I realized as I became embroiled in a fierce debate at work tonight that everyone should go the extra mile in the area of geographical knowledge--especially before choosing to enter battle. I admit that I'm very fuzzy on many areas of the United States; however, what I do know is the area from which I come. Here's what happened:

It was closing time at the store, and I was the lone female amongst three other male employees. The manager commented about my home being "down there." In response, I pointed out that I drive directly west and only slightly south to get home. That part of the encounter ended at that point, but the other two males (we'll call them Bill and Ted just for the sake of simplicity) chose to pick up the fight for their fellow Borders soldier. They began, very stongly, insisting that that could not be because they had driven from PA to OH several times without ever being in WV. My point was that you have no choice but to pass through WV unless you're slightly north of Pittsburgh--see map at top. (I should know this since I lived there for all but the past 4 months of my life). Bill just used his Enlightenment logic to back his argument while Ted chose to back his issue with the claim that he had never been to WV.

Being that Borders is a bookstore, and being that bookstores carry atlases (in fact several varieties), I marched back to the travel section and marched back up to the front to prove that I had outwitted these two smarties. The manager, who briefly teamed up with the other two, suddenly backed down when I showed him the hard facts. Ted gave up fairly easily and just laughed. Bill, however, took it a little harder. You could see the defeat in his eyes, and about ten minutes later, he looked at me and said, "You have to admit that that's a very small pinhead portion of WV." To this, I responded, "Yes, Bill, but you have to realize that I, along with many other people, inhabit that pinhead portion, and since when do pinhead portions of states get wiped off the map?" It was a valiant last ditch effort to gain a point or two in the battle--but, I think I have to take the win on this one.

The lesson(s)? #1: Don't argue with folks about their hometown regions. #2: Clear up your geographical trouble areas. #3: Even when you think you have no chance of winning in a situation like this, you must pull out your tools and persevere--it makes it all the sweeter when you win.