It's About Time...

Everyone knows (or at least SHOULD know) exactly WHY we have TIME in the first place; It's to keep all the crap in the world from happening ALL AT ONCE.

We have time zones, military time (24 hours instead of two 12 hour cycles), Zulu time (Greenwich time), daylight saving time, a magazine named TIME, time enough for one more drink, time to fritter away, no time to lose, time to get moving, no time for the love you send (The Guess Who), time to spare, time to kill, and time to think things out. And as we all know, time keeps on slipping...into the future (Steve Miller Band).

We could have plenty of time left, be out of time, or just in the nick of time. We could dance the Time Warp, become lost in time, travel in time (H.G.Wells), or even stuck in time.

It could be time to get started, time to quit, time to get some sleep, time to shove off, time to pay our taxes, time to give the devil his due (which is curiously LIKE paying taxes), time to let the dog out, time to let the dog back in, time to get to work and school, time to put up all the Christmas decorations, time to take down all the decorations (except on the south side where they leave them until APRIL), or even time to sit back, do nothing, and have a cold one.

But it all comes back to one thing we can't do without...TIME.

And whatever the situation, we can always be sure of one thing, and that is something to MONITOR or keep track of all this "time". Look on most ANY wall or even at your wrist, and you will see those devices quaintly known as CHRONOMETERS...things that TELL us the time. It could be analog (hands on the clock or watch face), or it could be digital. It can glow in the dark, beep, chirp, talk, or even project what time it is on our ceilings.

Thank the maker for that "snooze" button, though.

No matter what manner of device we use, we depend on them, because if we did not, we'd be a lot more screwed up (than we already are) a lot more often, and let's face it, not EVERYONE can strap on a SUNDIAL and tell what time it is at a glance. And there's NEVER a DRUID around when you need HIM.

Now I'm one of those traditionalists when it comes to chronometry. I like my WIND-UP watches. I'm proud to say that I still own a Longines that I got as a graduation gift in 1970, perfectly functional, and still keeps VERY accurate time. Bet that puppy's worth some SERIOUS scratch today, eh? I even had a watch that stayed wound up by simple movements of one's wrist. They now call these "Kinetic" watches, and believe it or not, they STILL make these (they just cost a helluva lot MORE than they used to). And my mom used to have a German-made cuckoo clock that had to be wound every day (actually you had to pull the chains to reset the balancers).

But like the rest of you, I got sucked into this realm of BATTERY-POWERED chronometers. They supposedly keep perfect time...(supposedly, that is). Well, my ONE watch loves to run about 5 minutes FASTER (must be on "Bilderberger time"...where's David Icke when I need him? LOL). Hell, we even have watches that ADJUST themselves to the Atomic Clock by communicating to some satellite in orbit twice a frigging day (like I really NEED that). And let's not forget that tossing all those discarded batteries is toxic to the environment. So that would make NONE of us all that "green" when it comes to keeping time, right?

And what happens when that battery craps out? We don't have a "wind-up" backup to keep us apprised of the time. We're chronologically screwed.

Sorry, but I like my "manual" watches and clocks...always will. Not to mention that they kept the art of WATCH REPAIR (and those people who repaired them) an active career. I've known several people who were watch repairmen, and you couldn't fine better people anywhere. Try finding them today...not as easy, is it?

Hey, YOU try working with a snotload of parts smaller than sesame seeds all day long...and enjoy doing it.

I suppose we, in our "hurry up and go" society need this instant gratification whenever we look at a clock or watch. We can't be bothered with winding one up, and many cannot even tell time all that effectively. I guess that "should" make all the illiterate people either very EARLY or very LATE for everything in their lives.

And whenever we set our watches and clocks, what do we use as a base reference?

Is it NPR radio (my source)? How about the Weather Channel? How about another clock in the house? That would at least get the whole house in sync.

Does anyone use the phone to find out the time anymore?

And what do THEY base THEIR time on?

Who's right and who's wrong? Who sets the standard, and does everyone adhere to it? How can we be "sure" that this Atomic Clock is all that accurate? What about if THAT battery fails? Or does someone wind THAT clock? Or is it SOLAR-POWERED?

It IS all about time...make no mistake.

I just trust YOU will be ON TIME.

As for me...well, I'm just 5 minutes EARLY (and out of time)...as usual.