Wii Got One

5:30 this morning I looked through the ads and saw the Wii on sale at Fred Meyers. The weatherman was predicting snow and/or freezing rain for this morning, neither of which was apparent in our parking lot. But maybe the forecast would be enough to scare off the other Wii-less citizens and give us a fighting chance. My wife insisted our youngest son was in no shape to be standing out in the cold (need to up his violent video game dosage), so it was up to my elder son and me to go out and bag a Wii. We arrived at 6:15 and got behind five other people who confirmed that their purpose for standing outside in sub-freezing weather was the same as ours. The woman at the head of the line was about 40 years old and from her cell phone conversations it became apparent that she was synchronizing her efforts with 4 colleagues situated outside other Fred Meyers around town. The next four people were working together, two brothers, maybe 30 and 40, and their wives. The lead woman and the older brother had called various Fred Meyers the night before and were told that each store would have exactly six Wiis to sell. So we were in! and woe the poor suckers who continued to line up behind us. Except it didn't work on a first-come first-get basis, but rather by lottery, the tickets to be passed out at 6:45.

7:00, with 36 people standing in line, the store's official Wii manager unlocks the front door and commences with the drawing. The first number belonged to the woman in front - can't complain about that. The second number was held by the third person in line, the wife of the younger brother. After responding to some grumblings from behind, the Wii manager shook his box some more and pulled out the next two numbers which belonged to the fifteenth and sixteenth people in line. Now it was the front of the line shouting "shake it more" and after appeasing the crowd with exaggerated jiggles, Mr. Wii read the magic numbers 507, which matched the numbers printed on my son's ticket. I didn't hear the last number drawn due to the excited screams coming from beside me.

So the drama is over, my responsibilities as a father have been fulfilled, and my readers no longer have to suffer through lame wii puns (as if anybody else was reading these words).

Wii Coulda Had One

They told us they have been getting them every other Saturday afternoon and go on sale the next morning. So call Saturday evening to see if they came and if so, get in line by at least 6a.m. on Sunday. We obediently followed the routine last Saturday but, alas, the store had failed to receive Nintendo's blessing that week.

I woke up this Sunday, made my daily jug of coffee, and started flipping through the home furnishings, underwear, and electronic store ads. There it was, in full color, for the msrp of $249. Which meant we were too late, by then they had all been doled out to those who had complied with the directives. But I had forgotten my duties, so wrapped up in my own synapses. And now my sons will continue their suffering because of their father's self-indulgent neurological introspection.