AIBU to ask you to tell me things that you learned way too late in life *lighthearted*.

[Tinkofhousepan]

I started talking with a friend who emigrated to the states a few years ago for work. He lives in New York. We were discussing me going over for a holiday as I've never 'done' NYC. Started discussing the time difference between there and here 5 hours which surprised me as when I went to California the difference was larger 8 hours I think.

This lead to me being informed that the two states are on totally opposite ends of the country.

This is my thing I learned late, ive gone 26 years assuming florida and California were next to each other, And i have learned today that Florida is on the same side as NYC. AND IS AS FAR SOUTH AS TEXAS??? I also learnt that Washington is the most northern state on the side of California, where as Washington DC is just below Maryland and right next to Virginia, which is not at all in the middle part of America where I assumed it to be . I didn't learn USA geography at school, but surely I should have picked this up before now, especially considering I have been to both California and Florida!

Anyone else never realised this? Or is it just Me!

I was in my late 20s when I realised Australia and New Zealand were totally different land masses - I thought they were connected like England, Scotland, Wales etc! You'd think North and South Island would give me a clue but no! It's a standing joke in my family that looking at an Atlas is always mind-blowing for me 😂.

I found out well after finishing having children that baby vests have the envelope top on them so they can be taken off downwards rather than trying to get a poo filled vest (from an explosive poo) off over a baby’s head.

You don't need a reason to leave

I only recently discovered why there are, usually, three sets of hooks on bras. When it's new you start off using the outer hooks, but as time goes by and the fabric stretches a bit you move to the middle hooks and then the inner hooks.

Something that I literally just learned that I wish I had known yesterday. The southern railway line going between dorking and London Victoria via Sutton, hackbridge, Mitcham etc is not running today.

There are, according to a sign that I would have loved to have seen displayed so prominently at my station yesterday, apparently no trains running through the Mitcham stations, cheam, sutton, carshalton stations and possibly further afield at all today or tomorrow.

Not the point of this thread but just a heads up to any of you folks that live round this way and like me have to get a bus possibly a taxi now as I've just missed my sodding bus which arrived early😣😤😤😖!! Driver I know you saw me running! up to London today.

I don't get these threads where people post boasting how ignorant they are - not knowing where Florida or California are on the map isn't really something to be proud of.

Or put it another way, I've learned to late that some people like to revel in their lack of knowledge as if it were something funny.

YY to PP who says there are no prizes for doing social things you don't want to do. Eg work nights out.

I’ve learned that some posters are total dicks

Not you lot. You know who I mean 👆👆

That many, many people are really rather thick poorly educated.

@LakieLady 100% agree with you about dogs 💕 (notevenlighthearted) 😊

I learnt just yesterday the south Korea is in the northern hemisphere. I assumed it was southern and near the equator so was confused as to why it's currently winter there. Then I realised that literally all I knew about south Korea is that it's south of North Korea which I have since learnt has a land border with China and is not much further south than Russia.

Thanks Google maps!

I’ve learnt that some people really enjoy bringing down a light hearted thread with simply comments

Snippy comments

I don't get what's "lighthearted" about declaring how thick you are. "Ooooh look at me! I'm so DITZY and SILLY! Isn't it FUNNY how I didn't know California and New York weren't the same place!! Hahahahah."

Not funny. Not lighthearted. Not something to celebrate.

You ok Hun? 🙄 @k2p2k2tog

That narwhal's are real (this was a few years back!) I thought they were a mythical sea creature...!

k2p2k2tog that was not the intent of my post. It's neither designed to be ditzy or oooh look at me. It was something that I learned that I didn't know before, but as my OP suggests I feel like I should have. Sorry I am not on the same level of intelligence as you, but you don't have to call me names to prove your point.

If someone asks you a question, you have an option not to answer it. I always felt duty-bound to answer anything anyone ever asked me, when I was younger.

Have you stopped learning, k2p2k2tog ? Do you really think you know everything now? Every day should be a learning experience: if it isn't, it shows not intelligence but the opposite - a sadly closed mind.

Anyway - I've learnt to make soup. All those years of getting it horrendously wrong and buying crappy tins, but now I can do it! I'm so chuffed with myself.

Read on here that satellites do not emit their own bright light that makes them visible as they whizz across the sky, but that the sun is reflecting off them which is how we see them. I thought about this new nugget of information last night as I looked up!

I am so making leek and potato soup today now seahorses!

Not me but some southern friends (I'm northern) announced a week ago that they thought cracking the flags meant getting the flags out and that it was windy.

They obviously get more sun down south. They are now enlightened and really impressed with the real meaning.

I learned in my late 40s that culture doesn't have to be worthy to be enjoyable. My mum has always been snobby about light entertainment/culture and I unconsciously adopted that attitude so avoided prime time tv as 'not for me'. I have totally changed and am greatly looking forward to Ant and Decs Saturday Night Takeaway this evening. Watching something silly and popular and light hearted can be a total joy.

I learned rather late from a couple of spectacular cases of evidence to the contrary, not to invariably believe those women who are always gushing about how perfect their Dh/dcs/life in general is.

And saying no to events/activities you know you won't enjoy - very liberating! Also learned rather late that the kind of people who say, 'Go on - you'll enjoy it!' are the sort of people who would enjoy it, and think anyone who's not like them is weird and needs to change.