For Old Guys Only

I had an "old fart moment" in front of the kids:
We were heading home from an outing, just daughters and me, when I saw thick traffic ahead, at what looked like a stand still. So I turned off the main route, and was pretty confident that I could get past it all by going down some through-streets.
Sophie was doubtful. "Daddy, do you know these streets?"
I was honest. "Nope" I said.
"How do you know where you're going?" she asked.
"Sun" I said as I pointed out the passenger window while heading south.
"The sun? What do you mean?" she wondered.
I explained "The sun sets in the west. It is early evening right now. We are already east of home, so our home is to the west. Troy road is still to the south because we're not on it yet, and then we go toward the sun to get home."
"But you could use your GPS on your phone."
I sighed. "I don't want to take the time to pull over, type in the address, wait for it to find our location, then listen to that bubbly-perky voice act all backseat-driver on me. Besides, I know where I'm going. I haven't needed it before."
"How did you used to find your way?" she actually asked me.
So I gave her the back-in-my-day speech, the preamble of which she's heard a million times: "Well, growing up, we had these things called brains. And we used 'em to read these paper things called maps." (I wasn't being snide here, I don't think she's ever seen one.) "And if you pay attention in Girls Scouts, and science class when it comes up, you'll learn this stuff too." And I launched into some speech about how having a working brain is better than any smart phone ever made, yada yada, etc.

Do you think some day she'll think of me as something better than a rambling idiot? That day will come, right?
 
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Take them on a hike out in the waaaay out back. Have a trusted friend or two with them for protection from the "elements" if you get my drift.
Let her use her cel phone and you use a map.
You both leave your starting points at the same time
They start 2 miles away from a pre-determined destination.
You also start 2 miles away from a different starting point and head to the same destination.
Using a compass is optional.

See who gets there first...
 
Allen_Wrench said:
I had an "old fart moment" in front of the kids:
We were heading home from an outing, just daughters and me, when I saw thick traffic ahead, at what looked like a stand still. So I turned off the main route, and was pretty confident that I could get past it all by going down some through-streets.
Sophie was doubtful. "Daddy, do you know these streets?"
I was honest. "Nope" I said.
"How do you know where you're going?" she asked.
"Sun" I said as I pointed out the passenger window while heading south.
"The sun? What do you mean?" she wondered.
I explained "The sun sets in the west. It is early evening right now. We are already east of home, so our home is to the west. Troy road is still to the south because we're not on it yet, and then we go toward the sun to get home."
"But you could use your GPS on your phone."
I sighed. "I don't want to take the time to pull over, type in the address, wait for it to find our location, then listen to that bubbly-perky voice act all backseat-driver on me. Besides, I know where I'm going. I haven't needed it before."
"How did you used to find your way?" she actually asked me.
So I gave her the back-in-my-day speech, the preamble of which she's heard a million times: "Well, growing up, we had these things called brains. And we used 'em to read these paper things called maps." (I wasn't being snide here, I don't think she's ever seen one.) "And if you pay attention in Girls Scouts, and science class when it comes up, you'll learn this stuff too." And I launched into some speech about how having a working brain is better than any smart phone ever made, yada yada, etc.

Do you think some day she'll think of me as something better than a rambling idiot? That day will come, right?
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I find it easier to just say that we were taught magic in pre-school. Magic is the answer. :D
 
Back in the 70s, in south Florida, we used to play a game called, 'Find the Airport'. Each contestant was given a set of instructions that, if you followed them precisely, would take you to a particular little field.

The instructions would read something like this: Take off and climb to 3000'. Fly a heading of 270 @ 100 mph for 20 minutes. Turn to heading 180 and fly for 15 minutes.... They would go on like that turning you here and there and even giving you different air speeds to fly at. If you followed the instructions, at the end of the last leg of the flight you should find the airport directly below you. You circled and landed and sat around with those who got there too and watch the other contestants in their little airplanes circling off in the distance, all looking for the airport.

A lot of times the 'airport' would just be a grass strip that was hard to see from even 3000 feet. It was easier, if you knew you were close to just look for parked airplanes.

GPS would take all the fun out of that game.

Tom
 
I agree Tom, I think a person should use their own ability to solve problems. The old saying is so true " if you don't use it you lose it " applys here, but the gps has it porpose. Believe me it is no fun trying to find your way out of the woods 3/4 of a mile without a GPS after dark. The GPS type we all use have a feature that allows each of us to track the others after we all program to the same frequency , everytime anyone in our group that is within a mile or so keys his mic his location show on the other hunters GPS.
 
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I drove my hot rod to St. Louis a couple of summers ago to visit a two old Air Force friends. If it hadn't been for my GPS I'd probably still be driving around St. Louis trying to find the right off ramp. I think there are about 5 Interstate highways that converge on St. Louis. What a snake-pit of highways.

Oh, and I named the female voice of my Tom-Tom GPS , Gloria. What a sweetie she is. Never lets me down or gets me lost. She even knows where the closest gas station is :)

Tom
 
I don't know how many of my 'old' friends who read this thread are into books and reading but if you were ever a 'Jan & Dean' fan or the Beach Boys, or any other 60s bands, you might enjoy a book by Bob Greene titled, 'When we get to Surf City'.
It is a fascinating and heartbreaking look behind the scenes of a 60s rock band and what they encounter over a 15 year span of touring the country.

So much of what Greene writes about and his memories of the 60s makes the book come alive, for me, anyway. A fascinating look into the music and the people many of us grew up with during our formative years. Highly recommended to anyone but especially those who remember summers, surf and car songs and the innocent magic of the pre-Vietnam and the JFK assination days.

Tom
 
2door said:
I drove my hot rod to St. Louis a couple of summers ago to visit a two old Air Force friends. If it hadn't been for my GPS I'd probably still be driving around St. Louis trying to find the right off ramp. I think there are about 5 Interstate highways that converge on St. Louis. What a snake-pit of highways.

Oh, and I named the female voice of my Tom-Tom GPS , Gloria. What a sweetie she is. Never lets me down or gets me lost. She even knows where the closest gas station is :)

Tom
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I think if I go on more extended trips out of the city, I'll start putting my GPS to work. But I've been in Indy long enough that I don't really need it. For me it's like Cleveland: I look at the address, generally knowing where the street is, and the number tells me how far down it to go.
One time we went to Cincinnati to visit my wife's parents. She'd booked a room at a Holiday Inn for the weekend. What I didn't know was that the hotel was so new (just been built) that the GPS on my phone couldn't find it. So I drove up the street it was supposed to be on and stared out my window, bug-eyed, until I spotted it. When I said I hardly use them, that was the last time. But GPS is a marvelous invention. I feel I should give them another chance. But I doubt I'll ever become dependent on them.
 
Have you ever noticed how many Beach Boy songs started with the word 'well' ?

"Well, since she put me down....."
"Well, east coast girls are hip...."
"Well, it's been buildin' up inside of me..."
"Well, I'm not braggin' babe so don't put me down...."

And, how long did it take you to remember the tune when you first read the line?

Tom
 
If those writers were doing songs today they would begin; So, I'm not bragging ...
And I remembered them instantly, being an old BB fan.
 
A couple more I thought of:

"Well, she got her daddy's car and she cruised to the hamburger stand now...

"Well I saved my pennies and I saved my dimes..."

Brian Wilson liked, 'well'... :)

Tom
 
Well.......have you ever been in a restaurant, sitting alone at your table, and had terrible service?? Well, on my short vacation this happened to me and I decided to have a wee bit of fun!

When the waitress finally brought the ticket, I asked if she had 'split the ticket' like I had asked (I hadn't). She gave me a funny look, and I replied that my 'friend' wanted to pay for her own (very imaginary friend). Another funny look. At this point, I asked my 'friend' if she would just let me pay for her 'meal'.

I waited a moment then looked at the waitress. "Well", I asked......."didn't you hear her say that she wanted to pay for her own?"

I could tell that the waitress wanted to say something ---- but thought better of it. She took my ticket and left.

She came back in about 10 minutes with 2 tickets......and what appeared to be a manager. She had put my entree on one, the drink on the other. I looked at her and nodded my approval.

Then I replied, "Don't you wish that you'd paid more attention to my, oh, I mean 'our' service during my stay?"

She really wanted to say something, but, well, she thought better of it with the manager standing there.

True story.
 
Otero said:
You're an ornery 'ol cuss, X. I got try that one next time it takes
an hour to get breakfast.
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Well....sometimes! However, I also had some very nice servers. Some of those received 30% gratuities. What's that old quote --- "Ye shalt reap what ye sowed."
 
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