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So, random thoughts...

So, i've decided not to write anymore "New Car" blog entries this year. The word "Overkill" comes to mind whenever i start to think about it. I'm pretty sure that's a relief for the few that actually read this blog, and believe me i could go the rest of the year just blogging about the car (lol). That is not to suggest i am obsessed with the vehicle, in fact i have only washed the car once since the purchase. Because, you know, they say, washing one's new car more than a few times a week is a true sign of new-car obsession-- and i know a few (That's just nuts). I think i would have blogged about the "new car" regardless of what kind i purchased (Hell, even my 1997 Civic got a few blog entries...). I just like the car A LOT! But i think you already knew that...

So, i can't believe summer is over. It is getting cool at night and i am starting to miss summer and the few things that i like about it. Baseball most definitely is the one thing i associate the Season with the most, and the other perhaps the countless perfect days California offers in the Summer (Yes my perfect days are not limited to the snowy Winter of Mammoth hehe). The fall, though, is a bit of a nuisance i think. There's really nothing good about it (nothing i consider good anyway). Leaves fall all over the place (and all over my car), the Santa Ana winds blow like crazy, and the weather seems uncertain on most days. It usually starts off very cold in the morning then it seems to change its mind and warms the day uncomfortably. And not to mention, the fires! Forget the fall man, i say we skip to Winter!

So, a friend and co-worker in Maryland visited our offices here in California recently and i decided to play ambassador. I kind of enjoy doing that (i've noticed...). Not that i necessarily like driving people around, because i do not. I really enjoy the engaging reminiscing with old friends from the old country but probably more so meeting people you only get to chat with online on a regular basis. It feels a little more gratifying in a way than conversing with someone you've known all your life and meeting for the first time in years. I guess, simply put, its more enjoyable getting to know someone new than catching-up with an old friend, albeit the inherent challenges of trying to get to know a new person. Anyway, she flew in via the Burbank Airport (A more pleasant drive than LAX she estimated-- Yea if you do not count the four stops the plane had to make), and apparently was promised a car with either a Navigation System or a portable GPS. However when she left the rental lot, all she had in hand was a printout from Google Maps lol (Thats so 90's). She called me instantly, but not for directions. She wanted my help to Kill the Hertz guy lol. Needless to say she was pissed!

When she finally calmed down, i told her finding her way to the Westlake Village Hyatt shouldn't be too difficult. I instructed her to head South on Hollywood way when she comes out of the Hertz parking lot. "I do not know where South is Marc!" she exclaimed... Fuck!. About 2 miles down you will see the "134 West" on your right hand side, i continued. You will then see the "101 Freeway" which will lead you to Westlake Village. These simple directions are essentially the same directions as the Google Maps she had in hand, with a few less turns (Google Maps tend to provide the shortest in distance but most confusing due to turns).

Somehow she ended up in Shadow Hills (10 miles off mark) when she called me next. This time i gave her more specific directions down to the landmarks along the way. Then about 40 minutes later, she managed to find her way to the City of Commerce, about 40 miles the opposite way. Well the good news is, it only took you 40 miles to realize you might be going the right way, i told her, trying to be consoling. She didn't really like that too much.

Traffic was extraordinarily bad too that night (A nice little 'Welcome to LA' for her!). It doesn't normally take four hours to get to Westlake Village even in rush hour from LA (she finally checked in at 9:15-- five hours after landing). She said i got her lost, and i am sure you know we debated long and hard about it... My directions were pretty cut and dry and if she had followed it diligently, she couldn't get lost-- simple as that. This is not to say i do not get lost, i do (Sometimes...). Anyway, she claims i specifically instructed her to take the "101 South" from the "134 West". That right there tells me two things, either she is crazy or a liar. The 134 West splits into the 170 freeway on the right and the 101 freeway on the left, you'll see neither North or South but "101 Ventura" (which is North). I specifically did not tell her "north or south" because there was no reason to, and to avoid confusion... Perhaps that is where the confusion lay though. But, if she ended up heading south on the 101 then she really did not go West on the 134 freeway, did she?

In any case, i think she became lost from the time she left the Airport (Perhaps before she left Hagerstown Maryland). Sure it was a bit confusing, but what airport isn't?

So, random...

Posted by: Marc Gabay
Friday, September 28, 2007