Posted by raharris on Tuesday, October 5, 2010
I a personal day from work Monday -- my 50th birthday -- and drove down to the Mandolin Brothers so they could look at a Gibson A4 mandolin I'd bought earlier in the year. Stan called it a "players instrument," in that it's got a sweet sound but is ugly as hell! Gil is going to do some work on it and I'm looking forward to the results.
And in reference to nothing, up the damn GPS! I can get to Staten Island easily -- it's only a half an hour -- and I only need directions about four files from the Mandolin Brothers. But like an idiot I chose to follow the GPS all the way and it added another 45 minutes to the round trip. It routed me through Newark!! I passed Union station thinking "Now what in the world am I doing here?!" But worse, I did the same thing on the way back. When I got home I unplugged the durn thing and brought it into the house. It's more a nusiance than a help . . .
6 comments on “Trip to Mandolin Brothers”
mainejohn Says:
Tuesday, October 5, 2010 @4:39:43 PM
I've used maps for 50 years and will continue to do so.
raharris Says:
Wednesday, October 6, 2010 @6:15:20 AM
Yeah, I've always liked maps. My wife can use the GPS if she wants, or we'll give it away. Back to maps for me. It's kind of like when I tried the electric guitar, found it wasn't working for me, and went back to acoustic.
mainejohn Says:
Wednesday, October 6, 2010 @6:27:42 AM
Maps offer an overview and perspective that a GPS cannot accomplish...kinda like an analog watch vs a digital. I guess I'm just a dinosaur.
yougogrl Says:
Monday, October 18, 2010 @8:15:38 PM
Even though I consider myself quite nerdy and tech'y I could not find my way out of a paper bag on GPS, if that thing tells me to take a "legal u-turn" one more time I will scream :-) I love my old school maps.
Paul R Says:
Monday, October 18, 2010 @11:09:38 PM
Gotta watch that GPS! Someone followed the directions and drove into a swamp! Another followed directions and drowned in a reservoir. Talk about taking things too literally.
We were in a friend's car on Queen Street here in Kingston, and it said we were on Princess Street. I prefer thinking to being led like a sheep. John's right, use a map and use your head.
raharris Says:
Tuesday, October 19, 2010 @4:44:14 AM
As it turns out just yesterday I got a call from Gil that my mandolin was ready. I'm excited! But I'm not gong to use the GPS to get to Staten Island. The first half hour of the journey is pro forma -- get onto 95 south. Why I let the GPS tell me how to do that is now beyond my comprehension, as is the fact the I let the darn thing take me through Newark. I knew better. I know better. When I go to fetch my baby I'll let nature take it's course up to 95 south, and will have studied a map to have a very good idea of what do do for that last ten, 15 minutes on Staten Island.
When I first got the GPS I still studied maps pretty closely, so when the GPS tried to take me the wrong way I overrode it. After a time I stopped studying maps and blasted off into space wholly dependent on the infernal machine - and that's what got me into trouble. One might say that going back to a map/GPS hybrid would be a useful approach, but I'm going to ditch the darn thing and make it on my own. Or get lost, which is no better than I got trusting the GPS.
BTW my 90+ year old mando is going to be a dream. It's one ugly sucker but has a hellava voice. Cleaned up tuners and a new bridge and tailpiece in place and I'll be ready to take it on the road. Without the GPS.
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