Tuesday, November 23, 2010

I heart my GPS








So, I got a little lost in Oakland. I was all ready running late when I got lost. I was planning on leaving Dublin at 2 pm in order to miss the Friday evening traffic, driving into Napa. I am one of those people who likes to have a plan. This might sound ridiculous, but I planned my road trip in the Bay Area as a time for me to "be spontaneous." In my mind, spontaneous should not equal "getting lost."

In order to not have a mishap with directions and driving, I took some preventative steps. Before leaving home, I printed "google maps" for all of the potential places I might want to go. For example, I knew I was going to Nicole's house, but I wasn't sure if I was going to Tegan's house before going to Katie's house. So, I printed directions from Nicole's to Katie's and from Nicole's to Tegan's and then to Katie's. Are you following all of this nonsense? Well, despite my gallant efforts to be spontaneous, I still got lost. The Google maps and my i phone GPS failed to inform me that the 680 North turns into the 880, and that the 80 East turns to the CA-37, which turns to the CA 29, which is where I needed to be.


From the road, I couldn't use my i phone safely. It's great for two people, but if you are alone, and it's dark and there is traffic, the i phone GBS isn't that handy. I pulled over in Oakland to find out exactly where I was going. It was a great off ramp because there was a radio shack. I purchased the TOMTOM GPS. I walked out of the store, plugged it in, and fell in LOVE! When I heard the voice talking to me, I was so excited. I wanted it to tell me how well I was driving and to applaud when I arrived at my destination. Of course, none of that happened, but it did get me safely to Tegan's house in St. Helena.

Without Bonnie's guiding voice (in English, of course) I don't know if I would have found her cozy little nook in the woods. When I arrived at Tegan's, I felt instantly at ease. She creates the most wonderful little spaces to live. I tucked myself into bed and read all about the fabulous GPS system. I discovered that the English voices, Bonnie and Richard, instruct you to turn in terms of distance. I learned that Susan tells you when to turn in terms of both distance and street names. She says things like, "In 300 feet, turn right onto Filmore Street. Stay in the right lane." Thank you Susan!

As a side note: On my way home, Susan really want me to get off the 101 South and go towards Half Moon Bay. Poor Susan. I had to tell her, "Not today. We don't have time for that. Maybe next time, but I like the way you are thinking!"

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