Don't worry...no spoilers follow.
Hubby and I headed to the local Borders at around 10pm-ish last Friday night. I knew that it was going to be a big celebration complete with face painting, arts & crafts, and people dressing up, but as excited as we were to have the book released, we weren't pressed to be there for all of the wizardly activities. By the time we got there, the parking lot was packed! Once inside, a greeter directed us to a "Check In Here" line where pre-ordering customers were given a ticket to get the book.
That big yellow splotch in the bottom right hand corner says RESERVED. We walked around a bit to check out the different activity tables. Although you can't tell in the pic, lots of people were dressed up- a group of teenybopper girls wore decorated matching shirts that read "Half-Blood Princesses," lil' kids were running around with paper "Merlin" hats and wands, and there also a number of adults who wore robes and other Harry Potter clothing.
At around 10:30ish, hubby and I decided to finally get into the growing line. Not only was there was tape on the floor to follow the line, but one lucky Borders employee got the responsibility (aka "shitty job") of holding a huge "Line Start Here" sign. It was funny at first because we kept joking with people around us about how it must've been at the Borders meeting and how each person was assigned a job..."And the lucky sign holder for the night goes to Bob!" But I tell you, Bob was a very busy guy, always on the move, answering questions about how long a wait to the registers from the Local Interests section, and not to mention holding up that sign! Well, as much as we joked about him, he was the one person we kept our eye on as the night wore on. As the lines snaked in and out of the aisles, so did Bob. First he was three aisles away, then he was behind the summer titles "Buy three, get one free" display, then he was at the music/dvd section, and by close to midnight, he was somewhere near the Cafe...which was way across the other end of the store!
There were time checks throughout the time we were there and by the time midnight rolled around, the whole store was buzzing with excitement. I took a video of the final ten second countdown and everyone just went crazy! Kids were yelling, people were jumping up and down, and people who've been waiting hella long were antsy to get moving forward toward the registers. The line didn't start moving until 12:15am and we finally walked out of Borders by 1am. Not too bad.
Sadly, as stoked as I was to get my hands on a copy of the Half-Blood Prince, I haven't cracked it open just yet. Initially, I wanted to reread Book 5 again, but with all the packing to do, I never got around to it. Now, I just figure that I'll start reading it on the plane this weekend.
So if ya'll have read it, DON'T TELL ME A THING!!!
*Sidenote: we met an "interesting" woman in line...just one of those who like to yap and yap about anything and everything. She seemed really cool at first, but then we got into a conversation about technology and how she's so totally against it. She doesn't own a cell phone nor does she have any desire to; she also added her irritated sentiments about those who rely on it too much. Well, this was our cue to whip out our phones and text each other, etc, just to push her buttons. I did tell her that yes, I do remember the time before cell phones and pagers, but man oh man, what a major convenience they are, yes? Well, she didn't agree. Also, she kept complaining that it'd be around 3am until she got home. I assured her that the wait wouldn't be long, but she explained that she lived about 75 miles out toward Wisconsin! Good lord lady, there ain't any Borders, Barnes & Nobles out in yonder parts? Apparently not. Well, all I can say is this...if someone tried to jack her for her Harry Potter book during that 75 mile drive, I sure would love to have had a cell phone on me to call for help. Your bad, lady.
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