Okay, so, here's the setup: Yesterday, I was in a small, quiet room, tutoring. And there was a clock on the wall. A clock that has not been working for several weeks, at least. But last night, I could hear a (rather loud, I thought) ticking coming from behind me. I turned around. The clock: it moves. But, it said something in the neighborhood of 4:30. It was about 7:45pm at that point. Did I mention I also found the ticking annoying? So, I pulled the battery out of it. All well and good. I went about tutoring. Then, as I was leaving, I decided to do the right thing and put the battery back in the clock and set it to the appropriate time. So, I stuck the battery back in and the clock...it took off! Just started ticking away. I turned it over and saw: a small digital readout on the back. The clock was catching.up.to.the.right.time. Freaky. (Although, if that were the case...why was the time incorrect in the first place? I do not know.) And it got me to thinking: it's like a mini time machine. I know where I was at 4:30pm yesterday, and it wasn't in that room. But there I was. Reliving 5pm and 5:15pm and 5:30pm and...you get the drift. For some reason that amused me and got me thinking about time pieces. So, the following is a list of time tracking devices without which I would flounder.
1. My wristwatch. My mom gave it to me as a high school graduation present. It took me an inordinately long time to figure out how to read it and it still catches me up sometimes, but I love it. (It only has tick marks at 12, 3, 6, and 9.) When the battery dies, I still wear it, sometimes for weeks, until I get a new battery. It's an accessory. It's useful.
2. My iPhone calendar. I know, it sounds a little ridiculous to me, too. But, I take my phone everywhere with me, so I always have my calendar. It's very useful for the scheduling of thing. On several occasions it's saved me from double-booking myself. That's worth something to me.
3. My grocery store calendar. It's just a regular 12-month wall calendar that I got from the grocery store around, well, probably this time last year. It's got grocery store promotional stuff on it and it's nothing spectacular. But, it's what hangs on my wall by my desk in my apartment, reminding me of important life events (weddings, family gatherings, etc.). I only put the big stuff on there, so it's just the highlights. Forgetting to go to a wedding would be bad, right?
4. My work desk calendar. About two months ago, I spilled coffee on it. So, I get to remember that morning for the rest of the year. (It was a morning I'd rather forget and not just because of the spilled coffee.) But, it reminds me of when stuff is due. That, too, is rather important.
5. The clock on my VCR/DVD player. (Yes, I still have one of those.) I've had it for about six years now, so it's still programmed to the old daylight savings calendar. It switched over early this year. I just let it go, like a parent letting their kid wander, knowing they'll pay attention eventually. And now, it reads the right time. It reminds me to go to bed at a reasonable hour. (Well, it doesn't actually remind me, but seeing it is a reminder.)
6. My radio alarm clock. It lulls me awake to the dulcet tones of KYW 1060 every morning. Until my other alarm clock starts beeping rudely at me and forces me out of bed to shut it up.
7. My coffee maker clock. Because it's the most accurate clock in my kitchen (the microwave thinks it's in a race to win the fastest time device and the stove clock is broken altogether). I spend a decent amount of time in the kitchen, so it's important to know what time it is. Plus, it allows my coffee maker to start making my coffee in the morning, so it's ready when I get up. Gotta love that.
8. The birthday calendar. It's an old calendar in which I wrote everyone's birthday (so: exactly what it sounds like). I try to keep it up to date, and use it to remember to wish people happy birthdays. Yep, that's pretty much the sum of it.
9. The computer clock. Mostly, I suppose, the one on my work computer. It marches through the day (sometimes not fast enough, though) and takes me to leaving time. Again, simple, but useful.
10. My cat. Seriously, I'll never oversleep with her around. It's is of the UTMOST importance that she be fed in the morning. And, if I try to oversleep, she makes sure I'm aware of that. She's like my third alarm clock. Unfortunately, she's a little delayed, so if I wait for the cat-alarm, I still might be late for work or rushed or whatnot, but, I'll never waste the day away with her around. Well, it doesn't prevent me from crawling back into bed and wasting the day away, but at least I had the option to get up.
11. The sun. Corny, I know, but wasn't the sun the original time-tracking device? It's in the east? Morning. Straight above? Noon. In the west? evening. Simple, accurate, useful. Plus, it provides warmth and helps plants grow and all that jazz. It's the ultimate multi-tasker, and that's a job I can appreciate.
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