July 11, 2003

Time Out of Texas

El Paso gets no respect.

I go to Roscoe Ellis, in my innocence, and what I read stuns me:

And...you may have noticed a slight change in the nomenclature I'm using to identify the time of each individual post here in my journal. I saw recently that Kevin Whited, a young guy "always aware of the tension between the politically possible and the philosophical idea," writing from the Houston area in his Publius TX weblog is doing this. It seems sensible on many different levels, so I'm following his lead and marking Texas Time now.

"Sensible?" Guys, I know where Houston is, and I know where San Antonio is, and I know that they're in Central Time, as is most of Texas. But not all of Texas: El Paso, the largest city on the Texas-Mexico border, is out here in Mountain Time. Did you guys forget how big Texas really is?

I suppose it's simple cosmic justice that Kevin's site has been hacked and isn't available as I write this. It was only to be expected. But, in the immortal words of Bart Simpson, "I didn't do it." Hope you get back soon, Kevin, and have a look at those time zones, eh?

Posted by Craig Ceely at July 11, 2003 10:05 AM
Comments

Craig,

You raise a good point.

Yes, I'm very much aware that El Paso uses Mountain time to set its clocks while those of us over in San Antonio and Houston use Central time. And the "Texas Time" meme I'm using doesn't distinguish between the Mountain and Central time zones at all.

As I see it, both Central and Mountain times, when experienced in Texas, are legitimate "Texas Times". And "Texas Time" is of a qualitatively different nature than time experienced anywhere else.

So while my wristwatch in San Antonio may be displaying 12:30 at the same time yours in El Paso is displaying 11:30, both of us are living in "Texas Time."

all the best,
Roscoe

Posted by: roscoe at July 14, 2003 11:49 AM

Roscoe,

I can live with that...actually, I was coming to think that that was what you guys meant. Texas Time it is!

Posted by: Craig at July 14, 2003 11:51 AM

I'm with Roscoe. Texas is a state of mind, and it's only appropriate we occupy not one but TWO time zones as those other folks think of 'em. It's all Texas Time within the borders, though.

I think the Brazilians who hacked me were envious of Texas Time. Of the three sites I had with that host, the explicitly Texas one was damaged the most. :)

Posted by: Kevin Whited at July 14, 2003 06:58 PM