Daylight Savings Time Stress.....


I was out last night with some friends. The place was emptying out when I looked at my phone for the time. (I no longer own a watch.) It was about midnight. Oh my gosh, I thought. Tonight is the night we "spring ahead" for Daylight Savings Time. That means it's really about 1 in the morning! I got my coat and said my goodbyes. When I got home I ran around my house changing the time on the various clocks. Let's see....how do you change the time on that microwave again?  Thank God I no longer own a VCR. Those were the worst to change the time.

By the time I got to bed it was effectively a quarter to 2 in the morning. But I woke up in the middle of the night. I was wondering what I should write this column about. The President and the porn star? Nah. But I better think of something fast. It was 5 o'clock and I need to get back to sleep. It was official. I was a victim of Daylight Savings Time Stress!

I had heard a news report earlier in the week, that due to Daylight Savings Time Stress, the rate of heart attacks actually increase that morning by 15%. How ridiculous I thought. But I guess when it's your time to go, it's your time to go. (Get it?)

Daylight Savings Time is the practice of advancing the clocks by one hour in the Spring, and returning to standard time in the Fall. This would enable you to enjoy an additional hour of sunlight during the summer, when days are longer anyway. I have to say I do enjoy that. In the summer, it won;t get completely dark until after 9 pm.

But did you know DST did not become standardized in the United States until 1966? But it's still a controversial item. Farmers hate it. Especially their livestock. Most of Africa never used DST. Much of Asia is on permanent DST.

Arizona gets complicated Effectively, Arizona has the same time as the Pacific Time Zone in the Summer and the Mountain Time Zone in the Winter. However, the Navajo Nation observes Mountain Daylight Time. So in Tuba City, AZ. right now, It's an hour later than it is in Phoenix. But anyway you slice it, there's plenty of sunshine in Arizona.

Florida has now voted to go on permanent Daylight Savings Time. It still needs the governors signature. But not so fast there, you old timers in Florida. Even if the Governor signs the bill, it would still take an Act of Congress to allow Florida to change it's time. If it happens, Florida would then join Hawaii and parts of Arizona that are exempt from the Uniform Time Act of 1966.

That's all I have to say today. I have to figure out how to change the time in my car.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
The Olympics Have Lost Their Luster..... I used to really enjoy watching the Olympics. Everything from the opening ceremonies, and the parade of nations, to the closing ceremonies. I would even enjoy the Winter Olympics which include sports that many of us in the United States are not too familiar with. I'll still watch, buy I'll do it with skeptical attitude. Not so much for the athletes. But for the whole corrupt process. Back in the day, the Olympic Games were all about amateurism. Only amatuer athletes were allowed to compete. This was the amatuer athlete's one shining moment. Maybe there wasn't much money in the actual competitions they were in. But there was the dream of Olympic gold. There was something pure about it. Strict rules made sure about this. One of America's greatest athletes was Jim Thorpe. He won gold for track and field events in the 1912 Olympics. But it was discovered that when he was in college, he played semi-pro baseball one summer a
Read more
Image
5 Coolest Christmas Gifts of 2016..... I used to hate shopping for Christmas gifts. The shopping malls that time of year are usually ground zero for misery. Traffic is bad. You spend a helluva lot of time just trying to park. The stores are packed, and if you find something to buy, you get to stand in a long line. But much of that changed for me a few years ago. I do most of my shopping online. You can find most anything online. Shop, do research, even read what other shoppers thought about the product. Amazon is my favorite store. I recently watched a video of the inside of a Amazon fulfillment center. There were robots whizzing around and lots of automation. They say your product is ready for shipping only a matter of minutes after you make the click on your computer. But the biggest question remains of what gift to buy. Nice clothes are a OK gift, but boring. Gift cards are practical, but not much thought goes into it. Personally, I like gag gifts too. What's better than
Read more
Image
The Night Ride: Wet, dark, and cold. Did I say wet?.... As some of you know, I started riding a bike this year. Well, I didn't just start. Let's say I un-retired from 2-wheeled riding after a break of around 30 years. I never liked running. My wife did long power walks. But I felt the need for speed. I shopped around and got a great bike by Specialized. (My wife probably thinks it's too great). I started this summer without much confidence, but gradually built strength and endurance. Now, I love it. I find riding is a great way to enjoy the outdoors, clear the mind, and do a workout all at the same time. Greater Cleveland has developed such a great park and trail system that I never get bored. But except for rare occasions, I have been riding alone. That changed this weekend. A scene from last years Night Ride. An organization called NEOCycle put on a great cycling festival this weekend. The idea was outstanding. There were a series of bike rides/races, with the
Read more