a better way than to increment that thing would, in my oppinion, be:
Code:
void theFunction()
{
  var startingTicks = total_ticks;
  var ticksPassedSinceStart;
  while(1)
  {
    //do something
    if(blah)
    {
      ticksPassedSinceStart = total_ticks - startingTicks;
    }
    wait(1);
  }
}


~"I never let school interfere with my education"~
-Mark Twain