The Insuring of Things

In this country, insurance is as much a part of life as taxation. Almost every major aspect of life is insurable, including life itself, whether required by law or voluntary. So we comply if we want to drive (auto insurance) or want to live in this apartment (renters insurance). And every year, we review our insurance plans to make sure we are adequately covered at the best possible price.

For a family our size (2 people living in an apartment and owning 2 vehicles), these standard features and coverages are considered "good" coverage. You can get by with less or more, obviously, but the crux is getting what would be realistically "adequate" should catastrophe come.

AUTO INSURANCE
Bodily injury liability	$100,000 ind./$300,000 acc.
Property damage liability	$100,000
Uninsured/underinsured motorist	$100,000 ind./$300,000 acc.
Medical coverage	$10,000
Comprehensive deduction	$500
Collision deductible	$500
Glass coverage	Yes
Roadside emergency/towing	Yes
Loss of vehicle	Market value less deductible

RENTERS INSURANCE
Property damage liability	$45,000
Personal liability	$300,000
Guest medical cover	$10,000
Deductible	$500
Content replacement	Cost value with evidence
Loss of use	Up to 2 years, or until recovered
Other	Sewage backup. Flooding.

Conventional practice says bundling policies under the same insurer should deliver some savings. But this year, that did not pan out true. GEICO offered the best overall rate for auto insurance ($540 every 6 months for both vehicles and 2 drivers), while State Farm offered the best package for renters insurance ($125/year) at said coverages. It would have been $30 to $60 more expensive if bundled under either insurer. I checked out the top 10 big insurers, who offer web-based estimators and various discounts. I'm sure some insiders can beat these rates, but think they are competitive rates.

With that, we bid farewell to Farmers Insurance, which would have renewed with lesser coverages (half the limits, double the deductibles) at $870 every 6 months (auto) and $167/year (renters)! I'd asked why the rates were comparatively high and was told the 2 big fires that beseiged our city had forced risk and prices up. But I found it curious that no other major insurer was increasing their rates as much as Farmers was. I'm for shopping around and options, and will gladly do it every year.

Next up: life insurance and business insurance. We already have life assurance!

A PCOS Diagnosis

We pride ourselves in having self-diagnosed our infertility, but while FAM can point you a certain direction, it doesn't provide a diagnosis. We needed expert opinion on what kind of infertility we are facing so we visited a fertility specialist, who eventually informed us that from his initial observations it looks like Polycystic Ovarian Syndrom (PCOS). The thing with PCOS is that it is a spectrum of fertility issues that may or may not have anything to do with ovarian cysts. In fact for a lot of women, a hormonal imbalance perhaps due to a malfunctioning thyroid can be diagnosed as PCOS, as would a pre-cancerous cyst. So we needed to find the specific infertility affecting us.

From FAM, we can see the interplay of three reproductive hormones: estrogen (obviously), luteinizing hormone (LH), and progesterone. BBT charts show lower temps because estrogen rules pre-ovulation. The temps rise after ovulation because of progesterone. Ovulation tests work by detecting the presence of LH. But there is another important hormone is this interplay: Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH). It is responsible for arbitrating follicle competition and nurturing an egg to maturation in ovarian follicles, and for releasing the egg during a so-called "LH surge" (what we collectively call ovulation). By a process of elimination, FSH became the culprit that was later confirmed by labs (blood panels). Ultrasounds around the time of ovulation revealed a pattern of anovulation (no mature follicles were observed 1-2 days before ovulation). So we moved from a general diagnosis of PCOS to a more specific "anovulation due to FSH deficiency". With that, two more questions arose: (1) what causes FSH deficiency? (2) How is this hormone imbalance treated?

The cause is not as easy to pin down because of the complexity of the endocrine system. We learned that a deficiency in some gland (say the thyroid or the pituitary glands) can affect the production of hormones elsewhere in the body, and this is what was likely happening in our case. The doctor thinks there is actually an estrogen imbalance that is affecting FSH. More specific blood panels and two possible causes emerge: vitamin D deficiency and insulin resistance. It is amazing how lifestyle and diet now tie into fertility, so we know treatment will not be singular.

The treatments start with Letrozole (as an alternative to Clomid) to help regulate estrogen and restore ovulation. Daily supplementation with vitamin D is recommended, and Metformin is prescribed for insulin resistance, even as diabetes is not diagnosed. We institute a low-sugar diet ("The Sugar Solution" is an excellent resource) and continue daily exercise. We also started seeing a doctor that specializes in PCOS treatment, who helped with the specification of said diet. We know the diet and exercise are working already just a couple of months in.

Even as we do infertility treatment, we are aware of the possibility that it may not work. After some heavy discussions, we decided that we would try any options (clinical or alternative) that are reasonably available, but would not do surrogacy or IUIs and beyond. At that point, we would take a break and eventually turn to adoption. But we do what we can while we still can (insurance, etc).

It is emotionally draining and stressful to deal with such a diagnosis, the medications, the doctor visits, and the numerous clinical procedures you undergo. I applaud my dear wife for the courage and strength she has shown in this journey. As long as there is visibility into the condition (we know what is going on), great chances are that there is a specific treatment plan for it. If you have been here, I encourage you to do your research and understand the condition yourself so that you can contribute to the doctor's prognosis. You know yourself better than a doctor does, and many doctors appreciate informed patients and working as a team. It is not an easy journey and it requires persistence and diligence.

I should also say that no one treatment plan works for everyone precisely because infertility is variable in different people, even under the same diagnosis. Fertility is one of the few areas where treatment must be quite specific and exact for a given degree of diagnosis.

Our Company Sold

A big surprise early Monday morning: that our company had been sold to Avago Corporation, which is expanding into the storage and networking space. An even bigger surprise is that many of us on the the inside had no idea whatsoever that such a big transaction was in the works. Many of my co-workers seem upbeat about the news nonetheless, especially that our stock price has finally broken the $10 barrier. Our company stock, earned over the years through the ESPP or as RSU grants, is suddenly worth a whole lot more. I'll give myself a couple of weeks before I sell some of it.

The question on everyone's mind has been whether people would lose their jobs. Traditionally, the absorbed company sheds some positions as they get assimilated into the owning company. We did that when we acquired Agere Systems and MegaRAID. But in this week's employee conferences (3 by week's end) with both CEOs, the message has been that this is more like a merger, a combining of specialties to create a larger company, and so business should proceed as usual albeit under a new name on our side. If any jobs will be shed, it will be in departments that do similar work in both companies, and such decisions will be made in the 3rd or 4th quarters of 2014 after the acquisition gets approved in in March or April.

What does this acquisition mean for our family though? For the time being, we will proceed with our lives as originally planned. If I were to lose my job, three things would be at stake: our plans to buy a house next year, our healthcare insurance, and a sabbatical I have been delaying. The slight uncertainty has caused us to look more critically at our finances, and to begin considering alternatives (part-time work or contracts through my business STRIVE). It's definitely a sterner dynamic.

So we covet your prayers that we may find peace and not be thrown off course by uncertainties that would befall us. In times like this, we are glad that we still have two incomes, and that our emergency plans account for one of us losing their job. It's comforting and helps us avoid panic.

Couponing Reboot: 10 Observations

Back in August, we started a couponing habit to try and fill up our pantry with non-perishable foods. It didn't quite work out as we had planned, and instead became a savings strategy for groceries and other household items. Along the way though, we learned a few things that we'll apply in the second phase of couponing.

(1) We obtained all our coupons from the local Sunday paper in addition to what King Soopers offers (online). The next phase will see us diversifying our sources, going more online and utilizing couponing mobile apps.

(2) We realized that coupons were giving us ideas of what to buy, and causing us to routinely spend beyond our budget. Rather, we should go about our purchase decisions normally and only use coupons if they are available for what we need. In fact, we should either get more stuff or spend less without ever going over-budget.

(3) We saw some great savings nonetheless: over the 17 weeks that we couponed, we've saved an average of 26% off weekly groceries (about $392 total or $23/week). Not bad, considering we are not even that hardcore about the habit.

(4) Of the $392 in savings, $286 (or 73%) was from King Soopers discounts and offers alone. This means that manufacturer coupons really do not contribute much to the overall picture. It helps to shop at a store that offers regular rewards and discounts.

(5) Speaking of King Soopers and rewards, gasoline points are awarded based on the full pre-savings shopping amount. So to maximize savings on gasoline, we fill up both our cars at the same time (off the same pump) and have seen $0.25 off the price.

(6) We hate manufacturer coupons that require you to buy two or more items or that explicitly disallow doubling up. Too stingy, so we've been discarding these coupons unless we really need two of said items or there is sufficient long-term benefit to buy multiple stuff now.

(7) It seems to us that a majority of coupons are for beauty products. Other categories you might expect are snacks, supplements, household cleaning products, personal care products, OTC medications, and of course some non-perishable food items. Not much of what we were looking for in this experiment.

(8) We wish the prices of items were included on the coupons so you know about how much savings you are really getting. It's disappointing later find out you are only saving pennies on an expensive item. I suppose we ought to always be mindful of what things cost, a sort of "The Price Is Right", in order to discern which coupons are great deals.

(9) Couponing requires time, diligence, and organization. In the beginning, we had different ideas of how to organize and use the coupons. Eventually we settled on a simple system of keeping them sorted by expiration in a few specific categories. Sunday afternoon became coupon-clipping time, replacing the time we used for napping busy weekends away.

(10) We now know that the Sunday papers do not carry that many useful coupons. The two major papers (Denver Post and Gazette) in fact have the same coupons any given Sunday. The big differences are the deals and discounts offered by local businesses, useless for our experiment.

Fertility Awareness, As It Were

It seems to me that fertility is a rarely-discussed subject even among couples, perhaps because it is a deeply personal matter or because it is taken for granted by most people as a fact of life. Or both. There is no species on this earth that does not reproduce somehow, so it is no surprise that for most of us, the question has always been "when" rather than "how". After all, the "how" was sufficiently covered in 6th grade and is the theme of many a television show. But I contend that what lies beyond the "when" is the most interesting part of the story.

Enter the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" (Toni Weschler) back in June, and we learn about the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM), the all-natural family planning method. We realized that conception is a carefully designed process but with lots of opportunities to fail. In fact, I am impressed at how simultaneously simple and intricate it is (engineering perspective) that I marveled at how awesome God works (still). I also realize that I knew very little about the physiology of conception, the avalanche of events that must happen predictably for anyone to get pregnant. It's actually quite a beautiful story, one short of a miracle.

So we become FAM converts and started the usual rituals: BBT charting and observation of other fertility signs. It is actually quite fun understanding how our particular situation works, but after 3 months the observations indicated possible fertility problems. This is how we initially discovered our infertility, and it prompted us to seek professional diagnosis right away. The clinical definition of infertility would have required us to wait a year before visiting a specialist for diagnosis, but we didn't see the point of that. Had we not been practicing FAM, I believe we would never have discovered that we will face infertility. From what we had learned, we also know that the majority of infertility causes are treatable. Hope!

Until you've experienced infertility, you won't know that 11% of women 15-44 are chronically infertile or not able to carry a pregnancy to term. You won't know that 1 in 8 couples struggle with fertility issues, according to Resolve. You won't know the personal and emotional toll it takes on a marriage. You might not even notice how many women out there are pregnant, or that there seems to be so many babies everywhere you go. An apparent prejudice will cross your mind: how is it that people who don't want kids get them (easily) anyway, and those who really want them must move mountains first?  You also won't know about the billion-dollar industry around infertility, complete with physician portals and big pharma, supplements and medications, various unmentionable aids and tests, websites and software, books and guides, and classes. There are numerous support and discussion communities for whatever your flavor of infertility is.

But it will expose you to three important topics: surrogacy, medical interventions (IVFs, etc) and adoption, should your treatments not work. These are perhaps the first big discussions we have had in our marriage, and I am glad we have had the opportunity to consider them.

To Practice Patience

We've always talked about expanding our family, and on our second wedding anniversary we finally commited to the idea. We thought it would happen in the next couple of months, as easily as everything else we had set our minds to achieve. But a few months later, it became clear that in fact we were facing some kind of infertility. We were obviously disappointed and in disbelief; our plans were being derailed and we had no control over the situation.

In the dispair of that realization, two things echoed in my mind: hard decisions, and patience. I could handle challenging decisions anytime but could not just "be" patient. Contrary to what everyone believes, I think patience is only the final state of a deliberate process -- that you can't just go there. So I resolved to pursue patience as a means of dealing not only with infertility, but with other challenges that will come my way.

So how do you actually practice patience? The list below isn't the gold standard or comprehensive, but it has been tremendous in helping me achieving patience.

1. Learn God's truth. I find Matt.6:25-34 helpful in dealing with worry. Hab.2:3, Psa.24:17, Eccl.8:6, and the discourse in Gen.18:14 show me that there is a time for everything and that God is in control. Thus the anthems of my prayers have been to not be anxious and to trust in God's timing. Really, whatever His will, it will happen.
   
2. Be patient with yourself. I am used to getting things done in a predictable manner and able to compensate for reasonable deviations. For this situation though, I cannot beat myself up for somehow having missed the mark. So I resist urges to quickly develop or implement plan B or plan C or plan D (which I usually have, by the way). I literally never start doing anything big without a couple of backup plans.
   
3. Be patient with your spouse. There will be the temptation to blame your spouse, but you can always see this coming from a mile away. So the attitude to adopt right away is: infertility is our problem together, no matter who it is manifesting itself in. I now understand why some couples would rather not know who between them is responsible for their infertility.
   
4. Have hope. Faith without hope is a miserable state of being. You gain faith by knowledge, which in turn increases your faith. But an interesting by-product of the faith-knowledge cycle is hope. With hope derived from a strong and credible foundation, you can make it through anything.
   
5. Educate yourself. How do you actually "have hope"? Learn the truths of God's Word in your situation, and let them increase your faith (combines #1 and #4 above). But also learn as much as you can about your situation. I started with a simple "human infertility" Google search and read medical articles and research papers, as well as other people's experiences and opinions, on what can possibly lead to infertility. All that knowledge amounted to the hope that there is a way out of our situation, and that it is not as bad as we were imagining.
   
6. Isolate your laundry. Beware that the smallest of challenges can spill all over and stain the rest of your life. So we made deliberate efforts to keep fertility problems in their place and proceed with the rest of our marriage normally. Otherwise it was emotionally draining and beginning affecting our day-to-day life.

To achieve patience, you therefore must tame your worry and anxiety, exercise patience with yourself and your spouse, and foster hope from faith and knowledge of God's truths and the particulars of your situation. Surprisingly, I've also felt a certain peace and calm while I have practiced patience.

Netflix Buffering Problems

If your Netflix experience has been disappointing due to "Please Wait ... Buffering" problems -- sometimes several times during the same video, the fix might involve replacing your streaming device altogether. Before you take the plunge though:

(1) Make sure you are getting the speeds your ISP promised you. We get close to 50Mbps down/20Mbps up bandwidth, plenty for a great HD streaming experience. Test the speeds on wired devices (LAN), wireless devices (laptops), and smart phones for a more comprehensive result.

(2) Make sure your HSI modem and router are up to task. I found out I needed to update the firmware on my wireless router, and that I have a slightly older model of modem from Comcast. Even so, these impediments should not mean a poor streaming experience, but it helps to have them fixed.

(3) If you have a Sony Blueray/DVD player, dump it! The Internet is full of bad reviews of these devices in serving Netflix content. I've learned that Netflix content is routed via your streaming device's manufacturer's servers, and that Sony's servers are the bottleneck. On replacing this set-top with a Samsung variety, I no longer see the buffering problems, and the picture quality is better, even at peak times.

Thanksgiving Tradition (In The Works)

Don't worry, I won't be changing our Thanksgiving tradition. But I intend to add meaning to it somehow, and make it more consistent. It's a perk of being newly married that we can "customize" traditions and make them our own. We don't watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade or football, nor do we want it to be about binge eating and drunkenness. So how will a typical Thanksgiving go?

WEEK OF: We want to volunteer in a soup kitchen or homeless shelter, and participate in a food drive for those less fortunate. We also want to find someone that we can bless and give some reason to be thankful. There a lots of people that cannot be with their families, so we intend to extend an invitation to one or two to celebrate with us. There are other people that are simply struggling and would have an otherwise miserable holiday. The plan is to find one such person and make their week.

THURSDAY MORNING: Special brunch just for immediate family, a break from the oats and eggs we are used to. We'd also open the gratitude jar during brunch and read the notes accumulated over the past year. The gratitude jar is my wife's idea that throughout the year, we insert notes of blessings and gratefulness (par 1Thes.5:17-18), so we can remember God's provision and faithfulness.

Also that morning, my wife participates in the Turkey Trot, which is organized by the local YMCA. Proceeds from the fundraiser go to various causes, but more generally to sponsor low-income families to participate in YMCA programs.

THURSDAY AFTERNOON: Main meal with extended family, usually our parents. In odd years (2013, 2015, ...), we spend the holiday in Colorado. Even years (2014, 2016, ...), we shall be flying to Seattle, WA to spend it with her side of the family.
After the meal, we usually take a walk in some park close by, and get right into the desserts when we return. We then play board and card games, watch a holiday film, and pick names for Christmas gifting. Our tradition is that everyone will pick one name in the family for whom they will give a gift at Christmas (so you are not buying gifts for everyone).

THURSDAY NIGHT: Shopping for deals! Black Friday and Cyber Monday are great to finally get things we have been wanting, or Christmas gifts we intend to send to friends and family. This year hasn't been great on the deals, but we did get out and look around.

FRIDAY MORNING: The men do the Manitou Incline and will usually stop at a pizza parlor thereafter for lunch (Hell's Kitchen Pizza anyone?). This is the first time we've done this, and it turned out to be a wonderful experience. We are thinking it is a definite repeat.

From Lists To Time Blocks

I don't know how everyone manages their time, but I'm very much a lists guy. Almost everything I do in life entails a list of some kind. It is a great motivator to see crossed-off items, a sort of measure for progress.
Even with mobile to-do/task apps (where my lists live), I still started my day by writing down a list of everything I intend to do that day, complete with a start time and prioritization. Being the Christian guy I am, I then pray over the list before tackling the first item. By all accounts, the system was working for me.

Then 2 months ago I noticed that the more things I had on these lists, the more "pressure", resentment, and stress I felt (naturally). These feelings would be present all day long, and get worse the more items I failed to cross off or how much time I was off course. I'd end up less productive overall. It didn't matter how complex or simple the tasks were, my brain seemed to be fixated on the number of tasks and was getting overwhelmed. So I decided to simplify.

You start by diving the day into blocks of time: wee-hours (3-7am), morning (8-12pm), afternoon (1-5pm), evening (6-9pm). Those are the only times you'll be working on tasks. Notice how there are 1-hour gaps between them: that's when to do a distracting activity. I might go for a walk, go to the gym, play chess or words-with-friends, or watch a TV show.
As for the tasks, you pick only 2-3 for each time block (1 high priority item and 1-2 lesser ones), pushing the rest tentatively into the next day. I use a 3-2-3-2 pattern, allowing up to 10 tasks each day. So when each block of time starts, my brain only concerns itself with 2-3 things for the next 3-4 hours (no matter how complex they are). You start with the simplest one (usually whichever you think will require the least time or if pressing, the highest priority one), and must be okay with walking away from a task when its time is up.

Essentially you are tricking your brain into thinking it has a lot of time to accomplish a few tasks. But you will be surprised how much more productive you will be (the quality of work will be higher too). I think the implicit built-in reward system (the breaks between time blocks) and the illusion that fewer things need be done in so much time do the trick. When new tasks present, they take the next available block slot. Avoid the temptation of cramming things into the next block because they seem too important. There is nothing of this earth that cannot wait (attitude), except obvious emergencies.

Perhaps there is a study out there that examines efficient time management strategies for various brain types (laissez-faire types may not benefit as much as analytical/logical types like myself). Meanwhile though, I'm doing all my planning this way, and it *is* a lot simpler. With whatever time you spare up within each block, you can suck in another task from the postponed list or finish up a recent incomplete task.

His 2013 Fall TV Lineup

And here I thought my wife watches a lot of TV. As I compiled my list, I was surprised that I watch more than she does, and my shows are more questionable. I wonder where I find the time to watch all these shows on a recurring basis, and how "corrupting" they are after all. Don't worry, we don't need an "intervention" about our TV habit, we're fine. To each his own, within reason.

My shows tend to be about justice, investigation, politics, criminal law, and some drama -- stuff I am generally interested in. These are not my wife's taste in television, but we manage a 28% overlap in what we watch. This television season, these are the TV shows I have been watching, along with a "YES" if she watches them too:

HER	Television Show	Network
YES	20/20	ABC
	48 Hours Mystery	CBS
	60 Minutes	CBS
YES	America's Got Talent	NBC
	American Greed	CNBC
	Anderson Cooper 360	CNN
	Arrow	CW
YES	Bones	FOX
	Biography	Bio.
	Breaking Bad	AMC
	Castle	ABC
	Chicago Fire	NBC
YES	Covert Affairs	USA
YES	Dancing with the Stars	ABC
	Dateline	NBC
	Elementary	CBS
	Frontline	PBS
YES	Hart of Dixie	CW
	Homeland	Showtime
	House Of Cards	Netflix
	Ironside	NBC
	Jimmy Kimmel Live	ABC
YES	Last Man Standing	ABC
	Love & Hip Hop Atlanta	VH1
	Masters of Sex	Showtime
	Misfits	BBC E4
	Modern Dads	A&E
	Modern Marvels	H2
YES	New Girl	FOX
	Orange Is The New Black	Netflix
YES	Parenthood	NBC
	Parks and Recreation	NBC
	Psych	USA
YES	Saturday Night Live	NBC
YES	Scandal	ABC
	Snapped	Oxygen
YES	Suits	USA
	The Big Bang Theory	CBS
YES	The Blacklist	NBC
	The Colbert Report	ComedyCentral
	The Crazy Ones	CBS
	The Daily Show	ComedyCentral
	The First 48	A&E
	The Good Wife	CBS
	The Middle	ABC
	The Mindy Project	FOX
	The O'Reilley Factor	FOX
	The Rachel Maddow Show	MSNBC
	The Soup	E!
	Top Shot	History
YES	White Collar	USA

Her 2013 Fall TV Lineup

When it comes to entertainment, television is one of our main outlets (or inlets, if you will). Admittedly, we watch a lot of television, but only a few shows do we watch together. This is another area (aside from politics) where couples are allowed to differ without much consequence, until, of course there is something seriously objectionable in the message of the TV shows themselves.

My wife loves cooking and reality shows mostly, which are not my cup of television. But even so, there are 10 out of her 50 shows that I watch too, sometimes together. A 20% intersection is not great, but it speaks to our different upbringings and cultures, and to a smaller extent, interests. This fall television season, these are the TV shows she will be watching, along with a "YES" if I watch them too:

HIM	TV Show
	The Bachelor
YES	Covert Affairs
	Design Star
	Project Runway
	Royal Pains
	Secret Millionaire
	Top Chef
YES	White Collar
	The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
	The Real Housewives of New Jersey
	The Real Housewives of Orange County
	Food Network Star
	Extreme Weight Loss
YES	Suits
	The Rachel Zoe Project
	Hell's Kitchen
YES	Parenthood
YES	Bones
	Once Upon A Time
YES	New Girl
YES	Last Man Standing
	America's Next Top Model
	Celebrity Wife Swap
	SMASH
	Face Off
	Sister Wives
	Shark Tank
	So You Think You Can Dance
	Breaking Pointe
	Bunheads
	The X Factor
YES	America's Got Talent
	Ink Master
	Nashville
	Downton Abbey
	Call The Midwife
	The Supersizers Go
YES	Scandal
	Catfish
	Duck Dynasty
	Double Divas
	Vanderpump Rules
	The Taste
	1600 Penn
YES	Dancing with the Stars
	Preacher's Daughters
	Newlyweds: The First Year
	Ready for Love
	Master Chef
	Motive

Taking a Musical Break

A majority of my friends know me in the context of music (I play bass guitar and drums), and they know I live and breathe music in all its variety. So it may sound strange that I am taking a break from that. The sad truth is that I am feeling the burnout and lack of skill growth on my instruments, and feel I should step back to rest and catch up.

The break is only about my public musical engagements. For any given week when I play at any church, for instance, I expect to spend about 18 hours in preparation and delivery. That week, I may download the songs and active-listen, practice on instrument against the original recordings, attend practice or rehearsals, practice again with set modifications, do scriptural review (music spiritual basis + sermon/series notes), personal "heart prep" (so I am in the right place spiritually to lead worship), and then play during the actual services. Sometimes there is travel involved. The preparation is a little different when I'm guesting in another band, as I have to learn their set and style. I've been fortunate to participate in everything from bar gigs to charity events and studio appearances. I enjoy the musical opportunities until the burnout arrives (now an annual thing, it seems), when you feel the passion slowly dying. You need rest from it before you lose it.

So until late January or early February 2014, I'll be on a sort of break. What shall I do with the freed up time? Well, my day job has already ramped up so I need the weekends for rest and recreation. During this break, I also want to work on improving my bass guitar and drums technique, so when I emerge I will be a better musician. I am also angling to work on completing my current 3 web development projects (LeafCompass, SKIVI, and Geldzin). Technically, I'll have improved skills in PHP/Symfony2, WordPress Theming, and HTML5/JQuery. True geek.

I'll perhaps cut off my dreadlocks (kidding!) and spend more time with my wife (truth). We are in such a season of our marriage that requires more presence and availability on my part, so I want to at least redesign and rehearse a new personal workflow centered around family life. It should also afford me a path to revitalize my business STRIVE, especially what services I want to offer next year. Lots of exciting things on the horizon!

Healthcare After Obamacare

With most health insurance companies having published their rates for 2014, we now know what will change in our plan and how Obamacare really affects us. Overall, health insurance rates will rise 4-6% across the board in our plan (so said HR) because of changes in compliance with the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

For our family however, my employer will be paying $483 every pay period to cover my spouse and I under an Anthem HRA PPO plan. That is roughly $996/month, a $146 (18%) increased cost to the employer. What we personally pay increases from $115/paycheck to $125 (about 9% increase). Since the plan retains most of its features, we can say healthcare will cost us only 9% more in 2014.

The other changes I see include an increase in our out-of-pocket deductible, from $4000 to $6000/year. So the only action we'll take is to increase our emergency fund by $2000. The employer still contributes $4000 into our Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) at the beginning of the year, and how we use the plan remains unchanged. I also notice an emphasis towards expanded preventive care at 100% coverage. There are more women's services, and oddly questionable items like coverage for sex reassignment. Why that in lieu of more important services like fertility treatments? Starting in 2015, we'll be able to unbundle services from our plans; there's plenty I'd strike off right away. I also notice that our dental plan is now capped at $2500, with coverages at 90/60/80 for basic treatment/major treatment/orthodontics. Preventive dental care is always 100% covered. The prescription plan and other benefits do not change.

So I'd say come next year, we are paying a little bit more for healthcare but getting a little less service. Not bad, considering the stories we've heard about people seeing insurance costs double or tripple on the private market (about 12% of the insured). While most have blamed Obamacare for these increases, the truth is that healthcare is expensive to begin with (around $900/month for a family), and its costs rise every year.

Rather than focus on access, I think healthcare reform should have first addressed why the costs are so high (see this PBS Newshour analysis, for example). Second, decoupling insurance from employment would squarely make it a market problem, much like automobile or renters insurance work. Then would it have been appropriate to consider how people access healthcare and how it is delivered. I wouldn't even mind reviewing so-called entitlements to care that ultimately someone else pays for. So whether it is Obamacare causing the price hikes or not, there is a chronic problem in US healthcare that will continue to haunt us regardless of regulation and taxation.

Healthcare Before Obamacare

As the healthcare exchanges open and people all over the US sign up for health insurance, we begin to review our own options so that we are in a position to evaluate what these exchanges will deliver. We start with a review of what we currently have, at least until the end of the year.

We get healthcare through my employer, covering both of us for all medical, dental, vision, mental (counseling), and prescriptions. For 2013, it costs us $115/paycheck (roughly $230/month), although my employer ultimately pays about $820/month for this benefit. Our $9840 annual cost to the employer for healthcare insurance is a little higher than the national average. Health insurance is quite expensive in this country, this before the effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) kick in.

Additionally, my employer pays $4000 into our Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) at the beginning of the year, leaving our out-of-pocket deductible as $4000 annually. Whatever is not used up in the HRA the previous year is rolled over into the new year, in addition to new contributions from the employer. As we use up healthcare services, we don't start paying out-of-pocket until the HRA is depleted. When this happens, we pay up to $4000 out of pocket, and thereafter insurance covers the rest 100%. So as a matter of good planning, we decided to stow away the $4000 expected deductible as part of our emergency fund.

Medical coverage is provided by Anthem BlueCross, and includes preventive care, doctor visits, emergency room, hospital and board (3 days), and prescriptions (the complete list of benefits includes over 100 items that I do not care to list here, but that have 100% coverage in-network and 60-80% out of network). Of note, the lifetime maximum amount is unlimited. Dental coverage is provided by DeltaDental up to $3000, with 100% preventive care and basic treatments, and 80% major treatments and orthodontics. The vision plan is 100% covered beyond a $20 office visit fee.

To date, we have not had to pay anything out-of-pocket towards healthcare, even after the annual physicals and dental checkups we have done, except for various prescription co-pays at about $45/month. We like our healthcare plan thus far, but will shop around if the healthcare exchanges provide something better than what our plan will offer for 2014.

Church at a Crossroads

This year will be one of the most tumultuous at our home church (Woodmen Valley Chapel) since the days of Pierced Chapel, the defunct young adult group that was summarily ended 6 years ago. It feels like the church is once again at a crossroads, flipping the page to a new chapter. The staff resignations, worship leader departures, perceived internal strife, a stagnant membership, and the  announcement last weekend by the senior pastor that he is resigning his post all amount to some uncertainty. You start hearing grumbling from ex-members about how much the church hurt them, and antagonists about everything that is wrong with the church or its doctrine. It begins to feel funky somehow.

Regardless of the politics boiling behind the scenes, the church itself is still great. They teach the Word faithfully, support missions and small groups (necessary for a church this size), have the usual ministries (youth, singles, women, men, community outreaches), and have great worship. We have had the benefit of many a renowned speaker, and seen fruit from partnerships with other local ministries. Most of all, we have grown spiritually here and taken opportunities to get involved in community and others' lives. Being involved on the worship band has definitely helped me grow as a musician, at the very least. By any generous account, there is a lot of good at the church. Or maybe I am too naive.

So how should we interpret the latest goings-on at the church? We ought to understand that Satan is always at work to dismantle the work of the church everywhere. Introducing descent and causing conflict is one of his most effective ways, taking advantage of human frailty of the leadership and members. It is perhaps time for the church to re-evaluate while they figure out a (better) way forward in light of what is happening. It ought to be transparent, disclosing the whole truth to the congregation regarding the questions that will arise. It is not time to flee the church (as many will feel like doing), or even shifting blame (as some are already doing), but to weather this thicket together. We might not know the magnitude of what is going on, but we ought to be confident that where the Spirit is, the Church will stand. For the time being, we will stay at our church and wait to see how things turn out (and especially learn the truth behind this turmoil). This is either a simple transition (people come and go in any church situation), or there is something deeper we will soon learn about.

Haiti trip

The kids were a joy. They liked touching my hair since it was different from theirs. (Below) Jeannot was my translator and guide. Pray for him as he works two jobs once as a pastor and preparing to get married this Dec. It was an honor to spend time in Haiti. It's sad to see the poverty but to realize that God is still powerfully moving in the people.

Books On Abortion and Faith In Political Culture

I read all sorts of things (mostly technical materials), but this summer I commited to reading a new book every 2-3 weeks. So far so good, having completed the above titles recently. I highly recommend them!

In "Abortion", you find a plausible rational Christian argument for a pro-life position. It starts with the recognition of the sanctity of life, and addresses the various positions on the often divisive issue. A look at the legal and moral implications of abortion are considered. The take-away: if you value human life, you have a moral duty to protect and nurture it even in the absence of legal obligation.

"A Faith Of Our Own" takes you on a journey about how our culture has made the choice between partisan politics and Christianity (faith), and how Christianity can transcend the toxic culture wars and be a hopeful solution to the divisiveness. To be engaged in politics and science, and claim to be Christian is always a perplexing position to maintain, but I can attest to its possibility and benefit.

Pantry Filled On Coupons?

For August and September (and possibly October), the experiment is whether we can fill our pantry with items obtained for free (using coupons). We have watched "Extreme Couponing" and similar TV shows, and find it incredible that couponers can walk out of grocery stores and supermarkets with $500+ worth of stuff, for next to nothing. Is couponing practical for people like us, and what is the payoff in real terms (off television)? What does it really take to pull such feats off?

The plan is to get coupons for the main supermarkets in our area, namely King Soopers, Albertsons, Safeway, Target, and COSTCO. They send some in the mail, and we are told there are plenty offered online and in mobile apps. But we think the majority of coupons will arrive via the Sunday local newspapers (The Gazette or the Denver Post). The goal is to obtain as many non-perishable items as we can for less than $0.20 on the dollar each (80% discount or more). We also know we need to stay tuned to when the big sales are happening, which is when we should get items for free (with coupons).

We are not limiting ourselves to stuff we think we'll use ourselves. If we can get it completely for free, we'll take it anyway and give it to someone that may need it. We are giving ourselves 8 weeks because it will likely take us up to a week/supermarket to figure out how their couponing system works. We will optionally extend it another month depending on their sales cycles (when we can actually use the coupons).

This exercise does not affect our budget; for now it's about how much stuff we can get for free on coupons. Though if it works, we'll consider incorporating it as a money-saving strategy. The maximum we expect to spend on everything (including buying the newspapers and the items) is $50. No clear estimate on how much time will be invested in this exercise. Here's to some fun experimenting ...

Mt. Sherman Climb

This summer one of my goals was to climb a 14er (which is a mountain that is at 14,000 feet above sea level) for my very first time. My good friend is a wonderful climber and a joy to climb with because she is so patient and encouraging to me. The hard part while climbing is trying to breath since the air is so thin the higher up you go. The other difficult part was near the top when I remember my fear of heights once we were able to see straight down both sides of the mountain my heart was beating nonstop.  It was a wonderful feeling of accomplishment at the end to say that I climbed Mt. Sherman at 14,035. 

Our Own Kids Or Adoption?

Not two months after we got married, the persistent question we were asked most was when kids would arrive. As in: you meet, you date, you marry, and then kids soon after. But we had decided to wait 1-2 years before considering a family. Returning to the question this year, we explored it from a slightly different perspective: are we ready to have kids at all, and if so, how many? Can we even have kids (you'd be surprised how widespread infertility is), and how soon? How about adoption? Some exciting yet difficult conversations, definitely.

There is no question that we want to have kids. How many? A compromise at 3, God willing. She comes from a small family (2+2) whereas I come from a larger family (6+3), so our initial tendencies were along those lines. We also would like to adopt a child, if we are able to down the road. We recognize though that however and whenever the kids arrive, they will be gifts from God and our responsibilites multiply ten-fold. But are we ready for all that?

How do you even know you are ready for all that anyway? Finances because kids are expensive. Grown up because you just invited ninety-nine problems. Strong relationship because that's how you will get through insane times together. Time because you must be there for them no matter what and it's no longer about you. Well-wishers because it takes a village to raise a child. Health because sick begets sick. I'm sure there are many more.

Now the hard part: if for whatever reason we cannot naturally have kids, we decided we would consider some medical intervention but not beyond what is reasonable and common (and affordable). With these things, you just never know. I think it would also hasten our plans for adoption. As exciting as envisioning a full family is, the mental and emotional preparation for undesired circumstances is quite excrutiating. I'm a big planner, but with these things, there isn't a solid good plan. God is in control, right?

While we resolve some final details and prepare ourselves for this journey, we are very much aware that big decisions and challenges like we've never seen await us (should we be scared?). The compass has turned, it's a matter of time now and the 5-year plan is in place.

Different Shopping Habits

We've been told in the past: you must agree on everything in marriage. But now I tell you, it is okay to disagree on non-essentials and be content with that. And so it goes that when it comes to grocery shopping, we ended up at an impasse.

Like when I shop according to a grocery list, I won't bring home anything that is not on the list. But she does, sometimes to take advantage of a good sale or an impulse purchase that was hard to resist. With my way, we miss out on last-minute deals discovered at the grocery store; with her way, we almost certainly go over-budget or end up with food we can't use before it goes bad. No one way is better, but they are fundamentally different.

Or like when my minimalist tendencies cause me to favor having the means to get things only when we need them, rather than her tendency to attain things in case we will need them. This difference in perspective means we consider material possessions differently.

Or like when she does all the shopping in half the time it would take me. She's learned her way around the grocery store, optimizing the shopping list so she walks the shortest route in the aisles. I'm a multi-pass guy and don't mind bouncing from end to end in the store, as long as I find what I need. Her way is better.

Or like when I have ideas to "modernize" our grocery shopping with the latest apps: ones that allow procuring of shopping lists based on recipes, provide coupons and deals, allow you to plan your meals, rate and recommend recipes, provide price comparisons, and count your calories. (I'm still looking for such an app, if it exists). She won't entertain any of this. Her way of good old paper-and-pen is more practical, but I hold out hope she'll see the light someday.

Or like when we squabble about what to actually buy. We did this experiment once where we decided to go grocery shopping without a list -- the idea was to decide everything at the store. To say the least, we drove back home pissed off at each other, and having spent way more than we planned. Two other joint shopping trips later, we concluded we have "irreconcilable differences" in shopping intelligence and decision-making, that it would be best for just one of us to go alone when it is needed.

You can agree to disagree on non-essentials, and that can be the normal for your marriage. Shopping is trivial, but there are bigger issues where "agree to disagree" is a harmonious solution. No need to work against the grain to force your perspectives onto the same page.

Vacation In Wyoming

As we have done for 3 years (7 years for me), each summer we head to the wilderness that is the Grand Tetons area of north-west Wyoming for some camping and fellowship. Morningstar Camp is a Christian family outreach run by Jonathan LaBenne for more than 15 years, hosting up to 400 people over its 2-week span this year. About midway between Jackson Hole and Yellowstone National Park is where this perfect vacation getaway happens.

We usually attend for up to 6 days, during which there is no shortage of activities to do. There is horseback riding, white water rafting, hiking, scenic tours. Jackson Hole is 20 minutes away and so is Yellowstone National Park. I've hiked to one of the Grand Tetons peaks (very challenging). Once a week, there is a visit to the Bar-J Chuckwagon Wranglers joint and an evening designated "talent night" when participants share music, poetry, and other items to encourage and edify the body. Throughout the week, some people share their hobbies: this is how I learned about guns and shooting, and you don't want to hear about my total failure at fishing (twice). My wife and I usually sneak in a date night in town and invite one of our good couple friends to join us.
On camp grounds, there are games (volleyball, ping-pong, chess, and cards), cooked morning and evening meals (thank you Del Monte Meats), and hot showers; nothing like any other camping experience. Most of all, it is free. I am sure it is a hefty financial undertaking so it should go without mention that anonymous donations are welcome.

Probably the best part of this experience are the people. We have made many lasting friends and enjoyed meeting new people from various walks of life. They come from all over the US to attend, a few from out of the country. Most attendants are conservative Christian of the Brethren fellowship (or its derivative). Even so, anyone is welcome to attend (except break bread, of course) and if anyone were to accept Christ, baptisms can be done in the nearby rivers. Twice a day, there are "sings" (music), in which I wholeheartedly participate on the bass guitar or percussion. Discussions and teaching on contemporary and biblical issues is a core camp activity, originated from questions fielded to elders and a biblical theme/topic chosen for that year.

At the conclusion of our trip, we made a detour to Cody, WY to visit some friends of ours. The only drama on the trip happened on this leg: we lost 3 hours of driving time on an unusable route across the mountains that our GPS urged us to follow. We should have known better by all the clues -- we were the only vehicle on this road, wildlife was abundant, and there were weeds and shrubs growing right on the tarmac. Eventually the paved road turned into dirt and we knew something was wrong. We later learned the road had been damaged and closed after a mountain wildfire a few years ago. Somehow the latest Garmin and Google maps still consider it usable.

Our 8-day vacation concluded on July 4th (Independence Day) in Cody with fireworks and a night out on the town with friends. Ten hours (one-way) and 2000 miles roundtrip later, we were back home to our busy lives. This trip cost us less than $400 in total. Worth it in every sense.

The Half-Read Habit

By all accounts, I am a lifetime learner. I read a lot. I study and research a lot. I even give myself homework. Most of my reading is technical throughout the year (about computing, security, algorithms, and systems engineering) because most of it applies directly to my career/work.

But I am also interested in religion, philosophy and general science, so I diverge into these topics from time to time. The emerging trend is that I never finish the books I start reading, a bad habit that irks my wife; why would anyone start reading new books with so many others unfinished? How do you even maintain continuity in a jumble like that? You don't even want to know what my wish list looks like on Amazon.

So my summer pledge is to finish the books I already have (paperbacks first, then electronic) before I buy another book. And the trend is towards electronic books and less paperbacks.

To Do Something For Your Spouse

Like many marriages, we still have a few kinks to work out towards a "more perfect union". We are fortunate that we have not had seriously big issues on which we have disagreed, but the little ones can get on our nerves the more frequent they occur. So we decided to start addressing one at a time, with an eye to having a means of dealing with said issues more smoothly.

Our first target addresses what you ought to do (what your attitude ought to be) when your spouse asks you do to something for them. Simple, right? In our experience, while we do follow through on many occasions, sometimes things may not get done, or they may be done differently than we expected, or we may not even know what to expect and when. Those times, we end up with resentment, lack of trust or dependence, bad communication, or frustration about unmet expectations.

Our realizations (and "action plan", if I may say):

(1) Recognize that your spouse is inviting you into their world when they ask you to do something for them. Consider it an opportunity to build dependence, and to serve them. They say in marriage you must sacrifice; this is one opportunity to do exactly that.

(2) Learn to communicate urgent matters better. Communicating requests with the same intensity makes it understandably difficult to prioritize urgent ones.

(3) Respond to every request quickly. Silence is not a response. Feel free to say "No" or "Yes" and without feeling bad about your response. Whatever response is given, it is acceptable, without further manipulation.

(4) If the response is "No", you owe your spouse at least a reason why you can't do what they are asking. This provides resolution. Nothing need be argued about, the reason should be good enough at face value. Now, beware that too many (always) refusals communicate something else to your spouse (do you just hate doing anything for them?). A lot of times, a workable compromise exists to allow you to get things done, such as being able to relieve you of some commitments.

(5) If the response is "Yes", you ought to at least accompany that with when you might get things done. Most requests can be deferred to another day or week, depending, so there should never be pressure to get things done right away. An ETA also provides resolution by setting an expectation and grounds for accountability.

(6) If your spouse hasn't done what you asked them to do when they said they would be done, it's not time to attack with nasty labels and name-calling. Gently bring them to accountability for their commitment: how far have they gone with the request, are there any problems getting things done, if they need any help. Your chance to exercise grace.

(7) The feedback loop: even if it is plainly evident that you have done what was asked of you, you should endeavor to let your spouse know you got things done -- verbally. This provides closure/resolution and an opportunity to discuss the experience (and exchange favors!).

(8) For independent types like myself who default to wanting to get everything done ourselves, here's a chance to learn to request help and be vulnerable, and be content with what our spouse delivers: it is guaranteed to be different than how we would do it, but we learn to consider an alternative perspective anyway.

What is all boils down to, really, is communication. What we do for each other is ultimately communication. I personally think the best way to address communication in marriage is to consider its various facets piecemeal; here we picked just one thing we think we can do better at, before it blows up. The issue is not resolved until we've practiced these ideas consistently for a while. It is always good to talk and develop your own way of handling things, but the challenge is follow-through.

Fires Rage Near Home

Almost a year since the Waldo Canyon Fire, our city is once again beseiged by a fire, this time on the east side of town. The Black Forest fire (#blackforestfire) is the closest to us, about 15 miles from where we live. We are very likely out of danger this time. However, we know people that may have lost homes and had to be evacuated from the area. For perspective, the fire has scorched the place where we had our wedding.

There is one other big fire about 45 minutes south of us in the Royal Gorge area. We can see the smoke of that fire from where we live. It is also reported that there are at least 3 other smaller fires across the state.

Saturdays Outdoors in the Summer and Autumn

If it's not raining or snowing or windy, I endeavor to get outdoors every Saturday morning. Not exactly a new tradition, but it's something I do in the summer and fall each year I can. Around here, there is plenty to do: hiking, biking, rock-climbing, camping, fishing, to mention but a few. There is basically no excuse to not get out and do something.

Yesterday saw me do the very short Mt. Culter Hiking Trail (1 mile and 1200ft elevation, very family-friendly) in Cheyenne Canyon, as well as a drive along Gold Camp off-road on my way back. It was a beautiful morning for it.

Fitness for One Month (Results)

For May, we had decided to be serious about fitness for one month (wrote about it here). In brief, we would work out, get outdoors for some physical activities, and juice one meal. While we didn't fail at these goals, the project didn't succeed completely. By the end of the month, we had given up on some aspects of it.

We worked out, juiced, and hiked as planned, but not consistently. Sickness befell us after two weeks, some kind of cold. Juicing became too expensive for our budget that we decided to exclude it for the rest of the month. And by the end of the month, the busyness and stress from other daily obligations made me decide to quit the workouts (she continued to the end). Those were the challenges.

On the plus side: we continue to work out regularly (more her than me), have seen an uptick in fitness, shall continue juicing on a smaller scale, and plan to get outdoors as much as possible. In fact, I used this month to jump-start the summer habit I call "Saturday Mornings Outdoors" (mostly hiking area trails around the city and beyond or doing the incline).

The takeaway is that these activities can be part of our lifestyle if we want them to. And we plan to incorporate them as much as possible.

Moving In 14 Months?

How about this for way-advance planning? We recently signed another lease to stay in our current apartment until July 2014. This gives us enough time to decide where to move, and what kind of residence to live in next. Shall it be our own home, a house rental, a condo or town home, or another apartment home? Our ultimate goal is obviously to own a home (mortgage), but we will consider all options in light of life events and our financial situation over the next year.

We love our current apartment (except for the parking situation and questionable billing models), but we realize that the more we settle, the more space we seem to need. By all accounts, all our plans call for a more permanent and larger place somewhere around town. And at our current rent payments, we can definitely afford a mortgage. Especially about home owning, the excitement and anticipation is brewing.

Nutritional Adjustment

The disclaimer is that we are not becoming vegetarians, but we recognize that processed and genetically-modified foods are not good for us. So we are on a sure nutritional adjustment towards whole and natural foods. In this arena, farmers markets and local foods are the talk, along with juicing and raw food diets (still skeptical about these diets). Our goal is to have nutritionally balanced food for healthier lives and fewer illnesses.

So we are starting with juicing, replacing one regular meal with a juiced drink. Breakfast didn't quite work, but lunch has seemed to work well as a replacement. To meet the daily caloric requirements of our busy lives, we beef up breakfast, daytime snacks, and dinner to cover what the juicing does not (obviously). Two weeks in, I haven't felt much difference in energy and mood, perhaps because our juicing is not yet targeted. But I've noticed that I can focus longer on my usual tasks and my skin is rejuvenated. I also have a crazy craving for french fries.

Over the last couple of weeks, we also wanted to know how much this adjustment might cost. So far, $60 worth of fruits and vegetables is estimated to make enough juice that would last us about 2 weeks. The time commitment is less than an hour to make a batch that can last a week (certainly depends on how good your juicer is and how much time is required to prepare the ingredients). I think a $30/week for one hour commitment to juicing will be worth it in the long run.

We'll still do meats and diary but in moderation. We still love chicken, steak, fish, eggs, and milk. If we can find organic or farm-raised varieties, that's what we'll get, even if they might be slightly more expensive. We'll also still do other crazy recipes in our cooking experiments.

Financial Web Application

With the slew of personal financial applications (and more) available today, one may wonder why I would find need to create yet another one. The answer is simple: they all do good number-crunching and are well-designed, but none meets the standard for what I consider a good family- and faith-oriented financial management application. In fact, most have a lot of features, most of which are not used by average people. Most of all, most are paid services: simple financial management should be free. I reviewed most of the ones on the market and set out to write my own, which I call Geldzin (German for "good wealth habits", approximately). I hope the result to be a best practices study of currently available financial management principles.

The application will do the usual financial tracking of accounts, categories, and transactions, etc. It will emphasize budget-based financial management (an example of a budget in the image below) as a lifestyle. People that follow financial advisors like Dave Ramsey might find this application extremely useful when it is complete. Newly married couples will definitely find it useful (as we have).

However, I'd like to take it further and have the application do much more as regards family finances. I want an organic place to track everything that requires money, and to always know what's available for whatever, or to just make future plans and let the application integrate them easily in budgets, savings goals, and forecasting. The vision for this application is to be a financial tool that acts more as an advisor based on the information it knows about your family. For example, having setup a budget and added your debt accounts, the application can tell you how to distribute your next paycheck to cover the financial obligations it knows about.

Further, I want to emphasize charitable giving -- everything from suggestions of good Christian charities and non-profits, to distributing whatever you may have saved for this purpose amongst your choices, to tracking which ones are tax-deductable come tax filing day.  It encourages charitable giving by allowing you to specify a percentage of income to allocate for charity/giving, and a monthly goal. The application can also advise you about planning for emergencies and facilitate saving for them.  The days of keeping a credit card around are over: you need real money set aside for emergencies.

The application also tries to minimize month-to-month fluctuations of living paycheck-to-paycheck by ensuring that you allocate enough funds for the current and the next month. Future versions will also help you save money by crawling the web to find relevant deals, based on your savings goals and transaction information. For example, if the application notices that you shop at King Soopers a lot, it would try to find coupons from that store and suggest them to you, or notify you of sales. Or if you are saving for a guitar, it would be able to tell you about current prices and availability on the web depending on how much you have saved so far.

The application will also feature anonymous comparative studies, indepth reporting, some financial calculators, popular financial blogs/articles, investment tracking and advice, retirement and life insurance planning. But rather than have static information in your account, the goal is to animate it and make it more useful for day-to-day decision making. Managing money should be a personal experience, not an abstract number scheme you must contend with.

The application is specifically designed to be very simple. As such, it will not connect to financial institutions and bill paying services or do a lot of tax accounting. It is meant to be a quick reference about you financial standing based on the activity you do in the application.

Fitness For One Month

For the month of May, we are engrossed in a fitness scheme: to work out every weekday, have one juiced drink for a meal replacement, and get outdoors for physically-demanding activities on weekends. Simple plan, right? Well, not exactly.

Our workout is mostly cardio and endurance, using the Insanity workout videos (BeachBody). For my build, I am in my target weight so the workouts are mostly for maintenance. We've done well for a week thus far.  That is, until I find myself in a familiar hard place: these demanding workouts require increased servings of proteins and carbohydrates, which we did not quite plan for properly. As someone once told me, you cannot workout on salads. A nutrition adjustment is badly needed to make this work.

The meal we chose to juice is breakfast, perhaps not the best idea. As the most important meal of the day, it is now apparent that juicing does not provide the energy needed for the day. Added to the fact that I wake up at 3am and study/work, then do a full course of "Insanity", and then put in a demanding 9-hour day at work, it is no wonder I'm drained by the time I get home in the evening. We probably need to keep a full breakfast and juice some other meal. Or if we keep breakfast, it ought to provide the zing needed to carry through the day. Whenever we get our juicing book back (The Everything Juicing Book), we'll make more elaborate and targeted juices.

The weekends are for outdoor activities. Last weekend, I was out biking for 5 hours on Saturday morning. By the time I returned home, I had a great appreciation for the week-old workout we've been doing. It was exhausting but manageable because of the endurance from the workouts (at least compared with the last time I was on that trail). The upcoming weekends will see us hiking, doing the incline, and some indoor rock climbing.

Along the way, we are keeping track of the tangible benefits: how much weight we lose, how much further we can go physically, how expensive juicing is (or not), and how we can better incorporate the good ideas into our normal lifestyle beyond the life of this project. Especially remaining fit and more healthy nutrition, tailored for our particular lifestyle.

How Not To Travel

For our second wedding anniversary, we went to Seattle, WA where she is from. We would spend a wonderful time there meeting her friends and family, and relaxing in downtown Seattle. Getting there, though, was a textbook case of how not to travel. A chronology of events on the outbound leg of the trip:

• Day before: I work a long 21 hours, returning home at three on the morning of travel. The kind of tiredness and brain drain is indescribable, so I plan to nap for an hour but do not hear the alarm at all. We are starting the day an hour late.
• 0500a: we shuffle through the morning, a foggy drive to the airport with poor visibility.
• 0530a: airline informs us we are too late to check in for our 6am flights. The rep, who we think doesn't quite know what she is doing, books us on a 7am flight.
• 0600a: we discover that our camera's battery is completely drained. Out goes the plan to document our trip in pictures. I return the camera and lenses to the car in long-term parking.
• 0700a: during boarding, she is pulled off the flight because her seat actually belongs to someone else. We decide that I should proceed while they try to book her on another flight.
• 1000a: her flight from COS is delayed until 3pm. I am in DEN at this time, trying to figure out how we can get back on the same flight to SEA. No chance, unless we decided to get on a 6pm flight from DEN.
• 0200p: I arrive in SEA and grab our bags. Outside of the security zone, there's nowhere to eat or chill, except for packed coffee shops. My diet all day is fluids (coffee and smoothies), not knowing there is food in our bags.
• I practically walk the entire unsecured zone of the SEA airport looking for a place to charge my phone, eat a good meal, conduct some business, and buy her flowers (the least I could do, right?).
• 0300p: her flight from COS is delayed again until 5pm because of mechanical problems.
• 0500p: she finally takes flight from COS to DEN and then on to SEA, after spending practically all day in the airports.
• 0800p: her parents pick us up from the airport and we settle into the apartment where we'll stay for a week. But there is still a problem: we are so hungry.
• 0930p: we roam downtown Seattle looking for a quick meal. It's soggy and rainy, hardly comfortable for a fancy dinner suitable for such a day. We end up in this bar, and our anniversary meal is chicken wings, fries, burgers, and beer. It's like an awkward 5th date.

That it all happened on our anniversary makes it worse. I would be pissed off too at how it all unfolded, and justifiably so. This was all my fault, a miscalculation and poor management of the day before travel (granted, some of it out of my control). Had it gone as planned, we would have arrived in SEA around 10am and had the evening to celebrate.