Thursday, November 16th, 7:00pm, 10 hours until launch

We now had to make a decision.  After falling down will we give up or choose to continue?  Do we move on to our next destination or call it a night?  Do we risk staying up all night for but a chance at profit or do we cut our loses now and get a good nights sleep?  Those are indeed the questions we had to ask our selves.

I grab myself some Jack in the Box while we make phone calls to the Federal Way Target where they insist their line will not start until 5am.  We make numerous calls and attempt to confirm that there will by no means be any line before 5am.  They insure us there will not be.  We make numerous calls and attempt to confirm that it will be first come first serve and not a raffle.  They insure us it will be first come first serve.  We have little hope that any of these promises will hold up.

From our experience, all stores before have failed to hold to their "No line before so-and-so time" rules, yet this Target claims it will.  The X-factor with this Target though is that it resides in a mall.  They guarantee that mall security will be there all night preventing any lines.  We also ask what to do incase of mobs of people surrounding Target before 5am.  Is it just a foot race to the line?  Oddly enough, they say yes.  They say yes!?  It looks to be chaos.  What we hope to accomplish (Operation: Preemptive Strike) is to form a line before 5am or if a line forms before us, get their as quickly as possible.

Finally, it is time to put the cards on the table.  Who is in and who is out?  Simon is in.  Rachel is in.  I am in.  Jimmy... is out.  After going back and forth on the fence, Jimmy, our pinch-hitter, decides it is in his best interest to drop out.  So be it.  Our team has dropped to three, but continue on we do, to Federal Way.

After browsing around Target for an hour (which included such activities as listening in on conversations relating to PS3s and watching Simon and Rachel shop) we began our stake-out across the street at Denny's.  Almost immediately after Target closed (and even before) people attempted to get in line.  We watched as people tried to sneak up by car and by foot.  And it seemed as quickly as they arrived, just as quickly they were removed by police and/or security.  It was almost comedic.  The question was, how long would it last?  Would security leave?  Would people give up?  Would more people come?  No matter what, we were in it for the long haul.  Time to crack a glow stick.

I pretend to be reading a book by glow stick

Yes!  I've waited two years for an excuse to use that free glow stick!  After that memorable moment, we continue our stake-out.  We watch.  We wait.  And wait.  And watch.

It's going to be a long night.  As such, we figure we might as well go to Denny's.  They are open 24 hours, food is always good, and we all have to pee.

I quickly learn that food is not always good.  You see, instead of ordering a small side dish for rip-off price, I went with a gigantic breakfast meal for a good deal.  That's how they getchya.  I eat half of everything I ordered while Simon studies for his 10:30am test and Rachel reads the book she bought from Target.  We also take some humorous pictures.

I couldn't decide which picture I liked better, Scheming Rachel or Ecstatic Simon, so I give you both

Although we may have entered Denny's, the stake-out never ended

Friday, November 17th, 1:00am, 4 hours until launch

After Denny's we returned to the car so we could attempt to digest our food (quite unsuccessfully I might add).  As we look across to Target, the people are continuing to flow in and out.  We realize there will be no line formed anytime soon.  I decide to see if I can get any sleep and just incase, both Simon and Rachel set their alarms for 3:30.  It may not have been the best sleep I ever got, in fact it may have been the worst, but I did fall asleep.

Find out what happens when I wake up! >>>

Jaybird currently resides in Seattle where he reads comics, works in a library, and writes for this site.  He has also been known to blow your mind, rock your world, and eat pizza.