Does anybody really care?(About time?)
I don't wear a watch. (Ever contemplate that word as a reference to a time-keeping devise worn on the wrist? A watch...how the heck do you watch time?) Anyway, except for a brief period right around when I graduated from high school, I have never worn a watch.
The first and only wrist watch I ever had was one my sister, Erva, gave to me as a graduation present. It was a nice watch. Not a really fancy or expensive one, but not a cheap one either. She got it at the store where she worked, a place called Caron's. Caron's was own by Leslie Caron's parents. You may have heard of Ms. Caron. She was a wonderful dancer who starred in movies like, American in Paris, Gigi, Lili. Yes, her parent's lived on St. Thomas for many, many years, had an upscale jewelry/perfume/china store, and my sister worked for them.
So I got my first watch and I was thrilled. Now I too could look sagely at my wrist as if I had some place important to be at a specific time. But something wasn't right, it didn't keep the correct time. Erva took it to a watch repairman. I don't remember if it was in-store or not, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was. The Caron's backed up their merchandise.
We got the watch back with the word that nothing could be found wrong. It was keeping excellent time. I put it on. I wore it for a day. But something was definitely wrong. It was NOT keeping the correct time. It was gaining time by leaps and bounds.
Erva took it back to repair guy. Again, it came back with a clean bill of health. I put it on. Again it would not keep the correct time. Erva, frustrated, reset the watch and put it on. It kept perfect time. She wore it for several days, no problem. She gave it back to me and...yep, it went crazy.
We experimented. I put on Erva's watch and...yep, it went crazy.
That's right, I don't wear a watch because I can't. No matter what kind of watch it is, it will gain as much as a half hour for every hour I wear it. When Stan and I first got married, he didn't believe me. I put on his watch (one of those battery powered ones) and...yep, it went crazy. Obviously I'm either radioactive or my magnetic poles are misaligned or I am genetically modified in such a way that time-keeping devises are allergic to me.
I don't miss wearing a watch. In fact I feel sorry for people who do because for many glancing at a watch becomes a kind of unconscious compulsive behavior. We have three clocks in the house, (which is plenty) the most precious one being the grandfather clock (pictured above) that my grandfather built when he was in high school. It's right around 100 years old (a little older probably) and still going strong.
Clocks are everywhere. On your computer, in your car, outside on banks and other businesses, in stores. And, in a pinch, I can ask just about any person walking by because 95 percent of the time he or she will be wearing a watch.
I have rarely not known what time it was. Not that I really care...but sometimes I too need to be somewhere at a specific time....
Do you wear a watch? Are you a time keeper/watcher? Or do you let it flow?
This is a nice live version. Enjoy.
Very interesting. I wonder what causes it. I never wear a watch because I dont like the feel of it on my wrist.
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting... I wonder what it is about you that causes time to speed up! Kinda cool, though.
ReplyDeleteI don't wear a watch anymore. When I quit my job to write full-time, I quit the watch along with the 9-5 schedule. Now whenever I try one on, it feels strange.
This is actually fairly common. Some people only screw up battery-operated watches, some only screw up clockwork ones, some people screw up both and also turn out streetlights. I've even been on a newsgroup with someone who gets small burns from them. The most common "explanation" is that some people have a stronger electromagnetic field than others. Depending on the specific effect, it could also be down to pulse rhythms incompatible with the operation of the watch, a tendency to build up static electricity faster than other people, or a side effect of being abducted by aliens. But AFAIK nobody's experimented with the effect systematically; and since different people have different effects on different kinds of watches, it's fair to say that if experimentation had been done, the conclusions wouldn't apply in all cases.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story, Bish. And what a lovely, precious grandfather clock.
ReplyDeleteMan, you are a wondrous thing. Scientists would be mystified by you. lol
Time moves fast enough. If I don't know what time it is, then I'm not rushed for anything.
Meant to say I love Chicago. That is one of their best songs, too.
ReplyDeleteOh, that's interesting that little watch-hearts beat faster when you wear them!
ReplyDeleteI don't wear watches either (I keep one in my bag if I need to be somewhere and no clocks are around). I don't like anything next to my skin that's not soft. I do wear glass bangles though ... and they sound like bells.
I also do not wear a watch. Which I guess makes me very contemporary, since young adults don't either, relying on their cell phones.
ReplyDeleteI'm usually prompt when I have to be somewhere. But the rest of the time, I don't care much. I don't feel I need the time on my BODY. The general guidelines that the clocks around me provide are enough. There's still some rebellion against my mother going on, too. She has always worn a watch and checks it pretty compulsively.
I LOVE grandfather clocks. One of my crit partners has a lot of clocks, and when we meet at her house I love the bonging, chiming, etc.
That is the craziest thing I've ever heard. What a metaphor!
ReplyDeleteI love that you don't have to watch the time. Sounds like a luxury. ;)
I have a hard time getting my watches to work. Maybe it's something with my system! But yes, I do wear a watch when I'm at work. If I didn't, my class would be late to everything!
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I get home I take it off, mainly because I don't like the feeling of any jewelry on!
I use a cell phone for time these days. Never did care for the feel of a watch band. I think you should write a flash fiction based on watches. You've got the mojo.
ReplyDeleteWow, Chicago, reminds me of high school and marching band. Love that voice.
ReplyDeleteMy first watch was a Micky Mouse watch. My sister got a Snow White one. I was like, what the he##, I'm Micky, she's Snow White. Of course, she was the pretty one. Today I wear a watch, constantly. I need the weight on my wrist.
Of course, now you've got me rethinking things!!
I don't wear a watch - I haven't for years! There are enough things around me, blinking the time!
ReplyDeleteI used to wear a watch all the time, but I got so tired of buying batteries to keep the thing going that I stopped. After all, you're right, Bish, there are clock surrounding us: my car, my cell phone, banks, grocery stores. Tick Tock Tick Tock. Somewhere nearby a digital or analog mechanism is there to remind me tempus fugits.
ReplyDeleteI've given up on watches a very along time ago. This might seem wierd but I can sense what time it is during the day and if I want to confirm I can always check my phone. I'm definitely not a timekeeper.
ReplyDeleteThat's so interesting, Bish! I had no idea.
ReplyDeleteLove Chicago. I don't wear a watch because I've spent most of the past three years carrying a child, and the watch scratches.