Clocks, clocks, and more clocks

How many clocks do you have in your home? Have you ever counted?

Sunday was the end of Daylight Savings Time. So when I got up, I had to go around and "fall back" an hour on all my clocks. I found that they fell into three categories: automatically maintained by an outside source, ones you use all the time, and the ones you have and forget about except for twice a year when you have to change them.

Things like my computer, my cell phone, and even my VCR (yes, I still have one, and yes, it still works) change automatically. Some outside system lets them know. Never mind the fact that my VCR clock changed a whole week earlier than it was supposed to. And since my satellite cable goes through it to get to the TV, changing it back to the correct time was pointless, because every time the outside system sent an update, it changed back again. Sigh..."helpful" technology strikes again.

The clocks I remember to change are the one on my bedside (because that's my alarm clock), my watch (but not usually until I put it on again for the first time after a change), and the big kitchen wall clock.

Then there are all the other clocks in my house that I forget about. Until I look at one of them randomly and think "OMG! I'm late/early!" or just get all confused because my watch says something drastically different. One of the clocks in my car [why are there three on my dashboard? I can't answer that, I have no idea] I just don't change because it's a pain in the neck. And I don't drive often enough for it to be an issue. Clocks I forgot about this time: the microwave [I actually had to pull out the manual to find out how to change it!], the clock on my stereo, and a random clock up in my study/office that I've had for ages that I also forget to change the battery in so it's often just stopped anyway. And I forgot to switch the timer on my light until it went on at the "wrong" time yesterday afternoon (light timers are a beautiful thing...never walk into a dark house again!). And I'm sure there's one more clock somewhere I'm forgetting. Which I'll find it sometime next week.

Why do I have so many clocks in my home? That's a good question. I'm not sure. It's not like the dog can tell time (or that she'd care even if she could). Does anyone really need more than one or two clocks in a home? Why do we have so many? Why are we so obsessed with time and the fact that we never seem to have enough of it?

So did you remember to change all of your clocks? I have to remember to call and remind my parents that the time difference between them in eastern Queensland, Australia (where they don't observe the silly clock-switching thing) and here (Eastern time zone) is now 15 hours instead of 14 hours. Your difference may vary.

Daylight Savings Time beginning and ending is also a good time to remember to change the batteries in your smoke detectors. Whether the detectors actually work or not (sometimes this is debatable, just ask Catachresis), you don't want it beeping incessantly at 2am because the battery was low because you forgot to change it. So go buy that 9-Volt battery (aka size "E") that fits nothing but the smoke detector and change it. And then go find that clock you forgot to change.

Finally Friday

So I actually got trick-or-treaters! The ceramic pumpkin in the window did its job. I'm fairly certain I had some repeat visitors. Usually it was the same kid, but with a different group each time. All in all, just over 50 kids came by, of all ages and in various states of costume (some very elaborate, some not actually in costume at all, and everything in between). Aussie wore her horns on her nightly walk around the block, amusing my neighbors and confirming for them that I'm quite possibly insane. But they loved it. She barked every time there was a knock at the door or the doorbell buzzed, so she was exhausted by 8:30pm from all the excitement. I did have a little bit of leftover candy, but my colleagues made short work of it on Thursday morning.

It's been one of those weeks where I just feel like I'm slogging. [Need more coffees!] Between the leak over the weekend, the leak repair on Monday and Tuesday, a trip to the dentist, and Halloween on Wednesday, I was just busy and didn't have a whole lot of downtime. I'm so glad that Friday is finally here.

Fortunately, I have a nice relaxing and fun weekend planned. My friend CH has a meeting in town next week (Monday to Wednesday), so he's coming into town tonight to hang out for the weekend. So I have an excuse to not be responsible and to play in my city all weekend. I love having company for that reason, I get to do all the fun stuff too! Not sure what we'll end up doing, but I do have a running list of things to see and do (including a Stieglitz photography exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art). And restaurants to try. There's always a restaurant I want to try or a cuisine I'm craving. We are going out for dinner on Saturday with my colleague/friend KS and her husband RK to Fogo de Chao (a Brazilian steakhouse), which sounds delicious.

But right now I better get back to work so I can be irresponsible all weekend.