Hey Kidlets! Remember to spring forward tonight. At least those of you in my part of the world.
Frankly I am all astonishment. It seems that we just fell back, what, about a month ago?
Remember To Spring Forward
There are some things that annoy me about these time changes.
First, fall back – where we gain an hour – used to occur the Sunday before Halloween. This meant you could fire a quick dinner into your trick-or-treaters and then head out the door into spooky darkness at 5:30ish. But for the past few years this fall back session has been delayed until the week after Halloween. It’s still light out at 6:00! You can’t even tell if the neighborhood pumpkins are lit! Somehow it’s just not the same schlepping about with costumed ghosts, monsters and princesses in broad daylight.
And second, my clock radio is on the hummer.
A friend gave it to me about 10 years ago. It worked fine up until a year or so ago when the fast forward function stopped working. This meant that to change the time you had to click the slow button over and over and over and over. My kids could hear the clicking in their bedrooms!
Then that slow button stopped working last September.
What did that mean?
For the past five months the damn thing has been an hour and a bit fast. I say “a bit” as I always set my clocks ahead a few minutes. Why? I hate being late. Better for me to know I’ve got a bit of “leeway time” built in.
Whenever I wake up in the middle of the night I always check the clock in order to get an idea of how much shut-eye time is left. It took me awhile to wrap my sleepy brain around the idea that it was necessary to remember to take OFF an hour. But I’m used to it now.
Tonight I don’t have to touch my bedroom clock radio. It will stay the same time.
Let me apologise in advance for any tardiness on my part. I’ll be back to normal come October.
This post was inspired by the Finish The Sentence Friday prompt of “You wanna know what really grinds my gears?“As always, our host is Kristi . Today’s guest hosts are Michelle (and this week’s sentence thinker-upper) of Crumpets and Bollocks and Anna of Fitfunner.
Enough about me and my unnecessary need to remember to spring forward. I’m curious about you. Do you prefer the fall back or the spring forward. Do you care? Does your clock radio work? What kind is it? Should I get one? If you’d care to share, I’d love to hear.
42 Responses
Don’t get me started on changing digital clocks …. Our clocks change later in the month and my bedside clock will then display the correct time .
We used to change later in the month as well Helen. It seems far too early now. Sounds like you have an issue with digital clocks as well? If so, glad I’m not alone.
Oh, Kelly does time even work the same in Canada as in America? 😉
What a splendid question Katy. Hmmmm … I suspect not. I mean when I consider the lyrics to “Oklahoma” it puzzles me. “Everything’s up to date in Kansas City. They’ve gone about as far as they can go. They went and built a skyscraper 7 stores high … about as high as a building oughta go …” I’m tempted to believe that you might be a tad late to the party. So tell me, with it being 8:54 here now (in the morning on March 8) is it 3:45 AM March 5 for you?
The worst thing about the time change is those darn appliances and clocks around the house ! At least our cell phones and PVR’s do it automatically now, so a few less to remember. If I were you, I would definitely invest in a new clock radio, I would have such a hard time wrapping my head around being an hour and a bit out !! The best thing about spring ahead is the lighter evenings , but I am with you on the Hallowe’en changes, it is not right to trick or treat in the daylight !
Yes Jane – you’re right about the delight of the cell phones and PVRs changing automatically. Thank heavens. Remember when the VCRs would blink and blink and blink until you dealt with them? We couldn’t figure out how to change Mom’s so we just placed a facecloth on it to black out the incessant blinking … And yes, perhaps it is time to swap out the clock radio. Perhaps on our next field trip?
Good to know I’m not the only busy woman to set her clocks just a wee bit ahead. Also, I always check what time it is when I awake in the night. Lastly, I have totally lived with a clock an hour off for half of a whole year (and then I married my husband, who refuses to do the funny math that takes… + hour – seven minutes= real time?!)
Grinning here! Yay! A woman after my own heart.+ hour – seven minutes = real time. It makes sense, no?
You had me flippin’ out for a minute, Kelly. Our daylight saving usually ends at the end of the month (October – March). But then I looked at the time/date on my computer and it said 8-03 and I thought, “What? It’s already ended and I didn’t realise…I could have slept for another hour!!!” Good yes? Nope, I was looking at the date (rolls eyes). I love daylight saving time, but I’m ready for it to be still dark when I wake up. LOL don’t ask me why–I haven’t got a clue. And now seeing it’s 8:50am Sunday, I just have time to get dressed for church. Catch you later 😀
Oh Lyn I hear you. I do apologize for giving you a flip! However I have to thank you for the smile I got upon reading your comments. 8:03. Ha! That could so have been me. I’m the same in the preferring to wake up in the dark department. It just feels as if I’ve got an early leg up on the day.
I got rid of my crappy digital clock that never worked right about a year ago and just use my phone now. More room for other junk on the night table! Ha! Loved your take on FTSF, friend and this whole time change thing – it’s early this year, yes?? Weird.
More room for other junk on the night table! That would so be me. Do I really need those coupons for a random ski hill located hundreds of miles away? Apparently I do. And yes the time change is earlier than normal. I wish we’d go back to the later switch. Ah well. Off to clean up my night table …
I put on a watch today that I don’t wear often – clearly it has been awhile because it is already set for tomorrow’s time!!! We will set our clocks soon because I hate feeling like I’m losing an hour of my bedtime.
Your watch was already set for tomorrow’s time? That makes me grin. And like you I prefer to set the clocks – well the ones that allow me to change the time – early. Nice to cheat ourselves into thinking we’ve slept longer isn’t it?
My mind would NOT be able to do ‘clock math’ in the middle of the night! If one of the buttons on mine stopped working I’d be shopping for a new clock the next day.
That’s too funny Kathy. We are rather different in that department however I suspect that most folks are like you! I think I will have to spring for a new alarm clock soon. It’s acting up in the alarm area now. Yikes.
It occurred to my when I was resetting clocks today–does the ‘back’ button work? You could change it that way 🙂
I have been! It just is rather stiff and it takes forever and ever and ever and the clicking sound drives my kids crazy.
My clock works Kelly – but I now have to figure out how to advance my Vivofit Exercise watch! Life was simpler with the wind-up kind!
Oh good luck with that, Susan! I haven’t worn a watch in years. The last time I did it was a wind-up kind! Have to admit it was lovely waking up in the middle of the night and my first thought was “the time is just right.” No need to take off an hour. I’m thinking I should zip out and get a new alarm clock. At least before next October.
On the other side of the world I am looking forward to our clocks going back at the end of the month. We hang onto daylight saving for too long. It is already dark for some hours after I get up.
Really? That is such a contrast to us. Thank you for popping by and leaving a comment. Our December is like that – the mornings are ever so dark. I hope the next few weeks zip by for you.
I just finished changing all the clocks. I wish I’d have read this first. Very funny!
Thanks Jill. Have to admit that I haven’t touched the clock in the car yet …
jeez! such an appropriate post, kelly.
I am finding it hard to move 60 minutes ahead and am pretty sure it will take me this whole darn week to go back to efficiency.
Good luck to you as well
xoxo
I’m with you Ruchira. This morning I am feeling a tad more sluggish that usual!
I love that you’ve stepped out of the time line Kelly – it only seems right that you should dance to your own clock. I’m always amazed at how many appliances in my house have clocks that need adjusting at these spring forward-fall back times. Last autumn I went around and changed what seemed like a million, only to realize I had spring forward instead of falling back. Snort. By the time I corrected the error it felt like it was time to spring forward once again.
Nooo – oh that must have been quite something when you realized your mistake Deborah. Man alive. I have to admit I haven’t changed my car clock yet. But I’d better do it soon before I find myself later than late. Shall I alert you in October to Fall Back?
Yes, Daylight Savings Time is not my favorite thing. Twice a year I get stressed out that I am somehow early/late/mixed up/confused about whatever I am supposed to be doing at that moment. Given how highly scheduled my family’s live is, it’s just not helpful. So I can totally see how DST would grind your gears!! (BTW, after 10 years you deserve a new alarm clock!!!!!! 😉 )
It just isn’t helpful is it? I’m with you, Anna. And then when they go and reschedule the changes well that’s a whole new set of potential hazards just waiting to happen. I’m fairly certain we didn’t use to spring forward until the end of March … And yes – speaking of sprng, I suppose I should spring for a new one.
The worst are digital clocks in hotel rooms, especially the deliberately fancy ones! On more than one occasion I have unwittingly set the alarm for the middle of the night and of course did not know how to turn the darn thing off. Unplug!
Oh Mo – isn’t that the worst? Especially if you’re in a completely different time zone and desperately need sleep. Or you can’t rely on the hotel wakeup call and you need to be jolted awake and can’t figure out how to set the alarm!
I like to fall back. I get an extra hour of sleep, and it’s in autumn, which I love. I do love that it’s light later now, but I hate that the sun isn’t up until well after 7 am.
Yes! Me too Dana. I prefer the fall back. The best time of year with the crunchy leaves, early darkness and extra sleep. I was so happy last week to see the sun up at 6:15. Now it remains hidden ’til 7:00 as you say.
I love the extra light at night, but that’s about the only good thing I can come up with! I have the clock in my car set five minutes ahead – drives my husband crazy, but I’m never late!
Oh he’d go absolutely crazy in my car Lana. Lately I put the clock at least 25 minutes ahead. Drives my children batty but we’re rarely late! I also love the extra light at night. Still working on getting used to the lost hour …
I don’t like springing or falling. I’d like to just go with the rotation and revolution of earth and yay the sunrise and thank the sunset whatever time it happens.
But, I guess kids walk to school in some places and having the light helps.
About changing the time on clocks. Kelly, there’s not a clock in our house! We use our phones and computer, the oven, etc. So no running the circle around the house to change time. But here’s a new one: we’re in Italy and though you all sprung this last weekend, Italy doesn’t do that until the end of March. The good? The time change with my daughter in FL (USA) is only 5 hours for a few weeks.
Oh that is a lovely offshoot of the time change. A 5 hour time difference. I’m sorry that it’s only for a few weeks Susan but it will be a good few weeks.
I prefer to fall back – then the kids finally end up going to bed earlier! On the other hand, I prefer to spring forward, because it means summer is coming… While you’re springing forward, we’re about to fall back here in Australia.
You raise good points Tat about both the spring forward and the fall back. It is lovely to have the longer days and lovely to have the kids in bed earlier! Hmmm… it really is a toss up isnt’ it? I was in NZ in March a few years back and it took me awhile to grasp the fall back at that time of year. Didn’t help that the weather was so gorgeously perfect either. Enjoy your last few days of Summer.
I like my sleep so I’m definitely a fall back kind of person. I hate the spring forward change. I’d be just as happy to stay at the same time all year round as I hate remembering to change the clocks twice a year.
Sharon you’ve hit upon the perfect solution. It would be heaven.