Afraid of the Dark

OK, well, not really afraid. But this time of year sucks. Even more so this far North. What with the mass crazyness of everybody suddenly up and deciding to do everything one hour later for the winter (damn “fall back” nonsense) and the shorter days on top of that…. Not only is sunset moving earlier and earlier… in mid summer sunset can happen as late as 4:11 UTC. By early December it will happen as early as 0:18 UTC here. That is bad enough without the change in everybody’s schedule.

Before this last week my “normal” target routine was to get into work between 16 and 17 UTC, and leave around 1 UTC the next day. Now, we do everything an hour later. Come in between 17 and 18 UTC, leave around 2 UTC the next day. I’d be leaving after dark anyway even without the schedule change I guess, but it is MORE after dark. It is darker damn it!

I guess the benefit is supposed to come in the mornings and not having to get up in the dark. But in late December sunrise gets as late here as 15:58 UTC, and Amy in the winter has to be at school by 16 UTC, so we’ll have to be awake while it is still dark anyway.

At the shortest the “daylight time” here in Seattle is only 8 hours, 25 minutes and 14 seconds. I know that is nothing for folks living even further north, but it is still pretty short! I will miss the daylight this winter. Time to hunker down and hibernate I guess. :-)

Maybe I need one of those lights for seasonal affective disorder that try to fool your body into thinking it is still daylight when it is not.

Or, maybe I’ll just find more things to do in the dark.