I live in central standard time (CST).
This means that anytime a show is advertised on TV I usually have to subtract an hour from EST to determine what time I can watch the show.
But that is nothing compared with the time zones I negotiate when moving from room to room in my home.
Yes my home.
My husband sets clocks ahead.
He sets his watch 7 minutes ahead and keeps it on military time. Not a big deal since he alone wears his watch.
What has been a bit contentious is the clock in the bedroom. The clock by the bed that wakes us up in the morning. The clock that is currently 32 minutes ahead. Interestingly, that clock has inched up in aheadness approximately 1 minute per year of our marriage.
The clock in the shower is 17 minutes ahead.
The clock in the kitchen is 6 minutes ahead.
The clock in the car is 11 minutes ahead.
Oh, aren’t you taking notes? Because if you come visit you might want to know the time.
After years I have learned to look at a clock based on its location and do the math in my head.
Oh! I am in the bedroom and it is 10:43? Nope! It’s 10:11!
Oh! I am taking a shower and have only 5 minutes? Nope! I have 22!
Oh! I am running 15 minutes driving to an appointment? Nope! No need to call ahead, I will only be 3 or 4 minutes late.
So, the obvious question is WHY?
And believe me, I have asked the obvious question on many occasions. Some more heated then others.
Why do I have to live under these extreme math conditions?
My husband replies that it makes him feel better about getting up early in the morning. Like it isn’t actually 5:30 because the clock says it is 6:02. I don’t buy this argument…
Because he is one of the smartest people I know. So you can’t tell me that he isn’t doing the math in his head the INSTANT that he looks at the clock.
So the question of WHY remains.
I guess that I should be grateful that he hasn’t determined an international date line runs through the dining room…
I live in central standard time (CST).
This means that anytime a show is advertised on TV I usually have to subtract an hour from EST to determine what time I can watch the show.
But that is nothing compared with the time zones I negotiate when moving from room to room in my home.
Yes my home.
My husband sets clocks ahead.
He sets his watch 7 minutes ahead and keeps it on military time. Not a big deal since he alone wears his watch.
What has been a bit contentious is the clock in the bedroom. The clock by the bed that wakes us up in the morning. The clock that is currently 32 minutes ahead. Interestingly, that clock has inched up in aheadness approximately 1 minute per year of our marriage.
The clock in the shower is 17 minutes ahead.
The clock in the kitchen is 6 minutes ahead.
The clock in the car is 11 minutes ahead.
Oh, aren’t you taking notes? Because if you come visit you might want to know the time.
After years I have learned to look at a clock based on its location and do the math in my head.
Oh! I am in the bedroom and it is 10:43? Nope! It’s 10:11!
Oh! I am taking a shower and have only 5 minutes? Nope! I have 22!
Oh! I am running 15 minutes driving to an appointment? Nope! No need to call ahead, I will only be 3 or 4 minutes late.
So, the obvious question is WHY?
And believe me, I have asked the obvious question on many occasions. Some more heated then others.
Why do I have to live under these extreme math conditions?
My husband replies that it makes him feel better about getting up early in the morning. Like it isn’t actually 5:30 because the clock says it is 6:02. I don’t buy this argument…
Because he is one of the smartest people I know. So you can’t tell me that he isn’t doing the math in his head the INSTANT that he looks at the clock.
So the question of WHY remains.
I guess that I should be grateful that he hasn’t determined an international date line runs through the dining room…
Wow – it drives me crazy if our clocks are just a few minutes off from one another. And our van clock, which used to be 4 minutes behind the kitchen clock, was sheer torture for me. (And the day my husband fixed the van clock without telling me? Not. A. Good. Day.)
My mom is a huge fan of this practice so when I moved out, I too did it for a while until I realized it was pretty…silly.
Then again, I also have four clocks in my kitchen (stove, micro, coffee maker, iPod Dock) and I struggle to get them to match up.
I do this! Only it’s just my alarm clock (which I don’t use anymore because I have a baby who wakes me up at the crack of dawn) and it has to be 15 minutes fast. I did this because my exhusband was notorious for running late, and now I can’t get out of the habit, and my dreamy husband is notorious for running early. So now it comes back to bite me in the rear, but I can’t change it. 🙂
This would drive me insane. I like all my clocks to be accurate and if possible all showing the exact same times…especially the clocks I can see at the same time (oven,microwave,coffee maker).
I don’t know how you can stand this. Seriously. This might be the one thing my husband and I fought over. (And we never fight.)
That is so, so funny. It takes my husband about a month to change the clock by his bed after daylight savings time ends, and by that time I am completely insane. I don’t know how you do it, but I’m pretty sure that you deserve a medal. Or a clock tower.
My husband doesn’t use clocks. He just continuously asks me what time it is. Or uses his iphone. That’s his alarm, too. It goes buzzing across the bedside table and crashes onto the floor, all while playing some rap song I have never heard before.
I must admit that during the school year I set the kitchen clock about 5 to 10 minutes fast so the kiddies won’t miss the bus. And, the clock in my car in always 10 minutes fast.
your husband and i might be related. just a little, maybe.
i keep my watch a little fast. and the clock in my car.
but that’s all. really. i swear.
Maybe he just really likes math. Us math people are wierd that way. My husband is always asking me, Okay which clock has the REAL time??
Extreme Math Conditions. gigglegiggle. I might borrow that one someday.
I used to make some random friend come set my clocks ahead, but not tell my by how much. Because yeah, I can do that math in a split second, before my eyes are open, with a hangover, no prob.
Extreme math conditions. *snicker* That was good, dude.