Married to Mr Gadget!
by Sharon Archer
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| Why have one when you can have two... or more! |
Yep, men love technology! And my husband, Glenn, is no exception! The latest gadget arrived a couple of weeks ago - a GPS. Things didn't look promising to start with... it couldn't find where it was! Not a great start for a gadget that's supposed to tell you where to go!
Anyway, we went out with it in the car for the very first time. As we turned out of the gate, an emotionless female voice said...
- Drive for two point three kilometres. Then
- In eight hundred metres, prepare to turn left.... and
- In three hundred metres, prepare to turn left.... and finally
- Turn left at the next intersection.
But then, as Glenn accelerated up the hill, she said the magic words...
- You are over the speed limit!
So have you got gadget lovers in your life? Or perhaps you're the gadget lover? Confess all!
I've got a copy of The Man Behind The Badge to give away to one of my commenters!
PS No husbands were hurt in the writing of this blog article. In fact, Glenn sourced gadgets for photographing. When I cried "Enough, enough!"... his plaintive voice came from down the hall, "But I haven't opened the other box yet!"
The moment I saw toy-boy as the title, I just had to read this post! First, quietly to myself, chuckling all the way...until the very last PS ;) And then aloud to my DH, who tried to fake his laughter ;) before adding : Now I know what the ladies talk about us-ie men !!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great laugh Sharon!!!
I wish you had photographed the other box too!! :)
Sharon
ReplyDeleteLOL I loved this post my hubby is not a gadget man at all but we do have a navman with Karen the aussie lady talking on it he still can't set it to where we are going our daughter usually does that and he only takes direction from it when he really needs to and often upsets "Karen" by taking a different route and she is forever telling him to make a u-turn LOL.
I gotta say The Man Behind The Badge fantastic story I loved it
Have Fun
Helen
Have to admit some gadgets are my forte but most are not. When I got my new TV/DVD/surround sound over time I asked the Retravision bloke who delivered to install it. De-struction books never work for me, even in English. LOL
ReplyDeleteGadgets in the SES/RFS shed are another matter. Have had to learn to use them, although when something stuffs up I'll let the guys fiddle and play with whatever it is to their hearts content. Happy to use them...in working condition. :-)
One gadget at school I loved learning to use was the interactive whiteboard. Now that's an amazing piece of technology. I felt like I was on the Starship Enterprise first time I had a go of one. :-D If you've never had a "play" with one then get thee to a Smartboard and try it. Amazing. :-)
Yep, your post really struck a chord, Sharon, and I chuckled from beginning to end.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I confess I'm a huge fan of the satnav. When we drove around Europe, it was invaluable and we'd arrive at our destination great friends. Last time we tried driving in Europe with me as navigator with maps and incomprehensible street signs, we'd arrive at our destination demanding divorce.
Hi Ju! I'm so glad you enjoyed "Toy Boy"! I laughed when I read you wished I'd posted the pics of the second box. As I was trying to decide which photos to use in this post, I thought 'I should do "Toy Boy Story 2!" So the second box of gadgets might be up in a couple of weeks!
ReplyDelete;)
Sharon
Thank you, Helen! I'm thrilled you enjoyed Tom and Kayla's story.
ReplyDeleteLOL about your navman telling your dh to do a U-turn all the time! On our first trip with ours, Glenn had set it to take the most direct and fastest route to our destination. But then he made a decision to take a bypass thinking it'd be quicker... alas GPS lady turned out to be right because there were hideous road works on the bypass!
;)
Sharon
Kylie, I do have confess that I'm a bit of a gadget lover myself - as long as the gadget works properly without really really complicated directions! My weakness is kitchen gadgets... and stationery gadgets... and ... ;)
ReplyDeleteOooooo, that smartboard sounds AWESOME! Thanks for tip, I'll keep a look out... maybe a visit to Officeworks! LOL
:)
Sharon
Zana, how excellent that satnav guided you around Europe! It sounds like it was a real stress- and sanity-saver for you and your dh! And that's huge because you want to see the sights and enjoy each others company - not be frothing at the mouth behind the steering wheel or over a map!
ReplyDelete:)
Sharon
I have a love hate relationship with my GPS. It's dumped me at places where only wide boars live. But on a whole I think they're wonderful gadgets! I still get my dh to program destinations though. Why do techie things have to be so darn...techie? Answer: Coz boys feed off it, God love em!
ReplyDeleteSharon, had a good old giggle at your post - especially the no husbands were harmed bit at the end. I bet sometimes that's touch and go! I'm actually NOT a gadget person. In fact, I'm currently hiding terrified from trying to set up a camera for a hookup with a book group on the weekend. NOOOOO!!! Don't want to think about that, don't want to think about that. Perhaps you should lend me Glenn for the day. He'd have a wonderful time setting it up.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the Man Behind the Badge is a wonderful book and anyone who wins it is a lucky duck indeed!
Eeek, on your 'interesting' arrival places, Robyn! "Interesting" on a trip isn't always a good thing, is it! We haven't had ours long enough to have had that experience... yet! But friends of ours have. We were meeting them at a camping ground in the Snowy Mountains... their satnav took them on the 'interesting, scenic' route. It took them twice as long to get to the camping ground and they live half the distance!
ReplyDelete:)
Sharon
LOL on your camera hookup for the book group, Anna! But it's a very sympathetic LOL! Technology is fabulous as long as it just gets on with what it's supposed to do without an attack of temperament - i.e. too many darned complex instructions! Mmm, I'm sure Glenn would love to tinker with your camera set up... we'll have to work on that...
ReplyDeleteThank you for your lovely words about The Man Behind The Badge!
mwah, mwah!
Sharon
Sharon,
ReplyDeleteI live in a house where the males believe I'm incompetent because I so rarely put on a dvd that when I do I have to puzzle over which of the 4 remote controls to use... They're not gadget mad but there's a definite affinity with technology - an eagerness to jump in and play with the latest gizmo (preferably without waiting for the instructions) that makes me think they're wired differently. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Sharon,
ReplyDeletemy husband often asks me how I can write a book when I (like Annie) push a zillion buttons on our three hundred remote controls trying to work out which one is for what.
We borrowed a GPS once to find our way in Brisbane to where I bought some 'things' online (and yes the truck cost as much as the pavers did). The voice drove me crazy!!
Hi, Sharon and the Love Cats!
ReplyDelete93 million hits, eh? That doesn't surprise me! I actually adore my shiny gadgets. My hubby has an iPad 2, but I've not been able to prise it out of his hands for more than a minute ever since he got it.
Hi Sharon
ReplyDeleteI loved your post! We are a gadget conscious household, but it is me who loves to collect such gizmos--kitchen gadgets in particular. I just bought an electric pepper mill and am having such fun with that. The dish especially designed for storing berries in the fridge has not yet seen use, but come spring I am sure it will come into its own. And then there is the silicon food baster I bought just because I like the idea, even though I fear it might melt on the barbecue!
Don't enter me in the draw for THE MAN BEHIND THE BADGE. I am fortunate to already have a copy of this wonderful, sweet romance! Whoever wins it is in for a treat.
Hey Sharon
ReplyDeleteYou got me with this post from the beginning to the speed limit comment. I'm laughing - thank you.
My hubby is a gadget-man and I take on all his old cast offs as he updates, the phone, the computer, the lap top, the ipad....(well not yet but coming soon I bet...) its passes down the chain....
Strangely enough, one thing I have and he doesn't is the GPS. They drive him nuts - he uses his maps app on his phone rather as it doesn't chatter to him.
But I am with Robyn here, GPS is not always right - in Johannesburg in December I landed up in some scary places that if I had a map I would never have gone into...but lucky here in Australia its a bit more accurate and I haven't landed in the ocean - yet....
Waving hello.
Bye 4 now
Tina
Oh, gosh, Sharon, my hubby is a gadget nut. We have sooo many gadgets, and many more he is lusting over. And I get into trouble because I don't intuitively know how to use them!
ReplyDeleteUnfortuntately I don't hold out much hope for mr7 and mr5 as they are being trained by their Dad to love gadgets too. Pity their future wives!
This is such a fun post. My husband is a photography nut and over the years has had his share of gadgets related to this hobby. He loves to read maps and firmly believes that anyone should be able to get anywhere using a map and common sense. The one time he had to rely on a GPS was when he was driving my brother-in-law's car and he finally turned it off and went by memory instead. It helps that he has been a travelling salesman for almost 30 years and he has a fantastic memory.
ReplyDeleteHi Sharon,
ReplyDeleteLol! At your title and then the last para...no husbands were harmed!
My DH is an electrical carpentary tool collecter, so you can see all types of cordless everything in our house or shed. But a simple remote control, oh no, he'll call out to our daughter to set it up right!
He's happiest carrying his nail gun and cordless drills!
LOL, Sharon. Men and gadgets go together the same way women and shoes do. That said, I swear my husband has way more gadgets than I have shoes.
ReplyDeleteHmm, may have to rectify that sometime in the future. It only seems fair :-).
Ooh, I've heard such wonderful things about Man Behind the Badge. Can't wait to get a copy in my hot little hands!
Annie! Snap! We have four (mutter, mutter) remote controls too! Argh! And I swear, as soon as I start to get the hang of what turns on what... the blasted bit of electronic wizardry needs to be replaced!
ReplyDelete:)
Sharon
LOL. Mel! Creativity and gizmophilia are completely different sorts of talent! hey, I'm a remote-control phobe too! The darned things ignore me... it's a conspiracy!
ReplyDelete;)
Sharon
Vanessa - yes! 93 MILLION! I know it's probably starting to dredge the barrel by the time you get towards that end of the list, but still!
ReplyDeleteAnd you're a gizmophile! Good luck with prising that iPad out of your hubby's hands - it sounds like it must be your turn!
:)
Sharon
Thank you, Kandy!
ReplyDeleteLOL on the kitchen gadgets - it sounds like you have a beaut collection! Actually, after I answered Kylie's comment, I got to thinking about my kitchen gadgets... I'm putting them on my to-blog-about list after I've finished exposing Glenn's gadgets, it only seems fair to 'fess up about my own!
:)
Sharon
Waving back, Tina!
ReplyDeleteLOL on you getting the cast off gizmos! And your comment made me realise that the same thing happens here! I've had two PDAs and two mobile phones courtesy of Glenn upgrading!
Eeek on your GPS experiences! They are terrific but perhaps to be used with some caution!
:)
Sharon
Anita! You will be seriously outnumbered by gizmophiles in your household... actually, you are already, aren't you! LOL
ReplyDeleteI think gadget wishlists go with the gizmophile chromosome!
;)
Sharon
Ah, Kaelee, photography is indeed a gadget-rich hobby!
ReplyDeleteMmm, I do agree with your hubby about the map-reading! I'd hate to lose my map-reading skills by relying on the GPS all the time. I don't think it will happen... I love looking at maps, there's something very satisfying about it!
:)
Sharon
Nas, electronic tools for your dh - the scope for that is huge! He must have a large shed... perhaps with plans for an even bigger one if he adds to his collection often!
ReplyDeleteLOL that your daughter has to do remote-control duty though!
:)
Sharon
Michelle, you must have a shoe deficit - that definitely needs rectifying! I do love a nice pair of shoes... though, I think I'm more of a bag lady. Mmm-hmm, I do love a good bag... all those fabulous little compartments!
ReplyDelete:)
Sharon
I am SO not a gadget person -- don't even use my cellphone (it lives, switched off, in a drawer). I love your GPS story though. LOL that your husband's newest gadget told him he was driving too fast!
ReplyDeleteSharon, we have a twenty foot unsightly shipping container in our compound which holds all his gadgets!
ReplyDeleteEmily, I used to be the same with my mobile phone! I always felt it was for my use if I needed it in an emergency - not to make me more contactable. It's interesting to think that we used to rely on finding a phone box on the street...
ReplyDeleteIsn't the idea of a nagging GPS absolutely delicious!
;)
Sharon
Ah, Nas, I wondered what your "shed" situation was! A shipping container would certainly be excellent storage but not exactly picturesque are they?! You might have to take up mural painting to pretty it up!
ReplyDelete:)
Sharon
Sharon, I'm a little bit gadgety - I love my iPod and toys that do things for me. :) Dh is a little bit gadgety too, so we have some, but it looks like your house has more!
ReplyDeleteRachel, I couldn't agree more - useful toys are fab! I have an MP3 player and I love it to bits.
ReplyDeleteI think the problem these days is that there's always a newer/better/bigger/smaller/faster/cleverer model available... and well... then an upgrade simply must be purchased! And then the gadget-retirement collection starts to add up... and can't be parted with because... well, you never know when it might be handy for... something! Though having said that it IS handy for something - blogging about!
;)
Sharon