Barbara Lehtiniemi is a writer and photographer from Ontario. She’s a graduate of Athabasca University, having completed her Bachelor of General Studies degree in 2018.
A regular contributor to The Voice Magazine since 2013, Barbara has also contributed to other publications including Chicken Soup for the Soul and Maclean’s. Barbara writes in several genres, including non-fiction, fiction, and poetry. She’s grateful to The Voice Magazine for providing the opportunity to explore an array of topics and writing styles, and she remains dreadfully sorry for those awful haikus.
Barbara has a fondness for travel, used bookstores, everyday absurdities, and oversized wine glasses. Originally from urban Southwestern Ontario, she now lives on a windswept rural road in Eastern Ontario with her indulgent and supportive husband, Leo.
You can follow Barbara on Twitter @theregoesbarb, or contact her at theregoesbarb@gmail.com.
There’s nothing like a debate to add a little spice to a council meeting. And one of the advantages of being a student observer is that I don’t have weigh in with my views (observers at regular AUSU council meetings have no standing and cannot speak to an issue even if they want to.) So,… Read more »
Athabasca University recently announced the launch of an updated and revised online Undergraduate Student Orientation Aimed primarily at new and prospective students, the Student Orientation Handbook contains a wealth of information for current students, too. The handbook’s structure is similar to an AU online study guide. The chapter titles and subsection headings run down the… Read more »
Part of the fun of distance education is those parcels that come in the mail. Finding a box or bulky envelope in my mailbox is like receiving a present. A special mail treat recently was the arrival of the AUSU 2015 Student Planner. My desk is tiny but I always have an AUSU planner nearby…. Read more »
In last week’s article, Keeping it Short, I shared my musings on the lost art of shorthand and my frustrations in trying to find learning materials. I managed to track down a couple of manuals through the public library’s Ontario-wide inter-library loan service. Although I could only borrow the manuals for a short period, I… Read more »
Whatever happened to the art of writing shorthand? Has it gone the way of the adding machine, hand-sewn clothes, and film cameras? When I attended high school a million years ago, shorthand was offered as a full-credit course. (I should also mention that there was a full-credit course in using adding machines?now known as desktop… Read more »
Meetings that achieve a certain flow can be deceivingly hypnotic, like a soothing zephyr. For me, Wednesday’s AUSU council meeting began on the right foot, because I was able to get an agenda for the meeting. Trying to follow a meeting over the phone without an agenda is challenging, especially when I want to write… Read more »
Although I’m not a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions (see last January’s article, “Resolving to Abolish New Year’s Resolutions”,) a fresh new year does provide an ideal occasion for reflection. The start of a year offers an opportunity to examine where you’ve been, where you are now, and where You’re going. The new year… Read more »
Are you new to AU? You might be waiting for your first course to begin or perhaps you’ve taken a few and are ready to immerse yourself in a program. With many courses ahead of you and years of study, It’s sometimes overwhelming to decide where to begin. If you’ve never taken university courses before,… Read more »
“Nobody should be alone on Christmas Day,” proclaims the advertisement in the newspaper. A community service group is opening its doors on the afternoon of December 25 this year so that those who are alone for the holidays can enjoy a festive meal in the company of others. For many of those who celebrate Christmas,… Read more »
Wednesday’s AUSU council meeting started on time and moved along at a crisp pace?two qualities every meeting should aspire to. Once again, agendas were not available to meeting observers, making it difficult to follow the discussion. And once again, the formal meeting was followed by a closed councillors-only session. First item up for discussion was… Read more »