|
|
The Misadventures of Psibabe and her Search for the Elusive PS2 |
|
|
|
|
|
Wednesday, October 25, 2000, 5:05pm
The first one arrives...So I get this call from the Gexster who has already made his way over to the local Wal-Mart. Ok, local for people who live in the small community of Zachary, a city outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He excitedly tells me he is first in line. Not only that, but the Wal-Mart employees think he is insane. Why should they be any different than anyone else, I ask myself? :) 'Is there anyone else who looks like they might be getting in line too', I ask, hoping he says no so I can go home and score a few hours of sleep before the waiting begins. 'There's one guy coming back and another group on the way. Get over here!' buzzes his voice over my cell. Hit the gas and I'm on my way. Wait - gotta call Sunfall to-Ennien to wake his lazy ass up so he can get in line too. You see, he was able to go home and snag some sleep and was planning to make his grand entrance round about 10pm Surprise.
|
|
Wednesday, October 25, 2000, 5:32pm
Gex was #1, Sunfall was #3 and I was #4 and that's all that mattered..I nervously pull into Wal-Mart's parking lot. It is full, as usual. As I scurry to the Electronics Department and round the bend, I spot Geck0 and Sunfall, who beat me there by 2 minutes, and another guy, Chris, who for the moment was being referred to only as #2. But I didn't care. Gex was #1, Sunfall was #3 and I was #4 and that's all that mattered. Now that we have all been introduced, it's time to meet the Wal-Mart employees with whom we'll be spending so much time. First over was Donald, not a videogame guy himself, but really nice nonetheless. We all chatted with him quite a bit throughout the night. Then James sauntered up and introduced himself. Not sure if he's a gamer, but he was cool regardless. Snap! Gex is taking pics of the group that has formed. Remember Chris from earlier? #2? He was smart. His brother's girlfriend showed up to relieve him and an hour or so later, his brother Ryan popped in to take over. Shifts! Why didn't we think of that? Oh yeah. We all need PS2's. That's right. And we don't have lives anyway, right? Ok, time to get some grub.
Wednesday, October 25, 2000, 7:04pm
Many chicken tenders and some Jackeroo (a wild, young ranch hand!) sauce later, we are starting to get edgy. How many more hours? 12 hours!!!! Yes, you see, this Wal-Mart has opted to begin selling them at 7:00 am instead of midnight. A collective groan can be heard as we all voice our wishes for this store to sell at midnight. Our numbers have grown from the measley 4 to over 10 now. New friends are made. Eric and Sonny. And Adam, who states that he thinks we are weird. Well, duh, we know that already! And Josh decided to stay and join the ranks. He wasn't sure if it was worth staying the whole night, but we convinced him. Someone bought a puzzle and a group has gathered in the corner to start constructing it. Willie Wonka candy is everywhere. Woo! Someone bought a big can of beef jerky. Sustenance is important for an evening such as this. So we are sitting in front of the video screen that plays the 'hottest hits' and we are trying to determine how long it will take before we all go insane. I mean, how many times can you see snippets of 'Who Lets The Dogs Out' and not go completely postal? We shall soon find out.
|
|
Wednesday, October 25, 2000, 8:37 pm
The infamous 'crotch list'. ((shudder))Roll call! You see, there is a list going around. A list that will soon be known as the 'crotch list'. Why, you ask? Why would you go and ask such a thing. Ryan had this tendency to stick the notebook 'under his shirt' and in the front of his pants. Hence, the crotch list. Anyway, we know that there are a certain number of PS2's in the back and we want to know where everyone stands. The new rule is this - if you leave and miss 3 roll calls, you are off the list. But it's ok, because we only call roll every 15 minutes, so you even have time to drive and get some food. Basically, no one goes home for a nap. We are all in this together. Wal-Mart didn't really want to use a list but we have banded together and decided to do this in an orderly way. That way, no one gets screwed out of their spot in 'line' and everyone leaves happy. Well, the first 20 of us leave happy, anyway. My phone is ringing from time to time. Updates from Fridtjof and Red Dawg and Woody. Fridtjof is happy to announce he is 3rd in line at his Wal-Mart. He is assured of getting one. And he deserves one for he is blessed to share a birthday with the PS2 Launch Day. What a crappy way to have to spend your birthday, huh? But worth it for such an awesome birthday present! Woody is helping me get in touch with Red Dawg, who tells me that his Wal-Mart already has too many people in line. It's ok, though. I tell him I am in line for a PS2 for him. Relax. I realize I am completely nuts. By this time, we are having a great time. At least one person in line is completely wasted. I don't think that was Sunny Delight in that bottle. Or at least not all by itself. Whatever. Not one of my posse anyway.
Wednesday, October 25, 2000, 10:09pm
Ok, Electronics has officially closed and we can sprawl a bit now. The puzzle in the corner is slowly coming together. Very slowly. We have changed the radio station from rap to alternative and Papa Roach screams in the background. It's time to break out the big guns. Sunfall whips out his handy dandy deck o' cards and we embark on a game of Bartog, the very best card game known to man. Eric and Adam have decided to brave the insanity and play along with Sunfall, me and Gex. Since we have played many times before (and have a ton of goofy inside jokes because of it), we decided to go easy on Eric and Adam. Actually, no, that's a lie. I have to draw a card now. Why did I say that? Damn! 2 cards for that. Stupid new rule. Grrr. Eric is smart. He is not saying a word. Check the list. We stand at 17 now. Wow, only 3 more lucky souls will walk away with a PS2 tomorrow morning. We all wonder aloud why they won't just sell them to us at midnight? Maybe we can persuade them to do it. Yes, we all have our money ready. Well, almost all of us. We shall see.
|
|
Wednesday, October 25, 2000, 11:32pm
The 20 chosen few have all been accounted for.Ok, we are getting close to midnight. I get a call from my mom who tells me that a store in Baton Rouge is really putting the smack down on the PS2 hopefuls. They have actually made them move outside of the store (isn't it a little chilly for that?) and they must purchase stools if they don't want to sit on the ground. Why do situations like this bring out the best or worst in people? Well, no matter. The Wal-Martians we encountered were damn cool for the most part. Thank God we came to this Wal-Mart (thank you Phil). A policeman has popped up. Are they expecting a riot? Not from our group for we have already pledged to stick together. We all know our spots in the line of things and will not cut. We will also not let anyone cut. A few spout some trash talk about pounding whoever gets in front of them. Ok, I am one of them. We mean it and we don't. Things will stay calm, I assure them. Especially if we go according to plan. The 20 chosen few have all been accounted for. Wow, I really thought we would have hit that magic number before now, but I guess that's why Sunfall suggested this small town. He's a smart one, he is. Some newbies enter the department. We inform them that the systems have all been spoken for, but they insist on staying anyway. Hmmm. Our core group of 20 start to stress out. Will they put them out on a table and watch a free-for-all ensue? Surely not. I ask the manager and tell him of our plan. To stay in line and keep the peace. He assures us it will go smoothly. We are not sure because of those extra 5 or 6 people hoping to get a system at the last minute, but time will tell. Hurry up and take your place in line at the register just in case they let us buy at midnight. Only a few more minutes to go! We see employees gathering around and the excitement builds. Sure, they think we are all geeks, but we will be the happiest geeks around once we got our PS2's. Wait, they are rolling out a cart. Is it... PSYCH! It's a bunch of 3rd party PS2 peripherals. But hey, we need memory cards and controllers and stuff too. I go grab some stuff for a few of the guys who don't want to leave the line. They know I am not gonna lose my place in line no matter what, because hey, nobody comes between Psibabe and her PS2! Wait, wait, wait. A few more minutes. God, this is torture...
Thursday, October 26, 2000, 12:00 am PS2 LAUNCH DAY!!!
Geck0 stands alert and ready, proudly the first in line.It is here. Finally here. Happy Birthday Matt! Not yet for him, because it's only 10:00 pm in his neck of the woods, but no matter. There is quiet talk among the ranks. Will they sell them early? Oh please, oh please. I so want to sleep some tonite, but more importantly, I really want to play some games! We spot the policeman coming back. Here come 2 Wal-Mart employees and they go behind the register. Geck0 stands alert and ready, proudly the first in line. The lady asks him how he is going to pay for it. Angels sing, the heavens part and a ray of light pours down upon us.The lady asks him how he is going to pay for it. Angels sing, the heavens part and a ray of light pours down upon us. Wal-Mart rocks the casbah, huh Phil? Then a magnificent blue box is handed over the counter to the lady and she begins to scan it. She is holding it up, almost Vanna White style, to be scanned. Ok, so it's upside-down, but no biggie. Geck0 hands the camera off to Sunfall. Quick, snap a pic of this immortal moment! The very first PS2. I breathe a sigh of relief. One down, three to go. For us anyway. Next comes Ryan (#2.3, as he came to be known - third shift, you see). He is bubbling with anticipation as she runs the check through the scanner. The receipt prints and the bag is handed to him. Bliss! But he doesn't bolt out of the store yet. No, we have decided to leave in groups of 5-6 for safety's sake. He joins Gex across the way, who calls to everyone still in the line to smile and wave for one last PS2 waiting line pic. Snap! Sunfall's up at the register, whipping out that credit card. Swipe, click and the receipt prints. He beams as he proudly takes the bag. A look of satisfaction crosses his face as he realizes he will get to sleep tonight. Probably not much, but some. I'm up next. I can relax now. I know I'm getting one. The others in the back though... Well, hopefully most of us will leave satisfied customers. Swipe. It's all over so fast. Wow, it's heavier than I thought. Geck0 offers to carry mine. Always the gentleman. We'll see about that when we break out the new games. ;) Eric steps up for his and it seems they are getting this down pat. He quickly moves through. Our group leaves, complete with a police escort to the door. More police are standing outside to see that we make it safely to our cars. This is nice, I think to myself. Sure don't want to get jacked in the parking lot by some ass who only wants to rip someone off on Ebay. Again, I think of the best and worst in people. Ugh. As I pass through the doors on my way to my car, a lady checks my receipt with a smile. 'Have a nice night', she tells me. I tell her I already have. One I'll never forget.
The post-script to the story and the icing on the cake? I had a PS2 in my mailbox on Launch Day courtesy of Sony Computer Entertainment America. But I wouldn’t trade that night for anything. =)
|
|
|
|
|
|
-Psibabe, GameVortex Communications AKA Ashley Perkins |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
