"Wake up. It is 7:30 AM."

This happened 10 years ago in Knoxville, Tennessee. I went to NAD (National Association of the Deaf) Conference for a week. Knoxville sucks. The Sunsphere has been always closed each time I visited or passed by (5 times so far!).

However, more than 4,000 deaf people flocked to the NAD Conference at a hotel not far from the Sunsphere. I stayed at Radisson Hotel with two gals. It was fun, though.

My first night at the hotel was bit frustrating. I went to the front desk and expressed the concern about waking up at 7:30 AM but the room has the alarm clock designed for hearing people. Well, I need the vibrating equipment or flashing light to wake me up. The front desk said that so many deaf people requested the same thing and they ran it out. But they suggested that they come to the room where I stay at 7:30 AM to wake me up.

I thought it was odd but fine with me. I went off to bed. For some reasons, my guts said to wake up. I woke up at 7:45 AM. Oh, fuck. Damn the folks downstairs. I strolled to the bathroom which is right next to the door into the hallway. I noticed a white paper on the floor.

I picked it up and groaned.

It reads: "WAKE UP. IT IS 7:30 AM."

They did not enter the bedroom, they slipped the note under the door in an attempt to wake me up.

Hearing people do amaze me sometimes.

R-