(Editor's note: UC Santa Barbara junior forward Erin Buescher will share a weekly diary with ESPN.com throughout the season. For more on the Gauchos, visit UCSB's official athletic site.)

Jan. 22, 2000

Greetings from Albuquerque, Gaucho fans. We are in the midst of a layover on our way home from Denton, Texas. Last night we played the University of North Texas and we won (78-62).

	Erin Buescher, right, averaged 17.3 points and 9.7 rebounds last season.

I thought that we played well, and it was a good steppingstone for us. We are improving with each game.

Stacy (Clinesmith, a senior guard) went off again. She had six three-pointers to go along with seven rebounds and six assists.

Teams really should start guarding her as a shooter. The funny thing is, she received a concussion in practice on Monday when (freshman guard) Jess Hansen's elbow knocked her in the head, so she sat out practice all week.

There could be a lesson to be learned in that whole scenario...coaches, hint, hint.

A visit from home
As we head back to Santa Barbara, all of us are preparing in our minds for Vanderbilt (Jan. 25). We don't play on Sunday; we have a bye and get Sunday off.

We will start bright and early tomorrow morning -- 8:30 a.m. to be exact -- preparing for Vandy on Tuesday.

I think they will be hungry, because we have beaten them twice, once at their place and once in the NCAA Tournament.

I am also excited about Tuesday's game because it gives my parents an excuse to come down and visit. They are coming down on Monday and leaving Wednesday, so I will get to spend some time with them.

My Dad and my sister, Jenny, started surfing last week, so I will have someone to play with and help me pursue my surfing interests. I learned to surf in Hawaii almost five years ago, but haven't done much of it since, and never in Santa Barbara.

Good study habits
Classes have started (for the second semester), and we are in the full swing of things academically. My classes this quarter are very interesting, and I keep finding myself reading books for class at times I never used to study before -- which I'm pretty sure is a good thing.

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I have two Global Studies classes. One is an introductory course where we are learning about the different interactions of the world, and the other is quite different.

We are learning about all the terrorist acts that have been connected with religious ideologies, and how the terrorists justify these "violent performances" with an influence by God. It is just amazing to me, very interesting, but at the same time disheartening.

It is very dark and disturbing and makes me want to reach for my Bible. My other class is Spanish, and I love speaking Spanish.

Hope to see you on Tuesday at the T-Dome!

All my best, Erin

John 7:37-38