Google Fail

I have to tell this story because it's hilarious.

So today I had to go shopping for my research assistantship to pick up some materials for our lessons (now I know how Kristen feels). My first stop was meant to be Michael's, the craft store. I found one in Mountain View and put the directions on a little green Post-It (I'm trying to only use my phone in emergencies, as GPS kills the battery). I followed the directions, diligently, all the way to the Google campus, which is in Mountain View. But, instead of a Michael's, I found a dead end. So I turned on my phone's GPS and used Google Maps Navigator to figure out how I had missed Michael's. I was pretty sure that the combined power of using Google Maps Navigator at Google would somehow be amazing.

It was not.

I followed Google Maps Navigator until it told me "turn right, and your destination will be on the right." Even though I knew there was no Michael's there, I even turned into the parking lot and drove around it once, just to make sure. In my infinite frustration, I turned back onto the road and into the next parking lot I found, which was the HOME of Google Maps. I could tell because of the big, red, "you are here" place marker in the front. I called Michael's and they informed me that the street they live on is bisected by the highway, and they are actually the other way down the street, not on Google's campus, as Google believes. Once I figured that out, it was smooth sailing but these are some parts of the conversations I had with my Google Maps Navigator in the meantime:

GMN: Turn right and your destination will be on the right.
Kathayoon: Okay...but I'm not sure...that doesn't look like a craft store. That looks like the home of The Internet.
GMN: You have reached your destination.
Kathayoon: What? Wait. No I haven't. This isn't my destination. This isn't Michael's. This is...this is YOU, Google. This is GOOGLE. GOOGLE is on my right. NOT Michael's!

I really wanted to park my car and march into the building and say something along the lines of "Are you kidding me? Your GPS isn't accurate for MOUNTAIN VIEW?! It's not accurate for YOUR OWN CAMPUS?! Eff you, Google. You're a joke."

I didn't end up doing this. I just updated my status on my Google Android phone, to let the world know how ridiculous Google is. HA.

Also I might have had a splitting headache this entire time, making this situation a lot more ridiculous (and a lot more hilarious, in later retellings) than it would have otherwise been. But still. Seriously.