What time of day is it? (a poll)

[Elysian]

Morning: until noon
Noon: 12:00 precisely
Afternoon: 12:00 until 5:00 PM
Evening: after five

I finally worked this out. I am ashamed at how long it took me. Here is what I thought it was:

Morning: The coolest part of the day. There's a certain soft quality in the air. Lasts until about 10:00.
Daytime: From about 10:00 to dusk.
Noon: From 11:30 to 12:30. Hardly any shadow, and hot.
Afternoon: From about 12:30 until the heat wanes.
Evening: At dusk. The day has cooled off and the stars may come out.

I think it's because I grew up in farm country, Indiana, that I think of the times of the day as physical events and not what the clock is set as. It kind of came as a revelation when I realized that I can tell people good morning at 11:30 AM! It doesn't seem morning to be when the day is warm.

So I wonder how many Dopers think of the times of day as being a physical thing or a clock thing. Please tell me where you were raised, too.

[elfkin477]

I live in a place where the length of daylight varies hugely (in late December the sun sets before 4pm, but in July it is often light out until after nine PM) so the time of day has to be dependant on the clock. Otherwise, the descriptors would be so vague when talking about the present or immediate past they'd be meaningless. I was raised in New England, for the record, and have lived in this part of the US my entire life.


Your summation is pretty much how the "day" around here works, except night begins at 6pm, not 5. Why? No idea. That's what they decided- whoever they are.

[kniz]

I don't wear a watch. Does that tell you anything? I was raised in Ohio and Georgia and most of my adult life has been back in Ohio and now Mississippi.

[Beauty Personified]

Ah, but what about "night"? And the terms "early" and "late"?

I tend to get to sleep no earlier than 2:00 AM, but if I'm posting a message on a newsboard, or sending someone an e-mail, I sometimes get confused when I try to relate something which has happened very late at night, or very early in the morning. Examples...

I send a friend an e-mail at 2:00 AM on Tuesday. I had been to the late movie on Monday night. Do I say, "I just got back from the movies tonight." ? Or do I say, "I went to the movies last night." ?

Or, I'm talking to someone on a Wednesday afternoon about a discussion I read on the SDMB at 2:00 AM that morning - before I went to bed. Do I say, "I was reading a cool discussion on the Straight Dope last night." ? Or, do I say "I was reading a cool discussion on the Straight Dope early this morning." ?

Likewise, if I only get to bed at 5:00 AM, do I tell someone, "I was up very late last night." ? Or, do I say, "I didn't get to bed until (early? late?) this morning." ?

On a related topic, I always consider "breakfast" to be the first meal of the day, even if I get up at two in the afternoon. My parents hate this (mainly because I only get up at two in the afternoon ) and contend that breakfast is only the first meal of the day if it occurs before noon.

Anyhoo...

[jastu]

I grew up in rural Australia.
For me it has mostly been a clock thing but evening for me starts at dusk not exactly at 5.00pm.

[flamingbananas]

I'm still growing up. but it's a total clock thing. Our lives are like clockwork. I live in IL, by the way.