Must. Vent.

[Kinsa 31,532]

I have to vent here because I can't do it on facebook...

 

I have had SO. FREAKIN. MANY. PEOPLE. tell me to "be safe!" from the hurricane... And OMG I HOPE Y'ALL ARE OKAY... And ARE YOU SAFE???

 

PEOPLE! I AM 600+ miles away from the hurricane! We're having the most beautiful weather we've had since spring!

 

LOOK AT A FRICKIN' MAP ALREADY!!!

 

And yes, Aunt Peggy in Scotland, I do actually live in Texas, but a hurricane big enough to cover the entire state of Texas would be biblically epic, okay?

 

I feel like slamming my head against a wall. Maps, folks. Maps. Look at them.

[Guest]

That happened to us in Alaska all the time. Reminding people it's like being two or three states away on the east coast was a helpful visual for them ;)

[luuknam 15,831]

My grandmother would be like that when we lived in Texas too... but, she was in her 90s, had an 8th grade education at most, was beginning to get dementia, etc... so, it was easy to roll my eyes and thank her for her concern (or rather, for my parents to do so, since she didn't make international phone calls). 

 

My wife mentioned that the National Parks or something along those lines (National Forests? State Parks? Who knows?) in TX were waiving their fees because of the hurricane and all the refugees, and I immediately asked her if she wanted to go to Big Bend and visit you (I'd have just about zero moral issues with that, since I don't think y'all are likely to be flooded with refugees (plus, the "every 4th grader in a park" thing still applies to my oldest until the end of this month), but it was a joke anyway, since there's no way that we'd drive that far... sorry!). 

 

Anyway, stay safe!

 

(and sorry to everyone who is near the coast - hope y'all *really* stay safe and your houses aren't damaged too much etc)

[regentrude 84,043]

If it's somebody in the US, yes, I would expect a sense of geography.

But for Auntie in Scotland, I would cut her some slack, because the vastness of Texas is completely unimaginable to somebody living in Europe where countries are small. Even seeing a map won't help, without actually working out the scale. 

 

ETA: Every time my 90 y/o aunt in Germany sees something on the news that is happening in the US she calls my mom to make sure I'm not in the path of whatever disaster. 

 

[Um_2_4 2,838]

Everytime there was an earthquake in CA, we would get calls from family overseas checking on us. "Aunt, San Francisco is an 8 hour drive from us.", "yes, 8 hours".

Where most of them live, 8 hours gets you to at least 1 other country, so they really can't grasp.

[Murphy101 32,384]

To be fair. Maps don't always help.

 

The Sahara is almost as big as the entire United States. But it sure as heck doesn't look like that on a map.

 

And it's difficult for many European countries to remember that many of our states are bigger geographically than their entire country.

[luuknam 15,831]

Thinking about it some more, IIRC my parents reminded my grandmother each time that Texas is the size of France. 

[bettyandbob 17,679]

This stuff drives my godmother crazy. For her it's a bit more understandable. She hates when weather reports a hurricane affecting the Carolinas. She is right on the coast, but every storm does not affect the coastlines of North and South Carolina. I check the paths of tropical storms before checking on her.

[happysmileylady 29,023]

My sister was attending University of Alabama when that tornado hit Tuscaloosa a few years ago.  They were safe, but it did come within a few miles of them, they were without power for a long time, etc.  (they being her and her DH, they were living in their own condo off campus)

 

The next spring, a tornado went through somewhere else in Alabama in the middle of the night, like 3am.  I think my sister said it was something like 80 miles away or something.  Well a friend of hers from when she was up in Indiana was also awake due to storms in Indiana and had seen that there were warnings down in Alabama and without checking where the warned area was in relation to my sister, called her up to tell her, at 3am.  Of course my sister WAS asleep, but she also had alerts set up on her phone so had the warnings been for her area it would have already woken her up.  She groggly started getting ready to head to the shelter in the condo but then realized that the storm was no where near them, and it wasn't even storming by them.  She was so pissed lol. 

[Catwoman 74,049]

If it's somebody in the US, yes, I would expect a sense of geography.

But for Auntie in Scotland, I would cut her some slack, because the vastness of Texas is completely unimaginable to somebody living in Europe where countries are small. Even seeing a map won't help, without actually working out the scale. 

 

ETA: Every time my 90 y/o aunt in Germany sees something on the news that is happening in the US she calls my mom to make sure I'm not in the path of whatever disaster.

 

It's so sweet of your aunt to think of you and worry about you! :)

[Catwoman 74,049]

I have to vent here because I can't do it on facebook...

 

I have had SO. FREAKIN. MANY. PEOPLE. tell me to "be safe!" from the hurricane... And OMG I HOPE Y'ALL ARE OKAY... And ARE YOU SAFE???

 

PEOPLE! I AM 600+ miles away from the hurricane! We're having the most beautiful weather we've had since spring!

 

LOOK AT A FRICKIN' MAP ALREADY!!!

 

And yes, Aunt Peggy in Scotland, I do actually live in Texas, but a hurricane big enough to cover the entire state of Texas would be biblically epic, okay?

 

I feel like slamming my head against a wall. Maps, folks. Maps. Look at them.

I know it's annoying, but try to remember that their comments are coming from their hearts and that they mean well.

[EmilyGF 5,746]

We were in TX on our way to Chicago and our friends in OK called to say we shouldn't come because they were sick. We thought, "Hey, let's go see the Alamo!" Well, it turned out the Alamo was just as far as Chicago. 

 

That was when I realized how big TX was.

 

Emily

[Cinder 4,992]

 

That was when I realized how big TX was.

 

 

We lived in TX for awhile, and I got a good feel for how big the state is when we drove all day long with the youth group and were still in TX at the end of the day. Abilene to El Paso. :laugh:

 

[gaillardia 2,118]

It is very annoying when you know your geography and you assume others know enough or have looked at maps. Yes, they mean well, bless their hearts.

I am more than 300 miles from it and a friend on fb asked me if we had to evacuate. I almost asked why. 

Houston is not a state though it is larger than New Jersey. lol

I can't even smell the Gulf of Mexico from here, so...

[happi duck 15,230]

And now I feel dumb for contacting my friends in Texas to see if they were okay.

 

I know nothing about Texas but thought erring on the side of "hope you're safe" was better than seeming to ignore them.

[heartlikealion 13,534]

:lol:

 

Just don't look at this map. We turned into Alabama.

 

[happypamama 10,434]

I think the vastness of Texas is just something that many of us, especially from the east coast, just really don't comprehend, even if we know it's huge. Plus, I mean, I'm pretty decent at geography, but I don't necessarily know where all the cities in all the states are, especially the bigger ones, if they're not on the east coast. Someone from Texas or California might have heard of the disaster at Three Mile Island, for instance (near Harrisburg, east center of the state) and wondered if their friend in Altoona (quite a bit west) was okay.

 

I am glad you are safe though!

[bettyandbob 17,679]

Some of us East Coasters know Texas is big.

[Carla 124]

Sometimes, if an event happens in Canada, people ask us if we are affected. Yes, we live in Canada, but jeez Louise it's a huge country. Chances are that we are NOT. And if we were, we'll let ya know on Facebook. Lol.

[luuknam 15,831]

And now I feel dumb for contacting my friends in Texas to see if they were okay.

 

I know nothing about Texas but thought erring on the side of "hope you're safe" was better than seeming to ignore them.

 

Well, now you know to check a map (assuming you know where in TX they are). If you have no clue what city they're in, then checking might make sense (but not at 3am, like a PP mentioned), prefaced with "I don't know where in TX you are, so I was thinking of you". Really though, inquiring if they're fine is fine... just try to remember it the first time they give you a lecture on the size of the place (and yes, I know that that would not have worked for my grandmother with dementia, though at first she wasn't diagnosed yet, it is harder to grasp that kind of stuff when you're 90+ (I'm not sure she'd ever traveled abroad... and NL is tiny)). 

 

:lol:

 

Just don't look at this map. We turned into Alabama.

 

 

Wow, that would've made visiting my in-laws so much easier, back when we lived near Dallas and they decided to move to AL (they lived in Corpus Christi for decades, which is also where DW was born, but we don't really know anyone over there anymore). 

[luuknam 15,831]

Relatedly, not everybody in NY is from NYC, nor has ever even been remotely near NYC (like, our kids... have never been closer than about a 6 hour drive from NYC). 

[Kinsa 31,532]

It's so sweet of your aunt to think of you and worry about you! :)

Yes, it is. It really is. But geez louise, she's commented on EVERYTHING I've posted on facebook for the past five days with, "I HOPE YOU'RE OKAY!" "I HOPE YOU'RE STILL OKAY!" "ARE YOU STILL OKAY?" No matter how many times I tell her that were fine. Today I posted on Facebook that our local K-8 school has twelve students this year, and she responded with "I HOPE YOU ARE ALL STILL SAFE! THE NEWS HAD ME SO SCARED FOR YOU!" Shoot me now.

[Homeschool Mom in AZ 15,982]

Yep, it's always best to ask, "Are you near the disaster?" first before following up with, "Stay safe!"

Grasping the width and height can be tricky too. My mother's cousin lives in Odessa, TX.  It's an hour shorter drive from his house in Odessa to his cousin's house in Phoenix, AZ than it is from his house in Odessa to his father in-law's house in Brownsville, TX.

On a smaller scale it's like people coming to visit PHX and wanting to take a leisurely day trip to the Grand Canyon where they expect to stop for a big breakfast, drive up, hike and photograph for several hours, get another meal, do some souvenir shopping, and then drive back hitting a few other sights before getting back to PHX that evening for dinner. It may be in the same state, but it's still far. You can do that in other small states, but not this one.

[JessReplanted 1,021]

Yes, it is. It really is. But geez louise, she's commented on EVERYTHING I've posted on facebook for the past five days with, "I HOPE YOU'RE OKAY!" "I HOPE YOU'RE STILL OKAY!" "ARE YOU STILL OKAY?" No matter how many times I tell her that were fine. Today I posted on Facebook that our local K-8 school has twelve students this year, and she responded with "I HOPE YOU ARE ALL STILL SAFE! THE NEWS HAD ME SO SCARED FOR YOU!" Shoot me now.

😂

[SusanC 7,416]

That's like, "Oh, you're from (fill in state or province)? Maybe you know my sister-in-law's cousin Frank?" Um, no. Probably not.

[SporkUK 1,092]

Oh dear, that sounds really frustrating Kinsa. 

 

For my first few years in the UK, anytime anything happened in the UK that made US news, I would get an email about it. Oddly, my grandfather seemed to be the only person I know who was able to check a map and discuss how far away I was from such things. This was bigger for every event that happened in London as they tend to get more international attention, I kept having to explain I am nowhere close to London (had to explain to one relative that I am no where close to Paris once - she seriously thought I must be a 'day trip away' from it since I lived in the UK. In my experience, for every European who does do not get how big the US is, there are just as many Americans who do not get that not all of Europe is in the same place... or that just be my relatives who on both sides have no geographical concept of my position or just how low the likelihood for me to be travelling actually is). 

[Pam in CT 60,050]

:lol:

 

 

Glad you're safe, though...

 

 

 

 

 

:leaving:

[heartlikealion 13,534]

That's like, "Oh, you're from (fill in state or province)? Maybe you know my sister-in-law's cousin Frank?" Um, no. Probably not.

 

:laugh:

 

Every time it ever comes up that I used to live in CA and someone else did there's the "what part?" exchange and I usually figure we didn't live anywhere near each other. Like I mean, okay, *maybe* we both lived in LA county, but that's probably the end of the connection lol.

[Elizabeth86 2,673]

lol sounds like my mom. If it happens in VA it must be our backyard. Nevermond we are waaaay at the very tip of the end of the dang state. If it is Va it must be close. Side note, she lives here too. She just has no sense of things like this.

[Kinsa 31,532]

My grandmother would be like that when we lived in Texas too... but, she was in her 90s, had an 8th grade education at most, was beginning to get dementia, etc... so, it was easy to roll my eyes and thank her for her concern (or rather, for my parents to do so, since she didn't make international phone calls).

 

My wife mentioned that the National Parks or something along those lines (National Forests? State Parks? Who knows?) in TX were waiving their fees because of the hurricane and all the refugees, and I immediately asked her if she wanted to go to Big Bend and visit you (I'd have just about zero moral issues with that, since I don't think y'all are likely to be flooded with refugees (plus, the "every 4th grader in a park" thing still applies to my oldest until the end of this month), but it was a joke anyway, since there's no way that we'd drive that far... sorry!).

 

Anyway, stay safe!

 

(and sorry to everyone who is near the coast - hope y'all *really* stay safe and your houses aren't damaged too much etc)

Surprisingly, we do have hurricane evacuees here at the park. I came through the entrance station on Saturday and chatted with the gal who works there. She said it was a slow day, only about 50 cars came through, but about 20 of those were hurricane evacuees. I guess they evacuated and just kept on going! LOL

[gaillardia 2,118]

:lol:

 

 

Glad you're safe, though...

 

 

 

 

 

:leaving:

She's probably still wondering about that rattlesnake...

[Heatherwith4 4,175]

Yes, it is. It really is. But geez louise, she's commented on EVERYTHING I've posted on facebook for the past five days with, "I HOPE YOU'RE OKAY!" "I HOPE YOU'RE STILL OKAY!" "ARE YOU STILL OKAY?" No matter how many times I tell her that were fine. Today I posted on Facebook that our local K-8 school has twelve students this year, and she responded with "I HOPE YOU ARE ALL STILL SAFE! THE NEWS HAD ME SO SCARED FOR YOU!" Shoot me now.

Ok, yeah that would drive me crazy, too.

 

Are you still ok now? :lol:

 

:auto:

[MyLife 318]

:lol:

 

Just don't look at this map. We turned into Alabama.

Saw this on FB...Alabama eclipses Mississippi😯

[luuknam 15,831]

Surprisingly, we do have hurricane evacuees here at the park. I came through the entrance station on Saturday and chatted with the gal who works there. She said it was a slow day, only about 50 cars came through, but about 20 of those were hurricane evacuees. I guess they evacuated and just kept on going! LOL

 

 

I'm not surprised that you have *some*... I just figured that you would have nowhere near enough to make a big difference. 

[Valley Girl 6,680]

NM

 

[LifeLovePassion 1,156]

This website is helpful for size comparison

http://thetruesize.com

[Butter 25,840]

A lot of people have been asking us as well.  Granted, we got some rain (about 1 1/2"), but people honestly think San Antonio is very close to Houston.  I just think it's because people in small east coast states can't fathom just how gigantic Texas is.  This morning one of my husband's co-workers in DC called to check on him and then was going to call a guy in EL PASO to see if he got through the hurricane okay.

[gardenmom5 34,876]

I have to vent here because I can't do it on facebook...

 

I have had SO. FREAKIN. MANY. PEOPLE. tell me to "be safe!" from the hurricane... And OMG I HOPE Y'ALL ARE OKAY... And ARE YOU SAFE???

 

PEOPLE! I AM 600+ miles away from the hurricane! We're having the most beautiful weather we've had since spring!

 

LOOK AT A FRICKIN' MAP ALREADY!!!

 

And yes, Aunt Peggy in Scotland, I do actually live in Texas, but a hurricane big enough to cover the entire state of Texas would be biblically epic, okay?

 

I feel like slamming my head against a wall. Maps, folks. Maps. Look at them.

 

yeah. I'm getting some of that too.   just chatted wtih one who was upset about how the hurricane would affect his 18months in the planning dallas vacation next week.  uh - not at all.

 

I've had people asking about my dd  (lives in dfw -  I'm here right now) - hardly anything.   a tiny bit of rain and cooler temps.  no one is complaining it's not 90+  (or 105 - the week before I came.)

dd's bff lives in Houston  - so we've been trying to keep track of her, but haven't heard the latest. (as well as a woman from our home town who lives there now -we have a long acquaintance with her parents/grandparents.  she seems fine.)   both were fine as of Saturday.

 

many don't understand how big texas is, since it's "a state".  part of a larger country.  it's nearly twice the size of Germany.

 

I'll just leave you with a t-shirt I *really* liked. (and am regretting I didn't buy)  . . . . It's a texas thing y'all wouldn't understand.

[gardenmom5 34,876]

A lot of people have been asking us as well.  Granted, we got some rain (about 1 1/2"), but people honestly think San Antonio is very close to Houston.  I just think it's because people in small east coast states can't fathom just how gigantic Texas is.  This morning one of my husband's co-workers in DC called to check on him and then was going to call a guy in EL PASO to see if he got through the hurricane okay.

 

 

yeah - I'm in Washington.  my COUNTY is bigger than a couple east coast states.

[luuknam 15,831]

yeah. I'm getting some of that too.   just chatted wtih one who was upset about how the hurricane would affect his 18months in the planning dallas vacation next week.  uh - not at all.

 

 

I don't think that's a dumb question though... like, how many evacuees are going to be in hotels (might be an issue if you haven't booked in advance), are you going to need a different road to travel to Dallas (if coming from the east - I have no idea where he is), etc?

 

ETA: and yes, I know you said he's been planning his vacation for a long time, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'd booked a hotel. 

[gardenmom5 34,876]

I don't think that's a dumb question though... like, how many evacuees are going to be in hotels (might be an issue if you haven't booked in advance), are you going to need a different road to travel to Dallas (if coming from the east), etc?

 

ETA: and yes, I know you said he's been planning his vacation for a long time, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'd booked a hotel. 

 

no - he was worrying dallas was underwater like houston is, and didn't understand how far apart they are.

 

this person has his plane ticket and hotel reservation already. 

[RootAnn 14,287]

My brother lived in Indonesia when they had an earthquake. My mom was freaked out and called the consulate there. My brother pointed out that he was as far away from the earthquake and tsunami as D.C. is from Illinois. (Check a map, Mom!)

 

She replied that she was sick the day they taught geography in school. (This goes with her statement that polynomials hadn't been discovered before she graduated from eighth grade.)

[Janeway 5,067]

If it's somebody in the US, yes, I would expect a sense of geography.

But for Auntie in Scotland, I would cut her some slack, because the vastness of Texas is completely unimaginable to somebody living in Europe where countries are small. Even seeing a map won't help, without actually working out the scale.

 

ETA: Every time my 90 y/o aunt in Germany sees something on the news that is happening in the US she calls my mom to make sure I'm not in the path of whatever disaster.

until I moved to TX, I had no concept of how big it is. If I drove from the southern tip to the northern border, then I drove the same time north, I would end up in northern SD, maybe even southern ND. That is pretty derned far.

[KungFuPanda 32,770]

until I moved to TX, I had no concept of how big it is. If I drove from the southern tip to the northern border, then I drove the same time north, I would end up in northern SD, maybe even southern ND. That is pretty derned far.

Same here. Unless you've lived there, or had the misfortune to spend DAYS driving through there, you might not have a frame of reference for how huge it is. Add in the fact that that storm is enormous on the map and I can see how people are confused. It's all most people can do to keep a map of the states in their heads and know the capitals. Plotting key cities on a map is beyond most folks. Of course they COULD check a map . . .

[aggie96 1,104]

It seems impossible that EVERYONE doesn't know the major cities in Texas and know how big it is!   :lol:

 

 

ETA:  Funny question from reporter today.  She asked these guys that had just been rescued from a hotel where they were from, and they told her Dallas.  Then she asked if they were headed to the shelter.  The guy looked perplexed and said (paraphrasing) no, we are going home, why would we stay?  :)

[Jean in Newcastle 174,655]

I know how big Texas is. And I know the names of the major cities in Texas. But I do not know where they are in relation to each other.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[luuknam 15,831]

I know how big Texas is. And I know the names of the major cities in Texas. But I do not know where they are in relation to each other.

 

 

But I think you know that looking at a map might be in order before asking friends in Big Bend National Park about a hurricane, yes? 

 

Also, I think Kinsa is so far from civilization she couldn't possibly be affected by a hurricane in Houston (or any [major disaster] in [major city]). 

[MasaMama 36]

If it's somebody in the US, yes, I would expect a sense of geography.

But for Auntie in Scotland, I would cut her some slack, because the vastness of Texas is completely unimaginable to somebody living in Europe where countries are small. Even seeing a map won't help, without actually working out the scale. 

 

ETA: Every time my 90 y/o aunt in Germany sees something on the news that is happening in the US she calls my mom to make sure I'm not in the path of whatever disaster. 

 

My family in Japan called to see if we are ok. Not only my hometown, Tokyo prefecture, is smaller than Texas but the whole country of Japan is smaller than Texas! I just reassured and thanked them.

[Jean in Newcastle 174,655]

My family in Japan called to see if we are ok. Not only my hometown, Tokyo prefecture, is smaller than Texas but the whole country of Japan is smaller than Texas! I just reassured and thanked them.

 

People ask me all the time if I "know Cousin George who lived in Japan" because of course I must know them since I lived there too.  I don't think that it takes too much energy to be gracious about it.  I just smiled (not in a laughing at them sort of way) and said "no".  Unless I did know them - which sometimes I do since my boarding school had people from all over Japan. 

[bettyandbob 17,679]

I don't live in Texas. I have been in the Dallas/Ft.Worth airport on a layover.

 

I can tell on a map it is big. It is a lot bigger than Virginia. I have driven east/West and north/South in my state. You can drive for 9 hours and still be in Virginia, but that's not typical--you have to be trying to get to parts of Virginia people leave off on basic maps (that strip of peninsula down from MD or that chunk that curves around WVA). Knowing that I can easily guess driving across Texas could take days.

 

Just using my own experience on the east coast, I can (and did) look at a map and know that my friend in San Antonio was fine. I also knew my niece was in big trouble --she lives in Houston.

 

(Niece is fine. She lives in a 6th floor apt with elevated parking. She was trapped, but had food and had stocked up on water. Between storms she made her way to the hospital where she is a 3d year resident. She'll be there probably the rest of this mess)

 

Anyway, I'm not getting how people don't understand distances. I don't think I'm particularly brilliant. I just extrapolate from experience.