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…
My wife is like that, I hate when I get into her car and think I am running fifteen minutes late, when I am actually seven minutes early!
My only quirk with time is that I refuse to set an alram to something like 5:15 or 5:30, no it has to be 5:17 or 5:22 – I don’t know why, but I HAVE tried to rectify this situation to no avail.
Maybe there should be a Timekeepers Anonymous for those of us with various timekeeping issues. What do you think?
I really don’t know why people do this either. I freaked out while in the car with my SIL one day on our way somewhere b/c I thought it was later than it was and we were late somewhere. She was like “Ah, no worries, it’f 15 minutes ahead so I can get places on time…) Whatever. ; )
Ahahaha… This is a great reflection for me as I do this in our house. I know the kitchen is 5 minutes fast – car? 7 minutes. Our clock radio was 16 minutes fast until D started screaming about it – now it’s only 5 minutes fast.
I will ponder my time negligent ways Miss Holly. As always, you’ve changed my life
Puppy is forever doing that, too. I wonder why that is?? See you Sunday.
Please to add a ‘e’ to the ‘plant’ in the comment above. I actually live on a ‘planet’ not a ‘plant.’
Thanking you.
I live in one of only two 1/2 hour time zones on the plant. We are 1/2 hour ahead of Atlantic time, so when they announce a TV show is at say, 8:00 EST, I have to add 1 1/2 hours.
And it’s a pain trying to do any phone business with the rest of the country, too.
I have asked the ‘why’ question many, many times. I know the science behind the 1/2 hour time difference, but in practical terms, can’t we just round down to AST?
But having the clocks on anything other than the ‘real’ time? That’s HEINOUS. If it were me, I’d mess with his head and keep changing those clocks when he wasn’t looking.
Divorced? Me? Why, yes I am. Why do you ask?
We to suffer from this problem. My husband has our alarm clock set 15 minutes fast. Why must they make us do math so early in the morning! I wake up with a headache from all the math.
that is sooo funny. b/c i always put the clock in the car ahead by 5-10 mins so that i’m always on time to things. i’m always running late and that helps keep me grounded. lol and most times i try to forget that i did it… or do it a few mins here and a few mins there so i have no idea what time it really is… this drives my husband NUTS so then he fixes it of course… until the next time i happen to be stitting in the truck with a spare few mins to mess around with he clock. lol
sorry. i can’t help it. but i couldn’t do it w/ any other clock and I couldn’t do all of them at different times… that would make me batty!!
xoxoxo good luck!!
Extreme math conditions is so my husband too. He’s an engineer, enough said.
I go by computer clock time.
I am not as bad as your husband, but I do this, but in reverse, so that I will get places on time. And really, even though I know the clock is exactly 7 minutes early, it still works. To bad about the cell phone clock that is always on the correct time, to make me late.
An even bigger question is: how in the world is Texas and my corner of Indiana in the same time zone? Not even close.