Boxing Day at Metrotown

Excuse me as I go on a bit of a Boxing Day stream of consciousness. The following five thoughts were recorded at somewhat random times during my shopping journey on Friday.

1. Trudging Through Snow and Ice Is Not Fun

Even though it may qualify me as being clinically insane, I normally take the car when I am going to go Boxing Day shopping. This is despite the increased traffic and the time needed to find a parking spot. This year, largely because of the incredible weather and road conditions, I decided to take public transit instead.

Walking out to the bus stop, I watched as the bus passed me by. I was only about another half-block away! The next bus wasn’t coming for another half an hour, so I transversed the inhospitable landscape to the next major street. With ice on the sidewalks and piles of snow everywhere, walking around was not fun. I don’t recommend it.

2. Beyond This Lineup Is Another Lineup

Upon making it to the mall, I saw a lineup outside the EB Games location. I had thought about buying Halo 3 for my Xbox 360 and I knew that they had it on sale, so I figured that it might be worthwhile. Little did I know that beyond the outer lineup was another massive coiling lineup inside the store. Nope. I am not going to endure that.

3. Unexpected Deals Are The Best Kind

Slowly waltzing my way through the mall, I eventually wandered my way over to Toys R Us. Going to the video game section, I discovered that they had Halo 3 on sale for the same price as EB Games… plus fifty percent off a second game. Good thing I didn’t choose to lineup outside EB!

4. Yes! It’s Street Fighter IV!

After meandering my way through a few clothing stores, I ended up at the arcade. Yes, they still exist. Better still, this arcade had four cabinets with Street Fighter IV. Although this great fighting game will be out for the Xbox 360 and PS3 early next year, I couldn’t help myself. While I’m far from a Street Fighter pro, I do consider myself a Street Fighter enthusiast.

Choosing Blanka, I managed to defeat my first human opponent. He chose Ryu. After that, I faced off against someone who chose Sagat. He quickly made short work of my clearly mediocre Blanka skills. Although I enjoyed the game, I thought the graphics were more impressive in the online videos than in real life. That said, I still want it.

5. I Need A Coffee and a Seat

With tired feet and a lack of sleep, I ventured into the Starbucks for a well-deserved coffee break. Ah… much better.

In the end, I managed to score a couple of minor deals, but there was nothing to write home about. Will I attempt this epic adventure called Boxing Day next year? I guess it’ll depend on how bored I am.

Post-Mortem: As I mentioned on Twitter, the public transit system essentially shut down in the afternoon, leaving me stranded at the mall. Thankfully, I was able to get a ride from my friend’s dad.