After a somewhat pointless appointment yesterday morning, we decided to meander home, taking roads never previously travelled.
In spite of a heavy overcast, we felt it might be our last opportunity to view Fall foliage, as there was a Nor’Easter in the forecast and long term predictions are for rain and more rain.
We were propelled home by strong gusts of wind which howled past the house all night like a freight train.
In order to stay more or less on track for home, Grant set up his GPS on the dash board, “zigging” when it said “zag” and vice versa.
We listened with amusement as the device made a gentle “thunk” as it re-calibrated our whereabouts and found us a new route.
Only to be thwarted at the next bend. Just as well those things are only programmed to be polite as I could imagine what it might say every time we went “wrong”.
Grant’s GPS is set up to speak British English and it is everso frightfully polite and enthusiastic. You really want to hear that lady curse sometimes.
So far I have not tested the GPS on my new iPhone but I have attempted to make it speak French.
Just for the hell of it.
It took me a while to figure out how to do this and when I managed to retrieve the list of languages, there were no less than 131 including many varieties of English and Arabic and numerous scripts I don’t recognize.
It’s tempting to program some of these languages as my primary, just to hear what they sound like, but my phone only speaks to me through the GPS and I probably need to be able to understand that.
My luck I’d get it programmed and it would stick.
The old relic I had used to announce my phone calls, but the new phone has not yet managed this. Some shortcoming of my own, I’m sure.
However all I really want is to make and receive calls and as for who they are from, I’ve done without announcements for most of my life, so I think I can continue to figure out for myself who is calling.
For one thing, I can assign ringtones, not that I’d ever remember which is who.
There are 69 tones to choose from, each one more annoying than the last.
In the middle of all this, just as I was about to revert to the original topic of our circuitous journey home yesterday, Grant decided to attempt activating his new 5G phone device…..
OMG. A whole different set of issues for him.
We have exactly the same sort of account and phone which is paid automatically each month, but whereas my fee dropped by $5, Grant’s was suddenly going to increase by $5.
Which seemed a bit screwy and we made the mistake of saying “hang on a minute…”
By the time we got through with that conversation, I felt as if I had banged my head against a wall. I have no clue what is supposed to happen. I thought we had succeeded in activating Grant’s new phone at either $40 or $50 a month…
The conversation was so incoherent you just wanted to say “yes, OK fine. Thank you!” Stop talking!
Then the grass cutting chap turned up….
.. to discuss snow plowing. Last year’s big mystery.
No sooner had he been sorted out….
Grant’s old phone rang
and he seemed to understand why.
Me? I’m going to bed.
My head hurts and I’m not involved!
Why they put people on telephone jobs who can’t be understood, I simply don’t get and it’s very unfair to the poor agent. Maybe it’s a way of persuading people to do everything online. I certainly do if I can!
I find just shouting at the dead phone very therapeutic. 🤣🤣
That scenery though… that’s beautiful.
Oh my, I LOVE your fall photo’s Carolyn!! I can never decided which of your season pictures I love most 😀.
I never thought of changing the language on my phone’s GPS – that should be interesting – but like you, I’m convinced it will get stuck on some unpronounceable language and will stay there!