Monday, October 26, 2009

Downright Silly Time

I quite like Daylight Savings Time but really, it is SO Victorian.

"I know" says some bright spark (George Vernon Hudson - a New Zealander but a Victorian, none-the-less) "We Victorians need more daylight in winter to do our extremely very useful inventing and to work children at the mills longer. We've invented electricity, we own the known world and so now we're going to CHANGE TIME!!"

"Yeah, sod the farmers, parents of small children and anyone who lives outside of the British Empire, we're going to fuck with you all... and while we're at it we're going to drive on the wrong side of the road too - ha ha ha!!! Try conquering us NOW you morons, we're going to be sleeping in today and we're going to be REALLY WELL RESTED. Unless, of course, we have three-year-olds, or cats, or dogs, or, say, a barn full of cows who still think that time is a constant and will now be up SUPER EARLY!!!! Bwah hahaha!!"

OK, so DST may have had its uses but really, I think we're done now. There's enough electric light that we are never really in the dark and it only gives us extra morning light for a few weeks. For this small mercy it messes with our internal clocks and puts a spanner in the works for anyone who works internationally or has family overseas.

Not only that, but the DST world can't even agree on when to put the clocks back - so while the clocks are back in the UK, Canada and the US haven't quite decided yet. AND, and and and... if you look at the map on Wikipedia here, you can see that over half the countries who started using DST have actually seen the light and stopped. I particularly love the fact that bits of Canada have just opted out, making it a particular nightmare for Canadians.

Down with DST! OK. Yes I've been up since 6. You can tell, can't you?

14 comments:

Potty Mummy said...

Good point Sparx - although I quite like an extra hour in bed and suggested yesterday that perhaps we should make that day Mothers Day. Something tells me though that that suggestion might fall on stony ground over here...?

Kim@EnjoyTheRide said...

Good points well made.
I think I'm alone in loving how dark winter is...

Iota said...

I used to LOVE the clocks going back in my pre-kids days. An extra hour at the week-end. Bliss.

Then it all changed when the extra hour meant getting up an hour early, and having an extra hour's entertainment to provide that morning.

Helen + ilana = Hi said...

You've been up since 6

or 5

And is it Spring ahead, Fall back

or Fall forward and Spring away

I always get those mixed up.


tallyp - like tally ho for toddlers

Elsie Button said...

hear hear. it's just damn inconvenient when you have small kids

Dorset Dispatches said...

But the flip side is, when you lose an hour and the clocks go forward in the spring, your toddler, who had previously been getting up at 6.30 suddenly is waking at 7.30. And this is a good thing.

Sparx said...

Potty - no, won't fly over here either, sadly...

Kim - no no no, you're not alone! I love the dark too - hate DST though.

Iota - yes, me too... I guess if you pretend it hasn't happened then everything is the same, you're just up a bit early... er... playing trains...

Helen - spring ahead, fall back - you're next this weekend!

Elsie - it is... but you know, I've been thinking and in the general scheme of child-related inconvenience I guess it's not so bad...

Brit - now you see, you've just redeemed the entire experience. Brilliant!

Gringa-n-Mexico said...

LOL Mexico changed but not the U.S. so I'm driving in to work an hour early :P Kind of. It's all really confusing to me especially the going to sleep by 8:30pm Mexico time, I feel like I'm five. :P

AND! My Daisy-fetus doesn't GET it so her DAILY 9pm goodnight-I-love-you 1/2 hour kick fest begins an hour AFTER I go to bed instead of right before. Get with the program fetus!

Baking Mad Mama said...

Oh, how I feel your pain. I've seen way too much of 5am this week.

Michelle said...

You make such good points here, Sparx! We'll be confronting DST this weekend, and I'm not looking forward to the extra early mornings!

A Modern Mother said...

Are you a bit tired honey?

Sukhaloka said...

As someone who is NOT afflicted by DST herself but deals with clients all over the world... I am screwed in a whole major, major set of ways. The body clock got fucked the day I decided to work at home, or maybe ten years before.

Sleep would be nice. It is elusive.

Sparx said...

Gringa - nope, Daisy don't care about the time change either!

Making Mad - 5am? Madness, poor you!

Michelle - how's it gone?

Modern Mother - yes indeed I was... bit pathetic of me really, I'm just not used to it!

Suki - good to see you! Sleep is a strange thing, sometimes it only comes when you don't want it...

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