I do love it. And I’d be lost without it.
Me: I couldn’t get to Jen’s (my sister-in-law) without my GPS.
Mr. LBB: Well, when the lease is up [on the car] we’ll get a handheld GPS if we need to.
Me: No, I mean I’m just saying if there was a nuclear war……and I had to walk hundreds of miles to civilization….I couldn’t. I would have no idea where I was. I’ve never paid attention.
Mr. LBB: Well…..hopefully there won’t be a nuclear war.
We’ve driven to Jen’s house a gazillion times…..and I have no idea how to get there. All I know is she and her family live somewhere in California. I wasn’t that great with geography to begin with…..but with navigation in my car it’s only gotten worse. At my comfort shower, Jen asked my friend Katie if she was my “friend from L.A”:
Katie: I’m from Rancho Santa Margarita.
Jen: Oh, Ashley told me you were from L.A.
Me: Sorry, L.A.’s the only city I know on the map.
Jen: So basically, if anyone is from southern California….they are from L.A.?
Me: Yep…..until I learn some new cities.
My sister gets me:
Perry: How do I get to L.A.?
Me: I don’t know the roads….but drive west……and stop when you get to the ocean.
When Mr. LBB graduated from college (he’s a few years older than I am), we drove a uhaul all the way from California to North Carolina full of old furniture his dad gave him. I was the “map holder”….using the atlas to get us there….navigating a straight line across the U.S. It was 120 degrees in the desert and there was no air conditioning in the truck. To keep the engine of the uhaul from overheating we had to periodically turn on the heat. Holy roasting. I remember imagining that if we broke down we’d die of thirst before we got to the call box…..and our shoes would probably melt to the pavement. As we drove 2,346 miles, I read him Vogue and gave him Cosmo quizzes….and he taught me about the highway system. Here’s some random knowledge for the day that might help you in a trivia game one day:
:: North and south running interstates end in odd numbers (i.e. I-5 runs from California to Washington.) East and west running interstates end in even numbers.
:: Hawaii technically has interstate highways. Weird. But apparently they are called “interstate” because they were built as part of the federal highway system.
:: The U.S. interstate system is the largest public works program since the Pyramids. But I’m not sure the Pyramids can be classified as public works….
Comments
I have been called the “navi-guesser” instead of navigator. I totally understand you on this issue.
I’m laughing so hard right now!
That is what I love about Mr. LBB. He does not seem to be a worrier – “Well.. Let’s hope there isn’t nuclear war.”. I love it, wish I was more like that.
hahaha. That is just like my husband! He can barley get to the grocery store! Once I’ve been to a place once I’m usually pretty good. Unless major landmarks change. Then I’m toast.
My husband has spent over 30 years teaching me not to have to turn a map upside down or sideways so that the map is pointing the same way we are travelling. So, if we are heading west, I turn the map so that west is at the top of the map, since that’s the direction we are pointing. After many, many years, I can have the map with north on the top even while we are driving west, and I mostly can get us where we are going.
Interesting Texas trivia. Between Galveston Island and Port Bolivar (on the mainland) the Texas Highway department runs a free ferry service. The ferry is considered part of state highway 87, even though your car is riding a big old boat over the water.
Oooh, girl! And I thought MY geography was bad! lol
I seriously can’t stop laughing at this post. My family has a joke about me that I once drove “west” to get to get to the beach. (I live near philly) I called my dad about 30 minutes into the trip (I was a sophomore in college- a little wet behind the ears!) and asked which way I go at the “T” intersection…. he paused a moment (trying to figure out where I might be?) and said, Leslie, did you go East or West on 896? My answer: Well, WEST of course! Thats the way we always go! He calmly reminded me that the beach/ocean would be EAST and that we always go west on that road becuase we’re heading to the store, school, etc.
I then paused and said…. DUH.
I’m so excited to learn about the evens/odds! That will definitely help me out in future navigations (at least I’ll know if I’m headed “up/down” or “left/right”) HAHAHAHA
Another reason why I don’t like using my “map” app on my phone… I can’t tell which direction I’m supposed to go when I can’t turn my phone to point in the direction I’m moving! lol
hahaha – I totally understand. I used to refuse to drive in major cities (San Diego, LA, etc) because I was sure I’d get lost. I can be more adventurous because of the navigation on my phone. I appreciate that the directions are in left/right terms, because N/S/E/W just confuses me.
that is classic. I sold real estate way before GPS and I would hand write the directions out at my office from house to house and clutch them for dear life! I can’t find my way out of the shower without it now
Sadly, I am navi-challenged too. Thank heavens we live up next to the mtns. so I know which way is west! My mom lives in Anaheim hills… I always say she lives in L.A…. I think it irritates her since she always corrects me
Thanks for the giggles…I soooo get you. I am enjoying my navigation in my new car too. Thanks to Mr. LBB for the info also…who knew …not me, but I do now!
Love ya,
Beth
Hey! I live in that circle… but I don’t blame you for not knowing much about the Midwest. Fun fact: Missouri has the largest number of states touching it (8). I’m HORRIBLE with directions. I used to have mapquest directions everywhere I went, but now I have a Mapquest App on my iPhone. Before that I had a Garmin (navigational system). I’ve lived in the same town my whole life and I can still barely get around. I work for the newspaper and I have to go to certain places a lot, but I still have to look up addresses to plug into my app. Anywhere I go I leave extra early for built-in “lost time.” My boss has this philosophy: “If you’re on time, you’re late.” Ugh.
i live in the east coast twilight zone you circled. does that mean any hope for a visit from ya’ll is futile? : )
I am lol! I have no sense of direction, I can soooo relate! I lived in Greater LA, South Bay beach areas for 60 years so got along all right. Then hubby and I had to relocate to Az 2008-2010. Got a UPS. Love it! But AZ built on a grid was easy to get around in. Then we relocated to Rhode Island in 2010. Oh my goddesses! Even the gps gets lost here! You see the roads were built around and after the houses here built 100+ yrs ago! They make no sense! Then you have to contend with detours and highway (aka freeway) changes due to weather issues (flooding for example). Not many street signs and if you miss your turnoff you might have to drive miles before you can ‘recalculate’ haha. Even Rhode Islanders won’t drive more than 15 min away (its a joke here). And I don’t do maps. Husband loves that (she says sarcastically.). Plus the street names also have ‘route’ numbers too…Calif frwys are easy compared to getting around here, with the exception of the traffic! Now I just to remember the ocean is to the East of us here!
*oops that’s GPS!
Until I read the first comment I was reading the title as Navee Dependant as in the US Navy LOL. My geography skills and sense of direction are both lacking also.
I lived in San Diego most of my adult life and know that large city like the back of my hand. I moved to Lincoln Nebraska 2 years ago (at least 10 times smaller than San Diego) and I can still get turned completely around driving to work.
Your too funny, I could never get to one of the buildings my hubby worked in even though he worked there for nearly a year. I would call him asking “How do I get there?” every time.
I am 100% right there with you, We are in the US Air Force (I say *we* but what I mean is my husband is in the air force, some people get really mad when I say *we* for some reason, I’m really not trying to impersonate an officer or anything, I just do all the same moving and crap, so it FEELS like I am in the air force…….sorry tangent) and we move every 3 years, I feel like it is a total waste of my time to learn anything, because by the time I would get it down, we would move – I spend so much time feeling new to any city, I would die without my GPS unit! (We are moving to South Korea in 5 weeks, and you can believe Korean maps for my GPS will be one of my first purchases there.) My husband however has to go any place exactly once, and he will remember where it is for life.
I don’t have GPS. I have always been one of those people who could just get myself anywhere. I have driven across country several times and all around LA and NYC without getting lost. I think I have an inner homing device
Holy Crud, I never new that whole odd, even numbers thing for N/S and E/W! I started thinking about all of the interstates in my area and it is so true! Learn something new every day.
OMG this post is SOOOOO me! I read this to my husband and he spent the whole time either pointing at me, or going “Jeez who does that remind me of again? I guess I should probably mention that I read the post to him I was laughing because I realized that it was me.
That you for the great laugh!
~Cassie~
I was laughing out loud with this… and remembering the “fun” vacation when my parents, my brother (aged 16) and me (aged 12 1/2) drove from North Carolina to California… and back… pulling a pop-up camper with a 1973 Dodge Dart… in AUGUST. The desert is HOT… very, very hot! I was the navigator because my mom and brother would get carsick. That was the fun part. lol
Dear Cousin Ashley…this must run in the family. I am so lost without my GPS, and even sometimes with it. My son says he loves going places with me, because it is always an adventure. My husband just shakes his head, but deep down I really think he enjoys all my adventure stories
Love ya,
Cousin Vicki
I’m a Southern California native and I moved to Minnesota almost two years a go. I am so turned around here without the ocean to tell me which way is west. But, since moving somewhere that I didn’t grow up and I now rely on nav, I couldn’t tell you how to get anywhere.
WOW!
OMG! This post made me laugh so hard!! Especially since I never have a clue where I am going & I can show my hubby any tiny place on a globe & he knows exactly where it is! WHAT?!!
Haha, this is great! Sounds exactly like me. I went to the same college for 5yrs and when I graduated, still couldn’t get home without my GPS. My family thinks I’m crazy. Glad I’m not the only one!
This is so funny. I am great with long distance driving. I have driven to Los Angeles and Palm Desert (my great aunt and uncle live at the Desert Willow Resort)a few times all the way from Michigan with no problems. But if you ask me how to get to my friend’s house across town I couldn’t tell you without a GPS.
That’s one of the only cause for arguments with my boyfriend! I’ older than he is and have a good sense of direction. He hasn’t and love technology, and doesen’t know how to read a map. The first time he used the GPS to go somewhere with me, we ended up in the midle of a forest (it was supposed to be a street in a small town), the the damn thing took us in the right street but in the wrong town…
Ha Ha! GPS is only good if the “B*@#% in the Box” (that’s what our family call it!) gives you the proper directions!!
Bueno, sera por eso que no salgo de mi ciudad?
Jajajajajajajajajajajaja, cuando tenga GPS podre
aventurarme a salir un poco.
Saludos
Some places I wouldn’t be able to drive to without a GPS either! Shame on us! What happens in a nuclear war?!?!? I think the pyramids are way cooler than any highway
A recent conversation with an out of state friend about using a GPS
Friend: so let me get your address so I can put it in the GPS and find you.
Me: “address, street” Palos Verdes Estates
Friend: Los Angeles, CA right?
Me: No, Palos Verdes Estates, CA
Friend: But that’s just the name of your neighborhood right? You live in LA. I type LA into the GPS?
Me: no, I live in Palos Verdes. Its near LA.
Friend: Oh my gosh! I flew into LA! I am in the wrong city! What do I do?
Me: Would you calm down. LAX is like 20 minutes from my house. You’re in the right place.
That’s what I get for telling her “I am from LA” when we first met. :p