i hope everyone's 2010 got off to a great start. i know mine did.

i went on a short vacation to Berlin, Germany. it was totally awesome. i can't wait to go back and explore the city more one day. i also can't wait to go back and see the rest of Germany one day.

photographs from this excursion can be found here

today i have been in Macedonia for 490 days. that is a lot of days.

the GIS software is in my possession. it is cooler than i ever dreamed of. let the data base creation and the map making begin.

sorry to those of you for which this will be a repeat:

�The other Peace Corps Volunteer in my town, Paul, and I have been working for the past year, literally since January 2009, to get new musical instruments for the elementary school here in our town. Music education is limited to choir during school hours as there are no instruments for students to learn on. Students who are lucky enough to have their own instruments may participate in an after school �band.� This band contains about 7 students out of the 800 students that attend the elementary school, which is K-8th grade. We decided the best way to raise money for new instruments was through the Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP). PCPP allows projects to be posted on the Peace Corps Website and for people to make secure donations directly to any project they wish to support. The people of our town want very much to improve the school music program as well and they have worked to build a community contribution of $1986.48 which is 39% of the total budget. With greater than 50% unemployment and the average monthly salary about $150 or less for a family of four, this shows great dedication by the community and evidence that this will be a sustainable project. The other 61% of the budget we must raise from all of your donations.

I spent most of my elementary, middle, and high school years in music rehearsals, camps, and performances. I can not imagine my times in school without music education. Those were some of the best times of my life and I hope you will help us make music education a bigger part of the lives of the children of my PC town.�

You may make your donations here

i am hoping to have 50 pages of my thesis written by the end of February. if i accomplish this task, i get to watch Star Trek TNG as a reward.

i am deeply saddened by the recent Supreme Court decision in the case Citizens United vs. FEC which overturned over a century of precedent and opened the floodgates for unlimited amounts of corporate money to flow into our political system. i have high hopes the Congress can change corporate law to install limits.

i was, however, extremely heartened by President Obama's Q&A with House Republicans. this might be the coolest thing i have ever seen. i have not always been a member of the Obama fan club. his celebrity type status and his flocks of followers who thought he was perfect annoyed me. but i voted for him and i think he is doing a great job so far, considering the giant mess he was hired to clean up. my respect for him has risen 10 fold after seeing this. way to go Sir. keep this up and Democrats might be able to get some stuff done.

byeness