HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I have no idea what time it is anyway, no matter what, and no matter what time we decide to set the clocks to say it is. So now the US Senate has passed legislation to make Daylight Saving Time the standard, and not have us change our clocks anymore.
You know how I feel about it when people say we are “changing the time.” We are not changing the time! We are just changing what we call it. Time is a continuum, and no matter what we humans do, or what we have our clocks say. It is what it is.
But we have to agree on what the time is, so we can know when to watch Ozark and Project Runway, and not be late for things. When there are things. So, okay.
If there could be a way that the sun comes up at 7 AM, and goes down around 6:30 every night, that would be fine with me. What kind of time would you call that?
“Doctors” are saying — the newspaper says they say so, anyway – – setting the standard as Daylight Saving Time is absolutely the worst decision. That our circadian rhythms are not set for that, and it will make everyone sick. (Everyone is already sick, but that’s another post.)
As for me, when we change the clocks, I have to ask myself whether I am supposed to be tired or not. Or hungry or not. And I am always utterly confused.
What do you think the time should be?
LUCY BURDETTE: For us, it’s all about what time the ANIMALS think it is. If it’s a little darker later in the morning, we all sleep in a bit–yay! They do not, however, understand shifting things either way. So let’s pick one and stick to it.
But, and I hate to whine because I get no sympathy, Daylight savings messes with our sunset celebration in Key West. On “normal” time, people come for 5:30 or 6 to do cocktails at sunset, we eat dinner, and they go home. In DST, they come at 6 and it’s hours until sunset. So are we supposed to drink for several hours and eat at 8? You see the problem? (I didn’t think so, LOL.)
(HANK: Um, yeah, what a dreadful dreadful situation! :-) )
JENN McKINLAY: I do not understand DST. Granted, I live in AZ so we’ve never changed the clocks because when it’s 115 degrees out, you don’t want another second of daylight nevermind an additional hour.
But now with DSL being permanent, we’re forever on PST even though AZ is clearly in the MST zone and instead of having half of the year with only a 2 hour time change to the fam on the east coast,
it will forever be 3 hours. I hate this!
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: It’s true, I complain mightily about springing forward (completely messes with my and the dogs’ inner clocks) and falling back (kind of nice when it comes to getting up in the morning, groans when it’s completely dark at 5pm.) I live where we have more extreme daylight and darkness, even within the state - when Youngest was going to the Maine School of Science and Mathematics up in the north, she had a full half hour less (or more) daylight than I did.
So ultimately, I think the time change is a good thing. In Maine, we only have three months of true summer weather, and boy, do we cherish those long summer nights where the light stretches on to 9pm. And in the winter months, it may be dark when we get up, but it’s growing light out when the high schoolers are waiting for their busses, and the sun creeps over the horizon when you drive into work. As lovely as DST is this time of year, the idea of it still being dark at eight in the morning in January is pretty grim.
HALLIE EPHRON: Time change was brutal when there was a baby in the house. No matter how I explained to her that it’s FIVE AM and we do not get up and feed you until SIX AM, she failed to grasp the logic. It took about a week to sink in.
On the plus side, I have never figured out how to change the time on the clock in my car. Now at least I won’t have to change it. Cell phones and computers change themselves. Hope they get the memo, assuming the House goes along with the Senate.
RHYS BOWEN: I’m usually in Arizona when the clocks change so don’t have to think about it. But having Arizona the same as California all year is weird, but at least I won’t ever risk showing up late again in Arizona as I did once, forgetting the hour’s difference in winter!
I do like light evenings, but I also hate dark mornings so I’m not sure which way I prefer.
As for changing clocks etc, I read once the following: iPhone, computer change itself. Stove: you’ll need the manual and a hammer. Car clock: wait six months and it will be correct again. So we might have saved ourselves some grief.
HANK: Hilarious!
DEBORAH CROMBIE: I am absolutely with Jenn on this. The last thing anyone needs in a Texas summer is another hour of miserable heat. I can’t even grill until after the sun sets as our deck faces due west and it is an inferno. Not to mention the AC bills, trying to cool the house enough to cook dinner every night. I’m always so relieved when we go on standard time. But I get that those of us who are farther north do like the later sunset. Just goes to show you can’t please everyone! (In which case I’d vote for leaving time alone.)
HANK: Leaving time alone! What a great book title! SO what do you think, reds and readers? I guess my vote is…keep changing the clocks. How about you?
it will forever be 3 hours. I hate this!
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: It’s true, I complain mightily about springing forward (completely messes with my and the dogs’ inner clocks) and falling back (kind of nice when it comes to getting up in the morning, groans when it’s completely dark at 5pm.) I live where we have more extreme daylight and darkness, even within the state - when Youngest was going to the Maine School of Science and Mathematics up in the north, she had a full half hour less (or more) daylight than I did.
So ultimately, I think the time change is a good thing. In Maine, we only have three months of true summer weather, and boy, do we cherish those long summer nights where the light stretches on to 9pm. And in the winter months, it may be dark when we get up, but it’s growing light out when the high schoolers are waiting for their busses, and the sun creeps over the horizon when you drive into work. As lovely as DST is this time of year, the idea of it still being dark at eight in the morning in January is pretty grim.
HALLIE EPHRON: Time change was brutal when there was a baby in the house. No matter how I explained to her that it’s FIVE AM and we do not get up and feed you until SIX AM, she failed to grasp the logic. It took about a week to sink in.
On the plus side, I have never figured out how to change the time on the clock in my car. Now at least I won’t have to change it. Cell phones and computers change themselves. Hope they get the memo, assuming the House goes along with the Senate.
RHYS BOWEN: I’m usually in Arizona when the clocks change so don’t have to think about it. But having Arizona the same as California all year is weird, but at least I won’t ever risk showing up late again in Arizona as I did once, forgetting the hour’s difference in winter!
I do like light evenings, but I also hate dark mornings so I’m not sure which way I prefer.
As for changing clocks etc, I read once the following: iPhone, computer change itself. Stove: you’ll need the manual and a hammer. Car clock: wait six months and it will be correct again. So we might have saved ourselves some grief.
HANK: Hilarious!
DEBORAH CROMBIE: I am absolutely with Jenn on this. The last thing anyone needs in a Texas summer is another hour of miserable heat. I can’t even grill until after the sun sets as our deck faces due west and it is an inferno. Not to mention the AC bills, trying to cool the house enough to cook dinner every night. I’m always so relieved when we go on standard time. But I get that those of us who are farther north do like the later sunset. Just goes to show you can’t please everyone! (In which case I’d vote for leaving time alone.)
HANK: Leaving time alone! What a great book title! SO what do you think, reds and readers? I guess my vote is…keep changing the clocks. How about you?
