"Head...Shoulders...Knees and...SOCKS!"

I just got home from a business trip this afternoon.  A bunch of us had to go up to Boston, and we all stayed at a lovely old hotel that has been renovated.  My room was small, but charming.  It had a view of an interior courtyard, which oversaw the beautiful HVAC equipment and looked at other windows.  But something about the room was off-putting.  Despite the super-soft bed you could get lost in, the beautiful chandelier in the center of the room, and the big marble tub.  I didn't feel comfortable being in there.  I have at times felt claustrophobic in hotel rooms and was wondering if I should ask to be switched to an exterior room.  But then I realized what the problem with the room was.  There was no clock in the room. 

I looked in the drawers, under things, called Shiny to let him know I was there OK and mentioned it to him.  I could pay $8.05 for a 1 liter of Evian or grab a bottle of Francis Ford Coppola wine out of the "refreshment center" but there was no alarm clock?  Would I have to call for a wake up call for my power nap?  What about my addiction to the snooze button?  If I wake up in the middle of the night and my cell phone is plugged in at the desk on the other side of the room, how will I know how much longer I have until I have to get up?  My company was paying good money for this room.  I called down to housekeeping and asked if I was supposed to have a clock in my room.  I was as a matter of fact, and they were really nice about it.  Roger brought one up - it was super fancy - iPod docking station, lots of fancy buttons and nice blue glow.  Roger wouldn't just hand it to me to plug in - he moved the bed to get to the plug, he made sure it was glowing at a level I was comfortable with, and even made sure the time was set correctly.  He put everything back nice and re-fluffed my pillows.  Once he left, the room and I looked around - it made a world of difference.  Who would of thought that something as simple as a clock could make such a huge difference in the warmth and comfort of a hotel room?  It did, and I slept well last night - at least until the sound of the service elevators beeping and whirring up and down on the other side of the wall woke me up...