Last week (which seems like eons ago) I was in Milwaukee. Normally when I'm out of town it's pretty hard for me to go to sleep. I usually stay up until 1 or 2 in the morning, just working, playing on the internet watching whatever's on cable. I try to sleep earlier if I know I've got an early morning, but it never really works.

So I was in Milwaukee, asleep after yet another late night, and all of the sudden I hear this loud beeping, coming from all over. Then a voice screams into the room, "This is a fire alarm, please exit the building. Do not use the elevators." Or something like that. Then right after the voice, there's another voice. "This is the fire chief. There is no fire. Please stay in your rooms."

It went on and on like that for about 20 minutes. Loud beeping, "exit or die", "no, it's not real, just stay!". I was debating as I was lying in bed, wondering if I should leave, just in case. I heard doors on the floor opening and closing, through I don't know if anyone left. I looked at the clock and it was 5:30am. A mere half hour before my alarm was going to go off. That helped me make my decision. I was pissed that the alarm went off so soon before I was going to wake up, so I went to back to sleep.

20 minutes later, the beeping again, same message about leaving the building, then another voice says, "There is no fire, stay in your rooms!" I set my alarm to go off 20 minutes later.

Of course, next time I hear an alarm I'll make sure to leave the building if that "Nah, this isn't real" voice doesn't come on. However, this is the fourth time this has happened to me...hope I don't get used to it and ignore it when it really happens!