October 19th, 2008

Time Out

For years I’ve worn a watch, and for several of those years, it was a calculator watch. I didn’t need to do calculations all that often, but I did like keeping 40 or so phone numbers handy. When I was younger, I was a big fan of watches that could play tunes – just a bar or two of beeps, nothing like ringtones these days.

My watches have always been digital. I can read analog watches, but it takes me a while, and I don’t like how imprecise they are. I like being able to say “2:17” when someone asks me the time, rather than “somewhere around a quarter after.” And, yes, I know that no one knows the exact time anyway – Chicago even sang a song about it.

For whatever reason, this summer I stopped wearing a watch. I have a perfectly great watch, too – it’s just like the one Will Ferrell wore in Stranger Than Fiction, only it doesn’t do things like make me late so I fall in love with someone. At least, it hadn’t. Maybe I should have worn it longer? Hmm.

Anyway, I’m not sure why I stopped. It’s made things more vague. I can look at the time on numerous devices – computers, cell phones, banks, radios – but I have less of a sense of time. I think maybe that’s okay, but I’m not sure yet.

4 Comments on “Time Out”

  1. Sizzledowski says:

    I stopped wearing a watch when I lost mine. But then cell phones came along and made watch-wearing pretty useless unless you're into tan lines, which I know you're not.

    Seems like I just watched a tv show or movie where they made fun of the dude for wearing a calculator watch… I can't remember what movie.

  2. Bishma says:

    There was a time when I wore a wrist watch at all times. I would set it every morning to make sure it was accurate to second. Then in high school I got a really bad heat rash on my wrist and started wearing a pocket watch instead. Now I rarely have any sort of watch on my person and really I think it's for the best.

  3. Smoothie King says:

    It takes you awhile to read an analog watch? ;-)

    Yea, well, wearing a watch now-a-days is more of a look, an accessory, if you will and not about telling time.

    The best watch I ever had was a Casio that also had a compass. Ok so the compass wasn't that accurate but I had one dad gum-it! ;-)

  4. the obscure says:

    The US Naval Observatory knows *exactly* what time it is. Eat that Cetera and Lamm!

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