I have 8 clocks in my home. This doesn’t include watches, or the clocks built into the TV, computer, laptop or cell phones. They’re all sensible clocks with numbers on them (Roman or regular) and they all show the exact time.
Some people set their clocks 10 minutes or so ahead to fool themselves into getting places on time.
Guest: Oh no it’s 6:00 o’clock, we’d better go if we’re going to get there on time.
Clock Owner: Don’t worry, that clock is 10 minutes fast. We’ve got plenty of time.
See? It doesn’t work. I also don’t get the concept of the snooze button on the alarm. I always wake up before the alarm anyway, but even if I didn’t why would I want to be woken up 10 minutes before I have to get up, if I’m not going to get up then anyway?
I like to know what the exact time it is all the time. Some of my clocks are electric and some are battery operated in case of power failures. (Oh, sorry… power outages. Failure would imply something had gone wrong. Outage, on the other hand, just sounds like something cute and quirky like a belly-button)
Anyway, we had a power outage last night, so I had to reset all the electric clocks. I’m not sure what the battery back-up is for because it never keeps the time right.
I hate being late. I can honestly say I have never been late for anything except when it was due to circumstances beyond my control (e.g.: flight delays, someone else is driving, etc.)
I’m usually early for everything (including work) and figure I’ve spent a good portion of my life just waiting for things to start or for other people to show up.
Some people are always late. They don’t understand why. They have an odd concept of the passage of time. Here’s an example:
I’m getting a ride with a friend to a day conference. We have to be there for 9:30. It takes approximately 20 minutes to drive there. I get to her house at 8:45 because I know she’s always late and I’m hoping I can help hurry her along. [Please note that just because the subject of this example is a female it does not mean that males are exempt from being similarly time-challenged]
She’s still in her housecoat slurping coffee.
She: I’m almost ready, don’t worry. I just have to get dressed.
She disappears for a while into her bedroom and emerges at 9:00 fully clothed.
She: There! All ready.
Me: Great! Lets’ go.
She: We still have 10 minutes, there’s no point in getting there too early.
Me: Getting twitchy. Okaaaaaay. But you’re all ready, right?
She: YES! I swear!
At 9:10 I point out it’s time to get going. She reluctantly gets up. Rinses her cup. Goes to brush her teeth. Notices her blouse has a stain. Changes her blouse. Searches for her shoes. Remembers that she’s having them re-soled and has forgotten to pick them up at the shoe place.
She: You don’t mind if we make a quick stop to pick up my shoes, do you? It’s on the way.
Me: No. (What can I say? I’m only the passenger)
She grabs her purse. Its’ the wrong purse. She roots around her closet for the right purse. Switches all the stuff from purse #1 to purse#2. Can’t find keys. We both go through the entire house twice searching for keys. I find them in the back door.
The shoe place is in a mall. We park. We get out and walk through the mall. She remembers she needs toothpaste and stops to buy some at the drug store. She also checks to see if the new Cosmo is in.
At the shoe place she has a nice chat with the shoe man. They seem to have a lot of acquaintances in common.
We’re back on the road. We pull into the Tim Horton’s drive-thru.
She: I really need another coffee. You don’t mind stopping, do you?
Just before we get to the turn-off for the conference centre there’s a bit of a traffic snarl. We have to sit for a few minutes while things clear up.
She: (irritated) What the hell is going on up there? (Straining to see ahead of the traffic). What time is it?
Me: (having given up on punctuality long ago) 10:35
She: Oh, my god! Have we been sitting here that long?
And, I honestly believe that she honestly believes that because it was 9:10 when we decided to leave and because it takes 20 minutes to get to our destination, the only reason we didn’t get to our destination at 9:30 was because of this unexpected traffic jam.
