I'll admit it... I have a toy addiction.
Hey... not THAT kind of toy! (wait, what kind were YOU thinking?)
I have a techno toy addiction. I love technology. We have 4 people in our house. We have 1 PC, 4 laptops, 2 iTouchs, 3 iPods, a Nook and a half-dozen game
systems. I am in love with the Kinect, but don't have one because, well, we just don't have the room to do it justice. But I do love the toys!And yet, I just don't have enough.
Because I had to have the iPad 2. I had to. I mean, middle of the night cravings, obsessive researching, weekly 'is it out yet is it out yet is it out yet' checking on the 'net. I wanted one for my birthday, but that came and went, and they weren't out yet. Then the announcement came. March 11 at 5pm.
Woot! I debated ordering online because I could get free engraving, but I couldn't figure out what to have engraved -and my husband's suggestion of "Tawny's Crazy" just didn't feel right. Besides, online meant waiting at least an extra week to play with it.
So I went to the Apple store. On sale day. The line wrapped around the block and down another 3 by the time I arrived at 5:30. But thankfully, the line moved fast. Mostly because the nice guys who work at Apple kept walking down the length of the line, telling people what they'd sold out of, which culled quite a few of the prospective buyers.
By the time there were only a handful of a half-dozen people between me and my very own new toy, they were down to a single model left in only one color. The nice guys walked the line again, telling people that's all they had left. But people didn't seem to believe them. They figured once they got to the door, they'd magically have the model they wanted (what's up with that?).
Then this big guy came to the door and announced that there
were 2 iPads left - only 2! There were still 4 people in front of me. He asked the first guy if he was there to buy. Nope, not that model. He asked the next guy. Um, he wasn't sure, he wanted to check it out and think about it. Next guy? He just stormed off. Then he looked at me. I waved my credit card!!And in the store I went. I got the second to last iPad in the entire area, I got the last keyboard and the last red leather cover :-D I scored.
Ahhh, I love it!Now, I never was one who waited in line for a Cabbage Patch doll or a Tickle Me Elmo. Nor was I the first to have most gaming systems (my brother is, though... which probably makes it easier for me not to be first, because I can just play with his). But when it comes to technology, I get to jonesing and just HAVE TO have it. HAVE TO!!! The Harry Potter books, I'll admit, I did wait in lines for, and always hit the midnight sale. But those are books :-D I'll do anything for books!!
How about you? Is there anything you've ever waited in line for hours for? Something you have to have as soon as it's out? What's your weakness?
52 comments:
Aloha! My weakness is the Romance Bandits, Golden Rooster, and the Cabanan Boys!
I typed quickly to nab the GR. And of course my obsession is Alex O'Laughlin. I might be willing to wait for him ... but I haven't heard of any opportunities.
I have bribed the wing commander's wife to let me kwow when the Hawaii Five O crew will be on Pearl Harbor again so I can act like the rabid fan that I am.
Off to Kauai tomorrow for Spring Break. Kauai is overrun with feral chickens ... a place that the Golden Rooster might think of as heaven!
Congrats on the GR, Kim.
Hi Tawny,
Can't say I've waited for hours in line for anything. There are certain food places where you have to wait because it's so popular, but that's about it. I've never camped out at the Apple store.
LOL! Wow, Tawny! So you did it! Do you love it?
I don't typically stand in line for anything (I loathe crowds and avoid those as much as possible)--maybe registration for the kids?
Kim, that sounds VERY exciting!!
Hey Tawny!
The only thing I've ever stood in line for (camped out overnight) was for an English class I needed when I was a freshman in college. :)
I can't think of anything I'd want so badly that I'd line up for...maybe a Kelly bag on sale?
Pink
Hey, Kim, those aren't weaknesses! They're signs of extremely good taste. Well, maybe not the rooster!
Tawny, had to laugh. I saw your Facebook post about having to go out and buy the Ipad so I knew what a lather you were in to get it.
I'm such a hopeless Luddite. I'll line up for a book or film or a play or a ballet (well, at least I have in the past). An I-pad, nuh. I still haven't worked out how to text from my mobile phone! Clearly technology leaves me behind in its dust!
Hi Tawny! So tell us all about the iPad 2 -- how is it different to the first one? I'm so clueless, I didn't even know there was a new one coming out.
I like technology when it's there but I don't seek it out and I hate standing in lines so there's nothing I'd do that for that I can think of. I'd love an iPhone but then again, I'm probably better off not having constant access to email!
I must always get the DVD set of the latest series of Spooks as soon as it comes out in Oz. It's always *torture* to wait, knowing it's already aired in the UK months before. And then I watch them, one after the other as quickly as I can. Then I have to wait for the next round...
Aha, the rooster's in Hawaii today!
Awww, Kim! Those are some fabulous weaknesses to have :-)
And Alex O'Laughlin, too. That would be so cool if you could get in on the rabid fan hoopla and see him.
Have a great time on Spring Break - and don't let that Rooster get into too much trouble. Pretty girls, sun and surf? He's gonna be loving it!!
LOL Jane. When we were leaving the parking garage, two guys were entering with their camp chairs and their Apple bags. They said they'd been waiting since 10:30 that morning. Holy cow, that's way too long for me!
I got there about 5:30 and was back in my car with my pretty new toy before 7. I've waited in lines to see movies (Harry Potter, again) longer than that.
I don't know that I'd wait for a restaurant that long - when I'm hungry I'm HUNGRY! But if the food was worth it, I guess I could bring an apple to snack on while waiting, huh?
:-D I do love it, Fedora. So far, it's been a lot of fun. It's basically the same as my iTouch, but bigger. But there are fabulous writing features that have already made it a worthwhile tool. I am rarely inclined to toss my laptop in my purse when I'm out. But this? It's so light I barely notice it's there!
I hear you on the crowd loathing! There really isn't much I'm willing to stand around for -especially if there are a lot of people. I've turned down Disneyland trips before because it was busy season.
LOL Pink... A Kelly bag on sale? Now that's worth waiting in line for!!
Well done Kim have fun with him
Tawny
This post makes me laugh the only thing that I have waited in line for was the Harry Potter books I don't even have an I Phone although my children all do we don't have an I pad either we do have one PC and a net book that is it LOL. I usually end up with hand me down phones and digital cameras and then they take me ages to learn how to use them. But then again I would wait in line for Hugh Jackman :)
Have Fun
Helen
Have a good time with him Kim... you do realise that Alex O'Laughlin is another aussie actor ... so you have taste LOL
I don't really queue for things .... the only thing I have bought the day they were realised was a top line sewing machine and you don't have to queue for those
Nice weakness to have, Kim! Don't know about the perky bird, though.
Ooh Tawny - I have iPad2 envy. Which keyboard? Oooh a cover too. I'll be bugging you for deets until I can get one of my own!
The only things I've stood in line for - in person or virtually - tickets to some event and autographs. Like you, it has to be something I really, really want. Otherwise, I haven't the patience.
I have, on the other hand, been known to scour the known world for something I want so I can have it when I want it, or when one of lovely hubby's daughters/my niece and nephew want it. I remember when mini ipods came out and my DSD wanted a pink one. They weren't out in the UK yet and she was over visiting us in NJ. OMG did we ever hunt that baby done! LOL
Barb,
The local news frequently broadcasts interviews the Hawaii Five O cast. I must melt when Alex speaks in his Aussie accent (my kids roll their eyes at my obsession with him).
The local news also reported that GQ in Aussie is featuring him in a gorgeous photo shoot. Since Anna Campbell is now the reigning magazine queen in Oz, perhaps she has some connections to the photos!
Hi Kim... Will have to keep a look out for GQ mag .... I am meeting Anna in just over a week in Sydney at the Australian Romance Reader Convention where she is one of the key speakers
For myself, no, not a line person. For my son? Halo 3 was a long, long line, at midnight (I normally go to bed at 9), I was in line for that. Xbox 360 wireless, I was in line for that, at midnight. Others I have managed into talking him into Amazon and getting it in the mail release DAY.
Tawny, I don't think I've ever waited hours for anything, not even a concert ticket. As far as the technology thing, I really don't see a need for an iPad. I do love my Droid phone and some day I'll even buy a Kindle. But not just yet.
Aloha Kim! Congrats on snagging the GR. Does he arrive on a surfboard?
I'm not good about waiting in long lines. I even avoid shopping at the mall on weekends because I figure I'll get waited on faster during the week while everyone else is at work (that strategy doesn't always work - apparently the stores don't staff well during the week.)
I once stood in line to get a honey-baked ham for Easter. Figures - I stand in line for food (grin). I seem to recall standing in a long line to see Star Wars the day it came out - same for Jurassic Park. But I don't do that anymore either.
One word, Tawny -- CRAZY, CRAZY, CRAZY!! Okay, that's one word three times, but I'm totally with your husband on this.
LOL on the RB's being your weakness, Kim; that's the nicest compliment!
Okay, upon reflection I realized that I have had those crazy moments of having to have something.
I distinctly remember not only standing in line for Cabbage Patch dolls, but driving from store to store to store only to find they were out! But that was driven by my need not to disappoint kids at Christmas.
This is a hilarious post, Tawny. I can picture you waving your credit card at some cute Apple guy. You're the bomb, girl!
Okay, I have to admit, now I'm getting a complex.
I figured when I posted this that I'd get a bunch of "Oh yeah, waited for this" or "waited for that"... But no?
Seriously, nobody waited in line for the midnight release of Harry Potter (3 or 4 times?) so they could read the book AS SOON as it came out? Nobody?
Ack. Maybe my husband IS right. Now that's scary :-D
Oh Fo, hang with me at a conference sometime and I'll have you texting in no time flat :-D
I come from a family of techno-addicts, so I blame that. There have been times that the entire family (us and kids, brother and kids, parents, grandparents) were up at the family cabin int the mountains. Lovely winter evening, fire roaring in the fireplace. A bunch of us sitting around with laptops IM'ing each other *g*
But movies and plays and such are worth waiting for, too! Do you remember one that was definitely worth the wait?
Madame, it's awesome! I didn't have the first one - I craved it but when I'd played with one in the store, I didn't like the weight. This one is lighter, plus it has two cameras and a better processor.
My daughter has the iPhone and it is sweet. But I have this thing about NOT being reachable (what a snot, huh? I want to be able to check my mail, but don't want to have to answer my phone) and would hate to be on the elliptical jamming to music and have the phone ring or something. There's something nice about that tiny degree of separation *g*
I forgot about DVDs and movies! There are a few I have to have the first day they are out - but most I'm content to order online and have delivered. Amazon is pretty sweet about delivering things on release day. Do you have that option in Oz?
LOL Helen, you sound like my husband. He uses technology but doesn't crave it. His iPod is one of my old ones, as is his phone when I upgraded. And he's perfectly happy with that :-)
YAY - another Harry Potter fan! I'm so glad to read someone else waited in those crazy fun lines for books! It was actually like a party, wasn't it? Or more like a rave, with everyone crushed together and wearing funky costumes LOL
Mmmmm.... a line for Hugh Jackman. I can get in that line, oh yeah! Talk about being worth the wait, huh?
LOL! Somehow, this blog doesn't surprise me at all, Tawny!
I'm not a big fan of standing in lines but I do make occasional exceptions. One would be getting up at 4am and standing in line (it was freezing!) for 90 minutes on Black Friday to score an amazing deal on a new laptop.
I've also stood in line for two hours to get into the literacy booksigning at RWA National. Standing in line to meet my favorite romance authors is *not* a hardship!
Kim, are you sure you want the GR tagging along on Spring Break? *g*
Barb, I have to to commend Australia - you produce some mighty fine gentleman down under :-D
I have to say, I have sewing machine envy :-) Not to have a top of the line machine, but to know how to use one LOL. I'm horrible at sewing -the best I can do is sewing on scrapbook paper, and that's only because it's SUPPOSED to look sloppy LOL
Anna, come on over and I'll let you play with it :-D
I got the Apple keyboard, but am already regretting the impulse after Lisa showed me her keyboard that attaches to the iPad when in use, and closes up like a case when not. So cool!!
LOL on the scouring! I'm less inclined to go from store to store, but my SIL is. If she wants something,s he'll cover half of Northern California in search! Of course, she's one of those brave souls that gets up in the wee hours of Black Friday to shop, too.
Oooh, Kim, I like Foanna's new title. Reigning Magazine Queen! She needs a crown. And special access to the hotties :-)
Oh man, Barb, I am so envious that you get to hang out with Anna! I won't get to this year and am already feel a pout coming on because I'll miss seeing her and the rest of the Banditats :-(
Dianna, isn't it crazy the things we'll do for our kids?! I think Amazon tapped into a smart marketing tool when they started promising things delivered on RELEASE day. I did get one of the Harry Potter books that way. But it didn't arrive until noon. So the next book release, I was back in line :-) That way I was finished reading the book by noon and could hand it off to my daughter *ggg*
I think we might be soulmates, LOL!
I'm such a techno junkie too, jaja. I've been waiting for the iPad 2 for a long time and as I read your post I could see myself. All the going online looking for a release date. I lsot count of how many websites, blogs and tweets I've read with release dates speculations and then when Steve Jobs finally announced it I was so excited. Then I almost had a heart attack when I realized it would take longer for it to get to Puerto Rico (where I live). But my husband told me AT&T would have them exclusively this week. YAY!
Now as to your question, I've waited in line for Harry Potter books and movies as well as for the Sex and the City movies.
I'm a writer too and one of the things I'm planning to use my iPad is for writing cause it's more portable than my laptop. So I'd like to hear more of those cool writting features ;)
Oh Christie :-( It's not about need... it's about want. LOL I definitely didn't need the new toy, but man oh man did I want it.
I have heard fabulous things about the Droid phones. It sounds like you're a fan?
ROFL Donna :-D
A honey baked ham? I'm guessing it was worth the wait in line?
I hear you on the mall during the week. I don't even mind waiting a little longer, since there aren't as many people then. But weekends? People AND waiting - ick!
ROFLMAO Jo :-)
My husband is always happy to find people who agree with him. And after reading everyone's posts, I'm starting realize you both might just be right.
Awww, Jo, you have the good mom thing going on :-D
My line-waiting was all about my own selfish greed for a toy for myself *g*.
That said, my youngest daughter has spent almost more time on the iPad than I have, playing educational games. So win win :-D
LOL Jo - oh the magic of credit cards. Wave one, and doors will open.
Or,you know, the cute kid will let you spend money.
:-D apparently my crazy isn't surprising many people, huh, PJ?
*ggg*
I've waited in the lit signing line - it's so worth it!!
I haven't done the Black Friday lines for a killer deal because I just can't bring myself to believe that whatever I'm waiting for will still be there when I get to the front of the line. Its one thing to wait at 5pm when I've been up for hours. Its another to actually GET UP in the morning (ack!!) and wait.
See, I have my limits. Apparently they are few, but they are strong :-D
Wow, I have to say that I have never waited in line for hours for anything (except for rides at Disneyland or some other amusement park). I guess I've never wanted any item that badly, not even when I was a teen.
Kim, congrats on the bird!
Tawny, kudos on your great luck at the Apple store!
I've never stood in line to buy something. For author autographs, yes, and to see Nimoy and Shatner at DragonCon last year (though the wait wasn't bad because that was the day's first event, and con staff decided to go ahead and load the room.) And to see the Stargate cast the year before. But I'm not much on standing in lines.
I'm typing this on the now outmoded iPad1. It's a little weird to type on the very sensitive virtual keyboard. I like reading on it, though, and playing mah-jongg.
He decided he needed a little sand and surf, Kim! I can't blame him. And Alex O ??? SWOOON !!
Too funny, Tawny! I can just see you doing that little credit card victory wave!
Like La Campbell, I am a complete Luddite when it comes to technology. I can't text. I don't own an e-Reader. My nephew says I am techno-challenged and he is right!
That said, I DO remember standing in line with my brother and his best friend to see the very first Star Wars movie. Stood in line to get KISS and Aerosmith concert tickets too when I was an undergrad.
I preordered the latest C.S. Harris book to be sure I got it as quickly as possible. (I blame La Campbell!)
I just signed up to be notified as soon as Season Eleven of CSI (the original) is available on DVD. I have every single season on DVD and I don't collect DVD's of television programs. After Nationals, however, I will start collecting DVD's of the series featuring Richard Armitage.
Oh, and I do receive e-mails from Cutesy Girl Shoes every time a new season's shoes come out. Still trying to decide which ones I have to have for Nationals.
Wow, Tawny! I have a few nurse friends you should meet! hehehe. They've been jonesing for the iPad2 right along with you. (I didn't even know they were making a new one.)
I tend to be on the backend of technology. I've never had a laptop. Didn't have a cell phone until 3 years ago.
However, I am considering getting both a touch phone and an iPad of some sort this year. Both as investments in my writing career. (Yeah, that's how I'm justifying the expense to my non-techno-geek brain!)
Hope you love your new toy and will have all the kinks worked out by the time I get mine, so I can pick your brain!!
I have iPad envy! Why does it need two cameras, btw? I think the lighter option sounds great.
Amazon would be a good option but we can't play U.S. release DVDs here, unfortunately, so I have to wait for it to come out in Oz. :(
I did a few midnight madness at Barnes and Noble for Harry Potter books. Book #4 was my first and I did everyone thereafter. It was worth it every time!
YAY!!! Another HP fan, and a soul sister *g* But Anabel, YIKES on how long it will take to get there. I know Anna S is waiting for the iPad to reach England, too. I thought it hit there first, though - goes to show that I was googling the wrong rumors :-D
I've been playing with a few apps for writing, and reading about a few others. So far I'm sticking with Evernote - it's great. Not only for the document itself, but for notes, plotting outlines, sticky comments, that kind of thing.
I haven't tried the ones that appear to sync with Word itself yet, though. I'm reading reviews and considering them, though :-D
I love writing with the portable keyboard. It's light and handy, and full size so I'm not having to slow down.
LOL, Sheree, my daughter commented that the last time she'd been in a line that long, she'd got to ride Space Mountain *g*
I'd say the thrill was comparable, I really would :-D
Hey Nancy :-) thanks - I really did luck out.
I enjoy reading on the iPad, too. I do like my Nook better for reading long term, because the iPad backlit screen can be rough on my eyes after awhile. But for bedtime reading so I don't have to wake hubby? iPad all the way!
It sounds like you've waited for some awesome experiences :-D I seriously think science fiction fans are some of the most loyal in the world!!
Louisa, you might be a little techno challenged, but you have the art of feeding your weaknesses down pat. I love that :-D
I remember standing in line for a KISS concert! Oh those were the days *g* And like you, if I love an author, I pre-order the book. I hate the idea of the stores running out and everyone reading the latest but me LOL.
You'll have to share your shoe choices! I'm not sure which I envy more -new shoes, or that you will be in NY :-D
Pick away, Suz :-) My brain (for what it's worth) is always there for you!!!
What knocked me off the do I/don't I fence on the iPad was when Kim Castillo said I could upload my covers onto it, take it to booksignings and have it scroll through displaying my covers! Ooooh, now I can not only write on it easily on the go, but it's a promotional tool.
*g* I can usually find a way to justify things :-D To offset the minor feelings of guilt still left after the promo justification, I added more educational apps - and now it's a school tool!
Oh man, that's a bummer, Christine :-(
The one thing I don't like about the Apple products (iTouch/iPad) is that I can't upload my own dvds to them. I can upload my own music, but movies I have to purchase through iTunes. So I rarely purchase :-(
But the rest rocks - and lighter is definitely nicer!
I hear ya, Lil Miss Molly!!
Harry Potter is worth every second of the wait :-D
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