It's about the experience, people.

On Thursday the fine folks at GameStop who already held $25 of my money toward the new Mario Kart Wii game imparted to me a cryptic message: If you're coming to get the game Sunday, get here early to get your Wii Wheel.

Confused, I dumbly waggled my head up and down, jaw slackened. Sure. Get here early. Got it. I was under the impression the game came with one. Perhaps it was a limited-time only thing. Marcy and I continued with our evening, and I made a small mental note to wake up early Sunday.

Which was today. At 8:45 a.m. I was in the shower; a little later than I'd hoped because I was determined not to have a repeat of what happened with Super Mario Brawl. When THAT game came out, gamers lined up around the block to get in the store for their copies. I stupidly thought I could just call a store that day and expect them to have an extra one in stock. Stupid me.

But not with Mario Kart. Today I was prepared. Coffee percolated while I decided on whether to wear the Zelda shirt or the Ash from Army of Darkness shirt. I was reasonably sure the store opened at 10, which would give me about 45 minutes in the line to chat with fellow Kart-seekers. Were they a Zelda crowd or an Ash crowd?

In the end I decided they'd be neither. We'd likely have to talk about Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I don't have a shirt for that.

I raced through Winchester and into Burlington. In the parking lot I saw Game Stop's OPEN sign was lit up. Worse, no line. CRAP, I thought. They've already let everybody in! I really wanted that wheel now, not as a crucial piece of technology with which to play the game; I just wanted one on principal, since I understood when I paid the down payment I'd be entitled to one.

Coffee in hand, I entered GameStop. Two other customers were in the store. Wii Wheels and MarioKarts were piled up to the ceiling.

"Um ... I'd like my copy of MarioKart please," I mumbled to the clerk. "Sure," he said. "Would you like to reserve any other games today?"

"Wait. That's it? I just get my wheel and my game and I go home?"

"Yeah," GameStopDude said. "That's it."

No conversation. No waiting in line. No pageantry.

I took my plastic bag and I went home. The game sat on the coffee table until about 7:30 when Marcy and I finished chores and dinner. It was a lot of fun.

But it would have been more fun if I had to fight for it.

Ash 'n' Abe

This strange paint job was on the hood of a car in the parking lot of Marshalls Thursday.

If only Abraham Lincoln welded a chainsaw to HIS arm ... that Booth guy wouldn't have had a chance ...

"Yer DEAD, Abe! Dead I tell ya! Long live the South!!!"

"Ah, just like a Booth, Booth. Brings a gun to a chainsaw fight. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" bbzzzzzz .... BLAM .... bzzzzz AAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA "NOOOOO, Abe, WHYYYY!?!?!!"

Based on the latest presidential debates ...

I choose Barack Obama based on this debate for best catchphrase.

THough I'd be proud to call myself a McCainiac too.

Cool things of the moment

Here are things making me happy right now:

1) Not having cable. To be specific, not having channels above channel 24. There's a freedom that comes with getting id of cable, like jumping from a plane without a parachute.

2) Blockbuster Online. Hells yes. Signed up and ordered three movies Sunday. They came today. First up: Beyond the Mat.

3) Wii online. We moved the Wii from the guest room (video game room) to the living room, where it now picks up my signal for the Internet. Bought two games online for it: Super Mario Bros. and Kid Icarus. Why? Because when I was growing up my friend hogged the Nintendo every time we played these games. Now I am the master.