A new game where you post something that you do and try and figure out whether it’s weird, or if really everyone does it…
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So… whenever I’m going to be driving somewhere new, I will pretty obsessively check it out on google maps - especially good street view, so I can see what the turns are like to get to the place, where I can park, what’s nearby, etc?
Does anyone else do this?
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For road trips I’ll also start with an atlas, as in a book printed on large sheets of paper 
. I have a hard time keeping a sense of scale with digital maps - so much zooming in and out - and the fixed scale on paper lets me establish a mental picture of “real” distances.
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So, is that weird? 
Honestly, I navigate more by landmarks than distances, so being able to see landmarks to where I’m going helps…
Really, though, they are both 2 sides of the same coin - using mappage to figure out where you’re going to go! 
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FWIW I have a very close friend that does this, and he’s not weird, he’s brilliant. You’re in ok company in that regard to me!
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Yes - but then I will wing it entirely once the day comes.
In fact, that’s how I plan most things; in great detail but then just go for it 
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I’m pretty sure google’s maps zoom and scale in the worst way possible. (when you look for a closer view of an intersection, the view has zoomed and scaled such that the cross street on the screen appears visually the same as it was 100 meters ago)
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Hmmm… is there an alternative? (And is it weird to use it?)
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My version of Google Maps gives me a photo of the upcoming exits so that I can visualize (at least in daylight) what I need to watch for.
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Meticulous planning is fundamental for brilliant improvisation.
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Almost every time I need to go someplace new, bike, on foot, public transportation or car.
Might be weird, but handy when you get there.
When I eat cherries, I always tie at least one stem in a knot (regular or 8-shape).
With my tongue.
Family is used to the grimacing, friends a bit less.
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That’s me, for sure. Even with in-car navigation I prefer to know where on the road I should be for each trip segment.
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ok, but when things get confusing…
do you turn down the radio/music volume to see better where you are going.
yes. yes i do that.
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Excellent thread idea, @Mindysan33. Excited to see what will come up! Most of the things I think of right now are a little too private to share, but I’m also out of my comfort zone right now.
But to provide some color commentary:
Personally, I definitely put this in the “weird” category. Not bad, mind you. Just weird.
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I do!
I’ve mostly made my peace with the fact that I’m weird. That said, a couple of weeks ago I changed the doorknob at my parents’ house. It had been sticking and I became accustomed to an adaptation where I turned the knob, lifted and did a little shoulder check to get the door open. The new knob (handle, actually) just opens the door like it should.
For a few days my sense of satisfaction that the door worked was diminished by my disappointment that I didn’t get to use my workaround anymore. Is that weird? Also, is there a name for that feeling?
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Attention German speakers, linguistic cleanup in Aisle 7.
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Try describing it as if you’re explaining it to somebody from a previous century. You’re going to be piloting a 2-ton wagon in a strange city, at speeds that may be as high as 70 mph. You will be both pilot and navigator. Your vehicle is powered by a series of carefully timed explosions, that you have to carefully control the rate of. If you drive too slowly, it’s a risk, and if you drive too fast, there’s other risks. The streets will be filled with many of these 2 ton vehicles, and possibly some huge vehicles, weighing 40 tons. These other vehicles will be traveling alongside you, approaching from the opposite direction, or along roads that intersect at right angles to you
Given the absolute bonkers nature of how complex a task it is to negotiate traffic, it’s not unreasonable to really want to know where you’re going.
In addition, there are a few things as frustrating as driving behind somebody who is trying to find an address, and has only the vaguest idea of where they’re going.
Traffic is weird. You’re not weird for making use of technology to make it less weird.
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I occasionally bring WD-40 with me on hikes if I notice that one of the cattle gates in our area is annoyingly squeaky.
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Holy shit, I do not want to travel ever again 
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That’s not weird. I do that too, so I’ll know not only where to get off the bus, but at what point I’ll need to signal the driver.
What’s weird is that you didn’t include a poll with your question!
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