02/16/2007
01/22/2007
12/18/2006
A Wii Saga
Before the Nintendo Wii was announced, I knew I would buy one. Call me a Nintendo fanboy if you will, but they make incredible games. Whichever console will play the next Zelda/Metroid/Mario title— I’ll buy it.
So I was dead-set on getting a Wii, and would have pre-ordered it, but the launch date fell on our Thanksgiving vacation trip. So without a guaranteed pre-ordered Wii, I was left searching for one. Despite the fact we were in fairly rural areas on vacation, Wiis were being snatched up as soon as they were put out. That was November 19th.
(In the intervening weeks, I collected everything else I needed for my Wii setup— a couple of games, 2 controllers + chucks and a component video cable. Altogether, $250 plus tax. Note: Wii Play releasing in January will come with a controller.)
Skip to December 15th. Word on the net was that another big Wii release Sunday was coming and if I wanted to get one, I knew what I’d have to do: camp.
I’ve never camped out for a console release before. But, I did it. And let me tell you, it went perfectly.
My wife had a friend whose husband was also wanting to buy one, so we decided to go together. We both scouted around to find places that were giving real numbers as to how many they were selling on Sunday. We set out at 10 PM on Saturday to secure a spot.
The first place we tried was a Target store. They had a few in line already, so we decided to go to a nearby EB Games store. There were three guys there already, and I knew that store had 6 Wiis for sale, so we stopped looking there.
Fortunately, the assistant manager was closing up the store as we arrived, so he saw us and took note of our position in line. He was also going to oversee the sales the next morning. We also found out that the three guys in line already were actually there for the PlayStation 3 systems also selling on Sunday. So, we wound up being the first and second people in line for a Wii!
A couple of eighth-graders were dropped off to take 3rd and 4th Wii spots. One of them curled up and went to sleep; the other must have drunk 3 of those 18-ounce energy drinks through the night. I think he was worried someone would take his spot if he fell asleep.
Another Wii spot was taken by an older lady who was getting one for her nephew (she had already camped for Wiis on 3 other occasions— once successfully for her son).
At 1 AM some jerks drove by to tease us saying there was no line at the Target store. Ha ha. The joke was on them since only 5 of the 6 Wii spots had been taken by then.
At 2 AM a couple of guys showed up to wait for the 6th Wii.
It turns out that my camping buddy was also a survivalist! He does a lot of mountain hiking and camping with his family, so he was quite prepared for this little excursion. But I didn’t know exactly how prepared until he broke out his portable camping stove and fried up some bacon and toast for everyone.
The game store we picked was also a great location. It was set in a plaza that had a 24-hour Safeway supermarket (this was the source for the aforementioned bacon and bread). The walkway in front of the game store was well lit— I should have brought a book to read, but I figured it would be dark.
I lost track of the number of people that came by after 2 AM. We consistently told them that all systems here were taken by those already in line, but every fourth or fifth person would wait in that 7th Wii spot, just hoping against odds that the count was wrong. They would leave within an hour though.
By 4 AM, the night was as cold as it was going to get: 28°F. But dawn would break soon. At least there was no wind or rain to deal with.
There was a guilty pleasure that came from turning people away. Early on, you’d think “Awww… how sad— I hope they can find one somewhere else.”. By 6 AM, there was more pleasure than guilt, where you’re thinking “What an idiot— did they really think they could just walk up just before opening and expect to get one?”.
I managed to get a few winks of sleep, but by dawn, I was feeling like a kid— too excited to sleep. I took a break and stopped into the Safeway to get a hot chocolate from the Starbucks they had in the store. Ah… civilization.
The last hour seemed to be the longest one, as we anxiously awaited the opening of the store. But at last, I was at the register being handed my Wii.
Ah, the taste of victory.
My Wii friend code is: 1979 0268 9054 2975.
08/24/2006
07/08/2006
06/12/2006
Cars
We had a good time at the movies seeing Cars this weekend.
I have no complaints with the movie itself, but the movie abruptly stopped around 8-10 minutes (estimated) before it was over. We waited a while for the theater crew to get their act back together, but decided to leave. At least they gave us 4 free tickets to make up for it.
I'm getting increasingly annoyed with going to the movies. For the times I've been by myself, I would take my laptop to occupy the time while waiting for the movie to start. Once I was kept from entering the theater with it-- they wanted me to check it into a storage locker. I refused and they relented. On another visit, before the movie had started, an usher told me to close it saying that it was prohibited to do that in the theater.
And of course, the prices. Regular tickets here are $10 each. We've been buying them through Costco at $7. Matinee prices are also $7 for adults. When going as a family, we typically get a bucket of popcorn ($6.25), which we just share between the 5 of us (they usually have some cardboard trays that we use to split it up for the kids-- although they were conveniently out of them this time so we used cups instead). This is far more affordable than their "Kid Pack" which is $4.75 for a handful for popcorn, a small bag of candy and a small drink. Sodas are also outrageous-- $4.00 to $4.50. Fortunately, there's a Starbucks about 100 feet away. Where else does a Coke cost more than a Venti Frappucino?
Sticking to home theater is looking more attractive every year. It doesn't take a math genius to realize $7 x 4 + $6.25 > $19 for the DVD. Hopefully Cars will be out for the holidays.
I will be using one of those free tickets to see Nacho Libre though.
06/10/2006
06/04/2006
Overposed
This is what happens right now when you ask Arwen to smile:
I don't know how many muscles are in the human face, but I think she's using all of them.
