Daylight Savings Time Blows

Why does it seem like Daylight Savings Time sneaks up on you?   I also think it moves around unnecessarily.  I think it is some type of horrible government trick to mess with your body clock and your routine.

First, my body/mind is used to getting up at a certain time during the week and when I try to mess with that it takes a time to adjust.  So I now I am actually going to lose a couple of weeks of personal efficiency, same in the fall.  Basically speaking, DST gives me a month of mental confusion within the year.  Obviously, I create my own mental confusion but it isn’t forced on me by a mandated clock change.

Second, if DST is so important, why doesn’t everyone participate?  What is so special about Arizona?  Are they smarter than the rest of the country or just lazier?  My point is, if DST was really necessary, everyone would do it.  It’s not like Arizona is on its own latitude and getting so much more daylight already.  Not to mention how Arizona is giving the big screw to the rest of the country for half a year by refusing to conform.  I wonder how it works for television shows there?  Are the live shows on time or an hour off?

Third, let’s talk about the money that is wasted dealing with DST.  Someone has to change all those clocks, and that takes time (ha!), which costs money.  Those huge clocks you see on sides of buildings and in stations need to be changed because the public depends on those clocks.  Think of all the many, many offices and classrooms around the country that have to manually change the clocks.  If they are anything like my old company, the clocks stay the same for a few months giving the workers a slight panic attack they may be late for an important meeting.  Kudos to the companies thinking ahead and getting digital or radio controlled clocks.  Won’t help out during a power outage, but definitely a plus for DST.

Lastly, it is a pain for me.   It took me years to figure out if my clocks move forward or back.  “Spring forward” makes just as much sense as “spring back.”  Someone told me you are looking forward to summer in the spring and you want summer back in the fall.  This was far too wordy for me to commit to memory and I think the summer is too hot and really don’t look forward to it.  I finally came up with an alphabetical solution.  “Fall” comes before “spring” in the dictionary and “back” comes before “fall.”  Therefore, Fall-back, Spring-forward.  Seems easier although a bit nerdier. 

Still a pain is actually changing all the clock items I have in the house.  I can’t stand doing this.  I have been known to just leave the clocks alone as long as I can, which can be a surprisingly long time.  My cell phone automatically updates so I usually rely on that time.  When I do decide to change the clocks, I don’t get super perfectionist about it like my friend, Kerri.  She has to have all the clocks exactly the same.  If she could do it to the exact second I know she would because she comes pretty close.  For example, she changes the clock on the microwave and has her finger on the START button as soon as the minute changes on her phone.  She does this with each clock she has in the house.   It must take as least 60 minutes.   

I do get obsessed with certain things, but getting the exact time is not one of them.   In fact, I refuse to even have the time show on my microwave and my oven time stays whether it is DST or not.  I actually do change the wall clock and my bedroom clock when I get around to it.  I just forward them an hour, if a couple of minutes get added, that is ok.  All my clocks have a different minute times.  It’s like cheap time travel. 

Changing time on electronic device, such as my blue ray player or TV can be easier depending how I actually set up the system in the first place.   Here is my issue, when I set these up I wasn’t sure if I was in DST or not.  At any rate, I always have to change at least one of them. 

DST should happen on a Saturday so you have a couple of days to adjust.  Also helps out everyone going to church so they won’t be late.  Or early, depending on whether they set their clocks to the wrong time the night before…