Hey, you!

Yes, I'm talking to you.

I know you feel that you need to achieve something more than you have, that there's this nagging belief itching at your soul that you won't really be somebody unless you've done something important. You may or may not want the spotlight; but either way, you want to know that you have done something you can feel proud of, and you are sure you'll feel unfulfilled until you've done it.

I've got news for you. Great accomplishment will not make you a great person. Sorry, it just doesn't happen that way.

Noteworthy achievements simply make it easier to see what kind of person you already are.

Idea stolen from bunney...

...who got it from yasminke, but I haven't read that far down the flist yet.

1) go to google and type in "You know you're from (your state here) if..."
2) pick out whatever you wish and bold the ones that apply to you.
3) post it in an entry.
4) have your friends do it themselves!

Here's the sad thing: I found only this one list. See how well it doesn't apply to me.


You know you`re from Maryland if…

15. You still root for the Orioles and the Redskins even though they suck, come on guys, we`re all just in denial. I don't root for sports teams at all. Does it count if I sometimes write run-on sentences like the list-writer does?

14. Dale Earnhardt`s accident was a close personal loss to your father Even if he'd been alive, I don't think so.

13. You`re not surprised when suddenly it begins to rain in 85 degree weather and a clear sky. Don`t like the weather? Come to Maryland and wait 10 minutes.

So, how many places in the US seem to think that weather weirdness applies to them more than to anybody else? One of my high school teachers--a former meteorologist, IIRC--did point out that our place between the mountains and the ocean is difficult to make predictions for. Still, rapid weather changes aren't so uncommon in this country.

12. At least one man in your family is a waterman No, they're pretty much all scientists and geeks.

11. You carry your lacrosse stick to every class in school. Huh? Am suddenly not sure which state they thought they were writing about.

10. You plan for “The Festival” (you all know what I`m sayin) a year in advance. I might do that for the Maryland Renaissance Festival if I could afford to. But somehow I suspect the writer had another festival in mind.

9. During the summer, You spend more time in Ocean City than at home. It's a fun tourist trap, but I wouldn't want to live there. They've had lower temperatures there recently, though, so it does sound nice right now.

8. You`ll never understand why tourists come to Washington D.C. How could anybody not love the Land of the Free Museums?

7. When in florida, you can only laugh when you see signs saying “Real Maryland Blue Crab Cakes!”
(we all know, no matter how authentic these crabs are, none beat Harris`s)

I honestly don't know what Harris's is, but I do laugh. Even sillier are places called "Maryland Fried Chicken," which really isn't such a big specialty of Maryland.

6. You know where Baldemoor, Merlin is. It's also known as "Bawmer."

5. You color with “Crowns”, Take a “Share” with “Wooter” and think the president lives in “Warshenton” No, not my dialect. I have heard it in other parts of the state, though. On a fourth grade spelling test, one of the words was "wash," which the teacher pronounced as "warsh." One of the kids had to ask with a puzzled look, "Does 'warsh' have an 'R' in it?" The class coached the teacher in pronouncing the word in our R-free way, then we went on with the rest of the test.

4. You know the difference between Glen Burnie ghetto and Catonsville ghetto Um. One's in Glen Burnie and the other's in Catonsville?

3. Your whole family lives within a 200 mile radius of your town Nope. One entire side of the family moved down south decades ago.

2. Margret Heater, Hedspace, Jepetto, Outside Joke and Mary Prankster are people you think are “Famous” I don't think I ever heard of Mary Prankster until grrwoo talked about one of their songs. Not sure who those other people are at all. I do consider Eva Cassidy famous, even if she's also dead.

1. Your radio dial is stuck on 99.1 Too corporate. My dial would probably be stuck on 103.1 if I could get the radio working again.

You know you...

Since the "You know you live in Maryland" list seems hopelessly Annapolis-centric (or at least unrelated to my life), I decided to see if I could find a better one. Again, bolding the items which are true for me. I apologize for cluttering your friends list, but this list is worth posting for the first item alone:

You Know You're From D.C. If.....

1. You say you're from DC, but you actually live in VA or MD but are too tired to explain where.

So very, very true.

2. You don't consider exploding man hole covers to be an unusual occurrence.

3. You know where the Pentagon really is but never bother to correct anyone about its location.

4. It is rush hour 24/7.

Sure, it's quieter at 2 a.m. on Monday mornings, but this is close enough.

5. It takes you 45 minutes to drive 3 miles on I-66, 95, 395, 495, 50, 123, 29, or 270, it's a pretty good day.
If I had a car, this would be true.

6. There are at least 15 ways to get everywhere and you know which way to go based on the weather, time of day, current political climate, terrorism road closures, and whether you are coming or going.
( This list is rather long, but there's a lot bolded. )