This journal of my Friday-night search for an iPhone has everything you look for in summer entertainment: suspense, fast driving, crime, sex, Eastern mysticism, finance, humor, and adventure.

My initial plan was to drive east from my home office to look for the iPhone at AT&T stores out where San Diego County starts getting rural. I figured there'd be less demand for the iPhone there. I suspect AT&T had the same idea about demand -- the two AT&T stores I tried sold out quickly. So I regrouped and tried the Apple Store in Fashion Valley shopping center in San Diego proper.

As I went, I posted updates to my Twitter account, at first from my home office, and then from the road over my BlackBerry. (Ironically, my company sent me a BlackBerry this week, and it arrived Friday morning.)

Here's the record of my tweets, edited very lightly for readability, with explanations and comments in italics.

4 p.m.

mwagner: Printing out the location of every AT&T store within 50 miles.
mwagner: Only three Apple stores in the county -- printing out their locations.
mwagner: Topping off the charge on my camera battery for unboxing photos of the iPhone.
mwagner: In an 80s movie, all this printing-out and battery-toping would be shown in a montage with a Journey soundtrack.

5 p.m.

mwagner: And I'm off! First stop, Fletcher Parkway, La Mesa. Ironically, I'm sending this on my new BlackBerry.
mwagner: Line of about 50 ppl here. Not awful, but I think I can do better. Off to Santee.

6 p.m.

mwagner: On line at the att store in santee. About 50 ppl long night ahead.
mwagner: A store employee keeps walking by and making faces through the plate-glass window. I hate her.
mwagner: We at the back of the line like to make cruel jokes about the people at the front of the line.
mwagner: Overheard: "Daddee! I want an iPhone! And an Oompa-Loompa!"
mwagner: Nice fellow behind me brought kids, sent them to fetch Dairy Queen. I hate them.
mwagner: Teenager on line behind me bragging he can text in class without getting caught, one-handed while looking at teacher.

He seemed to have this skill down to a science. He explained that he uses his left hand because he can hide it under the arm of his combination chair-desk, while not looking at the phone at all and gazing innocently at the teacher the entire time.

mwagner: Guy leaving the store announces he has the last iphone. No one believes him.

7 p.m.

mwagner: Rumor that they're all out of 8s and running low on 4s. Eight-Gbyte and 4-Gbyte iPhones. Oh noes!
mwagner: Cop car drove up, asked if we saw five kids who stole an iphone from another store.
mwagner: Pretty blonde girl in white short-shorts leans over to try out floor models. The men in line are very interested.
mwagner: Argh! Out of phones! Woman just came out of the store and made an announcement!
mwagner: Will try the place on Fltchr Pkwy next. Just drove by, only 2 ppl on line. Which could be good and could be bad

8 p.m.

mwagner: Must have dinner before continuing. I stopped in for Chinese food at a take-out place; I ate at the counter.
mwagner: Fortified, I resume the hunt. My fortune cookie says, "From now on, your kindness will lead you to success."

A friend responded: "That's a nice spin on, 'Kiss a little ass, and you'll get what you want' Another friend said: "As opposed to all the trouble your kindness has brought you in the past."

mwagner: ATT store on Fletcher Parkway is sold out of iphones rats.
mwagner: Called the apple store at fashion valley. They say they have plenty of iphones. On my way!

9 p.m.

mwagner: I has a iPhone. Coming to you now from the Apple Store at Fashion Valley. Whole thing took less than two minutes once I got here.
mwagner: Bee gees on the car radio and iphone on the passenger seat. Life is good

I didn't Twitter for a while after that. Finally, a friend messaged me: "For the love of all that is Good and Holy and Yummy, HOW IS THE iPHONE?" I responded:

mwagner: The iPhone is fine. It thanks you for your concern.
mwagner: iPhone will remain unopened until tomorrow am -- I''m doing unboxing photos and I don't want to start on that tonight.

And that does it for now. Tune in Saturday for unboxing photos of the iPhone and later in the weekend or first thing Monday for a full review.