h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Wasn't it Einstien who postulated that time is relative to the observer, thus giving birth to a whole generation of new-fangled ideas that sprouted atomic bombs, micro-electronics and a raft of dodgy pop songs.
If time really is relative to the observer, then what happens to the time that the observer ignores? If the theory of relativity is taken literally, then time doesn't exist if you don't observe it.
Through personal experience, after sitting in doctors waiting rooms, or driving home from work, is it possible to inexplicably 'lose' the odd 5 minutes.
Where did it go? Why doesn't the physical universe collapse around your knees when you are thinking about what to cook for tea? And, most importantly of all, why does your digital watch keep working?
Is the time really lost? Or did it go somewhere else to be stored for later usage?

In an attempt to explain this phenomenon, this reporter has been exposed to some of the most radical thinking on the subject must now introduce a theory on why time drags.

Obviously, all of the ignored or 'Dead time' must be used up to retain the equilibrium of the universe, so as it floats around the ether, it is attracted to other sentient beings that are currently actively observing time.
It follows that 'Dead time' is attracted primarly to those individuals who are waiting for a certain thing to happen - A train to arrive, or paint to dry, for example. The more tedious the activity, the more Dead time gets attracted.

The General theory of dragging time is thus:
Time drag (Td(um)) = (Time you first looked at your watch (T(flaw)) + (no of times you have look at your watch (T(wat)) x (the tedium factor(Fac(t))