I met my friend Mary at our rendezvous local at exactly 8:54 AM. She marveled at the clarity of my directions and easy of location... ;-)
We joined a rather motley crew of mostly adult men, a few ladies and as many kids as women when the doors at the Lego Store opened an hour ahead of schedule for our exclusive orgy of Lego-mania. ALL of the sets just released were there. First day of sale to the public and my mind was spinning. Fortunately, I had Mary to anchor me. Her first visit to this murky world of Legophilia, she only hoped to get one of the Christmas village sets.
Together we did a paced general reconnaissance of the premises and then she cut me loose to my own devilish passions while she made a more personal pilgrimage to the thing she planned on buying. I have to say, I glanced briefly in her direction with a look of utter admiration. How does one hold such a state of discipline in the presence of rabid brick decadence?
The feeding frenzy had started, boxes were being piled up for purchase by my fellow invitees. Moments before we had just been strangers standing in a line, and now they were becoming before my very eyes my mortal enemies. Cretins with grabby progeny and/or a spouse in tow. How could they know what I know? The need! The raw need!!!
"Randy."
Huh?--oh, thank goodness, it's Mary.
"Yes?"
"I don't know which one of the kits to buy?" She bought both. I'm sorry, it's not my fault! . . . Okay, it IS my fault.
I felt the sweat trickle down my back as I stood before the cashier awaiting the perk of the magic discount sicker to be revealed. 50%, 20%, or 10%? The guy in the other aisle just got 20%~Damn! What does that do for my odds? Me? 10%....
In the end we emerged into the still blue morning and fresh air of a mid-November day with the majority of it ahead of us. I was headed back to Takoma Park, and Mary to her family in Gaithersburg. With a hug, we acknowledged the thing we'd just experienced. I opened the back of my king cab Nissan Frontier pick-up and stuffed the space with my bulging bright yellow Lego Store bag full of booty.
EPILOGUE
Well, I just did some calculating, too; and, I also saved $154.00 in discounts and freebees! Basically, the Legos I came away with only cost me 63% of what they would have otherwise. As any addict will tell you, I'm gonna go for it sooner or later and to get such a bountiful fix at a discount of 37%. Well, that puts things into a whole different perspective, now, doesn't it? And can I also say, I was one of 30 people in the WashingtonDC/Virginia/Maryland metroplex to be invited to participate in this event (#20 to be specific). I don't know if I should be flattered, amazed, or just expect someone to toss it in my face when my friends finally gang up and hold an intervention for me!
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