YELLOWSTONE!

Me and Freida are headed to Yellowstone National Park in northwest Wyoming. We are heading out on Friday night to arrive on Sat. AM. It is about a 9hour drive from Denver. We are gonna camp and chill. It should make for an outstanding weekend.

also........
I was having trouble w/ my phone + voicemail for the last 2 days. I could call out, but could not receive calls or check my voicemail. Got that taken care of today. Sorry if I missed any calls.

Only one more day of school for me!
I will finish cleaning my classroom in the AM. My afternoon school is already cleaned up and ready for summer. I want to leave both in great condition for whoever follows behind me.

Talk to soon.
Mark

Senator concerned politics played role in base closings; Pentagon denies any outside role

Blues States hammered by base closings.

States that supported President Bush's reelection (red states) had a net job gain of 11,000, while states that opposed Bush (blue states) lost nearly 25,000 positions.

http://rawstory.com/exclusives/byrne/lautenberg_brac_base_closures_520

Summer Update....sort of

It has been a long time since I posted. A little over a month.

Different month=same uncertainty.
I still am not sure where I will be a month from now. I am still liking Denver, and the available work prospects in NC are not tempting me to go back there.

I am considering staying in Denver through the summer. Freida is moving back to NC on June 18th, but I am not sure if I am going to head back then. I really enjoy the climate here, plus I think I can find some kind of work this summer.

My interviews in April did not pan out like I thought they would. One is still pending, but it has been over a month since I interviewed, so I am not holding my breath.

I am still going to do the overseas teaching thing, I just dont know the exact date. I am still most interested in S. Korea. They offer a good salary, free apartment, paid airfare($1200-1500), plus a 1 month salary bonus upon completion of a 1 year contract.
Japan is a higher salary, but you lose that b/c you have to pay for lodging. Also, they don't provide airfare(occassionally some will pay 1/2 after completion of 1 year contract)or a bonus.

I have been looking into the summer camps that are offered in S.Korea. They pay very well, and I think it would be a great chance to sample the country for a short time(camps are 3-4 weeks). If I can find a good deal on airfare, I am going to try to do one.

Regardless of where I spend the summer, the plan is to do the overseas teaching thing. I know I enjoy teaching, so it only seems logical take another step in that direction.