HeathensOnline.com

As Med and Fade know, I am a Macophile.  Being a designer,, and an early adopter of the IIe I have been using an Apple brand computer for over 2 decades.  Knowing that, like many other computer companies, Apple has some glitches in any new release, I did not jump on the iPhone bandwagon last year when it was released.  However, this year I couldn’t stand idly by and let others get the coolest new product without grabbing one up for myself.

And, yes.  By that, I mean the Gilgewife told me she’d get me one for Father’s day.  I graciously offered to pick it up.  Ostensibly so that she wouldn’t have to wait in line.  But really, because I don’t want anyone touching my precious but me.

Well, I eventually ended up at the Apple store near where I work.  Turns out AT&T ran out of phones. Everywhere.  The line wound around the mall about 300+ people long.  I wandered up to the end of the line and began what would turn out to be a 4.5 hour wait.

But it was really a good time.  I got to know the people around me in line better than people I have worked with for years.  There was the gentleman who is a programmer for a big online/TV shopping network who has 4 sons all 4 years apart.  The guy who works as an environmental engineer for the government.  Originally from Puerto Rice but ended up here by way of Texas.  The nice lady with two children in a tiny private school who is moving them to public school this fall.

What is it about waiting in a long line that causes you to open up to the people round you as if you knew them and trusted them for longer than you have?  It is a strange dynamic.  We talked about things I am sure we wouldn’t have offered up had we met at a bar or a dinner party.  Is it the strange situation?  A communal, “Oh, we have this one thing in common we probably have more in common” type attitude?

I don’t know what it is, but I do know that I probably won’t see any of them again.  Which is a shame.  We had some good times.  Like when the Apple people brought us water and coffee and more water.  And, then we had to run to Starbucks to take a leak.  And then we brought back more coffee.  And the Apple folks brought more water.  Good times.

I suppose it could be worse.  There are probably people in line right now that can’t stand each other.  Who just want to punch each other in the head.  Glad I wasn’t in that one.

By the way, the new iPhone rocks.  I should have gotten one last year.