Went to sister's party

[Zoe Girl]

And it was really nice, we have quite different life cultures actually so it is always interesting. I saw her one friend I have known for many years so that was good. I also finished my skirt at the very last minute! I was hemming until 4;15 and really wanted to leave at 4. The skirt turned out wonderful, My sister is funny, she has some social anxiety so even though they were all her friends at one point we just went to the side living room instead of the very full kitchen.

I would also like to say that if you have anyone in your family with different 'culture' and they offer to bring something please let them. She was super sweet and got the special soda I can drink, and hummus. All the main course kind of food however had some sort of ham or bacon involved. I love veggie trays and hummus so it was good, of course the chocolate part, but she kept on saying I didn't need to bring anything. I got invited to a potluck this week with people from my personal culture (we are the meditators, lots of vegetarians, label our gluten free food,) so that is a nice balance.

I took one wrong turn and ended up in the middle of nowhere! You don't know what nowhere is until you are on the wrong highway in northeastern Colorado and there are not even farmhouses. I got turned back and to the right place but I think I will use my gps anytime I go in the dark.

[rodeosweetheart]

I took one wrong turn and ended up in the middle of nowhere! You don't know what nowhere is until you are on the wrong highway in northeastern Colorado and there are not even farmhouses. I got turned back and to the right place but I think I will use my gps anytime I go in the dark.

That sounds so fun, so great you went.

I think that is good advice about the GPS--last summer I drove to my parents through Ohio and my gosh, there was a stretch in the directions with a detour, and just isolated farmhouses and no gas stations for 2 hours through Southern Ohio. I got a bit freaked out. Luckily, I filled up the tank before hitting that part of the journey, since I had taken a similar trip year before and sweated out the No Gas Station No Motels No Nothing for 2 hours through central Indiana.

But maybe it is time for a Garmin.

[Zoe Girl]

Oh I know those stretches through the midwest and other places where there is nothing! I had enough gas at first to go there and back but filled up before I left because I used so much. My phone maps/gps does a good job. I used it to get out of Denver since I was going from a different location than usual. Then I turned it off to save data and battery. I will now know the stretches to turn it back on. Including that as i got back to Denver (without GPS thank you, I do know how to get home) there was a big road sign about trucks needing to avoid a water main break. It didn't have detour information so I went the regular route, had the road closed, drove through major industrial sections and under the highway for at least 5 miles. I really did use my GPS there, although it told me to take one turn that was a dead end into the giant power plant.

[sweetana3]

My GPS took me to a dead end in a cemetery. I always wondered about the sign that said "No exit to Route 7" but this was before I found out the mistakes that the GPS sometimes makes. Has given us several funny stories and strange routes.

I remember one night I took a wrong turn in the dark in the country leaving a friend's house pre cell phones. I drove for 30 minutes in a total panic until I realized that since it was Indiana, I would hit some numbered road at some point. I did and found I had been driving in the opposite direction from where I should have gone. Finally made it home. Now the GPS is on.

[Selah]

GPS and map apps are great, but sometimes they get it wildly wrong. My husband was driving with some friends and me as passengers in northern Israel. We had to find a location in a Druze town (an ethnic minority) that was designed very much like Arab villages: winding, narrow lanes, few if any street signs, no streetlights, etc. It was also in a very hilly area. Our Waze app led us around and around and around, until finally it told us to go down a "street" that was less than a yard away from us. My husband was about to follow its directions, until I yelled and yelled at him to stop the car so I could get out and check if it was safe. That stupid app nearly drove us off a cliff--we could have been killed!

[Zoe Girl]

I usually try to do a map at home for a general idea before I get on the road and use gps that can save a lot of grief. There are some places I am really good at but during long drives I kinda go off in a story in my head.

My confusion about left and right are a challenge. Many years ago, pre cell phones, My friend and I gave a coworker a ride home and then had to get back to the main road in some snow. Yeah, I remembered the direction at the fork wrong and she only bugged me for a few years :) I basically trust the other person in a question

[Reyes]

Regarding the food, as a long time vegetarian/vegan I find it far simpler (and a kindness to the host) to eat before I go, and then I can just nibble on what is offered that fits within my chosen diet. I don't offer that I ate before I came so as to not offend. I just find my (probably annoying to others) food choices to be my thing to take care of.

[Rachel]

Sounds nice, Zoe. These food issues can be tricky--good for both you and your sister for making it work!