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ABOUT
TIME
PIECES (originally
posted
on
the
blogspot
'Sensible
Soup') A
few
days
ago
my
watch
band
broke.
It’s
an
old
self-winding
Timex
watch
that
I
purchased
about
30
years
ago.
It
was
a
good
value
at
around
$30.
Certainly
the
“Twist-o-flex’
band
has
been
changed
many
times,
but
the
time
peace
survives.
It
still
works
great.
I
don’t
wear
it
often,
mostly
when
I’m
working
and
then
only
to
keep
track
of
my
set
times.
You
have
to
wind
it
if
not
worn
since
it
is
the
swinging
motion
of
your
wrist
that
keeps
it
going.
In
the
still
night
you
can
hear
it
make
a
soft,
hypnotic
‘bonging’.
Mom
had
a
cuckoo
clock
on
the
dining
room
wall
with
two
pine
cone
weights
on
chains
that
had
to
be
hoisted
each
day.
It
was
very
attractive
and
sounded
out
the
hours
all
through
the
night.
A
little
door
would
open
and
the
tiny
bird
would
pop
out,
bob
up
and
down
while
calling
to
the
sound
of
a
bell,
then
make
a
speedy
retreat.
This
is
certainly
a
far
cry
from
the
ancient
sun
dial,
a
crude
if
effective
method
of
keeping
time.
Imagine
if
you
had
to
run
outside
periodically
to
know
the
hour,
and
then
seldom
at
night.
I
notice
that
when
you
carry
a
watch
on
your
arm,
you
do
just
that…
watch
it.
Sometimes
people
look
to
their
clock
when
you
pass
in
the
hall.
It’s
a
kind
of
safety
behavior.
If
they
are
busy
looking
at
the
time
they
are
not
available
to
greet
or
engage
you
in
conversation. An
aphorism
of
old
states
plainly:
“A
watched
pot
never
boils.”
This
portends
of
course
that
your
perception
of
time,
while
boiling
water,
expands
because
you’re
waiting
for
the
event.
I
think
the
same
is
true
for
the
wearing
of
watches.
How
slowly
the
day
must
pass
when
you
constantly
remind
yourself
of
the
hour.
Why
is
everyone
so
concerned
with
monitoring
time?
They
say
time
is
money.
So
I
guess
the
hours
of
the
day
actually
tick
away
at
our
financial
future.
Nature
has
already
divided
portions
of
the
day
into
light
and
dark.
Countermanding
Nature,
the
US
Government
has
actually
legislated
changes
in
this
natural
rhythm,
moving
the
clocks
forward
and
back
twice
yearly
(spring
ahead,
fall
back). Whatever
happened
to
the
pocket
watch
on
a
chain?
It
was
an
elegant
affectation
with
a
snap-to
cover
along
with
a
glass
bezel.
A
vested
suit
would
actually
feature
a
‘watch
pocket’.
Remember
the
‘Dick
Tracy’
watch?
These
days
a
time
peace
is
likely
to
have
many
functions.
Some
are
two
inches
wide
and
they
call
it
a
chronograph.
They
feature
everything
from
television
remotes
to
alarms
to
calculators
to
daily
planners;
they
are
waterproof
depth
gauges
and
look
like
they
could
indeed
receive
HBO.
For
many,
a
time
peace
is
a
true
fashion
statement.
A
ladies
watch
has
somehow
become
so
tiny
it
is
near
unreadable.
Is
this
to
say
that
a
woman
places
less
emphasis
on
time
than
a
man?
They
do
take
longer
to
get
ready
than
men
and
seem
to
enjoy
having
us
wait! Sometimes
I
think
that
numbers
on
the
face
of
a
clock
are
insufficient
for
the
21st
century.
What
we
really
need
is
a
clock
with
verbs
on
it.
We’ll
call
it
the
verb
watch!
Wake,
shower,
eat,
drive,
drive,
drive,
work,
break,
work,
lunch,
drive
…
maybe
put
a
little
sex
in
there
for
the
weekend.
It
seems
we’ve
reached
the
end
of
these
remarks,
my
how
time
flies. Just
out
of
curiosity,
did
you
take
time
to
stop
and
smell
the
roses
today?
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