Did it!

[eve_prime]

Left the house at 11:35 p.m. Drove to campus and headed to the UO bookstore for the party ambience, though it had degenerated into a line of prepaid customers, extending probably all around the second floor, then down the stairs, across the width of the store, out the door, and down the block a bit. Brushed off instructions to prepay, waited for the countdown, watched the first happy owners of the book descend the staircase, showing off their prizes. The line, however, did not advance appreciably.

Then I walked a block to Smith Family, where there were exactly five people in line. I had the book in hand at 12:06 a.m. :)