Wii got a Wii! Whee!

or... Billy and Sue's Big Adventure

We had a unique experience this weekend! The Nintendo Wii launched on Sunday, November 19. It is called the Wii (pronounced 'wee') for those of you who haven't read anything in the last 12 months, which is how long we have been waiting for this day.

Well, our mission, which I chose to accept, was to get one on launch day. After the PS3 riots and shootings on Thursday night, I was wondering if this was my most brilliant idea. But, Saturday night, at 10:30 pm, Billy and I headed out with a car full of chairs and blankets, to the BestBuy parking lot.

We were not alone. We staked out place in the line with our chairs, unpacked our blankets, took out the backpack that Sandy packed for us, and sat there. Ahead of us in line were a number of bodies in sleeping bags and blankets, several tents, numerous lawn chairs, and some people standing and leaning against the wall.

It is amazing how many positions you can get into in a fold-up chair, none of which are comfortable for more than 5 minutes! Billy sat there comfortably draped in fluffy blanket, looking like Buddha playing a DS. (Maybe the chairs are more comfortable for younger people.)

About every 10 minutes, he updated me on our progress, which was less than inspiring. The lighting in Best Buy parking lot is bright enough to read by. Unfortunately, I had napping in mind, and didn't have any of of my current reading (Wicked, No Time to Lose, Tricycle)...

When my body temperature had dropped and my nose was icy, I went into the car and turned on the engine and the heated seats and warmed up. also napped briefly. I looked over periodically. Buddha remained seated and calm and safe.

Back to the line. Well, a group of older adolescent boys and young men were playing soccer. A couple people were scooting around the parking lot on skateboards. It was a friendly crowd. A large number of people were playing their Nintendo DS (handheld) games.

I tried to view it as a trial run for a silent meditation retreat. That helped me not at all. I decided never to be homeless in New England. I wondered if the homeless were warmer than I was because they have cardboard boxes. Maybe they know something I don't know. Next time... I'm bringing a nice big comfy cardboard box. If there is a next time...

I returned to the car for another warm-up, and nap. Suddenly there was a rapping on the window. "Mom, come over, everyone is packed up!!" Holy smokes! Had I missed something? All the tents and chairs were now packed up, and the line had condensed itself a bit, but was still linear and peaceful. My knee had fallen asleep, and I seemed to be a peg-leg as I shuttled our chairs and blankets back to the car. Then stood in line. It was 6:15, with a very light (thank you very much) drizzle.

About 15 minutes later, an angel appeared (in the form of Bill) with hot cocoa and coffee. The Angel and Buddha stood calmly in line while I drove off to Dunkin Donuts to use the bathroom.

The Best Buy people came to empty the trash bins (Dunkin Donuts cups and boxes, Red Bull and other caffeine cans, cheetos and chips bags. 50 people make a lot of trash on a cold night.) They explained the process. At 8:00, they would hand out tickets entitling the holder to a Wii. Then, someone would come out and take your order for Wii accessories. At 9:00 the first 15 people would be let in. Nice and orderly please! Then, small groups would be admitted until all the Wiis were gone.

What I wanted to know was: "Why did everyone pack up their stuff? Why didn't they just pile into the tents when it began to drizzle? Why did I put my chairs into the car?"

Time passed. People became more jovial. We made a HUGE number of wii/wee jokes. OMG. I said they were handing out the tickets from oldest to youngest... that way I would be FIRST!! The color drained out of Billy's face slowly.

Then it happened. the first 15 people went IN! Someone came out with a Wii. Everyone cheered and clapped as though he had just saved Gotham City from the Penguin! We all proceeded in peacefully, in small groups, and within 20 minutes, they were all gone....