life of pike, supergeekery

Rock Around The Clock

23 Comments

I know I’ve offhandedly mentioned my Obsessive-Compulsive tendencies before on Aspect of the Hare. And because I’ve no shame, I’ll delve into the specifics out in the open for possibly the first time… ever.

OCD manifests itself in a variety of different compulsions. Some people wash their hands, some people check their door locks, some people have to arrange items in just the right way. For me… it was (scratch that… is…) numbers. Everything has to be counted. Steps on a staircase, magnets on a fridge, circles in a pattern. Especially if they are lined up in a row. Objects that are lined up in a row are just begging to be counted.

Sometimes random numbers pop into my head. If I do not know where said numbers are from, they must be written down, or Google’d, in case they are important and I just don’t know it yet. “Pike, that’s silly,” you say. “Yes, I know,” I reply. But that’s how it works with obsessions like that. There are some things that you just do. No matter how silly they seem.

Numbers are special. They’re “safe”. They don’t change. It’s funny, because growing up, I was always the writing kid. The English student kid. But numbers had an unchanging beauty to them that appealed to me somehow, and they sort of became my sanctuary.

You might be wondering where I’m going with this or if I’m trying to make some sort of serious blog post about mental disorders. I’m not, actually. This is just the merely-tangentially-related intro for the meat of the post.

The meat of the post is this: Timepieces are one of my favorite things in the entire world.

See, numbers are special. And you know what’s really special? When the clock says 9:00. Or 10:00. Basically any time with at least two zeroes at the end. I have no idea why I find this so appealing. I just always have. 9:30 is slightly less special, and 9:15 and 9:45 even less so, but those four numbers are considerably more special than any of the other 56 found in an hour.

So what is a clock? It’s my numbers obsession. On my wall. Or on my desk. Or on my wrist. Or in my pocket. As the case may be. (Because I carry two watches with me. And have at least one clock in each room in my apartment.)

It gets better, though. A clock is also

beautiful

mechanical

perfection.

A clock or watch is form and function in one elegant package. The ultimate junction of art and engineering. And I love it.

Okay, okay, one more thing, and then I’ll shut up.

Mechanical clocks, specifically, are an elegant timepiece from a more civilized age. An age when things weren’t cheaply made. When things were designed to be fixed if broken, rather than just tossed and replaced.

…yeah I’m one of those weirdos that takes apart clocks and things. I took apart my last one. It wasn’t designed to be put back together so I had to “break it” in order to do so. The ticking remains are sitting on my desk. I’m sure a lot of people would think I’m absolutely nuts. Well, maybe I am. The whole OCD thing, after all…

Anyways. That, in a nutshell, is why I am a clock geek.

We here at Clockwork Hare Enterprises hope you have enjoyed your foray into the Potentially Too Much Info Camp this Friday, and hope you have a pleasant weekend!

23 thoughts on “Rock Around The Clock”

  6. Hai Pike,

    In my home office i have a clock with ‘flaps’ like the old station clocks.
    It ticks like any other clock, but every minute the ‘flap’mechanics move and it’s awesome 😉
    It’s the coolest clock i ever seen. Simple mechanics and very accurate.
    I’m at work right now, but i’ll tweet a picture of it tonight 😉

    Regards, Michel.

  7. @omecloak I MISS my old flapper clock, there was something soothing about the flap sound and the grinding of the seconds wheel that you just don’t get from digital alarm clocks….
    i might have to go find a new one.

  9. This sounds so oddly familiar to me… as a child I often took apart clocks and other things. For me it was to see how they worked — I guess kind of a hacker mentality — which has remained with me throughout my life.

    And for a time I worked repairing clocks and watches. You are very correct, there is much beauty in the workings of a fine timepiece. I find the same in building computers… there are some amazing things you can craft in that arena also.

    /bow
    Sun

  10. I didn’t take apart clocks, but god help anyone at school who left an interesting looking pen unguarded where I could reach it. *shifty look* I was always polite enough to not break them open if they weren’t mine though. 😛

  12. Married to a developing linux geek gamer dude with diagnosed OCD (handwashing, door locks, numbers, and a few other things). I totally get where you’re coming from!

    For what it’s worth, he repairs broken pocketwatches for a hobby too 😀

  13. OCD manifests itself in many ways, not all of them life consuming. As one who has his own compulsions to deal with (with me it’s regularity – I’m not fussed about things being ultra-clean but they simply must be tidy – I straighten chairs against tables and line up things on shelves and such like). Mind you OCD is a side-issue of sorts as I am also AS and have no issues with it. Neurotypicals are just so damned boring!

  14. @ Passif – that link was awesome! Thanks for sharing =D

    @ krizzlybear – I remember you livestreaming it, I <3 it (and want my own)

    @ Indigo Haze - alas no, but I used to give myself random math problems to solve when I was bored.

    @ Tami - I have not, but I may have to look into it now!

  15. @ morkuma – i c wut u did thar

    @ OmeCloak – That’s awesome, thanks for sharing the picture!

    @ Grimmtooth – Hee, glad you liked it.

    @ Sunryō – I’ve always had an appreciation for the artistry found in “every day objects”. A lot of people don’t look at a computer or clock as a work of art. I do, though!

    @ Veyska – OOOH. Pens. I <3 them. Also mechanical pencils... I play with them too much and have dozens of them.

  16. @ Anna and Ardprest – I was diagnosed with a wide variety of mental issues as a teenager. And I was on a few types of medication for a little while. But I quickly decided that the tradeoff wasn’t worth the effort. I’ve no intention of taking those kinds of meds again (though nothing against those who choose to…); I’ve come to accept and understand my quirks and use them to my advantage. *nod*

    Also Anna… your husband sounds frighteningly like me… wonder if there’s a correlation with it all? *muses*

  17. wow, Pike– get out of my head… and do you know what’s worse? A persona with Numerical OCD who is also… dyslexic…

    I also obsess on clocks, and calendars as well– for me, numbers grouping in certain WAYS grab me: 1:23, or 3/6/99 … those things ring to me as “special” and I always mark them.

  19. Hmm tawtaw…

    Im not quite sure if im OCD or not never really looked into it. I’ll lock a door (for whatever reason) and ill have to go back and check if its locked… then ill walk away.. ill have to go back and check it again… ive never really counted if theres a number of times.. but im super compelled to check and check and check.

    Its kind of awesome you like watches. i like them as well. Though i generally stick to citizen or seikos, and it has to be solid silver (brushed not chrome) and the band has to have a heavy, sturdy feel to it. I generally prefer a solid color dial with not much going on.. i really cant stand the see thruough dials(like.. drives me nuts. Needs to be simple. Pretty picky, eh? lol

    Used to be a watchmaker… one of the few things i really really enjoyed doing. Unfortunately there isnt much money in it. Unless you own your own gig and you’re well connected.

  20. Personally I like numbers such as 10:10 or 3:33 or the ones that can be divided and it looks pretty … and I have a clock on each wall. I also count everything. I actually don’t notice it so much anymore unless I’m surrounded by numbers … I have yet to start collecting nice watches but they have always begged me to buy them.
    ~we could totally be OCD bff’s 🙂

  21. Back when you played WoW, did you used to run around Gnomer doing /drool? 😉 All the gears and gizmos in there…*starts to watch the gears turn and gets clubbed by a trog*

  23. And I meant to actually write more than just the link…. so mostly I guess I just want to say /agree to the love of gears/intricate machinary.

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