Save The Clocktower!

Just my homage to the Back to the Future movies. But seriously, I couldn't resist taking this photo of the clocktower and processing it with a texture from Kim Klassen. I mean, it was practically daring me to take it's picture. A handsome clocktower, standing there gloating in the sunlight, like a 1950's movie star in his top hat and tails. The roof partially covered in pure white snow, contrasted starkly with a bright blue sky (the only one I've seen in a while, I might add) in the background. OK, maybe it was the blue sky that I really wanted to take a picture of. Anyway, how can anyone resist a good shot?

As I was looking for a quote to go with the picture I noticed that a lot of people have a lot of differing opinions on time. This intrigues me. We just celebrated a time "mile-marker", if you will, with New Year's day. The beginning of a new year and the beginning of a new decade. It's curious to me how on occasions like this we seem to reminisce about the past, while wondering what the future holds, all while being somewhat incognizant of the present moment that we are actually living in. 

Some people make resolutions for these new beginnings, resolving to be better human beings in some way or have better behavior and habits. The rest just take in the new beginning as reason to celebrate or to tick off another year, using time as a simple measurement. In my quest for the perfect quote, I found some serious perspectives and then some contradictory ones.  My favorite quote made me chuckle and of course came from an irreverent female, another of my favorites. 

William Faulkner viewed time a bit philosophically, when he said:

"Clocks slay time... time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops does time come to life."  

So did Emily Bronte, even if a bit more practically:

"A person who has not done one half his day's work by ten o clock, runs a chance of leaving the other half undone."

Some creatives use the clock as a measurement of time and a tool for getting things done and staying on track, like Stanley Tucci:

"But usually I'll wake up and start writing about nine o'clock. I'll probably write for about three hours, and I'll do that over the next month and a half."

 And Gustav Klimt:

"If the weather is good I go into the nearby wood - there I am painting a small beech forest (in the sun) with a few conifers mixed in. This takes until 8 'o clock."

And some resist the clock and what it symbolizes altogether, like Chubby Checker:

"Homey don't quit. What else are you gonna do? It's like those guys in the cartoon they get up in the morning, check the clock and fight all day and after it's over they check the clock and go home. That's how it goes."

 And Erykah Badu:

"I have a master plan as an artist. I've always said I'm not going to be punching nobody's clock. I will work as an artist to survive in this world."

 Sometimes the differences in perspectives are sharp, as in Pete Seeger's:

"I want to turn the clock back to when people lived in small villages and took care of each other."

 and Geri Halliwell:

"I'd never choose to turn the clock back."

 All and all, my favorites are the creative ones who reveal how they get their creative work done:

"I write when I'm inspired, and I see to it that I'm inspired at nine o'clock every morning."    Peter DeVries

 And the ones that show a sense of humor about time, which we cannot control nor understand:

"I'll come and make love to you at five o'clock. If I'm late start without me." Tallulah Bankhead