the Quest

Who knew? Who knew that my 10 year old daughter is in the cultural elite? Or at least has her finger on the pulse of what is hot and what is not? She asked Santa for a Nintendo DS. Not just any Nintendo DS, but a PINK Nintendo DS with Nintendogs. Now being the good parents, I mean Santa that we are, my wife and I go shopping yesterday to get presents for the good kids, including the PINK Nintendo DS. First stop is Target. No, sold out a few days ago and we won't get any until after Christmas. We do have several white ones though. Next is Game Slop (I have always hated this store). Did I forget to mention this is Sunday. Two Sundays prior to Christmas and we are in a mall? Just getting from store to store was like being a salmon swimming up stream, while dodging bulls dressed as people with lots of packages ramming their way through the crowd at the same time stepping around the slowly meandering teenagers who suddenly, and without warning, abruptly stop in front of you to adjust their Ipods, hair, or because the conversation they are currently engaged in on their cell phone is so engaging, their legs instantly stop and become rooted to the ground. So as I mentioned, we went into Game Slop. There is a line from the register that snakes all the way to the back of the store and is starting to come back to the front, complete with a customer arguing with the cashier. The store looks like it has been looted in some 3rd world civil war. The only thing missing are the goats and chickens running around. Between the line and the huge groups of kids around the xbox 360 and playstation 3, it is very difficult to move. We work are way into the store and find a lonely and busy employee engaged in the futile attempt at restocking the shelves. We ask the dreaded question… He said that he thought that they were sold out. He was good enough to check with one of the other employees (the one arguing with the customer in line). Nope, all sold out and none before Christmas, but we do have some white ones…( I do have to say that this was the best customer service I have ever gotten at Game Slop) Back into the pulsing throng. On a lark we stopped in FYE, nope… We do have some white ones though. Crap, Crap, Crap, Crap… Who knew the Pink ones were so damn popular? So I called my last bastion of hope, my favorite video game store. Of course it is not in the mall though. “Hello, this is Game Crazy may I help you?” Do you… Pink DS? “Yes, we have one left.” You do!?! Can you hold it? You can?! I will be there! To make an already long story shorter, it turns out when I called them about the Pink DS, they were finishing the sale of the only other Pink DS they had. And while I was buying the last Pink DS, someone called and asked if they had any Pink DS’s. “No sir, we are selling the last one as we speak, but we do have both the White and Black ones available.” I swear I could hear a sob over the phone. So now my daughter will find her Pink DS with Nintendogs (with the Dalmation on the cover) under the tree. Happy Holidays to all and Happy New Year! Matt