One of those people

I was one of those people on Friday.  Yes, me, anti-consumerist that I am.  But it was for a good cause.  No, really, there are such things when it comes to traipsing out of the house at 5:30 in the morning on the day after Thanksgiving to brave the insane crowds of got-to-have-it-first shoppers spending money on can't-miss-"deals".  The good cause you might ask?  My 2.5 year old daughter, who has done nothing but talk about 'a blue camera' like her cousin's for the past month and a half.  My beautiful  2.5 year old daughter who told Santa a couple of Friday's ago that all she wanted was 'a blue camera' like her cousin's.  My single-minded, beautiful 2.5 year old daughter who has told everyone, family and stranger alike, that Santa is going to bring her 'a blue camera' just like her cousin's for xmas.  If you ask her what else she wants, all she'll tell you is 'a blue camera' just like her cousin's.

So what is this 'blue camera' like her cousin's?  It's a Fisher Price digital camera.  M's cousin got it for his birthday back in October, and shortly after opening it had a meltdown that lasted for about 20 minutes, which afforded my little opportunist enough time to nearly fill up the memory card taking pictures of everyone and everything (including her feet) in the room.  I'm not going to go into any product review here, there are plenty to be found, spanning the spectrum from "great toy for little ones" to "don't waste your money".  What I will say is it's a digital camera made to be played with and used and dropped and thrown by toddlers, that will allow them to play at taking pictures just like mommy and papa, and will allow parents to share said pictures with friends and family through e-mails and web albums.  Some reviews have said the quality is so poor it's not worth the money, while others have said that as a toy, it's great, and with the added value of getting to see the world through your kid's eyes, it's priceless.

All I know is that my bright, single-minded, beautiful 2.5 year old daughter wants nothing else for xmas than 'a blue camera' like her cousin's, so we were going to do everything we could to get it for her.  I've been calling every Target in the area for the past week and a half, all of which were out and said to keep calling to check if they get some in their shipments (that they get twice at week last week, nearly every day from here til xmas).  I checked Target.com which was out and said they'd e-mail us when it was available to order.  We found some on Amazon.com, at $20 more than the list price.  I told Rae that before she pulled the trigger on one of those (she was so worried we wouldn't get it), that I wanted to keep looking.  In her mind that translated into leaving the house at 5:30 the Friday after Thanksgiving to go to K-mart and try and find one.  And we did. THE LAST ONE!

The last one.  It was one of those moments where I held it in my hands like Indiana Jones holding the rock statue after having just placed the bag of sand in its place, looking at it with reverence and awe at having found the unfindable, before realizing that there are others out there looking for the same treasure.  Suddenly everyone around me was a potential Dr. Rene Belloq, wanting my prize and willing to do anything to get it.  I clutched it to my chest, looking at everyone standing near us, knowing they were looking for the same thing, and that I had the last one.  Rae wanted to look around since we were there, but I just wanted to pay for my treasured find and get out before the natives got restless and started shooting arrows or poisoned darts at us.  I told her to start the engines while I checked out with my treasure and we headed home, looking over our shoulders to make sure we weren't being followed.  We weren't *whew*

So now the blue camera like her cousin's is sitting safe and sound in the weatherproof lock box buried somewhere in the back yard, accessible only if you have the right map, of which there are 7 variant copies placed strategically throughout the house, the correct one of which can only be deciphered by holding it up to the flame of a violet candle poured during the first full moon of autumn.  So don't bother trying to get ours, just go find your own and experience your own Indiana Jones moment.  It'll be worth it, trust me.