Exchanges with People that Make Your Brain Hurt

[MommyPenguin]

When I was growing up in Maryland, we were taught that Maryland was nicknamed "America in Miniature."  Southerners tend to think of Maryland as Northern, Northerners tend to think of it as Southern.  Slave state but didn't secede.  Some of the state (mostly central Maryland) feels more like a mid-Atlantic or Northern state, and some of the state (southern, western, and Eastern Shore) seem more like the South.  I don't think Maryland knows where it's supposed to be.    But I enjoyed that about it.

[Luci45]

When I was growing up in Maryland, we were taught that Maryland was nicknamed "America in Miniature."  Southerners tend to think of Maryland as Northern, Northerners tend to think of it as Southern.  Slave state but didn't secede.  Some of the state (mostly central Maryland) feels more like a mid-Atlantic or Northern state, and some of the state (southern, western, and Eastern Shore) seem more like the South.  I don't think Maryland knows where it's supposed to be.    But I enjoyed that about it.

That is amazing and fascinating, because, well, to us, Maryland is a miniature state! No wonder I love Maryland so much when we travel that way!

I love the geography, the history, and the people. You were and are very lucky.

[WillyNilly]

I once had two girls from Texas insist I was a yankee because I'm from Maryland.  Um, I don't think I'm far north enough to be a yankee!

To a lot of southerners, a Yankee is anyone who is not from the Deep South, not just a New Englander.

The NY Yankees aren't even New Englander's!

[greencat]

I once had two girls from Texas insist I was a yankee because I'm from Maryland.  Um, I don't think I'm far north enough to be a yankee!

To a lot of southerners, a Yankee is anyone who is not from the Deep South, not just a New Englander.

As a Californian, I never thought of Maryland as a southern state until my employer sent me to live in what was then a fairly rural town about an hour's drive from DC.

And for brain hurt, more than once I was asked something like "California? Oh, maybe you know my cousin who lives in Burbank?" When I'd tell them that Burbank was about 400 miles (approx. 650 KM) from where I lived, they were astounded. They were just not used to the concept of a state being so big. "400 miles!" one person exclaimed. "That's all the way to Florida!"."

I actually live in Florida - and one day, complaining about a friend who asked me for a favor that turned out to be a lot more driving than I expected, I realized I'd driven far enough that day to have crossed some of the smaller states, without even leaving the east side of my metropolitan area!  It takes me a whole tank of gas to get out of the state by the shortest route.  Being able to drive across multiple states in a few hours made my brain hurt a little bit when I was younger and saw it on TV shows.

[PastryGoddess]

I once had two girls from Texas insist I was a yankee because I'm from Maryland.  Um, I don't think I'm far north enough to be a yankee!

To a lot of southerners, a Yankee is anyone who is not from the Deep South, not just a New Englander.

As a Californian, I never thought of Maryland as a southern state until my employer sent me to live in what was then a fairly rural town about an hour's drive from DC.

And for brain hurt, more than once I was asked something like "California? Oh, maybe you know my cousin who lives in Burbank?" When I'd tell them that Burbank was about 400 miles (approx. 650 KM) from where I lived, they were astounded. They were just not used to the concept of a state being so big. "400 miles!" one person exclaimed. "That's all the way to Florida!"."

I actually live in Florida - and one day, complaining about a friend who asked me for a favor that turned out to be a lot more driving than I expected, I realized I'd driven far enough that day to have crossed some of the smaller states, without even leaving the east side of my metropolitan area!  It takes me a whole tank of gas to get out of the state by the shortest route.  Being able to drive across multiple states in a few hours made my brain hurt a little bit when I was younger and saw it on TV shows.

Being able to drive to multiple states in a few hours is why I moved back to Maryland.  I think I calculated that in 4 hours you could be in about 8 states.  In 6 hours that goes up to 9 or 10 states.  In 8 hours it's about 13 or 14 states.  Maryland is awesome, we have mountains, beaches, hills, flats, all in one awesome package. We also have all the rocks that fell out of Pennsylvania too, but I digress

[Outdoor Girl]

I live in central Ontario.  I can be in the States faster than I can be in another province.  I can be in Buffalo in a little over 3 hours.  It'd take me a little over 5 hours to be in Quebec and it would take close to 20 hours to get to Manitoba.

[Sirius]

I can be in Washington state in fifteen minutes if the traffic's not bad (it usually is) and at the Pacific Ocean in two hours.  But aside from that I'm hours away from the closest state.  When I lived in California I was in the approximate center of the state, and it took less time to get to Nevada than it did to get to Oregon.

[White Dragon]

I can be in Washington state in fifteen minutes if the traffic's not bad (it usually is) and at the Pacific Ocean in two hours.  But aside from that I'm hours away from the closest state.  When I lived in California I was in the approximate center of the state, and it took less time to get to Nevada than it did to get to Oregon.

I completely misread "I can be in Washington state in fifteen minutes" as I can be in Washington DC in fifteen minutes.
Then when I read the section about the Pacific Ocean, my brain hurt.
Couldn't figure out how you'd get from DC to the Pacific Ocean in fifteen minutes. 

Then I re-read it. My brain feels better now!

[jedikaiti]

When I was growing up in Maryland, we were taught that Maryland was nicknamed "America in Miniature."  Southerners tend to think of Maryland as Northern, Northerners tend to think of it as Southern.  Slave state but didn't secede.  Some of the state (mostly central Maryland) feels more like a mid-Atlantic or Northern state, and some of the state (southern, western, and Eastern Shore) seem more like the South.  I don't think Maryland knows where it's supposed to be.    But I enjoyed that about it.

When I lived in Northern VA, I used to think that NoVA should split off from the rest of VA and annex MD. :-)

ETA: Once, my roomie and I got bored on a Sunday, and decided to go for a drive. We picked a direction (north) and went through 4 states and DC in 8 1/2 hours (round trip) including stopping for dinner and to send postcards to our parents friends from every single state. A week later, several very confused people got about half a dozen postcards in the mail. :-)

[kakack]

I once had two girls from Texas insist I was a yankee because I'm from Maryland.  Um, I don't think I'm far north enough to be a yankee!

My grandmother considered anyone north of Shreveport, Louisiana to be a Yankee!

[carol1412]

I once had two girls from Texas insist I was a yankee because I'm from Maryland.  Um, I don't think I'm far north enough to be a yankee!

My grandmother considered anyone north of Shreveport, Louisiana to be a Yankee!

And considering that Shreveport is more "Texas" than it is "Louisiana", that's saying a bit!
When we moved there, I asked people where they go to do shopping. I was thinking maybe the mall on the west end of town or downtown itself. No, they said if they need to go shopping, they go to Dallas.
2 hours away. 

[asb8]

When I was growing up in Maryland, we were taught that Maryland was nicknamed "America in Miniature."  Southerners tend to think of Maryland as Northern, Northerners tend to think of it as Southern.  Slave state but didn't secede.  Some of the state (mostly central Maryland) feels more like a mid-Atlantic or Northern state, and some of the state (southern, western, and Eastern Shore) seem more like the South.  I don't think Maryland knows where it's supposed to be.    But I enjoyed that about it.

When I lived in Northern VA, I used to think that NoVA should split off from the rest of VA and annex MD. :-)

ETA: Once, my roomie and I got bored on a Sunday, and decided to go for a drive. We picked a direction (north) and went through 4 states and DC in 8 1/2 hours (round trip) including stopping for dinner and to send postcards to our parents friends from every single state. A week later, several very confused people got about half a dozen postcards in the mail. :-)

That's awesome!

[Sirius]

Mr. Sirius was calling to set up water service for our new house.  He had to call three different numbers to find out that the one for the local water department is listed under "Customer Service" for the town where we'll be moving, and has no separate "water department" listing.

[Adelaide]

I just tried to pay rent for my apartment online using an echeck and the check kicked back, but the bank has no record of me writing it and it bouncing. The apartment says I must have entered my account number in wrong, but won't let me see the first digits of the number I entered in for security reasons. So I have no way of knowing if it's my fault or the fault of the company for the check kicking back. After explaining this to a customer service representative on the phone and getting told that 1) It's the bank's fault (which it's not  ) and 2) for security reasons they don't have access to my checking account number, I have turned the matter over to my apartment manager and I have a headache.

[sunnygirl]

Living in Europe I sometimes make American friends' brains hurt by talking about going to another country for a meal or for the day. One time several years ago we were driving to a city in another country for lunch, I fell asleep in the car, and woke up to find we were in a third country altogether, having somehow 'missed' the country we were aiming for completely. That was brain hurty all round! I mean really how do you lose an entire country.