Hey people.

So I'm sitting at my desk at work. I got here at 8:30AM and it's 9AM right now. Sadly, I went through the "Daily Hotness" pretty fast and am now bored. Looking around my desk, desperate for some work to do, I figure I may as well type up the blog post I thought about last night.

I had a moment. A teary eyed moment. Caught me completely off guard. A frog made me struggle to hold back the tears. I met a cute girl on the train because of it. That moment though. Everything in my world was right. It was beautiful.

With Christmas rearing it's big ugly head in the next few days everyone, and I mean everyone is buying gifts last minute. Me, just having to fit in with everyone else, didn't start buying gifts until the 19th, and I had to buy roughly 10 to 15 things. I had my work cut out for me. Since the 19th I've been a trooper. Going into every store at Scarborough Town Centre, Fairview Mall, and Yorkdale Shopping Centre; looking at their wares and buying what I thought was perfect for the people I actually care about. My list also included my boss, which whom I have to suck up to in order to climb the corporate ladder at my current job (fancy bottle of white wine me thinks?). Last night, the 22nd, I entered the most lethal, scariest, most crowded of them all, The Toronto Eatons Centre.

Eatons Centre is known in Toronto. It's a tourist attraction. Big place, lotta stores, central hub for the whole city kinda deal. It also has a LOT of stores, not only inside the mall but, across the street at Dundas Square as well. This place is busy. I mean really f*cking busy (I'm new here. We allowed to swear? Jim Sterling says "cunt(s)").

Yesterday after I left my work, I walked the 30 minute trip to Eatons. Every step closer I mentally prepared myself for the onsault of Christmas shoppers and finally decided what to get my lady friend. I decided on a getting her Chrono Trigger for her newly acquired DS, a Roxy belt (my theme this year around was belts and belt buckles), and finally, the creme de la creme (spelling?) a replacement ring for the one I got her that she lost (she says "forgot") in Lebanon. It's the one with the roman numerials, 1 to 12 and it spins.

It spins and counts to 12.


My search for Chrono Trigger was one of a desperate madman pushed to the brink of insanity. Every store I went to, the same answer I received with different wordings and accents from the clerks.

EB Games - "Sold out man, I would hold a copy for you tomorrow but, it's just way to busy."(A1 typical White guy)
The Source - "No more left sir, next shipment is on Janurary 4th sir." (Brown foreign dude with accent)
Future shop - "We ran out of those before lunch. Sorry!" (Some cute brunette)
Best Buy - "Have you checked other stores? We don't got it." (Another brown guy but, Canadian accent)
HMV - "Sorry, it's all gone." (My ex, which was awkward)

I was running out of stores fast. My desperation was visible by the sweat beads on my brow. My breath was heavy as I sat down on a dry patch of a concrete bench at one of the many Eaton Centre smoke spots. I open my jacket and pull out my pack of Belmonts, pulled the white stick out of the box, popped the filter in between my lips, pulled out my small green bic lighter, light the brown tip, and have a drag in order to relieve the stress of my search. That last sentence sounded kind of erotic, I should write romance novels.

Porn for the middle aged house wife.


I decide to hunt for the other two parts of this three part gift. The ring I found at a commonly known store to locals of the area, World of Posters. Old brown dude helped me find the thing in their array of silver and black metal bands. I swear the world will eventually run on brown people. The belt I knew exactly where to go, Billabong.

I hate this store. I hate going in the store. I dislike their consumers. Sigh... I walked in. I knew that the belt was here. Low and behold, in the glass display was my prize for entering this place. I buy the belt and leave the store with ninja-esque swiftness. With two gifts in my backpack, I find shelter under a small underpass and have another smoke. Thinking, thinking, thinking. My brain was speeding through all the possible stores I could go to in order to find this highly elusive cartridge. Then it dawned on me.



Across the street from the Eatons Centre is a small shopping centre called The Atrium. At the lowest level is a Game Shack. Smoke in between my fingers, a hard look in my eyes, backpack full of goodies, and my nike sneakers (Yes I wear sneakers in winter. I'm a champ) I make haste for the "shack of games". I get there looking at all the DS games on the wall behind the counter. The clouds seperated and whatever heavenly being was looking down upon me shined a light on me that made my stress alleviate and my breathing slow down. There it was, Chrono Trigger, in all its glory sitting there on a rack. That beautiful white rack. I found the Holy Grail.

That's what I saw. Instead of the grail put the game there. I'm too lazy to photoshop it at home.


My mission was complete. It is mine. I ask the clerk for the game and while he's processing the sale he tells me,

"You're lucky, this is our second last copy, and from what I hear, every store is sold out of this."

THANKS! I told him of my adventure and he looked at me in bewilderment. I thank him, slap him dabs, and make for the fresh air outside to have a victory cigarette. I smoke a lot.

During the trip home is when I the frog attacked my tear ducts.

HAH! I like this picture.


As with many people that ride the rocket, I listen to my iPod. Me being the way I am, don't like mainstream music as my norm. It's okay at a club or a party but, when I'm alone I listen to eurobeat, videogame music, death metal, trance, classical, amoung other things.

Last night however, I decided to listen to some songs that I are under a playlist dubbed "dreamer". Backpack of gift giving gold and iPod in hand, sitting across from an extremely appealing female I wait for my train to get to my station. I decide to pull out Chrono Trigger that I previously searched so valiantly for just to see the box.

Then this song comes on.

At 0:54 it hits me. Memories of my childhood. Every little morsel of my long lost forgotten youth. My life literally flashed through my mind and memories of this game too. I teared up. Frogs theme played by this band hit me.

I remember all the scenes out of this game. The memories of me playing it. Something happened to me in the train. I couldn't help myself. I was happy. I was physically and mentally drained. After this song played, I became emotionally drained as well. It was powerful. I can't describe what happened. I just got that tingly feeling, and not the one that makes my pants tight. I was happy. I don't know why, I just was really really happy.

Across from me the girl looks at me with curiousity. She motions for me to remove my headphones, in which I comply.

"...what's wrong?"
"I just listened to a song that moved me, I can't describe it and even if I did, I'm pretty sure you won't understand."

She looks at what I have grasped in my hand, the cartridge. She opens her purple purse and reaches in to pry out a black DS. She removes the catridge and shows it to me, Chrono Trigger.

Oh the memories.


"Oh, I understand. What song were you listening to?"
""Frogs Theme" played by a band called Select Start."
"Can I hear it?"
"Of course."

I hand her my iPod and she smiles from hearing the minimalist symphony play the retro tune. Oh she understands as well.

Eventually my stop comes, I hand her back her cartridge and she gives me my iPod. We say our good byes and I exit the train to never see her again.

When I left the station for the short walk home. I played that song and pulled out another smoke. I thought to myself as I got to my building,

"That walk is too short."

I open the door and step inside.

God speed...
draycott