It's That Time of Year Again

Anyone who knows me knows how much I hate, loathe, detest and despise DST. I've had some friends tell me they missed my annual spring rant and rave on Facebook, since I gave that up some time ago. They all think it's funny. 

Today, we are not amused.

In fact, we are downright pissy. And tired. And counting down to November 3, the Glorious Return of my beloved Standard Time...in 236 days. Yes, I am counting...I have a countdown app on my phone. 

I purposely did not do much ranting and raving about Dumb Stupid Time this year, as an experiment. Do I feel crappy because I talk myself into it? Or do I feel crappy because I don't handle the stupid time change well. 

Let's see...today is Tuesday. The Dumb Stupid Time change was Sunday. I could hardly stay awake Sunday morning at church, and felt tired and dizzy all day. My dishes are piled up. So is the laundry. I spent all of yesterday in my pj's and robe. Haven't showered in two days because I don't have the energy and don't really care. All I want to do is sleep, because then I don't feel dizzy and out of sorts. And mostly, I just want to scratch people's eyes out. Go ahead, Mitch...get within arm's reach, I dare you.

There are a lot of people out there who love Dumb Stupid Time, they don't understand how anyone could not like it. There's other people out there who think people like me just need to "suck it up and deal with it" because it's "only one hour." These are the people who have no problem adjusting to the time change, so they think everyone should be like them. Here's a news flash for you...not everyone is like you. Haven't you noticed that yet? We look differently, act differently, react differently (if you are allergic to peanuts, then does everyone have to be allergic to them? No, that is ridiculous). So why does the way the Dumb Stupid Time change affects different people have to be the same? It doesn't, that is moronic. 

Maybe you have no trouble with it. That's lovely. Goody for you. But quit saying to the rest of us who do have trouble with it to "suck it up" because it's "only one hour." Actually, it's not "only one hour", as the change to Dumb Stupid Time messes with our natural Circadian rhythms: 

"While we generally think that the time changes enforced by the DST transitions are 'only an hour,' they have far more drastic effects if viewed in the context of the circadian clock's seasonal changes," Roenneberg said. "This seemingly small hour translates to a repeat of 10 weeks in the annual progression of the relationship between our sleep-wake cycle and dawn--four weeks in spring and six weeks in autumn. In effect, it's as if the entire population of Germany, for example, is transported to Morocco in spring and back again in autumn."

Indeed, "after taking the seasonal adjustment into account, our results show that the human circadian clock does not adjust to the DST transition," Roenneberg said. "This is especially obvious in the late chronotypes in spring when one looks at their daily activity patterns. Essentially, their biological timing stays on standard, winter time, while they have to adjust their social schedules to the advanced clock time throughout the summer."

And

In a second study, they analyzed the timing of sleep and activity for eight weeks around each of the two DST transitions in 50 people, taking into account each individual's natural clock preferences, or "chronotypes," ranging from morning larks to night owls. They found that the timing of both sleep and peak activity levels readily adjust to the release from DST in autumn, but that the timing of activity does not adjust to the start of DST in spring, especially in those who like to stay up late and sleep in. (emphasis mine)

Daylight Savings Time Disrupts Humans' Natural Circadian Rhythym, Science Daily

I am definitely a night owl, and I can absolutely attest to the fact that Dumb Stupid Time jacks me up. And not just for a few days or a week while I "adjust." It takes months, if at all. I get to where I can at least function somewhat, but the fatigue and odd feeling of living in a parallel universe never completely goes away. I don't enjoy spring or summer at all so that "extra" hour of daylight means nothing to me, other than it ruins 75% of my year. Every year. 

Thanks again, Mitch. I'm still mad at you and so glad you're not our dictator governor anymore. Go rot in all that extra daylight.

DVD REVIEW: The Mysterious Islands: A Testimony to God's Hand in Creation

Do you remember high school science say, oh, a couple decades ago (or longer)? What did you learn about how our universe came to be? I remember the big debate in the late '80s was whether or not the theory of evolution could be taught. Now, only twenty years or so later, it's taught as fact! Evolution has always seemed a bit off to me, always leaving me with the sense that something was missing...but not the supposed Missing Link for which scientists have been searching for years. The Biblical account of Creation in six days almost seems too fantastic to be real, made more difficult for Christian students by the evolutionary bent that is present in public school science curriculum. Could this theory of evolution somehow explain how God created the universe? Can there be a marriage between Science and the Bible? Watching The Mysterious Islands helped answer that question definitively in my mind.

Released on August 31, 2010 by Provident Films (who also brought us Facing the Giants and Fireproof), The Mysterious Islands is a documentary that challenges Darwin's findings during his exploration and study of the Galapagos Islands and the amazing creatures that live there. Calling the Galapagos "The Jerusalem of Evolution", Doug Phillips journeys with his 16 year old son Joshua and a Christian team of scientists to these incredible Islands to follow Darwin's path of discovery over 150 years ago. They beautifully answer the question, "Is the Galapagos a laboratory for evolution or a glorious testimony to God's creation?"

The cinematography is breath-taking, soaring over the islands and diving deep into the surrounding oceans to capture some of the most beautiful and amazing creatures on earth. There are thought-provoking discussions on faith, modern science, and insight into how Darwin came to the conclusions that forever changed science, helped shaped the environmental movement and altered the very fabric of society itself.

This film is a terrific resource for homeschoolers, youth groups, church small groups or for anyone searching for the truth amid the myriad scientific "evidence" abounding to explain the origins of life and how our universe began. A discussion guide is available to download, as well.

Our family thoroughly enjoyed this documentary, especially my ten year old daughter, a budding scientist. After watching The Mysterious Islands, I am convinced that a marriage between Darwin's conclusions and the Biblical account of Creation is an unholy union. I plan to use this DVD as part of our homeschool science curriculum and am excited to have a resource that both encourages me to explore this topic even more and arms me with a defense against evolutionary theory....which, by the way, has yet to actually be proven! 

Something to think about:  Does it bother you that your children are being taught a theory as fact, especially since the "fairness" that is demanded to allow teaching of, say, alternative lifestyles or other "faith traditions", for example is blatantly ignored when it comes to including Creationism in public school science curriculum? What far-reaching implications will that have on future generations? Are you satisfied to blindly accept popularly held theories and conclusions or are you willing to dig deeper, to measure such theories and conclusions against God's Word? And when you find discrepancies, what will you do next?

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