lapierrefamily.org

Strange Maps is a cool blog I follow on Google Reader with RSS feed… Thank goodness I do or I would have missed this great map!

I’m trying to see if I can simplify my online life a bit by using more of Google’s integration in the cloud, so I’ll be posting at my Blogger site for a while.

Check out the baby pics of Jeremy and Brodie there.

http://bigfatgeek2.blogspot.com/

I work at Wellpoint along with 43,000 others. A sampling of 704 of them confirms nobody loves me.

Wow what a 2 weeks it’s been. Last week we literally got off work and began travelling right away, then travelled almost all week, then got home, slept 5 hours and went to work. Absolute whirlwind. This week I’ve been recovering at work, looking like a statue most of the time. Today, this fine Saturday morning, I slept until 10:30 AM. Now I’m about to enjoy a happy Valentines moring and breakfast and coffee with my eternal love. After that, I will be heading to the office to have some “productive time”. Basically to get the work done I was too brain dead to do all week. When I get alone like that, with zero distractions, I can churn out 3x as much work as normal.

TTYL and Happy Valentines to you.

Fun facts:

• Distance Flying – 4500 Miles
• Distance Drove – 2210 Miles
• Distance Total – 6710 Miles
• This equals 745 miles per day, or 31 miles every hour of every day for the entire 9 day trip.

• Time Flying – 10 Hours
• Time Driving – 37 Hours
• Time Total – 47 Hours
• This equals about 22% of our total vacation with AIS flying or driving. (AIS = Ass in seat)

In actuality the majority of the traveling was done on 4 of the 9 days. Also, of the 9 days, I received only 1 or 2 hours sleep on each of three of those days, a sleep deficit of at least 20 hours for the week.

• 1/31/09 – Travel time 17.5 hours
  • Retire at 12:00 midnight after working and packing all day
  • Awaken to screaming alarm at 1:00 AM
  • Leave at 2:30 AM to get to Birmingham Int’l Airport by 5:00 AM
  • Plane departs at 6:50 AM, about 20 min late
  • Arrive in Phoenix at Noon MST (2:00 PM EST)
  • Drive 140+ miles to Melissa’s house
  • Arrive at 8:00 PM (10:00 PM EST) about 21 hours after starting our journey.

• 2/2/09 – Travel time 16.75 hours
  • Leave Melissa’s at about 10:00 AM to go to Orem, UT.
  • Construction and detour in Phoenix (20 min delay)
  • Construction and high security at Hoover Dam (20 min delay)
  • Construction and Detour in Las Vegas (1 hour delay)
  • Arrive at hotel in Orem at 2:45 AM MST

• 2/6/09 – Travel time 13.75 hours
  • Visit last day with new baby Brodie and family, finally pack and retire at hotel around 1:00 AM MST.
  • Awaken to screaming alarm at 3:00 AM MST
  • Leave for Tucson at 4:00 AM
  • Snow starts at 5:30 AM
  • Snow stops at 8:00 AM (1 hour delay for slower driving)
  • Arrive in Tucson 5:45 PM MST

• 2/8/09 – Travel time 18.5 hours
  • Visit last day with Melissa and family, finally pack and retire around 12:15 AM MST.
  • Awaken to screaming alarm at 1:30 AM MST
  • Leave for Phoenix Airport at 3:00 AM to be there no later than 5:30 AM for 7:00 AM flight.
  • Rain starts at 3:00 AM … a downpour at times with thunder, lightning, wind, in the middle of the Arizona desert, and lasted all the way to Phoenix.
  • Arrive at Airport at 5:45 AM MST
  • Flight leaves at 7:10 AM MST
  • Arrive in Detroit at 12:52 PM EST
  • Arrive in Birmingham at 5:40 PM EST
  • Arrive home in Columbus at 9:30 PM EST
  • Finished unpacking and writing this post at 12:00 Midnight.

And I’d do it all again tomorrow if I could.

You can find the photos here >>> Pictures Pictures Pictures (Choose the low resolution for phone modem downloads)