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When Time Zones Mess With You

What time is it? You don't hear that question as much as you used to. But the time certainly gets confusing in one particular place: the route between St. George UT and Mesquite NV. St. George has become so overcrowded and nerve-wracking that I no longer spend much time there.

Then you 'retreat to Mesquite' which is also booming, but it is less crazy than St. George. You travel through three time zones. They mess with your mind all the way. In summer the sequence would be 10 a.m., 9, 9. In the winter it would be 10, 10, 9. The only time zone that makes sense is Arizona time, God's Time. It usually takes me a couple days to get the phone, computer, and dashboard clock in the van to agree with each other, and I am tempted to be non-compliant with the Pacific Time Zone when I'm in Nevada.

And what if you are camped near Canadians? Why don't they use a metric calendar and clock?

Of course it is silly for a camper to pay any attention to "o'clocks". Why should we care? Sunrise and sunset are all that matter. But for some reason the number on the clock does affect a person. It encourages me to surrender to darkness too early by going to bed, which then messes up my sleeping.

But this year, things are more encouraging: I have been pushing bedtime toward higher numbers. It's true there has been some back and forth in this noble quest. 

I found a video metaphor for this problem. It is a wonderful video, with a large viewership who might also appreciate its metaphorical value. It applies to more than going to bed later at night; it works for people trying to crawl out of debt or lose weight and other applications.



 

Comments

Ivan said…
And, if you are camped in an area near Laughlin,Nv your phone may be hitting towers in any of three states alternating through the day. And if you are there during the time change from Daylight Savings - you might as well give up!
Yes, Ivan, cellphone towers add in another layer of confusion!