Today I even took Garmin out for a Jog. Cari-anne switched the icon from a car to a pair of jogging shoes and Garmin and I ran my 2 mile loop together. For half of the loop she was telling me to turn around and go back. For the second half she told me to proceed along my well worn route. Yeah, this was telling me stuff I already knew but it was pretty cool to see how fast I was running, and she has a little clock, and who doesn’t like a map. The turning point may have been when Garmin answered that age old question that people have been singing about for 30 years or more. “She told us how to get, how to get to Sesame Street.” Ok I suppose you can't hear it but you were supposed to sing that last sentence. Come on you know the song “Sunny days chasing the clouds away.” Doesn’t everybody have these songs going through their heads all of the time? Well Garmin directed us right to the parking lot of Sesame Place which I'll be sure to post about next time. It was a great day with the kids. Jared and Caitlin also met us there. I was very careful that we did not park close together to avoid Norma's bad influence on Garmin. I suppose I might sit down and figure out what other bells and whistles she has after all. Hey, this doesn't make me a late adopter of technology, does it?
Friday, July 24, 2009
Can You Tell Me How To Get To...
During our trip to California last fall, Jared and Caitlin introduced us to their GPS which they affectionately call Norma. Cari-anne was quickly enamored with this device as well and Norma became our chief navigator during our vacation. Things weren't quiet as rosy between Norma and I as she continually barked out orders for me to switch lanes, turn here, turn there, and turn around. This little box was driving me crazy! The running joke was that Norma hated me and had I not been out numbered by Norma lovers she might have found herself recalculating in pieces along some stretch of California freeway. Well things may have cooled a bit between Norma and I, but when Cari-anne began pitching the idea of getting a GPS I still wasn't to keen on inviting our own tiny box with a smug British accent into our car to start ordering me around. I resisted for a long time but finally gave in and Garmin (we haven't given him/her/it a name) moved into our automobile. We tried a variety of voices from Australian to Cantonese and settled on the American gal, so I guess that makes Garmin a she. Most of the time I ignore her and drive the ways I always have. After all I fancy myself a pretty good navigator and have found all of my short cuts and ways around using my own internal compass. We don't need to go into how much fossil fuel I may have wasted over the years finding all of these alternate routes. I suppose just out of politeness I have taken Garmin's advice here or there. She does have a much more pleasant speaking voice than Norma, and I have to admit that I have been surprised a time or two on the time saving short cuts she has suggested. 
Today I even took Garmin out for a Jog. Cari-anne switched the icon from a car to a pair of jogging shoes and Garmin and I ran my 2 mile loop together. For half of the loop she was telling me to turn around and go back. For the second half she told me to proceed along my well worn route. Yeah, this was telling me stuff I already knew but it was pretty cool to see how fast I was running, and she has a little clock, and who doesn’t like a map. The turning point may have been when Garmin answered that age old question that people have been singing about for 30 years or more. “She told us how to get, how to get to Sesame Street.” Ok I suppose you can't hear it but you were supposed to sing that last sentence. Come on you know the song “Sunny days chasing the clouds away.” Doesn’t everybody have these songs going through their heads all of the time? Well Garmin directed us right to the parking lot of Sesame Place which I'll be sure to post about next time. It was a great day with the kids. Jared and Caitlin also met us there. I was very careful that we did not park close together to avoid Norma's bad influence on Garmin. I suppose I might sit down and figure out what other bells and whistles she has after all. Hey, this doesn't make me a late adopter of technology, does it?
Today I even took Garmin out for a Jog. Cari-anne switched the icon from a car to a pair of jogging shoes and Garmin and I ran my 2 mile loop together. For half of the loop she was telling me to turn around and go back. For the second half she told me to proceed along my well worn route. Yeah, this was telling me stuff I already knew but it was pretty cool to see how fast I was running, and she has a little clock, and who doesn’t like a map. The turning point may have been when Garmin answered that age old question that people have been singing about for 30 years or more. “She told us how to get, how to get to Sesame Street.” Ok I suppose you can't hear it but you were supposed to sing that last sentence. Come on you know the song “Sunny days chasing the clouds away.” Doesn’t everybody have these songs going through their heads all of the time? Well Garmin directed us right to the parking lot of Sesame Place which I'll be sure to post about next time. It was a great day with the kids. Jared and Caitlin also met us there. I was very careful that we did not park close together to avoid Norma's bad influence on Garmin. I suppose I might sit down and figure out what other bells and whistles she has after all. Hey, this doesn't make me a late adopter of technology, does it?
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2 comments:
I borrowed my friend's Garmin for a solo trip to Virginia. When I was trapped in traffic in Washington DC the thing started to lose battery, but my gas was going to hit empty. So I hit the gas button and it sent me on a wild goose chase through DC for a non-existent gas station. Luckily I found a real one during the search. Thankfully I had Mapquest as backup and with the gas guy directions back to the highway I had no more problems.
-Albert
Yikes! Albert! That's sounds like a harrowing experience! I think the garmin deserves another chance though. By the way, Cari-anne has officially named our garmin Laney.
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