Time traveling

By Kevin Crespo
ASST. OPINION EDITOR

It’s 1:59 a.m. on a late Saturday night or a this-feels-earlier-than-the-first-round-of-midterms Sunday morning if you prefer.

Everyone in San Diego is about to defy the laws of modern physics and discard countless of Newton’s Laws and Schrodinger’s Theories. We’re all about to travel into the future.

As several people stare at their automatically updating iPhones and televisions 2:00 a.m. never comes and we travel into the future: all the way to 3:00 a.m.

Daylight savings time has its knocks, its criticizers, its non-participants (I’m talking to YOU Arizona and Hawaii), but it will always and forever be one of my favorite days of the year.

While some choose to ache and whine about waking up an extra hour early, getting that extra hour of sunlight during the day becomes the prize at the bottom of the cereal box.

And not like a lame wash on tattoo: I’m talking wind up car/TV show themed action figure cool.

But like everything else in life, daylight savings becomes what you make of it.

For many people, that first Monday back from setting the clocks can be rough.

A recent study posted in the Charlotte Business Journal showed that 61 percent of adults felt the negative effects of the change on the following Monday.

However, I find that after a week or so of adjusting, everyone tends to be in a better mood than they were before. The extra sun and the extra fun that come from the adjustment makes those banner days of spring weather in San Diego even more enjoyable.

As the days get longer and the weather gets warmer, that extra hour of time travel begs the question: what will you do with your newfound outside time?

Nicki Minaj unfortunately once rapped, “Let’s go to the beach, each. Let’s go get away” and while ‘Starships’ fell off the charts, the meaning of that line never seems to change.

For students here at USD, we are almost preconditioned to head to the beach anytime we have a break between that whole ‘academic’ part people don’t usually mention when talking about how fun college is.
Don’t get me wrong – I grew up in Colorado, and beaches are some of the greatest places on earth I’ve found.

The ocean is great for surfing, wakeboarding or even going for a salty swim.

The sand is prime real estate for barbeques, a forgiving field for tackle football and a place to go relax, lay out and enjoy the outdoors.

For those who are searching past the beach to explore the great outdoors, there are other alternatives.

Torrey Pines is a great outlet for those who are looking to get their hike on. Multiple trails around that La Jolla area include sandstone caves, waterfalls and beachside cliffs that are primo nature sites.

If you’re looking to drive an hour or so, the Anza Borrego desert and San Onofre offer campground sites for those looking to spend some extra quality time outdoors.

But please, the last thing you should be doing with your time is sitting indoors. Television and movies are almost strictly wintertime activities.

Using your extra hour of daylight to sit inside is like winning the lottery and not wanting to drive to claim your prize: no one wins.

Homework, studying, and partying can all be outside activities. It’s not that hard. In a culture that seems to be working towards being lazier, daylight savings stands as our hero against the antagonistic big comfy couch.

So whether you’re tossing a Frisbee, barbecuing with friends or hiking some rocky trails, it’s time to enjoy the great outdoors.

Daylight is a gift from the sun gods, an opportunity to lengthen our college days, and most importantly a reminder that we need to take a break and go outside every once in awhile.
Instead of wincing at the agony of turning back your clocks, start jumping in excitement.

We did, after all, just travel into the future.