Over the river and through the woods

My dad was one of those guys who waved away maps when we went on family car trips. “I can find it, don’t worry,” he’d boldly proclaim, as we passed the same gas station for the third time. It’s no wonder that my sister and I never go anywhere today without a book to read—we picked up the habit on those long and tedious journeys where reaching the destination was always in doubt.

Unfortunately, I seem to have absorbed this aversion to maps. Whenever I’m heading out to some unfamiliar place, I have an instinctual reaction: “Oh, I know where that street is—I’m sure I can find it.” Often, I forget to bring the address. Forty minutes later, I’m cruising up and down the streets looking desperately for landmarks.

This holiday season, I’m finally getting smart. Thanks to my new phone with Windows Mobile 6.1, I now have a handy map-and-directions tool right in my pocket at all times. So when my “instincts” fail me, I don’t have to wander in the wilderness of some unfamiliar suburb or foreign Seattle neighborhood, muttering, “It must be one street over.” Instead, I’m already enjoying the party and watching other people stagger in, complaining they couldn’t find the place. I give them my best “Gee, I had no problem” smile.

This year, my friend John is throwing a big Christmas party at his house in the suburbs. I head to the basement to get the machete and the pith helmet. No, wait. Instead, I fire up Internet Explorer Mobile on my phone, go to Windows Live Search Maps, enter the coordinates (that is, the starting and ending addresses), and voilà, I’ve got directions to John’s house, updated traffic information, and a map of the neighborhood. If I’ve neglected to write the address down, as usual, I can access my e-mail through Microsoft Office Outlook Mobile on my phone and retrieve it.