Nov 20 2007
Mom Learns About Time Zones
Mom had a question. A question about her phone. The manual wasn’t helpful so she wanted to call Tech Support.
According to the manual, Tech Support was available:
Mon - Fri: 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. EST.
Sat: 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. EST.
Mom is on the phone with me.
“What time is East Coast time?” she asks.
“It’s 2 hours later than our time.” I reply.
It’s currently around 8pm.
“Um, so can I call support?” she asks.
“No. It’s too late. It’s 10pm there.”
“So when can I call tomorrow?” she asks.
“Just do the math. They are 2 hours later.”
“Uhhh…so I get 2 extra hours?” she asks.
“No…you lose 2 hours.”
“But you say they are later…doesn’t this mean that it’s earlier here so we get 2 extra hours?” she asks.
Ah. What we are experiencing is Q-Logic. The very logic that has members of the Q family becoming disoriented in phone booths.
Well, we used to get disoriented. Once cell phones eliminated phone booths, we no longer have this particular problem.
My family is directionally challenged. I have it, mom has it, and even my Dad has it. My mom’s brother could never figure out which subway exit to take when he was in New York City. He said, “I kept having to cross the street.”
Somehow this relates to their problem with figuring out how to calculate time zones. When I called my uncle while he was visiting NYC, he said, “Isn’t this late for you?” He was adding instead of subtracting hours.
I’m not sure how it is related but I’m pretty sure it is. Along with being able to calculate a 15% tip.
But back to time zones. I realize that I have to draw it out for mom. She’s not good with doing math in her head. Not that I’m that great at it. But I can calculate a 15% tip.
“Mom.” I state.
“Yeah.” she replies.
“Get out a piece of paper.”
“OK. Does it have to be nice paper? Or can I use like, the back of an envelope?”
She has OCD and hoarder-cluttering. She’s not going to use a notepad.
“Anything. I think it’ll be easier for you to understand if you write it out is all.”
“Well…okay. I’m getting out this envelope…”
I start explaining.
“On the left, write down ‘MST’ for Mountain Standard Time.”
“OK.”
“On the right, write down ‘EST’ for Eastern Standard Time.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Now write down this formula: EST = MST + 2″
“Uh…huh.”
“OK. Now. Think about what time you can call tech support using that formula.”
“Huh?”
“Mom. Look at your notes. EST = MST + 2″
“Is this algebra?”
At this point I am writing down the formula on the back of some junk mail so I can follow along.
“Um, kinda. Anyway, you tell me tech support is open from 9 am to 9pm EST so what does that mean in our time zone?”
“Huh?”
“Remember: EST = MST + 2….so if it’s 9am in the east then it’s our time PLUS 2 hours.”
“Oh. So it’s 11am there?”
See why we get lost in phone booths?
“Why don’t you write it down - fill in the numbers. EST = MST + 2″
“Um… so 9am equals our time plus two which means…. 9 equals ..7 plus 2 so it’s 7am our time??”
“Yep!”
“Ohhhhh.”
Just in case, I ask her what hours she can call support tomorrow.
“Uh, lemmeesee…9am equals uh, 7 plus 2 so that means I can call them from 7am to 7pm tomorrow, right?”
“Yep.”
Now mom is excited. She’s getting it.
“So if tomorrow were Saturday, I could call them…10 equals uh, 8 plus 2 and 7 equals 5 plus 2 so…I could call them from 8am to 5pm??”
“You got it!”
“Thanks. Boy, time zones are confusing.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Pretty impressive with the patient explanation!
I definitely need to work on being able to teach someone (preferably in a patient manner) if they don’t understand something in particular.
Had she already asked you to help her with her cell phone?
I have to know these things for my job but even I get disoriented by it. When I was at ESPN I used to go nuts trying to figure out what time the Kentucky games started. Look at the map, it’s in 2 time zones!!!! WHY!?
Anyway it seems like this map should help your mother some. As for the directions, you guys need one of those GPS systems.
Oh my goodness, I think the Q family is related to my mom’s family in some way, seriously! I about died laughing because I can so relate to this!
And thank you so much for sharing those lyrics, it meant a lot to me that you did that!
Derek: I was feeling pretty mellow that night but I CAN get impatient! It was easy to be patient because I found it so funny! I mean, my post was merely a recollection!
Part of my job involves mentoring and training clients. I’m pretty good at this and when someone is paying for your time, it’s much easier to be patient! Besides, I love it when people get it.
If I get impatient, I tend to do it with relatives. Not a good thing and it sure doesn’t help.
Mom has a different phone than I and she wanted to know about text messaging. I never use that feature. She never even asked me for help.
Ricardo: Central time throws me and so does Phoenix, AZ. I think Phoenix doesn’t follow daylight savings time. Just checked, the entire state is MST and doesn’t follow daylight savings time. I remember having a layover in Phoenix and looking at my itinerary. I remember having a panic attack thinking there was no way I was going to make my connection. Something like that. But then I learned that they didn’t observe DST.
Yeah, those states that cross multiple time zones, confusing. What really got to me was when I went to Cape Town. My itinerary confused my friends and they went to pick me up — a day before I arrived! They waited and waited and then figured it out.
Mom seldom makes calls out of state so the time zone thing is usually moot. Either that she IS calling out of state but it’s one of the 24 hour lines and she’ll later tell me, “Got some Indian guy.”
Regarding GPS: like we can read maps. Or know Right from Left! So the GPS might say, “Get into the left lane.” Uh-huh.
Sue: Well, you’re also Susie Q right?? I almost busted up myself when I was talking with mom. I’m used to thinking time zones because I travel for my job. I also have to speak with people in different time zones which helps.
I’m glad you liked the lyrics. They sure helped me! I haven’t listened to those songs in a while - I now associate them with my troubled time so it’ll take a while for me to enjoy them again.
Oh there’s just NO WAY I could have figured out the time difference using all that addition and letters that looked like algebra!!!!!!!!!! I have a great sense of direction though, so I’m not sure I’m buying the relationship on that one.
I leave always leave a 20% tip, so that solves the entire 15% thing.
I wish I could handle my mom as well. Your mother has a thing with math and directions. My mother has a thing with the internet. She doesn’t realize you don’t need AOL to access a website. Which is why I think they are still around.
I need to learn to handle her with kid gloves. My mom is the one who showed me everything about gadgets and putting things together. I think she might have forgotten that.
You and your mom humor me. I think its great. The dynamic is wonderful. You have a lot more patience than me (even on my best day).
Have a great holiday.
Jill: I call myself “The Queen Of the U-Turn” because I usually end up having to take one!
I usually tip 18-20% but use the 15% as a baseline. Plus I usually calculate on the total not the pre-tax amount which gives a bit more tip.
UT: My mom has problems with the concept of being on the internet. Prior to her shifting to DSL, she thought that she had to be on the Internet to use the computer. The computer and the Internet was almost one thing in her head. I think it still kinda is. So I can understand where your mom is coming from.
Interesting that your mom was gadgety. My mom used to be very mechanical. Now…not so much. She still tries though.
I didn’t always have such patience with her. We’ve both worked on ourselves and my appreciation of her efforts has gone a looong way towards her making even more of an effort.
I also mentor and train people for my job. It’s given me an appreciation for the different ways people learn - I’ve had to present information in different ways which also helps ME to learn better.
Hope you have a great holiday as well!
When we lived in Thailand, my mother in law, who lives in DC, would call us before she left for work in the evening.
Which meant our phone would ring at about 4:30 am.
I would BOLT out of bed and RUN to the phone, convinced someone back in America had had a stroke or been hit by a bus. And every time, it would be my mother in law, who was confused and annoyed by the combined yawn/panicked tone of voice on my end of the line.
“Oh, is this early for you?”
Three years, we lived overseas, and she never got the idea that there was a 12-13 hour time difference.
Boy, I can’t tell you how many phone calls we received from east coast family members at 7 in the morning when we moved to California. We finally got them all trained, and now that we’ve moved back east we get a bunch of phone calls at midnight. Sigh.
Your mom is FUNNY. Ha. This post made me laugh.
Much like her I have no concept of time zones.
BTW….Your “map” killed me!
I know how it feels to have to deal with time zones. When I plan events on my Pokemon site we have to deal with a global audience. I have kids coming on site for trades and events from all over the world, not just the USA.
Most are spot on as I list the time and specify it is New York City time. Still, I get people who come on an hour early or late.
Christine: Hmm. Your mother-in-law was annoyed by your response to be woken up at 4:30 am?? Sometimes I wonder at people who “forget” things like time differences..on a regular basis! Of course, it would depend on how old your mother-in-law is! Not that that actually makes a difference now that I think about it.
I travel all the time and ever since 9/11 I send out my itinerary and include a “time zone” difference for whomever I’m sending it to. So I’ll include the person’s city and +/- the time difference.
A 12 hour time difference is pretty easy - it’ll be AM or PM! Too bad your MIL didn’t get it.
the frogster: Based on what I’m reading from the comments, I had no idea how prevalent this time zone problem was! I can understand my mom getting confused (she’s easily confused) and she rarely calls outside of her time zone. But if you have family in another time zone? You’d think you’d know the differences. I guess I just take it for granted knowing time zones. I do have a time zone map though. I don’t have the states and their time zones memorized!
meleah: Hey, I’m glad I made you laugh! That makes ME smile. I know you’ve been having some (understatement) rough times.
And yes, my mom is actually very funny - usually intentionally sometimes not, like “is this algebra?” She’s very clever with word play and metaphors.
HMTKSteve: Global time zones - that’s even worse! When I went overseas I was glad my PDA had this time “Global clock” and I could set it to 3 different time zones. It’s weird when you can travel 30 hour yet arrive the same day or 3 days later or some freaky thing like that.
GOOD NIGHT! I’m RIGHT NEXT TO CANADA!!!!!