Michael Rock Mourns the Loss of His Alarm Clock

I'm not sure exactly when I got my Sony Dream Machine alarm clock, but I can tell you that I packed it up for my trip out to Syracuse University for my freshman year of college.

Since that day, my alarm clock has lasted me through getting my first few part-time radio jobs before landing here at Fun 107. When I set my alarm for my first morning show at Fun 107, this was the alarm I set.

When I met my wife outside of the Jukebox nightclub in downtown New Bedford, the alarm clock was sitting patiently by my bedside. The alarm clock sat on my nightstand when my kids were born and were waking up for midnight feedings.

I've grown from a 135-pound high school kid to a father of two with this same alarm clock.

Until last night.

Last night, without warning, the Sony Dream Machine quietly said, "I've had enough." He couldn't take it anymore. He had no more to give. Truth be told, it had been years since the Dream Machine had retired from its primary job. That role had been handed off to my iPhone 3S years and years ago.

For the past few years, the Dream Machine's only job was to let me know what time it was in the middle of the night when I rolled over and wondered how many more hours of precious sleep I had before my ungodly wakeup for the morning show.

He died without fanfare.  He was plugged into the wall, and at some point just stopped. I have no idea how much my mom paid for the Dream Machine, but I'll bet she never could have imagined it would have last that long!

I'm not ready to replace it yet. I'm not sure it can be replaced. For the time being, I'll be checking the time on my iPhone. A lot has changed since that Dream Machine came into my life. A lot of life has been lived.