RB's Harry Potter Release Adventure (with a few pics)

[Radiobarry]

My wife, Kathleen, is the voracious reader and Harry Potter fan in our family.

We had talked sometime back about attending the midnight release event when the seventh and final book in the series came out.

She pre-ordered said book. Her schedule indicated she had to work the night of the release. So I figured she'd just pick it up Saturday.

Then...about 8PM Friday night the phone rings. It's her. "It's Friday the 20th," she said. I should have said...thanks for the calendar update.

But I like my marriage...so before I could say "mugwumps" she said...could you...

Well, gallant husband that I am, I finished up some chores I was in the middle of, scooped up my trusty dog Angel, and drove 15 miles south to the Telephone Road Plaza in good ole Ventura, CA...



Good old B&N just a little busier than usual for a Friday evening.

So I checked in with the first official-looking person I saw, sitting at an official-like table outside the store's entrance.



Before I could tell her the good news that David Beckham had spurned the soccer LA Galaxy to help promote the growth of "quidditch" as a sport in America she turned her back on me...



Let's see ya "bend it" in that game, Beckham.

So now, I had everything at hand.



Mickey's plastic cover had been scratched in a tragic incident involving the dishwasher. Don't ask - I'll be at the watch store tomorrow to replace it. But that is one handsome...wrist...ya gotta say...

As for Angel, my little five pound chi/pomerian mix bundle of love...she was pretty camera shy. We took two long walks in the parking lot, and she was told how cute she is by about three dozen new fans of hers. I thought it might be cute...if we posed with some Hogwarts students we saw milling around...



If those kids ever find out that they've been featured in a MiceChat RB Trip Report...well let's just hope they'll be a bit more thrilled than they appeared here.

Well, I'll tell ya, it was only 10:30, and with all this foolishness I was ready to hit the bar.



Yup, the hard stuff. I could multi-task because the line was long enough...I looked through all the football preview publications in the magazine section along the way. Most people would just...wait in line...but not me.

It might be good to note that I passed on the chocolate chip scone, and went for an asparagus, spinach and cheese thing they charge 5 bucks for. I guess that was a healthier choice.

But this is what I was really in need of..



A tall, dark drip with room for cream.

In other words...a drink just like me.

To make a long story short (if it's still possible), Angel and I repaired to the car at about 11 pm to listen to sports talk radio, and about how the Dodgers and Angels lost. (Hey - Angel likes to listen to that - how can I deny her.

The countdown to midnight...there must have been several hundred people in line. Cars out on the street at midnight and after. Besides Jack In The Box this really was the happenin' spot in that happenin' town.

I got a pic of two of the very first to emerge with the precious new tomes...



Free at last! Free at last! JK Rowling's last Potter books are "free at last ... well, maybe not free, but we are Barnes and Noble card members, so there was the 46 per cent discount....

In the meantime, Angel and I talked to people in line...Angel makes lots of friends even if she shies away from most of them.

I tried not to get too mad at one lady who said..."ahh, cute dog"...to which I replied "thank you" only to have her tell me "I wasn't talking to you"...

Anyway, by 12:45 or so we had the book, and as I was heading out, a young man approached and said...are you Barry from MiceChat?



That's BigGameJ! What a pleasure it was to cap off the night by meeting him...a really nice guy. And according to the what I know, wherever two or more MiceChatters are gathered in the name of Dusty and Fishbulb...it's a meet!

It was a fun night. And we topped it off by dropping by the hospital where Kat works, to give her some reading material for her "lunch" break (It was after 1 AM by this point).

Another nurse she works with told me with a grin that her daughter had already come by with a copy, so I was "old news".

What are ya gonna do sometimes.

Thank you for letting me share this.

--Barry

[Mousey Girl]

How fun!!! I wish I had done something like that.

[BFJen]

How fun Barry! I wondering how the events went last night! I really wanted to go, but I was pretty exhausted - I'm going to try and pick up the book today!

[Radiobarry]

How fun Barry! I wondering how the events went last night! I really wanted to go, but I was pretty exhausted - I'm going to try and pick up the book today!

Thanks Jen, and Mouseygirl too! It turned out to be fun! Glad you enjoyed my little TR.

--Barry

[PanTheMan]

We went to "Borders" this time, as my son got to choose for this one. Last one was at B&N.

B&N for the last one was so much better organized. Giving everyone a colored tag and with a number, people lined up by color at the numbered register and after a 10 second countdown to midnight, away they flew. Out the door by 12:15. EVERYONE done by 1:15.

Borders right at 12.... Held a raffle. As well over 1000 of us stood there waiting we had to wait for about 5-10 minutes while they had to first find then ceremoniously sell "The First Copy" where the raffle winner was #6 anyway...THEN, they haeld another raffle for a poster....took another 10 minutes to find that winner, and get him to the front. By this Time I'm pretty sure the air conditioning system had shut down for the night. (Must have been a balmy 98.6 degrees in there)...

So by about 12:20 the books started selling. At #124 we were done just after 1. At the pace they were going the last of the crowd should be getting there book about now at 1 pm...or at least at some point today.....lol.

[BiggameJ]

Nice, I made a TR! It'll probably be the only one though!

It was a pretty good night, with not too many bad customers, most of them were quite nice, and it was easy to pass the time in that very long line! My sister, who works at Barnes & Noble, said that they needed volunteers for their special event, so she signed me up. I got my official looking yellow "Security" shirt and I was off to authoritize!

It was nice meeting Barry too! I was wondering if I was ever going to see any MiceChatters in Ventura. I saw him walking his tiny, Angel, who he was trying to get to socialize more, and I knew it was him! Even if it was only a brief chat, it was very nice meeting him. He kindly informed me of the Angel's loss to the Minnesota Twins.

And watch out, Barry! I'll catch up to your height in no time!

[Barbaraann]

Good job Barry. I hope Kathleen enjoys the book as much as I did.

[Mitten]

Borders was very unorganized. We went to the one in Montclair and it seemed like forever. They told people over the pa to only line up if you had a certain color wristband and each wristband had a number on it that people did not abide by. I was waiting for them to annouce the blue wristband when I overheard someone talking that the blue wristbands were already lining up.. Grr.. I was at the end! I didn't get the book till 130am.. I was hungry, tired. I'm glad its the last book because I don't think I could stand another one of these. We did enjoy just reading books and stuff. It was to chaotic at the front so we found an aisle toward the back and parked it there and just read books till midnight. My sister bailed on me leaving me alone which I didn't like having to walk to my car in the dark parking lot.. but all is well.. I'm enjoying the book and will miss the anticipation of the next book feeling.. But we have 2 more movies!

[Alice's Wonderland]

Yeah, Barnes and Noble sounds a lot more organized that Borders was. i was going to complain saying I didn't get my book til 12:40 this morning but apparently that's not all that bad. And how nice of you to bring Kathleen a book! Thanks for sharing Barry!

[Wendygirl]

That was a fun report. Interesting to see what those midnight releases are (or I guess now the proper term is were) like. Also cute dog

My daughter stopped at Target on her way home from work this afternoon for her copy and is, as I type this, in her room reading and crying!

[I Heart Disneyland]

What a REALLY fun report to read, Barry!!! You have a way with words...I felt like I was there.

Oh, and as for the lady with the dog comment........"To the moon Alice!"

You are more than amazing to do this for your bride!!! And, it's not old news to us, so, that nurse that told you that you were old news can also go to the moon! haha!

[Radiobarry]

What a REALLY fun report to read, Barry!!! You have a way with words...I felt like I was there.

Well, I figured that since I was going anyway I might as well drag some MCers along for the ride. But after getting no response in Morrigoon's "let's meet up" thread I was really surprised to see another MiceChatter there.

And thank you for the kind words.

--Barry

[kelly]

barry loved ther report

[Mac Daddy]

You must spread some (insert R word here) before giving some to RB again.

What a devoted husband you are! Kudos to you Barry for putting up with all of that to get her copy early!

And then...gah! she already has one when you get home!

But you tried, and it was the thought that counts, right?

Then there's me. I walked to the register at Walmart with three packages of boxers, a gallon of milk, two HP books and NO ONE in line at 8:00 am yesterday.

Not as much fun as a HP party, but...a bit less time consuming.

[elly]

how fun barry

is that Barnes and Noble at the site of the old 101 Drive In??? I used to love that place back in the late 80s/early 90s