BY CHIP JONES
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Apr 15, 2006
Give your opinion on this story
Think you have a long drive to work?
Meet Dave Givens, an electrical engineer from Mariposa, Calif. Five days a week he drives 186 miles one way from his home to Cisco Systems Inc. in San Jose.
That's a round-trip journey of 372 miles a day, a drive that takes a total of seven hours.
He makes the trip five days a week and has been doing so since 1989.
Givens' commute means that every year he's motoring about the same distance as driving nearly 40 times from Richmond to Los Angeles -- a distance of 2,293 miles.
Givens was crowned "the ultimate road warrior" by Midas Inc. this week, the culmination of the muffler maker's search for "America's Longest Commute."
Givens out-drove thousands of other entrants for a grand prize of $10,000 in gas money along with four Bridgestone tires with a total value of $470.
The contest was part of Midas' celebration of its 50th anniversary.
Explaining his mind-boggling commute, Givens said in a statement released by Midas: "I have a great job and my family loves the ranch where we live. So this is the only solution."
Mariposa is in the Sierra Nevada mountains, near Yosemite National Park.
To stay awake, he listens to the radio and drinks a lot of coffee.
Second place went to Jeffrey Haussy of Georgetown, Ill., with a one-way commute of 175 miles north to his job with American Airlines at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.
This story is insane folks. Can you imagine spending 35 hours a week or about 75 days a year on the road just to go to work? It's incredible what men do to keep a lifestyle for their family that has tremendous sacrifice.
I said this before but you couldn't pay me enough to drive that distance each day. My nerves would be shot at the end of each day. We take it for granted that most of us can either bike or take public transportation to work. Some of us can even walk!
I guess this guy doesn't know how much he has to suffer each day and thinks it's normal.
noisebeam
04-17-06, 11:45 AM
"Explaining his mind-boggling commute, Givens said in a statement released by Midas: "I have a great job and my family loves the ranch where we live. So this is the only solution.""
Maybe his family loves the ranch, but how can he like being with his family if he spends so much time away from them driving?
Surely he could arrange for some work from home options and/or condensed work week where he sleeps in apartment near work for say 3 nights a week. In net he'd end up with far more time at the ranch and maybe only do the commute 2x/wk (still absurd by Living Car Free standards of course)
Al
timmhaan
04-17-06, 12:12 PM
what a waste of time, engery, and resources. that is the only solution he can come up with? :(
noisebeam
04-17-06, 12:16 PM
what a waste of time, engery, and resources. that is the only solution he can come up with? :(
But he won $10,470 for his dedication. ;)
Quote of distiction:
"Let's face it, he [the winner] needs all the help he can get!" (no kidding ;) )
".... public transportation driving were not considered a daily commute. Motorcycles, buses, and all forms of public transportation were not eligible forms of transportation for daily commute." What about bicycles? ;)
Al
Roody
04-17-06, 12:23 PM
Why dosesn't he at least get an apartment near work (within biking distance) and make the car trip only on weekends?
He's a moron. There's no possible rational explanation for this behavior.
noisebeam
04-17-06, 12:26 PM
He's a moron. There's no possible rational explanation for this behavior.
The only thing I can think of is that he hates being with his family and his life in general. Why else would someone want to spend so much extra time away from them (by choice) and in the confines of a car?
Al
Roody
04-17-06, 12:39 PM
Bet he has a big soft butt and hemorrhoids.
Dahon.Steve
04-17-06, 12:39 PM
Maybe his family loves the ranch, but how can he like being with his family if he spends so much time away from them driving?Al
Agreed.
I suspect, he probably wakes up at 4 in the morning to get dressed and out the door by 4:30 or 5:00 o'clock the latest. Engineers usually don't go home by 5:00 (especially management) so he's probably home by 8 or 9 (or later) each night. In other words, if he intends to get up by 4 he'll practically has to go to sleep right away.
I'm sure his family loves the ranch but it's all at his expense! He's the one doing all the hard work and sacrifice. Make no doubt about it, his commute is practically a full time job in itself. I know people who live in "Ranch Style" homes and have no where near the commute he does each day. You can't tell me his family wouldn't be happy living in a home closer to his job even it ment giving up the ranch.
Bottom line is there is more to life than traveling and that's called quality of life. His family has a high quality of life but HE doesn't and is making the ultimate sacrifice when it's not necessary. One day, I'm sure he'll figure this out but by then, most of his life's free time would have been wasted on the road to nowhere. That's the point I was trying to make.
noisebeam
04-17-06, 01:11 PM
He would save money by renting a $1000/mo. place near work and only going home for the weekends. He could then work an official 12hr. work day 4 days/wk and have a 3 day weekend which would get him more awake time with his family.
372mi/day*200workday/year = ~75k miles per year of commuting alone. Thats >$20k/yr. of wear and tear and gas expenses. He probably goes thru a car new every 3 years of so.
Al
Jerseysbest
04-17-06, 05:09 PM
Either he makes a whole lot of money and works minimal hours, or, I dunno... There's gotta be more details to this, or this guy is just stupid
Man, and I was fretting over my potential 25 mile commute.
*cough
04-17-06, 05:34 PM
I can't believe anyone rewards that crap.
He's been doing it for 15 years (approx)
7 hrs a day, *5 *52 *15 = 27,300hrs
What a waste of a life.
Did it say what car he drives?
He could probably just buy a plane, seriously.
I hope to **** he was an anomaly.
matagi
04-17-06, 07:38 PM
My husband and I were in a similar situation 10 years ago, he had a 70 mile one way drive to his office and I had a 65 mile drive in the opposite direction to university. We were in a rural area with no public transit so cars were the only way to go at the time. After the initial excitement of driving very fast turbo-charged rice rockets wore off, the driving became a real chore.
As soon as they upgraded our local telephone exchange, my husband gave up the driving and started telecommuting. I had to keep doing the 130 mile round trip for another 4 years - yes, I could have taken an apartment or something near the university but then I wouldn't have been home to see my husband each night and that was (and still is) important to me. So maybe this guy feels the same, sure he might not see his kids except on weekends, but he sees his wife.
Mind you, I knew that I would only have to do this drive until I finished my degree - there is no way I would have contemplated that kind of existence indefinitely and no way would I still be doing it after 17 years (like the guy in the article). I agree it makes his family sound rather selfish too - they are happy for him to spend many hours on the road, so that they can enjoy their ranch life while he has no life at all. I find it rather sad actually.
timmhaan
04-17-06, 08:21 PM
after 17 years the guy probably doesn't know anything else. he's probably so used to that drive he just goes on autopilot everyday and gets it done. similar to how people come home and sit to watch TV for 4 or 5 hours before bed. i'm sure he really doesn't know what he is missing.
jamesdemien
04-17-06, 08:50 PM
Um are you kidding me...Thats the most ridiculous thing I've ever read. That dude should get a single engine plane and fly to work or something. I can't believe that someone rewarded him for wasting time and gas like that. Oh well people think I'm stupid too...
Golf XRay Tango
04-17-06, 09:45 PM
I was thinking he should fly to work as well. If he owns a ranch, he could easily put together a grass runway and get a good reliable plane for less than $50K. The fuel costs would be a little higher, but the commute would be a lot more enjoyable.
super-douper
04-17-06, 11:35 PM
when I heard it, the first thing I thought was he's a liar. What kind of company/boss would require somebody to commute like that 5 days/week instead of allowing telecommute? What kind of person would do that for 15yrs without transferring to a job that allows at least some telecommuting? Doesn't he know that there are closer places to Cisco that he could have a ranch? maybe he just calls in sick a couple days/week. who knows. For arguement's sake, let's assume he does drive that distance EVERY DAY.
What an ass. Congratulations pal, you've just undone all of the environmental benefits of every bike commuter on this board.
Maybe he really commutes 10 minutes to his mistress' house and telecommutes from there. It'd be pretty funny to see this guy jogging with his two steps forward then one step back gait.
Maybe I'm being a little harsh, it's just unbelievable to me. But I'd rather ride my bike for 1.5hrs or a bus for 1hr than drive the 20min commute to my job.
r-dub
04-18-06, 01:32 AM
The only thing I can think of is that he hates being with his family and his life in general. Why else would someone want to spend so much extra time away from them (by choice) and in the confines of a car?
Al
I was going to say the same thing...guy must absolutely hate being around other people to want to spend 35hrs/week alone in traffic. Though I suppose mild versions of some neurological problems could lead to the same behavior.
cyclezealot
04-18-06, 02:04 AM
to me this is insane. how could one do this. In California, cost of housing- this is not totally uncommon.
I seem to recall some organization in the New York city area lists commuters with the greatest commute. ONe year the award?? , went to some motorist who daily commuted from Boston to New York . Is this possible. Bet one would have to buy a car almost every year.
noisebeam
04-18-06, 08:55 AM
I can't believe anyone rewards that crap.
Lets assume he works 240 days/yr, that takes into account weekends, holidays, sick days.
The scary part is not the hours, but the miles:
240*372*15 = 1,339,200mi,
At 25mpg that 53,568 gal. of gas.
Lets assume he tries hard and gets 200k miles lifetime per car.
Thats 7 cars he consumed. 13 if he disposes of his car after the more typical/wasteful 100k mi.
Al
Dahon.Steve
04-18-06, 10:17 AM
Lets assume he works 240 days/yr, that takes into account weekends, holidays, sick days.
The scary part is not the hours, but the miles:
240*372*15 = 1,339,200mi,
At 25mpg that 53,568 gal. of gas.
Lets assume he tries hard and gets 200k miles lifetime per car.
Thats 7 cars he consumed. 13 if he disposes of his car after the more typical/wasteful 100k mi.
Al
Good one.
I suspect he probably went through a load of cars but I doubt he leases or the milage penalty would be too great.
On a separate note, his average speed is 53 mph! = 53 mph * 7 hrs = 371 miles
There is NO WAY you're going to average 53 mph over that distance with lights and traffic. He must be doing 70 - 80 mph on some long stretches to get that kind of average in California. The guy must drive like a mad man in the morning to get to work. Very Sad Indeed.
smurfy
04-18-06, 10:38 AM
I was thinking he should fly to work as well. If he owns a ranch, he could easily put together a grass runway and get a good reliable plane for less than $50K. The fuel costs would be a little higher, but the commute would be a lot more enjoyable.
Actually that is a good idea and that is what I would do in that situation if there were no other options. How fast does a single-engine plane cruise at, 100 knots? How much does av gas costs nowadays? Also, you wouldn't be able to fly in fog or stormy weather and the FAA requires you to overhaul your engine after so many hours.
Edit: Oops, forgot to mention - I would have to be able to ride my compact folding bicycle from airfield to workplace and back!
ignominious
04-18-06, 11:13 AM
I wouldn't drive this kind of mileage for a commute, but I would be tempted to cycle this kind of mileage just to tell the guy that's he's one of the worlds biggest eejits.
noisebeam
04-18-06, 11:58 AM
... but I would be tempted to cycle this kind of mileage just to tell the guy that's he's one of the worlds biggest eejits.
Now that would make you crazy (in a good way) if you did it as a commute. ;)
I was thinking along the same lines about car vs. bike and came up with the thought that any commute distance that would be considered insane cycle every day is equally insane to drive a car.
i.e. if its too far to bike then is too far of a commute.
Al
cyclezealot
04-18-06, 11:54 PM
This guys commuted up around Sacramento. Don't think CA gridlock has crept up there yet. If so, it would be impossible. San Diego freeways often move at less than 10 mph for the 15 mile crowded segments. Has taken me two hours and more to drive this 55 commute, when in the middle of the night with no traffic it takes one an hour or less. that will put an end to such lunacy.
matagi
04-19-06, 02:38 AM
I wouldn't drive this kind of mileage for a commute, but I would be tempted to cycle this kind of mileage just to tell the guy that's he's one of the worlds biggest eejits.
Sounds like a good excuse for a bike tour - a whole crowd of cyclists turning up at his front door and yelling "you're an idiot, get a life - buy a bike" :D
gorn
04-19-06, 09:49 AM
Similar article was on The Register a while ago, they got a bunch of letters from people saying how terrible it is:
This guy is the poster child for tele-commuting. He's an engineer, they spend half their time in front of a desk poking around in CAD programs...
davefarb
04-19-06, 01:17 PM
While choosing such a lifestyle seems wasteful, stressful, and tiring to me...is it really any "worse" than choosing to live without a car. Moving to Holland (or anywhere else) to live without a car or dating hairy stoner chicks who suscribe to all the politically correct causes (the only women who date carless men) seems just as disturbing. I could not deal with such a commute, as it would quickly result in my losing my mind and climbing a tower. :mad:
kc9eog
04-19-06, 03:36 PM
it would quickly result in my losing my mind and climbing a tower. :mad:
To open fire or to jump?
attercoppe
04-19-06, 11:23 PM
While choosing such a lifestyle seems wasteful, stressful, and tiring to me...is it really any "worse" than choosing to live without a car. Moving to Holland (or anywhere else) to live without a car or dating hairy stoner chicks who suscribe to all the politically correct causes (the only women who date carless men) seems just as disturbing.
So I guess you're not car-free, huh? Your ignorance of the lifestyle is pretty apparent here...I for one am going to be exclusionary and ask you not to post if you're just going to troll or try to bait us. Feel free to lurk and learn, and ask any appropriate questions you need to to better understand, but if you're not contributing to the discussion, please butt out.
ho hum
04-20-06, 01:35 AM
I'm driving 140 miles a day to commute to work. I work 3 days a week (12 hour shifts) and it is more than I care to do. I can't change that for right now and so I live with it and hope for something different to come along and make my life a little better. I've looked at housing in the community where I work and it is going crazy. I've got a 4 BR house, 5 acres, corrals, a shop, and some space and couldn't match what I live in there. I'd live in a cookie cutter house and have my neighbors sitting on my lap. I can ride a century where I live now and never hit a stoplight, see maybe 25 cars and lots and lots of open space.
In the small communities of the western states, driving long distances is just a fact of life. There are kids who ride buses for 3 hours a day just to get back and forth to school. The state also pays some families to bring their kids to the highway everyday to catch the school buses. We used to drive 69 miles (one way) to do our grocery shopping and to go to doctors. You see the ads for pizza delivery and you think, yeah right....
I still save the planet. I heat with solar. I grow a garden and some of my own food. We don't eat out much. I don't get to see too much of my family on my work days. I am considering renting an apartment if gas prices get too much higher but I don't want to be away from home at night.
I'd say that the amount of time I spend on the road in my economy vehicle is well spent listening to books on tape, unwinding from work and I can always dial up anybody on the cell phone if I need to talk to somebody to stay awake. The roughest part of the whole deal was the 2 years I spent working night shift and trying to drive home after a 12 hour night shift. That is the most miserable thing I have ever done.
Sir Lunch-a-lot
04-20-06, 10:57 AM
To open fire or to jump?
No, silly! To hold the princess hostage!
Anyway, I know of a guy who drove, I'm guessing, about a six hour commute (round trip), give or take an hour or so. He was going to college training to be a mechanic and wanted to be with his wife each night. Of course, now that he's graduated, his commute would only be about 40 minutes to an hour (again, round trip). My commute, by bicycle, is not even ten minutes... almost makes me wish I lived out of town so that I'd have a few more Klicks to ride to get to school.
But to drive seven hours a day... why? That's insane! I might be good for riding as a passenger for long distances, but I find driving long distances even more tiring... it's a wonder he's not dead yet! He should take all of that money and buy a rocket ship, or build a private subway, or something. Yes, even a plane. I've heard of guys doing that (although, they are software engineers and probably make more than him)... Yes, yes, not the greatest for the environment, but it's not like that's on the high end of his priorities list. Maybe there's a local airport with regular flights to and from the city he works in. Maybe he could fly economy class and get some sort of regular flyer discount. That way, he won't be adding extra pollution into the environment. Oh well. At least I am not him.
mrkott3r
04-21-06, 01:02 AM
simple answer to that question:
**** no
folder fanatic
04-21-06, 11:58 AM
When I was little, my father would speed down the Hollywood fwy. at that time when the rush was happening. Sometimes there would be a car pulled at the side of the road. My father would tell me that if he communted to the furthest part of suburbia at the time (either valley), he would be dead in 5 years. He died at 87 an old man since he chose to live near his job.
I don't think that poor man will be able to do the same.
Roody
04-21-06, 12:09 PM
I'm driving 140 miles a day to commute to work. I work 3 days a week (12 hour shifts) and it is more than I care to do. I can't change that for right now and so I live with it and hope for something different to come along and make my life a little better. I've looked at housing in the community where I work and it is going crazy. I've got a 4 BR house, 5 acres, corrals, a shop, and some space and couldn't match what I live in there. I'd live in a cookie cutter house and have my neighbors sitting on my lap. I can ride a century where I live now and never hit a stoplight, see maybe 25 cars and lots and lots of open space.
In the small communities of the western states, driving long distances is just a fact of life. There are kids who ride buses for 3 hours a day just to get back and forth to school. The state also pays some families to bring their kids to the highway everyday to catch the school buses. We used to drive 69 miles (one way) to do our grocery shopping and to go to doctors. You see the ads for pizza delivery and you think, yeah right....
I still save the planet. I heat with solar. I grow a garden and some of my own food. We don't eat out much. I don't get to see too much of my family on my work days. I am considering renting an apartment if gas prices get too much higher but I don't want to be away from home at night.
I'd say that the amount of time I spend on the road in my economy vehicle is well spent listening to books on tape, unwinding from work and I can always dial up anybody on the cell phone if I need to talk to somebody to stay awake. The roughest part of the whole deal was the 2 years I spent working night shift and trying to drive home after a 12 hour night shift. That is the most miserable thing I have ever done.
Serious question, not meant as a flame:
What is the appeal to you of participating in a carfree internet forum? Do you harbor doubts that your way of living is really all that great?
Nermal
04-21-06, 01:14 PM
Maybe I lost a decimal point, but this works out to 53.14 mph? My route seems uphill both ways. His must be downhill all the time.
thelung
04-21-06, 01:21 PM
To answer the thread title: I wouldn't drive to work period
To respond to the article: Some people are just very strange, very stupid, or a combination of the two. Given the fact that he must be speeding to make that trip on time, as pointed out on page 1, I'm gonna say he is both.
Thasiet
04-23-06, 02:19 AM
I was thinking he should fly to work as well. If he owns a ranch, he could easily put together a grass runway and get a good reliable plane for less than $50K. The fuel costs would be a little higher, but the commute would be a lot more enjoyable.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=mariposa+ca+to+san+jose+ca&om=1
It's a circuitous route from Mariposa to SJ-- whereas the air route is less than 100 miles. With your average Piper, it would probably be a bit in favor with the increased fuel consumption and cost of avgas largely offsetting the decreased mileage (still waaaay better for time/funfactor.) A high performance kitplane like a Long-EZ or RV-4 would be superior in every respect. A quick folder ride from conveniently downtown-located SJC to bus stop or direct to work, a few aileron rolls after departing each day for Yosemite-- not a bad life at all. I'm a nihilist, I could train myself not to think about peak oil or polar bears. But I certainly couldn't drive that commute.
Any mental, mechanical, or medical condition that would proclude that man from operating an airplane SHOULD proclude him from driving 372 frickin' miles a day and endangering everyone else, too. Apparently, some engineers are both near and short sighted. Sigh.
literocola
04-23-06, 02:47 AM
Id buy a lil Cesna 185 tail dragger and fly to work, or a crotch rocket and get to work doing a buck 80 down the freeway.
newbojeff
04-24-06, 12:29 PM
This award and "winner" are disgusting.
chajmahal
04-24-06, 03:55 PM
A disturbing number of my coworkers live 1.5 to 2+ hours and 70 to 90 miles away from our workplace in downtown San Diego. I personally know of a dozen people who drive around 150 miles from bedroom communities up the 15 freeway in places like Hemet, Temecula, Murietta and Moreno Valley. They wake up at 4am while their kids/spouse are asleep, shower, hop on the road with a thermos of coffee and arrive at 6 or 7am. Then at 4 or 5pm they repeat the process and arrive home at 6 or 7pm. Some arrive home exhausted after their kids are asleep.
These are ideal times. Heavy traffic or accidents regularly cause delays. My office mate would show up at 10 am once every couple of weeks after getting caught in an accident (he leaves home at 5). We would actually think he was sick or on vacation! They go through cars every 2 or 3 years and their gas bill would pay my mortgage.
The excuses they offer are similar to the winner in the article. Good job in city, family likes having big house and yard in country. As for me, that long drive, traffic and not seeing my family would kill me in a short amount of time. A few of the guys admit they sleep almost all weekend to catch up.
My place is small and we don't have a huge yard but my daughter knows what I look like. 30 minutes after I push my bike off from the curb at work my daughter and I are feeding ducks at the pond, waiting for mommy to get home.
I agree with previous posters. This guy must be miserable at home and can't handle his kids or wife.
deaconbam
04-27-06, 10:35 AM
Our commuter friend is a prime example of the fact that the amount of intelligence in the world is fixed...but the population is growing.
deaconbam
Obstacles are the frightful things you wee when you take your eyes off the goal.
bmike
04-27-06, 10:40 AM
I'm driving 140 miles a day to commute to work. I work 3 days a week (12 hour shifts) and it is more than I care to do. I can't change that for right now and so I live with it and hope for something different to come along and make my life a little better. I've looked at housing in the community where I work and it is going crazy. I've got a 4 BR house, 5 acres, corrals, a shop, and some space and couldn't match what I live in there. I'd live in a cookie cutter house and have my neighbors sitting on my lap. I can ride a century where I live now and never hit a stoplight, see maybe 25 cars and lots and lots of open space.
In the small communities of the western states, driving long distances is just a fact of life. There are kids who ride buses for 3 hours a day just to get back and forth to school. The state also pays some families to bring their kids to the highway everyday to catch the school buses. We used to drive 69 miles (one way) to do our grocery shopping and to go to doctors. You see the ads for pizza delivery and you think, yeah right....
I still save the planet. I heat with solar. I grow a garden and some of my own food. We don't eat out much. I don't get to see too much of my family on my work days. I am considering renting an apartment if gas prices get too much higher but I don't want to be away from home at night.
I'd say that the amount of time I spend on the road in my economy vehicle is well spent listening to books on tape, unwinding from work and I can always dial up anybody on the cell phone if I need to talk to somebody to stay awake. The roughest part of the whole deal was the 2 years I spent working night shift and trying to drive home after a 12 hour night shift. That is the most miserable thing I have ever done.
why not simplify your life. why not lose the job and find somthing closer, even if it means smaller house, less frills, more time with the family, etc?
why attached to the job that is clearly miserable to you?
i drive alot for work, but my office is less than a mile from my house.
when i'm in town, i'm happy and nearly car free.
i sit in front of a computer, doing design and engineering work. i have a phone. i have the internet. i share a fax machine. choices can be made to make your situation better.
i love the general store, the coop, the credit union. sure, there are bigger stores, more choices, etc. a car drive away... but if i need something from "the big town" i plan it for when i'm returning from a road trip.
i happen to love my job, but it sounds like you don't.
5 acres, a shop, corral, etc... blah blah. are you happy? what is it all worth?
how much life energy is sliding away while you sit behind the wheel, book on tape or not?
convert your salary to life energy, reevaluate. if you still like the equation, more power to you.
if not, change your life.
we can create our lives and the world around us any way we see fit.
why do we do as we do?
Roody
04-27-06, 11:30 AM
I'm driving 140 miles a day to commute to work. I work 3 days a week (12 hour shifts) and it is more than I care to do. I can't change that for right now and so I live with it and hope for something different to come along and make my life a little better. I've looked at housing in the community where I work and it is going crazy. I've got a 4 BR house, 5 acres, corrals, a shop, and some space and couldn't match what I live in there. I'd live in a cookie cutter house and have my neighbors sitting on my lap. I can ride a century where I live now and never hit a stoplight, see maybe 25 cars and lots and lots of open space.
.
You are probably not a candidate for carfree living. I think rural areas will be the last holdout for the private automobile. I'm glad you do what you can to offset the damage done by your driving habits.
Is there any way you could make that house and land work for you? Have you thought about starting some kind of business on your property? Like, I don't know, boarding horses, breeding dogs, organic orchard, bed & breakfast, anything? It seems like you'd be even happier if you were your own boss and you didn't have to do that long commute 3 times a week. And you'd certainly have more time for riding your bike.
slagjumper
05-08-06, 11:27 PM
No wonder CISCO has been slipping. They might do well to get more off shore help.
Eriol
05-08-06, 11:39 PM
As long as we're talking about extreme commutes.
I had a math professor when I was in a college in NJ who lived in Montreal. Every monday the university would fly him in, put him up in an apartment and fly him home on thursday night. I cant imagine how his wife handled it.
wahoonc
05-09-06, 04:45 AM
As long as we're talking about extreme commutes.
I had a math professor when I was in a college in NJ who lived in Montreal. Every monday the university would fly him in, put him up in an apartment and fly him home on thursday night. I cant imagine how his wife handled it.
There are some of us that choose to live similarly to that;) My wife is flight attendant, and I work heavy construction. We spent a total of 81 days at home last year. It works for us! She typically flys out on Sunday afternoon, and I drive out on Sunday afternoons. Depending on the distance of the jobsites I may only come home every 3 weeks, if that is the case she will fly to where every I am once every couple of weeks. I have been fortunate in that the bulk of my jobsites are with in a 5 hour driving radius of home. And just to keep it on topic:p There is NO WAY I would commute like the guy in the article, and now with the price of gas where it is, I wonder if he still thinks it's a good deal.:D