The cartoon above is no exaggeration. The whole "Spring forward, Fall back" nonsense not only baffles us, but it makes us feel physically ill at a time when we're trying to be alert to early signs of plague.
We've got a pretty bad case of government-induced stupor today, so we won't be trying to pull off our usual tricks with...uh...oh, what are those things?...everybody knows these, uh, things. Oh, yeah! Words! Our brain is too fogged to use words!
Which is why we're cobbling together cartoons like this one:
And sharing some DST-related goodies from the vault like these:
Okay, that more or less looks like a blog post. Now where did we put our caffeine pills...?!
42 comments:
A whole blog to the evils of daylight savings time!
You should move to Arizona or Hawaii, they licked that devil!! Think how much better your life will be when you don't have to worry about your computer and phone changing the clock by itself.
Rob: I've lived in AZ and HI and I like no time changes.
I think it's time we add half an hour to standard time and make that the new standard time.
DST: All the jetlag with none of the fun of travel. Pfui.
This goes against the grain, but I don't remember this sort of angst/hair pulling when much younger and the clock hands were moved forward or backwards. In fact I welcomed/still welcome DST as it means longer hours of usable daylight. Do believe though early March is a tad early.
Now if you are cool with having at the height of summer, mother nature rouse you from your well-earned sleep with a 04:30 sunrise as it does without DST, then go for it.
Time is a confidence trick invented by the Swiss to sell more over priced watches....
Further using HI as an anti-DST argument is suspect. Due to its latitude compared the the rest of the U.S., I suspect DST hasn't been adopted as the sun rises and sets with very little difference in times there, be it standard time or DST.
Given that I wonder if Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgins Island or our processions in the South Pacific (Guam The Northern Mariana Islands) also do not observe DST for the same reason?
I might have to write-in Lefty Lucy in November as she makes more sense than Bernie.
Today in AZ: Did not even realize the rest of you poor saps had to mess with your clocks. The sunrise will be at 6:44 (it's 5:00 now), and the sunset will be at 6:30.
I have no problem with those times and can't imagine why I would want them an hour later.
My sleep schedule was fubar yesterday, but that's not unusual for a Sunday (up too late Fri a/o Sat, sleep late, get nap...) and feeling fairly normal today. But I agree, I'd be perfectly happy splitting the diff, and setting that as normal all year.
DST, like fluoridated drinking water is a red commie plot to steal our natural essence.
Best damn movie. Ever.
So did I lose an hour or gain one? Is it like flying east or west? Missed church yesterday or was there an hour early? Do I get up or get down? Damned if I know.
I'm with Fish Out of Water: OK, maybe if centered on mid-summer but this is early March. Toggling the time for more than half the year is illogical; but the split is 8 months to 4. We are supposed gut our lifestyles & economy for Ecology & Nature; and we do this.
The only logic here is influence peddlers & those with authority must be making money with it.
Those assholes probably never went to work a long day at Sunrise nor had any fun on a cool summer night. Winter is dark either way.
CAFFEINE PILLS???
Man, up, Stilton! Grab a mug, and take it like a man!
Or a caffeine syringe.
When I was growing up in Indiana, they also didn't have DST. (They reinstated it a few years ago.) Every spring and every fall, if you overheard a conversation where Arizona, Hawaii, and Indiana were mentioned, you knew what the subject was. All summer, radio DJs had to say, "It's 10:17, 11:17 in Michigan and Ohio."
I miss those days.
Yup.
Golf course and outdoor rec folks have lobbyists in Washington.
Elementary school kids waiting for and boarding buses in the dark do not have lobbyists.
Hence, we have early DST and tragically, kids getting hit in the dark.
Burying the Lede: I got a rapturous thrill last week when I read in the local news online that our Utah legislature had passed, and sent to the governor for signature, a bill abolishing DST for the state. We still have to go to DST this time, but when it becomes law, Utahns will just never fall back this coming Fall...
I woke my spouse—really!—to share the news. Sighs from under the bedding: "Read to the end, hon. It doesn't happen unless four other Western states pass the same measure."
Well, zhit...
Don't hate me, but DST is way, way down my list of irritations. We mark the occasion by ceremoniously changing the Dale Martin pastel above the mantel from winter scene to summer scene.
As noted above, when I was in Diego Garcia for a year there was practically NO difference between sunrise and sunset. It was 30 minutes, maximum. Of course, DG is 6 degrees below (south of) the equator, which is the reason why this happens.
I see no reason for DST any more. Farmers have lights on their machinery, and manual labor on most large farms is practically non-existent. I mean, Blooming Idiot didn't mention the need for labor, just plant the seed, water, and wait for the harvest time... right?
@Pat Cummings,
Not so fast... Last year, my state's (NC) gubmint passed a law to keep DST year 'round, but apparently we have to have federal approval to actually do it. I wonder if Utah will have to wait for Big Brother's permission too??? I wonder, did AZ and HI have to get permission?
Honestly, I don't care about DST either way (Sorry, Stilton!). I sort of live my life according to what he sun does, not what the clock does, since my employer doesn't care when I come in or leave as long as I get in my 8 hours.
But, imagine if you will, a world where every state gets to do what they want. Some don't do DST, some do it like is is now, some stay on it (like NC voted), and others start and finish it whenever they please. I think this would make interstate commerce a nightmare. If I had to pick one, I say abolish it for good in ALL states.
I like having extra daylight in the morning, and enjoying sitting under the stars at night.
Any state can opt out of DST. Don't understand the remark about needing 4 other states.
Farmers were not the reason for DST. They don't like DST. Cows run on sun time, not clocks.
No approval to opt out of DST. Permanent DST for any state requires Congress approval, and would apply to all states, unless the states opt out. Permanent DST was enacted in the 70s for two years, it was a disaster and repealed.
If I had the power I'd decree daylight savings time YEAR ROUND and it would be TWO hours. Nobody needs daylight in the morning (and that includes you, whiney farmers and nervous mothers of schoolkids - give the kids a flashlight!) In the evening after work however, it's nice to have some time to enjoy daylight before it gets dark.
All you folks who have a problem with one less hour of sleep need to go shopping for onesies with the footies in them.
How did you ever survive College (or even high school?)
YES!
Among the joys of living in the Copper State (Arizona) is not having to deal with DST.
I've read the many argument against DST, but many of us rather like the light until 8:30pm in the evening, particularly in the summer time. Please don't let Bernie take it away from us!
Igor: "Blooming Idiot" HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Good stuff Stilton!
I don't really understand the kerfuffle about DST. It's kinda inconvenient for a week or so, until my circadian clock resets, but even back when I had one of those pesky jobs, it didn't take long to adjust. The hardest part was explaining to my dog every fall that he had to hold it for an extra hour.
Arizona, with the exception of the Navajo Rez) has not participated in DST since 1967. We stay at Mountain Standard Time year round.
One reason is because the majority of population lives in the desert, and the earlier that hot ball of gas goes below the horizon in the summer, the better your evening.
Bobo the Hobo says
I might have to write-in Lefty Lucy in November as she makes more sense than Bernie.
Heck I could eat a bowl of alphabet soup and poop a better argument than either of them.
Murphy (AZ)
Man, up, Stilton! Grab a mug, and take it like a man!
Wasn't that Buttigieg's Champaign slogan?
Cheap jokes but you are getting what you paid for.
This is one of the great things about being retired. I only have to get up when she who shall be obeyed says I do. This is another reason to have a doggie door for the pups. They can go when they want and don't wake us up.
@Marty: Actually that sounds pretty good; but where can one get good quality Onesies with footies in size XL? And High School was fun & easy; but at this much later time I don't really know HOW I ever got through BS & MS Engineering degrees at tough University. [grinning]
@Rob- I'd consider Arizona, but I've spent a lot of time in Hawaii and would never want to live there. If you want disorientation, try having no real seasons and being out of synch with the mainland by 5 to 7 hours (or whatever it is). I'm turning green just thinking about it.
@Dan- We need to settle on a time and then say that's it! No more screwing around with reality!
@M. Mitchell Marmel- That's exactly how I've described it. Although "travel" may not be all that much fun anymore either.
@Fish Out of Water- Oh, I could put up with all KINDS of BS when I was young and strong. But now, changing the clocks is plenty enough to kick me for a loop.
@Regnad Kcin- You're right! Before that, people could just jam a stick in the ground and see where the shadow fell.
@Fish Out of Water- If you lived in a Hawaiian valley, which my parents did, sunset was a totally different time than other spots on the island with unimpeded skies. Totally confusing!
@Bobo the Hobo- We could do worse than having Lefty Lucy in office. I'm fairly sure that a good advisor could get her to sign off on about anything. Granted, so could a BAD advisor...
@Geoff King- In old horror movies, people used to reliably say things like "Man must not tamper with the work of God!" before all Hell would break loose. It's still true. And it's why I'm lumbering around like Frankenstein's monster.
@Pete(Detroit)- For me, the ill effects of the time change are profound for several days, and significant for at least a week. Doesn't matter which direction the damn clock is going - it just ruins me.
@Sortahwitte- That is indeed a classic!
@Rod- I, too, have no idea whether I lost an hour or gained an hour. It's semantics and illogical to me. All I know is that my internal clocks currently have cartoon springs sproing-ing out while the clock hands spin in different directions. And yes, a little circle of birds does fly around my bobbing head. MAKE IT STOP!
@Murphy(AZ)- I do take the caffeine pills like a man! I never said they were oral, did I? (Seriously, I drink a bunch of coffee but can't handle so much liquid so have to augment with the caffeine pills).
@Old 1811- I'm an old Hoosier myself, and I loved the fact that in the summer, it was the broadcast times of TV shows that changed and NOT the time on our clocks. And that system worked great! I miss it, too.
@John the Econ- That's what I'm talking about.
@Anonymous- As is true of most government initiatives, such plans will be good for SOMEone...but not the ones who are supposed to be helped.
@Pat Cummings- I'm pretty sure I can swing Texas with this blog. Now we just need to find three more...
@TrickyRicky- It sounds like you have fine coping mechanisms. I don't, and sometimes have problems prioritizing the importance of my irritations. Plus, they can build on one another. Daylight Saving Time isn't necessarily a huge problem on its own...but on a day like this when I've lost a high five-figure number of bucks in the market AND I'm freaking sleepy, it's too much!
@igor- You're right! Bloomberg says that farmers can just fling a few handfuls of seeds on some dirt, then go home and watch Netflix for a few months until it's time to harvest everything. What do they need daylight for?!
@Colby Muenster- Like you, I'm pretty free to set my own schedule. On any given day, I'm not technically sure if I'm self-employed, underemployed, unemployed, or retired (the lines are blurry when you're a writer). I don't wear a watch. But DST still spanks me. I agree with you that we pretty much need all states on the same plan to avoid chaos, though.
@brunnegd- Oh, there are some good effects from DST depending on your preferences and personal timetable. But for me, not enough to outweigh the negatives.
@Anonymous- I like the sound of that, but my wife would hate it. Being a morning person, she wants it light as early as possible and dark as early as possible.
@Marty- I survived college (and far too many all-nighters) by being about 20 years old. Most of a half century later, I find that I lack the resilience which once sustained me.
@Jim Irre- And THAT'S the kind of positive attitude we like to see around here!
@jpb252- I love Texas, but I envy you folks in Arizona.
@Nosbig- I like the later evenings too, but that's just my personal preference. I could live under either system - it's just the transitions that slap me around.
@Sandra Gray- I thought Igor's use of "blooming" was very "meta."
@pkerot- Thank you! It comes directly from my baggy-eyed, yawning heart.
@Old 1811- My wife, who tends to be right (genuinely) about most things, agrees that if I had a scheduled job I'd adjust quicker. Another reminder that Freedom is never free.
@Geoff King- See, THAT makes sense!
@John25mm- Oh, I drink black coffee from a manly mug, and I don't raise my pinky while doing it. The pills are just for supplemental use when actual coffee is hard to come by.
@Rod- If you find those XL onesies, see if they have XXXL and get back to me. Adorable animal ears on hoods will not be a deal breaker.
@Stilton: One can get XXXL "Christmas Story" bunny suits, or so I'm told...
@Stilton: RE: caffeine pills vs coffee. You have a point. One of the many "downsides" of getting old is having a life-long coffee habit and being told you need too take diuretics. Haven't cut back on coffee intake, but I do find myself planning on when to take my pills so I can be close to a restroom somewhere.
Change of Topic before I leave for a while:
I'm sure we're all trying to avoid racism or bias ESPECIALLY when naming a troublesome virus.
May I suggest "JTBS-DEB/PB2" Virus. It stands for "Just To Be Safer - Don't Eat Bats, and they're Pretty Boney Too." It seems a direct connection has not not yet been proven but COVID-19 is 96% like virus found in bats; never mind who's bats. Politically correct lab folks say the other 4% makes it all new... No blame. This is really important stuff. Test kits? Not so much; let's wait for the shipment from China; and for the Rx drugs too.
DST is not all downside; the cocktail hour comes an hour sooner, too!
I checked my prescription bottles today -- those that identified origin were Israel and Ireland.
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