Meet Gigi

Readers of this blog will be happy to know that Gigi is not another dog (as if we don't have enough dog pictures already).

No, Gigi is my new portable GPS unit, a Garmin Nuvi 650. Valerie got me this unit for my birthday.

I know, I know, real men use maps. We get lost and pull out the map thinking we know where we're going and confidently charge ahead. Our 30 minute trips take 45 minutes because we have a "back way".

Valerie is, how do you say, directionally challenged. So she decided to get a navigation system with her new car last year. Its great. I never have to worry that she'll get lost going here or there. I've even found myself taking the Lexus when we're going to someplace that we've never been before. It's convenient.

I travel on the weekends to far-flung places that I've never been before. Google maps does a pretty good job of getting me where I want to go, but you miss a turn on those directions and you are screwed with a capitol S. You better hope you have a map of the area and know how to read it.

Gigi is portable so she can go with me in the Honda or the 4Runner. You still have to have an idea of where you are going because she's not perfect. She'll route you down I95 in the middle of rush-hour (a big no-no for those out of the area) and she'll pick the shortest route even if it entails you exiting the highway skipping two exits on a crossroad and getting back on the highway. But if you miss the turn on Bumblebee road, she'll recalculate your course and get you to where you want to go.

But I still carry my maps for backup.