GPS – Who Needs It?

My brother has a slick Lexus IS350, fully loaded, including navigation. He really loves his nav and doesn’t know how he ever lived without it. I don’t have a GPS unit for my car and for the last year or so, I was thinking about getting a Garmin. Prices have dropped dramatically and the new models have tons of features, but I just never pulled the trigger. Quite frankly, I am starting to wonder, do I really need it?

First of all, I am married. My wife tells me where to go (even when we’re not driving, but that’s a different topic), when to speed up, when to slow down, where to turn, when I’m following too closely….well, you get the picture. Speaking from experience, married men do not need GPS…now if there was only a way to turn down the volume on the wife.

Secondly, as of June 2009, I am the proud owner of a teenager and he is quickly becoming adept at providing me Garmin/wife-like guidance. His user-interface is slightly different than my wife’s, but equally functional. Just the other night, we were driving to Sport Chalet to get a urinal picture and on the way home, he spouted “whoa, whoa, whoa”….which translated into, “please slow down.” I heeded his guidance and slowed down….and asked him if the expression for me to speed up is, “giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up.” Sorry, I digress. My point is, if my wife ever gets laryngitis, I have an effective back-up.

Anyway, I ended up inheriting a Garmin from my brother in-law when he moved back to Guam. I’m pretty sure the GPS satellite constellation covers Guam, so I can only speculate on the reasons for his generous donation. I’m thinking either Guam is so small only an idiot would need GPS or perhaps he is planning on getting married soon. Now that I have a GPS, the question is, “do I need it?” Honestly, I don’t. The Garmin sits idle in the center console….while my wife tells me where to go, how to get there, and how fast I should be going. Thanks Dear.