Gypsy stopped talking to me. This makes me very sad since it took three years to find her.
Gypsy is my GPS system, also known as Apple CarPlay, in my 2020 Toyota RAV 4 LE. (I’ve come to the realization that LE stands for Low End. I have to actually insert and turn a key, I have to manually open and lower the back-door hatch, and my passenger has to be satisfied with the air conditioner being either on or off.)
When I purchased the car, I was very excited that it came with a navigation screen, but the only thing it displayed was a chart on how fuel efficient the car was during my drive. Boring! I wanted a map, like other, normal cars.
The manual stated I needed to go the Toyota website. The Toyota website directed me to download Alexa. I didn’t want Annoying Alexa telling me where to go, so I deleted her.
When my husband bought his Taco Truck in 2023, I mentioned to the salesman my desire to have a navigational system, and he enlightened me about Apple CarPlay. “It’s right there in the manual.” I don’t read manuals. After I bought yet another cord for my phone and synced the maps to my car, I was ecstatic – an actual map replaced the ridiculous bar graph!
I named my new GPS discovery Gypsy, and from that point on, I never went anywhere without my new best friend. She suggested shorter routes, showed me where the traffic was backed up, and even alerted me to radar ahead. She and I had wonderful conversations.
Suddenly, Gypsy stopped talking. I think she’s mad at me.
I think she’s mad because sometimes I doubted her directions and would shout, “THAT can’t be right.” Then I would turn in the opposite direction. Once I found myself at the bottom of a dry desert riverbed. She did her best to get me out of there, but I think she was frustrated with my noncompliance, and gave up.
She could also be miffed that I don’t always turn when she tells me to turn. I honestly don’t know how to judge 752 feet or 328 feet. I wish she would instruct me to, “Make a right turn at the gaggle of grocery carts.” Or “Turn left where the inflatable tube man is waving.” Or, better yet, say the darn street name.
Please, Gypsy, please start talking to me again. When you do, can you come back as a hunky Australian male voice?