The Little Piggy Went Wii Wii Wii

This morning, around 7:30, I woke up and realized that I should head to Target, which opens at 8 AM to see if they sold the Wii. I had called Toys 'R Us and Best Buy, both of whom said they would have Wiis, even though it was likely to be crowded.

But Toys opened at 10, and Best Buy at 11. It made some sense to try Target first.

I had planned to go to the one in Greenbelt. It's close by. But then I wasn't sure they would get a supply. It's not exactly the premier shopping area. So I decided I'd head all the way up to Gaithersburg, near where I work, figuring if any place would get it, they would get it.

I got there just after 8 AM, and there were like 3 people standing intently in line. I sorta figured it was my lucky day, but it did seem awfully short. Then, they started buying some Pokemon thing. I realized that they didn't have any Wiis.

So I headed to the office nearby to lookup the location of Toys 'R Us. I had called them earlier in the week, and they said they would get a shipment. But since they weren't open til 10, and it wasn't even 9, I decided to get breakfast.

I really wanted breakfast food, but didn't know where I'd get it. Then, I realized that the hotel next door served a decent breakfast buffet, so I headed over there to get some breakfast. At first, I didn't plan on getting a buffet, but places like this are evil. They charge only a dollar more for buffet than anything else. So you might as well get the buffet. So I did.

After getting creamed chipped beef and a biscuit and eggs and hash browns (twice over), and a waffle, which I didn't complete, I drove to Toys 'R Us, the one in Gaitherburg or Germantown, not the one in Rockville, which I figured would be more crowded.

The line was pretty long and it didn't seem good. An African American fellow standing just ahead said he'd counted about 30 groups ahead of us, so as long as they had 40 or more Wiis, we were good. Someone had heard they had 70 Wiis, so we thought maybe that was good news.

At ten minutes before opening (that is, 9:50 AM), they began to hand out tickets to each of us, and alas, there were enough for everyone in line. Then, they slowly let people into the store. I stood in line with this long-haired guy wearing a "Red Hot Chili Peppers" shirt. He had called his dad saying that he had found the Wii, and there was no need for him to hang out at Best Buy. Another Asian guy was in line with a Maryland t-shirt. A guy in his 40s or so was also in line wearing a Maryland National Champs shirt. A blond kid who seemed like he was in high school, but coulda been in college, was wearing an oversized Duke sweatshirt, despite the warm weather.

We went in, and the line was moving slowly. I was number 39. They were showing the end scenes of The Little Mermaid, which isn't nearly as well drawn as I had recalled, on the small TVs. It took nearly 40 minutes to get there. I bought the extended warranty. I know. It's usually a rip off. Places like that make their money on extended warranties.

I got another Wiimote and another Wiichuck. I decided not to buy a game. And the three or so people I hung out in line who I'll probably not bump into again were getting themselves a Wii as well.

I headed back to College Park, wanted to get a margarita at Applebee's before napping some, but discovered, to my dismay, that they don't serve alcohol before noon. So I went back to my place to get some alcohol on my own, and decided to sleep.

So I got my Wii. Perhaps I'll put it together soon, and play some.

My first game console, ever.