4/23/2006

More Trouble with Digital Clocks!

I apparently am the butt of some multidimensional prank being led by the Grande Patron Saint of digital clocks.
As you know, I am now on some serious medications trying to regain a sense of balanced reality after Anonymous' Blogger's having to use a flashlight at night to see what time her alarm clock shows.
But now I have a second situation...
Let me preface this by saying that 'yes, in the past a few stories here at The Nut have been imbellished just a tad for the sake entertainment'. However, THIS story is 100% on the level!
I have a stove. It's not a fancy stove, but it does have a digital clock on the front. After living at this place for over a year, it occured to me that there had been a number of times that I had had to reset the clock. It seemed to run just a tad slow. I could tell because The microwave clock is situated right beside the stove clock. the microwave clock keeps good time. During one of these routine time setting adjustments I realized that yet again, I was only adding seven (7) minutes to bring it back on time.
KEEP IN MIND: THE FOLLOWING IS 100% TRUE!
So now I decide to pay special attention to it (I put on my Sherlock hat so to speak). Sure enough, three days later it was seven (7) minutes slow again. But I left it alone for continued observations. Here's the kicker (and the part where you think I'm pulling your leg... I AINT!) it never gets more than seven (7) minutes late, no matter how many days I leave it alone! I have waited 3 months, and it was still only seven (7) minutes late! In the next step, I went and set it back to the correct time then set it an additional seven (7) minutes ahead. Then I sat back and waited, wondering if confusing the grande patron saint of digital clock pranks was that easy.
It wasnt. As sure as water is wet, it took only a few days for the stove clock to once again be seven (7) minutes late.
For the last year I have let sleeping dogs lie and know to look at on-time microwave clock rather than posessed stove clock. But now I'm starting to wonder...
What would happen if I set the microwave clock ahead seven (7) minutes? Would the stove clock advance ahead seven (7) minutes to then be on time?
Or, what if I go to the trouble of unplugging the stove then plug it back in (effectively kicking the clock in) exactly at 12 noon? Will it be fooled and stay on time then?
What if I mess with the clock for a bit to confuse it then set it seven (7) minutes late? Not realizing it was already set seven (7) minutes behind, would it go back an additional seven (7) minutes?

I asked the guys at work what their theories were. They said I should stop smoking the good stuff. But I did! ...didn't I???