Me: I grew up in Iowa.
Random Person: Oh! I've been to Boise before! Man, I loved the mountains around there!
* * * * * * * * * * *
Conversations like the above are really not terribly uncommon for me, now that I no longer live in Iowa. People just can't seem to separate Iowa, Idaho, and Ohio in their minds. Or maybe they never even learned that they are four distinctly separate states!
This past Christmas, my brother got me THIS t-shirt from a shop somewhere in our fair home state. I think it parodies the all-too-common confusion nicely.
By now, you've determined that this post really has almost nothing to do with Montana. Where did this rant come from? Well, yesterday, I was at my Yahoo home page flipping through the rotation of trifling articles they always have, and one seemingly about Iowa caught my eye: http://rivals.yahoo.com/highschool/blog/prep_rally/post/Iowa-linemen-flip-burning-pickup-truck-save-pre?urn=highschool-wp5258 Notice that it does say Iowa in the actual text of the link. The teaser about the article also stated these young heroes are from Iowa. But once you click on the link and actually READ the article, it turns out the young men are from Indiana... Really??!
I don't know if there will be room on the Idawahio t-shirt to add a fourth state to the mix. What would that state be? Indidawahio?
No one seems to have this confusion with Montana, despite there being seven other states that also begin with the letter M (Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, and Maryland-- I hate to even attempt to come up with an amalgamation including all 8 of those states!) I suppose that implies that Montana is more memorable and rouses its own identity in the minds of its residents, visitors and outsiders. Maybe it's the Big Sky State of Mind, or the pride Montanans seem to have about their homeland.
Makes me want to get THIS totally awesome T-shirt! to add to my collection.
gfood post ,for a while back in the 90's the denver post was leaving wyoming off the weather map, it just sort of merged it with Montana. Don't worry too much about Iowa not being known it keeps the weirdos from moving there
ReplyDeleteTrue. I guess all of us wierdos have already left and are being offended by a state we no longer even call home... ;)
ReplyDelete