If You Hate Being Shaken Awake, This One Is For You! There's Hope!

Raise your hand if you prefer being awakened by a light rather than being jarred awake by some shaky vibraty thingamajig. Me too, me too. 

I seem to be very hard on alarm clocks for some reason, and I suspect it's because I use the snooze button quite liberally. I am *not* a morning person, no matter how hard I try. This leads to replacement of alarm clocks every couple of/few years, unfortunately. I always make sure I have a back-up alarm clock.

This means planning ahead, since we can't exactly wander into our local drugstore or megastore and pick up a teensy, cute alarm for 5.95 plus tax. Deaf agencies have by and large done away with their Deaf Stores, since they were money pits for the agencies. The Internet to the rescue for many of us... (those of us who have *access* to the 'Net ... and many of us don't.)

The last time I needed alarm clocks, I was able to go to my local Deaf Store and pick some up. Imagine my shock when I looked at the displays and saw only *one* clock that I could plug a light into... a SonicBoom clock. And I have the *worst* luck with 'em. I'd gone through three in one year at that point. Every other type of alarm clock I've ever had lasted at least one year. Dismayed, I asked the shopkeeper about plug-in light options. She whispered to me,

"I know. Isn't it awful how the alarm clock manufacturers have stopped making plug-in alarms? I've gotten so many complaints from customers. But I have just the thing for you! This company, DeafWorks, is a small outfit in Provo that modifies alarm clocks so they can be plugged in. A few just came in last week and I save them for customers like you."

In alt, I bought two, thanking her profusely. They've served me well, and they were *cheap* compared to other alarm clocks out there.

I'm now taking stock of my alarm clock inventory, and ... urk. Time to think about making sure I have back-ups that work. 

I find alarm clock vibrators one of the cruelest inventions known to man. They fall off the bed, they move where they can't rouse me, they give me an awful headache if they're too close to my head, they scare me, and they put me in a foul mood for the rest of the morning. I. Cannot. Stand. Vibrating alarm clocks. I'll tolerate my Sonic Shaker pinned to the bottom of my nighties when I'm traveling, but that's about it.

So why in blankety-blank *would* alarm clock manufacturers decide that we all need vibrating alarm clocks? Manufacturers, if you read this, take heed: We *want* options. There are those of us who prefer being awakened more naturally than being rudely roused with shaking things that don't stay where they're supposed to stay, create lumps under the bed/pillow, and induce people to produce strings of expletives every morning. 

But I digress. There is hope for those of us who want, need, and expect plug-in lights. There are only two alarm clocks on the Harris Communications website that I could find that are not Sonic Boom clocks: the Hal-Hen and the Wake Me Up. Both are rather pricey and they're *huge*, which is not a good thing when your nightstand real estate is limited. DeafWorks to the rescue! They offer three options, the Original, the Futuristic, and the Jumbo, all for less than $47, and two for less than $40! Thrillsville!

There's hope, there's hope!

PS - if there are any other online retailers of Deaf products, please leave a comment for all of us - it would help us know where we can go to shop. Thanks! *smile*

*Disclaimer: I am not, nor have I ever been, employed or affiliated with DeafWorks. I'm simply a happy customer. :-)