Leopard

I have two big desktop computers. One is a Compaq that, in its day, was considered a media system. The other can't make up its mind: depending on which hard drive I slip into the first Master position, it could be a Windows XP machine or a Linux machine (actually, several Linux machines, as I have several hard drives with Linux distributions on them that I can plug in). I also have one tiny desktop computer, a Mac Mini.

Apple knows I own one of their devices (two, if you count the laptop Cathy is using that's probably still registered in my name). I get lots of propaganda from them. Lately they've been promoting their latest version of OS X, code named Leopard. They invited me to their store in Fashion Valley to see a presentation on the new system. I had already watched a half hour video and had been suitably impressed.

I went at what I thought was the scheduled time. I had made a mistake and got there just as they were closing the store for two hours to set up the show. There was a crowd waiting at the entrance even two hours early, about thirty people.

I went to the Nordstroms coffee shop and got myself a hammerhead (a regular coffee with a shot of expresso). Then I sat and wasted nearly an hour watching people and listening in on their conversations. When I finally finished my coffee, I decided to wander around. I checked a mall directory to see where the book stores were and was surprised to discover that they've all left (there had been three at one time). So I started to wander.

I looked around briefly in Williams Sonoma but found nothing of interest. When I got down in front of Godiva Chocolates, Cathy found me and steered me to Crate & Barrel where she persuaded me to purchase a plastic knife (for safely cutting in her non-stick pans) and a small cutting board that could also be used as a scoop on a larger board. At that point, she had to go back to work.

It was a few minutes short of the time I had planned to return to the Apple store, but return I did. The small crowd had grown into a long line, three or four across, stretching down the mall and into the parking area. I would estimate over 2,000 people were lined up, far more than would ever fit into the store.

I went home. Leopard will have to wait for another day.