I drove down to the Scranton area, yesterday, and stupidly took Google Maps' advice on the fastest, easiest way to get there. Not via freeway for the first fourth of the drive but by a side road that supposedly would save me 30 minutes of driving. WRONG.
Now I'm not blaming Google for not knowing about the detours due to bridges being rebuilt and slowdowns thanks to massive resurfacing going on; I blame them because the names they give the roads are not the names of those roads...at least, not on the signs leading to them. So I missed my turn three times without realizing it and then had one hell of a time finding out which one I had to take once I realized I'd gone too far. After an hour of this and actually stopping to ask directions and being sent the wrong way, I bought a fold-out map, located the town I was in, found I was 4 miles too far south and used that to get to the 390 so I could end my backroads nightmare.
So...a drive that should have taken a total of 4 1/2 hours took 6. Anyway, this is the second time Google Maps messed me up on directions, so do not trust them. They're good for street layouts and if you print that up, you'll be glad you did. I was because when I got to Carbondale, 2 blocks before my next to the last turn the road was closed and I had to go back. The detour being offered was six miles out of my way, but because I'd printed up the area I was heading to, I was able to find a much shorter route.
My new motto in life -- technology is spawn of the devil, and computers are its acolytes.
Today I sliced through a lot more paperwork and chucked out another three boxes worth. Of course, I now have enough folders and scrap paper to last me until Armageddon. I have 8 boxes left to go through and then I'm done. The main thing was tossing out old drafts of my books that have been published -- from HTRASG to LD along with the multiple drafts I did of my scripts. And printed each one up. On clean paper before I caught on that if you set the photocopier to semi-light you get a copy that's just as good and doesn't show up any writing on the back of the copied page that might bleed through; then I started printing them up on scrap.
I was a very non-carbon-friendly person, once upon a time.
Now I'm not blaming Google for not knowing about the detours due to bridges being rebuilt and slowdowns thanks to massive resurfacing going on; I blame them because the names they give the roads are not the names of those roads...at least, not on the signs leading to them. So I missed my turn three times without realizing it and then had one hell of a time finding out which one I had to take once I realized I'd gone too far. After an hour of this and actually stopping to ask directions and being sent the wrong way, I bought a fold-out map, located the town I was in, found I was 4 miles too far south and used that to get to the 390 so I could end my backroads nightmare.
So...a drive that should have taken a total of 4 1/2 hours took 6. Anyway, this is the second time Google Maps messed me up on directions, so do not trust them. They're good for street layouts and if you print that up, you'll be glad you did. I was because when I got to Carbondale, 2 blocks before my next to the last turn the road was closed and I had to go back. The detour being offered was six miles out of my way, but because I'd printed up the area I was heading to, I was able to find a much shorter route.
My new motto in life -- technology is spawn of the devil, and computers are its acolytes.
Today I sliced through a lot more paperwork and chucked out another three boxes worth. Of course, I now have enough folders and scrap paper to last me until Armageddon. I have 8 boxes left to go through and then I'm done. The main thing was tossing out old drafts of my books that have been published -- from HTRASG to LD along with the multiple drafts I did of my scripts. And printed each one up. On clean paper before I caught on that if you set the photocopier to semi-light you get a copy that's just as good and doesn't show up any writing on the back of the copied page that might bleed through; then I started printing them up on scrap.
I was a very non-carbon-friendly person, once upon a time.
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