First up, Clara and I wanted to apologize for our website being on the fritz these past few days. We have contacted the service provider and were told they are aware the problem and are working to fix it. Hopefully everything is right as rain come Wednesday for our new comic.
Until then, thanks for your patience.
In other news, it’s a new day in the life of Jeff Preston–I have entered the iPad generation. Last Friday I made the pilgrimage to Buffalo’s Walden Galleria Mall to buy the new iPad 2. If you haven’t been to the Walden Galleria it is one of the biggest and strangest mall’s I’ve ever been to with some of the weirdest rules ever. For instance, you are not allowed to bring your own sitting device–security will force you to stop sitting on a fold out chair, even if you’re an old person or when waiting in line like a fanboy. Also, people under the age of 16 years old are not allowed to remain in the mall after 6pm without being accompanied by an adult. Yep, security will actually ID people after 6pm to make sure those rebellious youth are at home doing drugs or joining gangs like they should be (sarcasm). Are their gangs in Buffalo? Something to ponder.
Anyway, I had never done the “wait in line for hours like a fanboy,” but I actually rather enjoyed the experience. With the help of my buddy Dan, I was near the front of the line (probably 30th out of about 650), which made my wait minimal once the store finally opened at 5pm. Everyone in the line was really friendly, largely Canadian and the Apple Store even provided free water and wifi for anyone nerdy enough to sit outside their store for the day. The afternoon was basically spent chit chatting about apps and being photographed like caged animals by perplexed passersby. After about 7 mind-numbing hours it was finally time to receive my new baby…but not before the local NBC news channel got an awkward close-up of me entering the store…
And how is it? Was it worth it? Absolutely. Would I do it again? Probably not, but I think everyone should do a marathon lineup at least once in their life–it’s definitely an experience worth having! And the iPad? Well, I wrote this blog on it. Take that for what you will.
Special thanks to my buddy Dan Sdao for being my line buddy, keeping me entertained the whole day, buying me a pretzel and holding my spot. You sir, are tops.