Friday Question Day
Q: If there were 25 hours in a day, how would you spend the extra hour?
--Heather Anne
A: Well, Heather, I'm glad you asked. Why am I glad you asked you ask? Well, this weekend Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins. While this weekend we'll acutally be losing an hour, I thought now would be a good time as any to address the issues and concerns surrounding DST. And then maybe I'll answer the question.
This person believes that Daylight Saving Time is a scam and should be stopped. He encourages you to ask yourself why it even exists. No one seems to know! he says. They he tells you to write your congressperson right straight away to stop this madness. Do it for the cows.
Also, our President, GDub, recently signed a law that changes DST. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 will give us a whole nother month of DST. It will begin in March and end in November. I've been trying to wrap my mind around the ramifications of this event. Turns out that there are none. The only people who care are farmer-loving fellows like the guy above and hot-dog-cookin' rednecks on account of longer amounts of daylight during which to throw horseshoes and chew.
Lastly, I think the most important thing to remember when discussing and thinking about DST is that is is Daylight Saving Time. NOT Daylight Savings time. From an official looking site:
"Saving is used here as a verbal adjective (a participle). It modifies time and tells us more about its nature; namely, that it is characterized by the activity of saving daylight. It is a saving daylight kind of time. Similar examples would be dog walking time or book reading time. Since saving is a verb describing a single type of activity, the form is singular.
Nevertheless, many people feel the word savings (with an 's') flows more mellifluously off the tongue. Daylight Savings Time is also in common usage, and can be found in dictionaries.
Adding to the confusion is that the phrase Daylight Saving Time is inaccurate, since no daylight is actually saved. Daylight Shifting Time would be better, but it is not as politically desirable."
So, keep those things in mind as you experience this weekend's unnatural phenomenon.
(Oh, I would sleep the extra hour. That way I would be more rested and therefore more likely to rock two hundred thousand higher score.)
What will you do with the time you lose this weekend?
Comments
a) First, Shepherd.
b) I clicked that stupid link and read that entire rant against DST. Where is my willpower??
c) I know you think you're clever, posting pictures of hapless rednecks is funny; but next time, ask before posting pictures of my confederate-pride-family-get-togethers.
d) that is an official looking site. That chart? Beautiful.
e) Lastly, what will *I* do with my lost hour? Drink twice as much in one hour to make up for it.
Posted by: matt | March 31, 2006 12:58 PM
CRAP.
I forgot about stupid DST. This is hands down my least favorite weekend of the year.
I'm gonna move to Arizona to avoid it.
Posted by: Amanda W. | March 31, 2006 1:08 PM
This is, without a doubt, my favorite weekend of the year. Why?
I'm glad you asked.
It means that from henceforth I can have enough sunlight to ride my mountain bike when I get home from work.
Also DST is all thanks to the British (thanks to the Germans) and any time that I can celebrate the British, well that's all right with me.
Posted by: heather anne | March 31, 2006 1:24 PM
I just really need to know. What happens in the southern hemisphere when the say "fall back" and "spring forward"? Do they say "fall forward" and "spring back">?
Posted by: Sally Schilling | March 31, 2006 4:06 PM
We spring forward and autumn back ;) Actually, we just say move ahead and move back. :)
Posted by: Aakanksha | April 2, 2006 3:43 AM