ANA Discussion Forum
General Category => AN Issues => Topic started by: calimama on April 24, 2008, 01:49:51 pm
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a little joke from Toronto Canada here...(humor helps right?! ;))
When i first came to this site i found it kind of curious to find all of you Americans talking in mm's and cm's.
I was thinking/laughing to myself about this... here is my little joke... (no offence really ;D
doctor: "I am sorry to tell this, but your MRI shows you have 2.2 x 1.8 centimeter acoustic neuroma".
american patient: "what's a centimeter?"
hee hee... :D
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Thanks for the joke
It's important to keep our humor.
Syl
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That's actually very funny! And, you are right - how completely ironic that all we Americans are so comfortable measuring our tumors (of all things!) with metrics?
Thanks for the laugh!
Debbi (hyper-aware of metrics in NJ)
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Calimama:
Thanks for the humor. :D
Although most Americans are not really comfortable with the metric system the medical profession uses it for almost everything, so we've learned to adapt. Still, I had to Goggle up a metric-to-inches conversion chart when I found out what size my AN was. I was not comforted to learn that it was almost 2 inches, although that sounded a bit better than 4.5 centimeters. I still prefer the U.S.measuring system although I can deal with the metric, when necessary.
Jim
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*raises hand*
Guilty!
:)
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It is my belief that in the US, we have developed an intrinsic idea of the English system. For instance, we all had a ruler in grade school that was 12 inches long. We understand how comparatively warm it will be by the temperature: 70's is shorts weather, 30's is winter coat. We've all seen signs saying 1 mile to the exit - so have a feel for the distance. I work in science, so understand the metrics just fine, but I have to convert it in my head to really understand. I think the only thing Americans have a deep understanding of is how much 2 liters is... :D
Calimama -
I'm going to be in Toronto this Sunday, have from about 2:30 - midnight. What would you suggest for an evening? Any clubs or restaurants you'd recommend? A friend will be driving up from Rochester to hang out with me, and we'll be looking for something interesting (and child-free!) to do. PM me if you get a chance.
Tamara
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I think your joke is perfect! Right on target! The whole metric system is just one of those things they tried to teach me in school - but it never did sink in.
However, I not only know how much 2 liters is - I know how long a 5K race is...more or less.... ???
They even tried to make me learn it again in nursing school. No luck then either. I guess I just won't be doing math outside of the US.
Lori
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GOTCHA!!!!
ha ha!
actually, i remember learning metric in school... i THINK that it was "introduced" when i was like 7 or 8 (i have no idea). I kind of remember having a hard with it too... weird cuz it's supposed to be easier. Anyway, i am kind of bilingual... i am comfortable with KMs and Miles (i actually ran the NYC marathon in 2002 so i trained in min/miles). I do cups, feet, pounds (i lived in Australia many years ago and had a hard time adapting to weighing myself in Kilos... but once i got used it i was fine). I can only do warmer temps in F. (like 70 and up).
I only know my height in feet and weight in pounds. GUILTY! ;)
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I am totally clueless when it comes to the metric system.
I remember having to learn it as a child because we were told that the U.S. was going to be following the lead of other countries and make the switch.
That was about 35+ years ago, and as I told my children's math teacher just a few months ago (when neither of them could make heads or tails out of the metric system), I'm still putting gallons of gas into my car - not liters! I don't think I'll ever understand it ::)
Jan
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Good one Calimama. And so true. As a former sprinter, I know what a 100 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters are. But I have absolutely no idea what 1 1/2 centimeters is beside -- gone.
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Guilty..............I asked my doctors how many inches that was and they looked at me like I was nuts. They may understand the metric system , but I don't and I wanted to know. One smart one said, "Go home and figure it out!"
Brenda
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had to ask my bloke (very well versed on metric, being the Brit that he is) what was the equivelent of mm to the inch...... I felt so stoopid! ::)
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;D another guility party here! One of my very first posts, I remember stating my AN was about an inch long, but I didn't know the cm size but said I would definitely find out because everyone on this board posted their AN sizes in cm. Hahaha, too funny!
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I hate to point this out, but apparently things are only going to get more confusing.
I received my WTT application from the ANA last weekend and it said that I should be aware that now docs are using mms instead of cms when diagnosing ANs ::)
Guess I'll have to find one of those websites that has a conversion table.
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Uh, I don't remember the docs checking with us on that change.
I say we veto the idea.
Lori
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Just when you think you have a handle on things they go and change it. I'm gonna protest. I was great at it in the '60's.......................
Brenda
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I'm here to tell ya that the docs are using mm's to size them. I was told by both doctors I went to that mine is 30mm. I converted it to cm's after reading through the forum and noticing that everyone was sizing theirs that way. And, *raises hand* I'm guilty of google'ing "mm to cm conversion" in order to get it right. ;)
Brian
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The easy part of metric is going from say cm (centimeter) to mm (millimeter). They are always powers of 10 different - 10 times bigger/smaller, 100 times bigger/smaller, etc.
1 cm = 10 mm. Or, if you like, 10 mm = 1 cm.
1 cm = 0.01 meter = 0.00001 kilometer = ...
Oops, got carried away. :-[
Steve
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The easy part of metric is going from say cm (centimeter) to mm (millimeter). They are always powers of 10 different - 10 times bigger/smaller, 100 times bigger/smaller, etc.
Easy for you maybe; I still find it confusing ::)
Maybe you should be our official conversion expert since you actually get this stuff ;D
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I didn't think there was an easy part to the whole metric system. This sounds too much like a math lesson! You just can't teach an old dog new math tricks.
Remember, I went to Catholic school - nuns don't teach math or home-economics. I can't add or sew on a button, but I can diagram a sentence like there's no tomorrow! And how useful that has been..... ::)
Lori
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I can't add or sew on a button, but I can diagram a sentence like there's no tomorrow! And how useful that has been..... ::)
Did you put things on stilts? As I remember sentence diagramming, if you weren't sure what to do, you put it on stilts. Infinitives, prepositional phrases, pretty much anything that wasn't an ordinary noun, verb, or modifier. Ah, those were the days...
Steve
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Very funny!!! When I found out the size of my AN I had to ask my doctor to explain too. It made me feel dumb, but if you don't know the answer regarding ANs, no question can be dumb I guess. At least now I know.
Wendy :D
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Nah, Steve, I just used pencil so I could erase when I was wrong!! ;)
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I used to be Guilty, I also remember learning the metric system in school (7th or 8th grade) and remember my teacher saying that within 10 years the whole world would use only metric, HAHA. Now I live in Germany and had to learn the metric system. Now I think how in the world can the USA still use pounds, inches, etc... things like 1/12 of a foot=1 inch
1/16 of a pound=1 oz.
1670yards=1 mile if I remember correctly
This doesn't exist in the metric system, everything is divisible by 10, 100, or 1000.
I know my wife finds it easier to say that she weighs only 55 kilos instead of 120lbs.
Dan in Germany
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Well, I had to get the ruler and turn it to the metric side to figure out how big my AN was at 2cm also. It's too bad we weren't taught all this as children - it would have been easier. Metric system is supposed to make much more sense, once you get the hang of it. Eventually, it probably will take hold in the US. I remember once, when my son was in school, he said something like ," Boy, that missed me by a centimeter!". I thought, where did that come from? Surprised me I guess. I never took advanced math and science, so never got into the metric system. Like I said before, drug dealers seem to grasp the concept, so I would imagine we can all learn if we had to! :D But then what would we do with songs like, "5 foot 2, eyes of blue..."? "1.5748 meters, eyes of blue" just doesn't sound right! ;D
Sue in Vancouver, USA
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I know my wife finds it easier to say that she weighs only 55 kilos instead of 120lbs.
I think I've changed my mind! I'm really starting to like this metric stuff!
55 kilos instead of 120 lbs. - cool 8)
I propose we somehow start using metrics for years, too. Instead of 46, maybe I could be 25 ;D LOL
Jan
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Yes, i think this kilos thing could work... I'd feel much better admitting how much I weigh if we did it in kilos instead of pounds.
Lori