Clocking In

Searching for an alarm clock has been an eye opening experience.
I need a regular old fashioned alarm clock for #1 to take to camp. It seems that clock radios are not allowed. I'm fine with that.

FYI - if there is one thing this house is not short on - it's clocks. Gram and Grandpa are clock watchers as am I. There are coo coo clock, grandfather clocks, atomic clocks, clock radios, battery clocks, electric clocks, self wind clocks... you name it - between the two families here - we've got clocks covered.  BUT, I don't happen to own a plain old fashioned alarm clock.  I gave that up when I got my first clock radio when I went to college all those years ago. 

I am sure that if I go next door, Grandpa has 2 or 3 plain old fashioned alarm clocks in various colors to choose from, but I thought I'd see what's out there - just for kicks and giggles.

There are clocks without radios out there.  They call them travel alarm clocks. They just happen to run on batteries. Batteries are not the most reliable source of power for a 17 year old boy when it comes to hauling his rear end out of bed. Batteries in his iPod - fine. Batteries in his Ds - fine. Batteries in his alarm clock - not so fine.  I KNOW what it takes to get this boy out of bed and it's not one AA battery - he needs full fledged electricity with a really annoying buzz.

Do you know what they call plain old alarm clocks that run on electricity? Retro.
I'm feeling particularly old at the moment.
And yes, I'm going shopping in Grandpa's garage for an alarm clock - as soon as the clock next door chimes 9.