard....and taking actual notes from the second and thrid meetings of classes.....keeping my nose to the books.....and of course- sleeping less and less. these things arent negative in any way, just the lifestyle that we fall into and you miss over the summer and winter breaks, but hate when youre in it, but somehow just keep coming back for more. man, there's gonna be deadlines and duedate and tests now! oh yeah......
I GOT MY LUGGAGE FINALLY yesterday!!! it took about 5 hours all total, but it was hella worth it even if i dont think i shudda had to deal w/it. NEVER again will i ship luggage abroad; if it doesnt come w/me, it doesnt come. so there. oh yeah, never go through greek customs...oh my god............... let's just leave this experience out of the story for now.
tonight there's a meeting for all 133 students here at my school about our first (and biggest!, longest!) field trip of the semester. we're going to Crete!!!! that is, im going back. we are actually going to alot of the sites i was just at this summer, but some new ones too. this time when visiting the 'deja vu' sites ill at least have a guide from a prof. plus, im giving one of my presentationns for class ON SITE at Mallia and Knossos, so that'll be cool. nerve-racking too! first on site commentary for me ever! i guess im on the right track to archaeological'ness.....
ok, it's time for lunch, so more soon
dont forget to send nate your best wishes! it's weird over here for bdays when you dont know anyone!
must go feeeed........