Trying to Find an Analytic Solution

Pretty soon I will be traveling to California again for work. However this trip will be much longer than the previous ones. I could be gone for 3 weeks or more depending on how things go. My wonderful wife Pamela has committed to coming out to visit me during this trip. Even though there is not much in Lompoc and I'll probably be busy for most of the day, we decided 3 weeks is a long time to go without seeing each other. So now I am trying to figure out the optimum scenario for her to come out and visit.

(The lines on the graph represent approximate $/Hr values that Pamela and I make. This helps to compare different scenarios that cost more versus those that are cheaper but take more time. For example $100 crosses at 3Hrs)

Note: All options are assuming one-way cost and travel time.

Option 1 represents Pamela packing up the car and driving out to see me. This is obviously the most time consuming of the options but also the cheapest. An added benefit to this option is that Pamela could bring Jordan with her.
Option 2 is the shortest option where Pamela flies into Santa Barbara via US Airways like I do when I travel out to California.
Option 3 is a compromise where Pamela would use her 'free' Southwest flight to get to LA. Notice how it is not 'free' because of the opportunity cost of using that flight to get to somewhere else.

On options 2 and 3 I've shown how they might increase in price if I cannot pick up Pamela at the airport and she has to use a rental car. I figure the rental car would add about $50 to each one-way trip.

I've also included the option of a private jet, which unfortunately would cost a couple thousand dollars each way. Then I've expanded on the option of Pamela driving out. If she paid one of her friends or family to do the driving for her it would cost much more but would allow her to rest and could decrease the perceived travel time.

Conclusions:

1) Pamela will most likely fly out to see me, because for a weekend visit I don't think anyone would want to spend as much time in the car traveling as actually being with the other.
2) Pamela married a huge nerd who likes to make unnecessary charts.

Jordan's Tricks - High 5

High 5 is a classic trick that every dog should learn. It is very easy to teach as well. All you have to do is keep a treat in your hand and wait for your dog to become impatient and paw at your hand. Once they learn that pawing at your hand gives them a reward they will give you a high 5 whenever possible. I always do it before my mama gives me a meal!

Just for me

Did you know that they make cards especially for people whose birthday's are on St. Patrick's Day? I had no idea, but this card is awesome. Thank you Carlton Cards of Cleveland, Ohio and thank you Don and Nicole Feuerstein for getting me this card. It made my day.

In honor of Matt’s 27th birthday today, I decided to celebrate by making a list of 27 things that make him so great. (I got him real gifts too, don’t worry!) Things that I love about Matt:

1. That man knows his way around a barbeque! Chicken, steak, bratwurst, you name it, he can grill it like a champ.
2. He is so sweet to our dog – treats her like our little baby and loves to snuggle her and play with her. He’ll sometimes pretend that we’re getting rid of her and start carrying her out to the trash (that sounds terrible – it’s a JOKE!), and then I’ll beg him to let her stay. Tail wagging and hugs ensue – it is adorable.
3. He keeps our yard looking great. As I walked Jordan today, I noted how about 2/3rds of yards in our neighborhood are terribly maintained: weeds growing all over, grass dying, plants taking over. Matt is outside at least once a week – mowing the grass, trimming hedges, spraying weeds to make sure Jordan & I have a wonderful little oasis in which to play Frisbee.
4. He’s frugal like whoa. I’m not kidding. The man makes more money than I can imagine, and then frets over which he should buy on eBay: the $2 iPod case or the $3 one. I urge him to go for the good one – it is his birthday after all. He goes for the cheap one. I love that about him, probably because I am the exact same way.
5. Oh my, those eyes. So blue and beautiful. And when he smiles, the corners of his eyes crease up and look adorable.
6. While we’re on the topic of looks, how about everything else about him physically? He is a handsome man!! The great thing about his appearance is that he can pull off the “young” look (see: faux hawk), but you can also tell that this man will stay looking good well past his thirties, forties…
7. He knows so much about everything. I’ll sometimes wonder out loud to myself what X means or how Y works. If he doesn’t know it off hand (which, half the time, he does) he’ll take it upon himself to research it and learn. I like my smart man. Also, he’ll come in handy if I’m ever on Cash Cab.
8. I love that he is kind to not only his own family, but to my crazy family as well! He blends well into the big family thing quite nicely, and he makes an effort to love each and every one of them as much as I do.
9. When I miss my favorite shows – the ones you can’t watch online the next day – he finds a way to get them for me so I don’t miss out.
10. He’ll watch chick flicks with me, but only if I PROMISE that next movie we watch will be (insert manly movie here). And he doesn’t complain one bit.
11. Handy doesn’t even begin to describe this guy. My affinity for watching HGTV and loving/wanting everything I see could be a disaster in any other world. But all I have to do is point out what I like and, voila, Matt whips it up in no time. Remodel a bathroom to be more spa-like? No problem. Install shelving in the guest bedroom closet? On it. Put up 10 new fans? Check. The list goes on and on…
12. His mad dance skills. It’s how we met and what initially attracted me to Matt. He has rhythm. He knows how to shake it.
13. He trusts me. Whether it’s cutting his hair, helping him choose an outfit, or solving problems, he trusts my input on things.
14. On the flip side, he’s also very trustworthy. I tell him all my secrets and he keeps them quite nicely
15. He kills all of the zombies so they don’t come out of the computer and attack Jordan and I while we’re sleeping.
16. He kills all of the bugs that frighten me paralyzed. And he cleans up any dead bugs before the monster dog eats them and grosses me out.
17. He cares about his physical fitness and motivates me to do the same. Going to the gym with him is a lot easier than going by myself. Seems like everything in life is easier with a best friend helping you out.
18. He picks good friends. A lot of guys have those friends that you just hate; immature, a poor influence, rude. Matt is a solid guy, and only keeps the company of other solid guys.
19. He plays a mean guitar – both real and Hero.
20. His hilarious voices he uses when nobody else is around. They crack me up and make me feel like I can be equally weird around him without being judged.
21. The fact that he can easily pick me up and carry me around places. He is so strong, and it makes me feel cute and little. I also love that he will carry Jordan around if she needs it – like when the ground is too hot for her paws. Very manly.
22. How he can laugh so heartily at some of the silliest jokes. “Aw – I was thinking of a terrible mansion!” That line in a movie cracked us up so hard that we had to pause and rewind the minute we missed as a result.
23. His nails are perfect. Kind of a weird thing to admire, but seriously – women would kill for nails like these! Perfectly smooth and even.
24. I honestly believe he would eat pizza for every meal. That is so endearing to me.
25. He loves sweets as much as I do. He even has a candy drawer that he stocks the day after all major candy holidays.
26. Sleeping in until noon on the weekends always seems like a good idea to him too. We both love our lazy weekend mornings.
27. He is better than any man I could have ever dreamed up in my head. In every way. Every day with him is a true blessing, and I sometimes wonder how on earth I got so lucky as to meet someone like Matt. He is my best friend and my husband and my only true love. I am amazed at how easily this list came to me – I could go on and on listing the things I love about him. And when he turns 80, I should have plenty to list because every day I spend with him is a day I find more things to love about him.

Happy birthday my love!!

Sour Milk

Now that I am an account manager for my company, one of the BEST perks is that boxes upon boxes of free food magically show up at my doorstep every so often. I get to try all of our new product samples and hand them out to family and friends, which has made us quite popular lately :) So last night, Matt and I started preparing dinner using a new box meal sample. The noodles were bubbling in the pot, the chicken was grilling on the skillet - we were T-minus 5 minutes from chow time. Matt goes to the fridge and says "uh-oh," we're out of milk. Milk is required for the sauce. I've been putting off grocery shopping for over a week - yikes. Not enough time to run to the store to grab some, so I decide to run across the street to our neighbor's house.

Our neighors are SUPER nice guys - 3 bachelors who are always willing to lend a hand if they see us carrying in furniture, doing yard work, etc. So I scoop up some samples to offer as leverage and rush over to see if they can spare a 1/4 cup. One of them answers the door and happily offers to let us have the rest of the milk in their fridge - what nice neighbors! We make the swap, and I rush back home. I pour the milk into the measuring cup and then tend to my noodles. Matt looks into the cup. "Um... did you check the expiration on the milk?" Nope. Why? He shows me the weird little floaties he's found in the cup. I look at the milk carton. Expired 3 weeks ago. "Did you even smell this before you poured it in?" Matt leans down to take a whif... then quickly jumps back with an "Aggg!!" Nothing like the smell of spoiled milk. I take a sniff. Gross. Matt is holding his nose and trying not to puke - he's so dramatic and cute when it comes to bad scents. We pour the rest down the drain and proceed to make the dinner without any milk - it turned out fine. After dinner, Matt feels the need to lather up some vanilla soap and send it down the drain to mask the smell (which I had already done, but hey). Over an hour later, he swears he can still smell that afwul smell - it must be living in his nose now! Like I said, dramatic.

So I think we'll avoid asking those neighbors for favors when it comes to food from now on...

Data Logging

I was in a meeting this morning and the subject of data loggers came up. Everytime they would say "data logging" or "data logger" I wasn't thinking about electronics. Instead I pictured logging in terms of trees and lumberjacks. I'm not sure if it was because it was early in the morning or because I wasn't very involved in the main conversation. Maybe it has to do with my affinity for using wood to fix all things electronic.

Jordan's Tricks - Lay Down

Learning to lay down is an essential command/trick for every dog to learn. Teaching your dog to lay down on command is very simple. The way we were taught at PetSmart was to have your dog start in a sitting position and, with a treat in your hand, lower it in front of them to the ground. Your dog should naturally follow the treat with their nose down to the ground. Add in your command word, such as "down," and point to the ground with your finger while doing this to quickly get your dog used to the verbal and visual cues.

How To - Juggle

Juggling was something I always wanted to do growing up but didn’t know how. Once I got a little older I searched around the internet and taught myself how to juggle. So maybe with a few tips of my own I can teach others how to juggle.

All you need to start is 3 objects; preferably round and preferably the same size and shape. Once you get more experienced at juggling you can juggle almost anything but to start it’s easiest with something the size and weight of a tennis ball or hacky sack. Also be sure to try this away from breakable objects as your juggling objects may get away from you when you are first starting out.



Start with 2 of the balls in your dominant hand and one in the other. The first move to get started is to throw one of the balls in your dominant hand up in the air a few feet directly in front of you. This ball will be caught with your opposite hand. Just before the first ball comes down to your hand you will need to throw the ball currently in that hand and catch the first ball. Now the ball in the air should be coming to your dominant hand. Again, you will need to throw the ball currently in that hand just before catching the ball in the air. And that’s it. Juggling is just that same motion, repeated over and over again. Once you get the hang of throwing the ball right before catching the ball you will be able to juggle.

If you can’t do this motion right away that’s fine, it’s not easy. A good way to practice the throw and catch move is to start with 2 balls; one in each hand. Throw one of the balls in the air and try the throw-then-catch move with the other hand. Repeat this exercise until you get the hang of it with both hands and you should be able to add the third ball.



If you still can’t get the hang of it I’m sure there are plenty of other web pages that offer tips on how to juggle that might explain it a little better. Good luck!