#gpsproblems

This is the time of life when everyone is getting married and having children. Many of my friends are getting married or they are planning their upcoming weddings. Well this past summer, two of my good friends were getting married. It was in the summer and the weather was nice.

The day of the wedding I had to work at my other job and had other work that needed to be done in the morning. It was crazy. I really was on the fence as to weather I was going to attend or not. I had little to no money to my name. It felt like I should back out. At the same time I love these two and all of my friends that would be in attendance. Not only did I not want to look like a jerk for not attending the wedding, I did not want anyone to suspect that my life was crumbling to pieces around me. Soon I could be that asshole at the end of the off ramp with a cardboard sign asking for money because I had lost everything.

After work, I decided it would not be right to skip the wedding. The timing was tight… I did not have time to go do laundry due to poor planning. I stopped on the way to buy a collared shirt, pants, and the essentials. Then I was off for the two hour cycling journey north to the Lakes Region. I was relying on my GPS to navigate me to the hotel where we would all be staying. Google Maps for cycling is a little iffy. There were times when my non-mountain bike was taken way off road. It was rough and I ended carrying my bike and running to the closest form a pavement I could find.

My legs were exhausted by the time I arrived but I arrived with enough time to get a room at the hotel, shower and then make it on time for the service. It really was crazy. Then after the service I realized that I did not pick up a card or gift for the bride and groom. What the hell was I thinking… Not that I had any room in my backpack but it was completely not cool and I felt like a complete asshole.

I could not shake it. The whole evening, all I could think about was that I was the asshole that did not remember a gift. I should have just made up an excuse that I was extremely ill and sent a gift.

Everyone was interested/thinking I was borderline crazy for cycling to the wedding, including the hotel staff. I guess it was good conversation. It was so nice to celebrate with such great friends from all over the U.S.

On Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012 my GPS directed me to drive through a CORN MAZE to get to my first school visit!!!! Now... when you're on the road all by yourself driving long hours, your GPS becomes your "right hand man", your confidant. At first my GPS had the voice of a very frantic lady who would make me panic as she would shout out "TAKE RAMP ON RIGHT"... and I would be in the lane farthest to the left with zero time to get to the right. SO, I changed my GPS to an Austrailian man named Lee in hopes for better luck and it turns out we were a perfect match! I would like to make a sidenote here to explain that most all recruiters on the road have names for their GPS systems... not just me I swear!!! :)

To fully understand ones commitment to following a GPS lets rewind to last year, my first year on the road. I am embarrassed to admit it, being a recruiter and all,  but my sense of direction is lacking. So in my first year I trusted absolutely everything that my GPS told me to do. One night as I was driving with my fellow recruiters we were directed to take a left "off road"... so what did I do? I took a left of course! haha There seemed to be enough room and a nice track of soil to drive on so I proceeded. We were halfway down the road and we realized... we are literally off-roading. I quickly learned a GPS isn't always right.

Then there comes a time when you might take a wrong turn or there is no satellite for your GPS to pick up where you are in the world. So instead of just showing you the alternate route in a timely fashion... your GPS instead breaks out into a chant as if it was a scratched CD repeating "Recalculating. Recalculating. Recalculating." or my favourite "Make a U-turn when possible. Make a U-turn when possible". So picture it. Here you are on yet another unfamiliar road with your GPS chanting at you while giant transport trucks that look like Optimus Prime from Transformers are beeping at you and riding on your bumper. Then you find a little spot to pull over and wait until your GPS is finished having its nervous break down and displays a new plan of action.

For anyone who knows me... I relate everything to a song. The song choice that best demonstrates my loyalty to Lee would be "I will follow him" from the movie Sister Act. The lyrics go a little something like this "I will follow him, follow him whereever heeeee may goooo". If you haven't heard this song before, check it out and you'll get it! 

Well that was a little glimpse of what a day in the life of a recruiter can be like! 

Happy Friday Folks.