Memories!

Guess what? You guessed it; phone's still shy of opening up to reveal its treasures.

Where's the love?

I Googled to find my buddy (good ol' #89) Evan's last name so I could try to track his quotes & stuff, & he popped up on CNN Money.com - you can see from this excerpt we managed pretty well for 'Apple Tragics.'

88's lunch & Evan Herman

EXCERPT "At the Apple Store on Manhattan's tony Fifth Avenue, the man who was fifth in line was planning to propose to his girlfriend with a ring and an iPhone. For lunch Friday, a 44 year-old graphic designer who was No. 88 in line, ordered foie gras and sparkling lemonade delivered.

Evan Herman, 28, first went to an AT&T store several blocks away, but said the line was too short. Similarly, only about a dozen people were waiting early Friday afternoon at the AT&T outlet in Palo Alto.

"Half the fun is the experience of the line," said Herman, adding that there was talk among the iPhone hopeful of having a post-purchase celebration."

I'm pretty darned sure he threw back a few cold ones with some of our fellow i-Campers. Hey Evan, if you're out there, give us a yell! FYI, that's him marching down the stairs in the now dusty "Going in" video from Friday.

Cheers!

Meanwhile................NOTHING (well, almost!)

So: a blessed chunk of time opens up for me to actually try to activate the phone & let it do it's 'thang'. I'll preface here by saying my friend Paul got his working without major complications, BUT that long waits were already being reported (how AT&T is that?).

Anyway, everything was sailing along. Confirmed my contract with Sprint was over (YAY!). Although thanks, Sprint guys, you weren't totally looser-ish; you kept me talkin' for many years 'n' my wife will still sail along with you. Gotta make sure we're covered by SOMEBODY—at least to just outside the orbit of Mars.

Oops! Back to the topic: got 99.9% there and.......... "requires further time - - - will get an email when activation's complete." So consider your blow a LITTLE cushioned, fellow acolytes. I'll make sure to tell you truthfully when it turns on (you think I'm not gonna check it every 15 seconds over the next 48 hours or something????) But I'm tellin' ya now: have the Kleenex and Klonopin at hand.

Here are some diversions in the meanwhile. As they say in the theatre, "Let's all go to the lobby, the lobby, the lobby........." ;-)

Alien i-Topsy

First i-Dropsy

i-Cing on the cake

(PLEASE tell me they put a ringtone chip in this baby; hello, your cake called – it wants its service plan!)



As usual, thanx Joanne for the links!

After the dust settles: Pogue & boingboing & i-etc.

So I'm so i-Hung that all I've been able to do is get i-Tunes 7.3 & then crash. When we finished our drinkies we went back to the Apple store and - gasp! - were able to zoom right in! Of course this was many hours after and I credit Apple for shooting everyone through at lightspeed. PLUS; the rooting, clapping, cheering team was still there! I wonder if I visit today what I'll find. Now that I've gone to 'zero' on line (or some negative or infinite number - based on # of units sold) maybe I should scope it out!

Also of note (apologies to David Gilman!): as news of our attendance propogated through the blogosphere & beyond, several friends tried to find us standing in line - even driving in to check it out - but couldn't find us 'cause I was 'purposely' bouncing further & further back for the blog's sake. Also sorry for the folks who wanted me to get to 311, 151, 411, 666, 911 and so on - I would've like it, too, but I caved! I REALLY deliberated over position 666! ;-) As far as I know by the time we went in it might've only gotten up to 400 to 500 folks - I'll try to find out for sure!!!

Look for me & friends by periodically checking with David Pogue at his page or the New York Times:

i got an i-Phone

We may not show up until the Thursday update, but who knows? I'm just happy with i-Phone "#88" even though it's still in the box (don't tell anyone!)

Hey! We're also linked from boingboing (thank you, Joanne!):

boingboing goings on

Oh, I've got to run & find out my place in line for the i-Phone Nano! ;-)

Cheers!

The Grand i-Finale

A whole lot at the end, here. Line buddies Tim and Evan (Who has a date tonight!!!!) hang out with me and await the ultimate consumer experience. Earlier Tim is beleagured by a Rubick's Cube specialist from FAO Schwartz after using the restroom. My friend Paul met me & confirmed he wanted an i-Phone, too! Ramona & I tried to have a quick sip of champagne before I was swept away in line, but were caught by a policeman, pictured below, and forced to pour the whole thing - yes, I mean the BOTTLE - onto the pavement! Dave Pogue uses us a backup singers for a rendition of "I Got an i-Phone!" (sung to the tune of "I Did it My Way"). Then the countdown begins & we're cheered into the temple depths. Greg Packer ascends with his treasures, as do we! We retreat to the Helmsley Park Lane to nurse our victory over cocktails.

I guess the next thing you hear about this may be via phone! ;-)















































Paul's decision



Getting pumped



Going in



Descending the Staircase



Greg P's Booty



Up & out!



Great to be on the far side of this but I wouldn't have missed it for the world!

Cheers!

88 is Key

Time to catch up! Amazingly now 88!

88 & Holding - I guess!



We have MUCH longer lines, zoo-like barricades, Line position whores, and LO & BEHOLD: delivery from Petrossian - Ahhhhhh, the foie that refreshes!









Tick Tick Tick..... the store has been shut down and.....................

i-Camp notes

OK - blind blog here - Apple's closed down all uploading from external devices so more later when I'm better 'connected' but a few things too good NOT to report:

1. 1-800-Mattress delivered to the sidewalk (via pedicab!)

2. Poker game next to me looking for 6 folks $100 buy-in each for - you guessed it - $600=i-Phone. Chips are candy from FAO Schwartz.

3. Saving Red Bull in a water bottle for later - everyone thinks it's urine!

4. Majority alternate telco poll deems T-Mobile's gonna hurt the most this evening ;-)

Cheers!

Gleaming the Cube

Lots of glass to wash - lots of lenses to train!

Shiny Happy Temple.