A quickie:

This is my new alarm clock. Whenever I travel, I lose at least one item, typically leaving it in a hotel room or a friend’s house. My trip to Italy/Germany was no exception. I arrived home without my flip-flops or my phone charger. It pains me to admit that this is the second phone charger I have left in Italy, and the dang things cost $50, so I have to wait until Dave can send it back to me. The true crap part of this situation is that my phone (Treo 650) is also my alarm clock, and since I don’t have a replacement, I realized immediately that I was gonna be screwed when the charge ran out…like it just did. As luck would have it, the battery in my SUUNTO wrist-top computer (a.k.a., my watch) died yesterday, too, so I was forced to find a substitute alarm clock. Honestly, since I sleep with earplugs every night, watch alarms are useless, anyway.

I went to my trailer to pick up some of my junk and saw a trinket I had picked up at the Turkish gift shop. There, I found a blue mosque alarm clock to replace the pink one I bought in China and eventually destroyed in Russia (long story…). I brought it home to my tent and demonstrated its functionality to Maureen. I have never seen her laugh so hard. When it goes off, its face lights up and an extremely loud (it actually startled me, and I knew what it would sound like) voice sings “ALLAHHHHHH…alalalabalahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!” It is meant to mimic the Allah Akbar guy who does the Muslim call-to-prayer each morning (at 0530), and four more times throughout the day and night. I don’t really know why I love it so much. It’s just so…”kitchy.” I might buy a bunch of them (like my Saddam salt shakers and silverware) to sell on Ebay…or not.

Anyway, I had to use this clock, and I am pretty sure my roommates are all going to kill me if I don’t find a more tolerable substitute before morning. The sound of an alarm clock is NEVER welcome, especially THIS one.