My New BFF Maggs

While its true I've been living in the US for a number of years now, I've still never managed to develop any sort of comfort level when it comes to driving the highway and byways of this vast country. I feel like an alien or at the least a tourist, every time I need to go somewhere that is outside of my regular driving routine.

The first problem is the sheer size of the roads. Highways so wide you could land a jumbo-jet. Then there's the fact that Atlanta is a city so spread out, nothing is ever close to anything else, so driving is a must. You can't avoid it. If you want to go out, if you want to have a life and socialize in this city then you better get to drivin and for a girl with serious and I mean serious, just ask Husband, sense of direction issues, driving is nothing short of a fecking nightmare.

Manys a time I've suffered the wrath of a venomous drivers horn because I suddenly discovered my turn or exit was fast approaching and I needed to make my way across 4 lanes in the next 200m. Missing my exit is not an option. Missing my exit sends my brain into a spin and I loose my bearings. Missing my exit feels like someone just blindfolded me, spun me around 10 times in each direction, put a tail in my hand and told me to go pin it on a donkey. Yes, its that bad, just ask Husband.

But that was me at my worst. That was me before Mapquest. For years now Mapquest has been my saving grace. Mapquest empowered a girl from a small village in Ireland (really it was a town, but allow me some dramatic license, just for effect) who's main mode of transportation was her bike (this is not for dramatic effect, this is fact) to confidently take on the cut-throat and hostile world of the US Interstate. In my mind nothing could beat Mapquest. Nothing that is, until I met Maggs

Maggs is my new Sat-Nav/GPS and a birthday gift (its not my birthday yet, but soon) from my brother and his wife and why I have not got my hands on one of these babies sooner is beyond me. This thing is genius. My brother was tired of seeing me search and print (or write out by hand if your printer is broken) the directions to every place we planned on visiting almost every day of his trip. To him is was unnecessary and needed to end. And end it did with the arrival of Maggs.

Maggs, is short for Margaret and why we called her Margaret in the first place, I'm not sure, when she spoke, she just sounded like a Margaret or Maggs to her friends. And since we are now friends and I have learned to put my full trust is her and her ability to get me from origin to designation safely and correctly, Maggs is what she'll be.