Woo hoo! How exciting for your son. I wish him well on this endeavor and hope he has a fabulous experience. I emailed by daughter, who replied today, but your post above answers many of her questions. She taught ESOL in Thailand for 2.5 years, staying on for an extra 6 months because one teacher cancelled at the last minute. She had a wonderful experience. She is now living and teaching in a private school in Arezzo in Italy and loves her job, teaches all ages, etc. Here is her response, though some of the info might be too late for your son, it may benefit someone else reading this. "As for the guy going to South Korea...it could be that someone quit halfway through the year. Who knows! It might depend on what kind of school it is - would he be teaching in a public school, or is it a private language institute? I know there are (or definitely were when I was looking a few years ago) lots of jobs in southeast Asia, and it's a lot easier to find work there than other areas, like Europe, due to demand. It does sound like he might be jumping into the job just because his girlfriend is leaving, but is that really such a bad thing? If he's not putting his degree to use, in my opinion teaching English in South Korea would be a better/ more enriching alternative than working at Best Buy! A good life experience, even if it doesn't lead to anything career-wise. It would be good to check out the school as thoroughly as possible - have they got a website? Are you sure they're a 'respectable' school? What kind of contract are they offering? Will they help him get a work visa? That would be one of the most important things to find out. Will they help him find accommodation, etc.? Can he get the email of other teachers working there and write them to get a firsthand account of what living there is like? How easy is it to get around if you don't speak Korean? etc." Terriks, I second Sherry's recommendation for Skype if you don't already have it. That is how we usually communicated with her. With the video, we could also 'see' her apartment and friends. Don't forget to start planning a trip to go visit him! - Elisabeth

Does anyone have any experience with or opinion of the Renaissance brand of windows? Thanks, Jeanie

No worries! We're always happy to help! Just for clarification, are you getting a modular or a manufactured home? The reason I ask is that you stated it's a "Fairmont modular." I know there is a Fairmont brand manufactured home, but am not aware of a Fairmont modular. That being said, I know very little about names or manufacturers of modular homes, so I'm probably ignorant about Fairmont. The advice given will really fit either situation. In fact, it fits any home being built, including site built. You get what you pay for, you need the best general contractor you can find and whom you trust, and you should educate yourself as much as possible so you can see when something's not right. Have a good homeowner's warranty, and USE it! Christopher-H, I don't think I've seen a picture of your home before. It's lovely! What a serene environment! One thing Joy and I like about our little manufactured home is the quiet and lack of city lights. It's in a very small park, 38 houses all in a row on one side of the street, the other side being woodlands. Most folks here have been here for decades and are aging in place. No troublemakers. We are literally surrounded by farms! (I've never seen a "tractor crossing" or "watch for cattle" sign before!) At night, it's perfectly quiet--no cars, or any human sounds. Just the coyotes howling. And the stars!!! They are SO beautiful here without city lights interfering. I hope you and your DW are still loving it there in your Vermont retreat! Truly lovely! :-)

I have a mixture of matte and glossy ceramic subway. Though it is a matte glaze, the clay tile surface is still glazed, or covered, so there is no cleaning issue and really no difference to the touch. (Crackle glazes, whether matte or shiny, are a bit of a different coverage story). The only pros and cons are subjective style opinions. I think matte tiles are beautiful and am happy I used them.