When Technology Fails, Life Sucks

Let's just say that with this day and age, we depend on technology to help our lives--laundry machines, computers, cell phones. There is an endless list of technology that we use in our every day lives...and if it somehow breaks or doesn't work the way it's intended, WE'RE SCREWED.

I'll explain further.

So basically, my summer has probably been the most boring, uneventful summer I've had in forever. Take away Girl's Camp, EFY and Youth Conference and you're basically leaving me with a day-time planner full of empty hour slots. See, yesterday was the day that some old friends and I were going to go to the high school--it ended up being cancelled 15 minutes before we were going to go. So time dragged on with nothing to do and before you know it, 4:30 felt like it could be 7 o' clock.

Then around 6 PM, my friend Amy texted me if I wanted to go see our friend, Laura, in her school play with her. Heck yeah I did! So I bailed on a game of "Five Crowns" with the parents (I was kicking their butts by the way, but lost by default...whatever makes you sleep at night, Dad! haha) and threw on some nicer clothes. Then with the GPS (aka the failed technology) in hand, I got into my Dad's car and drove off.

First off, I'd just like to start off by saying, I'm pretty much an idiot for thinking that Rt. 28 and Rt. 7 are the same thing. So to get to Leesburg, apparently you have to get onto 7...I ignored the GPS and just went onto 28, thinking it was 7. Well that one mistake SCREWED ME OVER. That's when the GPS went crazy and literally said, "recalculating...recalculating...recalculating...turn left (ummm, hello, Gladys-Getcha-There, there's a cinder block wall on my left, heck NO am I turning left)...recalculating" and it kept doing this until I passed the Dulles Airport and got off on an exit called Frying Pan Road or something like that. It was still going crazy with the recalculatings so finally I pulled into some business parking lot and retyped in the address to Amy's house. Finally I was on my way.

And by on my way, I mean crusin' through residential neighborhoods going 25 mph with a bunch of cars that actually followed the speed limit and during Reston traffic. I was thinking, why am I not on the highway?! I was freaking out and I had no idea where I was. I was so frustrated with the dang GPS...I didn't know if I should scream, curse or pray. So I did all three in my head. But I honestly was freaking out.

It was only until I got to the other half of Sterling (the Sterling closer to the Church building) that I realized, one, I wasn't going to make it to Leesburg, and two, I finally know where I'm at so I better just go home before I get re-lost again and, three, why the heck did the GPS have me on the neighborhood road verses the actual faster road? So I called Amy and told her we'd have to hang out another time and I headed home.

It was only until I got home that I realized my mistake about the Rt 28 and 7. Technology has made us not really depend on memorizing important things like major highways. Another thing I realized was that my dad changed the setting from "automobile" to "pedestrian" on the GPS, meaning that it would go through residential areas...not highways (Tanner did some GeoCaching thing the day before so that's why my dad set it up that way). So basically, technology has made human-kind crippled in some important part of the brain. When technology fails, life sucks.

PS: I have hung out with some old friends so far...let's just say, a second job to keep me even busier than I already am would be great. Busier to the point where I won't have time to be bored or to worry that people would think I'm like my friends by association. That's about the nicest, vaguest way I can put it. Anyway, happy Memorial Day weekend!