Dr. Riedy's Random Thoughts

It is 3 a.m. on the Monday after Thanksgiving as I begin drafting this essay. I just polished off the last small leftover serving of a pineapple casserole, affectionately known as “Aunt Elsie”, our daughter brought to dinner last Thursday. Family lore has it that many years ago, my wife’s Aunt Elsie paid $50 for the recipe and then shared it with the entire family—thus the “Aunt Elsie” moniker. But already I digress. The idea behind this essay flows from the toast I made to our family at Thanksgiving dinner. Basically, I asked everyone to think about the people and things that are important in their lives but that they take for granted. For example, we take for granted that we are a loving family and that as a group we have wholly positive relationships with one another. On holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, when stress levels tend to be higher than average, we still all get along without any negativity. Every grouping of family members within the extended family helps in th...

If Dolphins Could Tell Time Here’s a brain-teaser you can take to your “End of Daylight Saving Time (DST)” party this weekend. DST ends Sunday, November 7, at 2 a.m., and we set our clocks back by one hour. “Spring forward, Fall back”, is all we need to remember twice a year. The brain-teasing question is as follows: In San Diego, will there be more, less, or the same amount of daylight (the time from sunrise to sunset) on Sunday versus the day immediately prior, Saturday, November 6? Think you have the answer? Let me add additional true facts and see if you change your thinking. In San Diego, sunrise will be at 6:11 a.m. Sunday and 7:10 a.m. on Saturday. Sunset will be at 4:52 p.m. Sunday afternoon and 5:53 p.m. on Saturday. To repeat the question: Will the amount of daylight on Sunday be more, less or the same amount as on Saturday? I only pre-tested the question on one person prior to publishing it. She guessed correctly on the third try. The answer is at the end of this essay....