Today is Sunday, March 12, 2022. Today marks the return to Daylight Saving Time (DST), where we robotically move our clocks ahead one hour where we lose an hour’s worth of sleep. I have always hated doing this, especially when the original reason for doing it has been lost in antiquity. I researched the issue and found a CNN article on my smartphone by Harry Enten, who does a podcast called “Margins of Error” and is a major contributor to CNN broadcasts. He begins his opinion piece by saying this is his least favorite weekend of the year: the switch to Daylight Saving Time. I would tend to agree with him. He recognizes that one salutary effect of this springing ahead is that we gain an extra hour of daylight at the end of the day. He then summarizes some of the issues surrounding the practice.

One of those facts about this situation is that “Americans don’t want to change the clocks, but can’t agree on a solution.” He cites three high-quality polls taken in 2021, “The Associated Press,” Langer Research Associates, and CBS News, on the topic of whether we should continue to have DST from roughly the beginning of March to the beginning of November and standard time from November through the beginning of March.

The polls found Americans split down the middle. It seems only 31% of Americans wanted to keep switching the clocks back and forth every year, while two-thirds of those polled were divided on what to do, according to an average of three polls. There were 36% who wanted DST all year round. Close to this average is the 30% who wanted standard time all year round. Thus because there has been no consensus on this issue, we haven’t done anything in such a long time. We have maintained the status quo forever.

Enten recommends that if anyone is sick of changing the clocks, as I am, he suggests moving to the two states that do not effect any change in time: most of Arizona and all of Hawaii. They never change the clocks.

The opinion writer does indicate that states can opt out of changing the clocks, but they can only do it in one direction. “The Uniform Time Act of 1966 only allows for states to observe standard time all year round.”

This situation could lead to inconsistency, as 31 states observed DST in 1940, while at least parts of 17 states did not.

One fact Enten includes here is that the country has gone to full DST multiple times in the last 80 years, but it never stuck. During most of World War II, we kept DST permanent in order to conserve fuel and keep things standard. As the war came to a conclusion in 1945, Gallup asked respondents how we should tell time. “Only 17% wanted to keep what was then called ‘war time’ all year.”

Another time we tried permanent DST was during the energy crisis of the 1970s and again during the winter of 1973-1974. The idea again was to conserve fuel.

The debate over what we should do with our clocks would be easier to solve, Enten claims, if there was either a health or financial incentive to go one way or another. Enten cites studies that show that people have more car accidents when they lose an extra hour of sleep. There are also studies that illustrate robberies decline when there is an extra hour of sunlight at the end of the day. It’s true that people do seem happier when there is an extra hour of daylight.

The economic reason to have DST has not really panned out, Enten indicates, as the energy supposedly saved during it isn’t much at all.

Those who have lobbied for having DST year round have their own reasons for advocating it like the recreational sports industry that wanted more customers to come out after a day at the office. For operators of driving ranges, it’s easier for people to do so when there is more light at the end of the day.

The movie industry didn’t like the concept of DST, Enten writes, because it disincentivizes people to go to a movie when it’s bright outside. Farmers, in opposition to the current thinking, didn’t like it either because it made it difficult to get their food to the market in the morning.

In conclusion, Enten cannot reach a consensus as to whether it’s clear having that extra hour of sunlight at the end of the day versus having it at the beginning of the day is helpful. It really depends on who you are and what you want. He says you can make an argument either way. However, he prefers that extra hour of sleep, which puts him in the minority among his friends.

What do you prefer? I know I despise the idea of springing clocks ahead tonight since I also mourn the loss of an hour’s worth of sleep the next morning, as this feeling of sluggishness stays with me for several days before I fully adjust to the change.

I would recommend keeping DST all year round, with no change to our clocks. Since there doesn’t appear to be a consensus on what to do with regard to this practice, I seriously doubt anything will be done in this state anytime soon.

With respect to the Russian-Ukrainian war, today marks Day 18 of the conflict, as no settlement toward an ending in sight is foreseen anytime soon. Explosions were heard in Kyiv today as Russian forces encroached on the Russian capital, with intensive fighting to the northeast and east of the city. All I wonder is how that villain Vladimir Putin can sleep at night knowing how much death and destruction he has inflicted upon the residents of Ukraine.

It’s getting late here. I don’t want to screw up my circadian rhythm by going to bed too late since we are meeting Elliot’s two daughters, sons-in-law, and granddaughter in Valley Stream tomorrow at 11. We were supposed to have met today, but we postponed it until tomorrow because of the imminent nasty weather expected in the morning. I just hope we will not be too affected by the change in moving the clocks ahead.

Since we didn’t meet at 11:30 today, I called our adopted “niece,” “Elizabeth,” to ask her if she wanted to see The Batman. She was very responsive to the idea, so we arranged to meet at 3:45 at the Regal Midway Theater right here in Forest Hills to see the 4:05 p.m. showtime. I bought our tickets earlier in the afternoon, so we didn’t have to wait on line – if there was one.

The weather today was cold and bitter. I never encountered such ferocious winds as the winds were today. I thought my umbrella would be destroyed several times during a horrific blast; I even thought I would be carried aloft like Mary Poppins in that classic Disney film.

I must say that Elizabeth and I were both enthralled by the film and its depiction of the Caped Crusader in a very dark and corrupt Gotham City. The cast was marvelous, especially Robert Pattinson as Batman, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Andy Serkis as Bruce Wayne’s loyal butler, Alfred Pennyworth, and Colin Farrell, who is unrecognizable as the Penguin. Paul Dano is memorable in the role of the Riddler. The almost-three-hour length of the film does not weigh it down, even.

After the film, we met Elliot at Spicy C, a Chinese restaurant on Austin Street where I made a 7:30 reservation earlier in the afternoon. The wind still continued to howl as we made our way to the restaurant. I must say our dinner choices were remarkable for their taste. We ordered scallion pancakes and mortar and pestle-smashed eggplant and peppers (which I eschewed because of their spiciness) as appetizers, egg drop soup (for me), hot and sour soup (for Elliot), and crispy orange chicken (for everyone). Elizabeth ordered a tofu entree, which was very good. For dessert, we tried the sesame sticky rice ball with Chinese sake that was indescribably good.

We then put Elizabeth into an Uber after we left the restaurant. She waited just 2 minutes for her car.

Happy Daylight Saving Time.

Hope you’re not too enervated tomorrow by the change.

Stay safe and be well.