Epic Quest
It's interesting how far you can go when you want something really badly. Today that desire took me across half the city.
I left for lunch a little later than usual today, and as usual all the good stuff at the cafe was already sold out by the time I got there. So I had a hotdog, one of the only few things that were left and that still looked appetising. It's been quite some time now since I've had a hotdog, so I guess my perception of just how filling they are is a little... outdated.
A thought crept into my mind of just how good a donut would be about then, and that thought lingered for the rest of the afternoon. By the time I'd gotten off work at 6:20pm, it was about all I could think of.
I remembered that 7-Eleven used to sell these really nice chocolate-jam donuts, as I used to get them all the time from one store that was on the corner from where uni was. So when I reached the train station that was on the edge of the central business district on the way home, I made the decision that I was hungry enough to indulge myself a little. Off I went in search of a 7-Eleven.
Directly across the road from the station was an IGA - a supermarket. They probably had donuts for sale, but not in ready to eat packaging and probably in packs of 6. Decided to pass on there, and keep walking down the street. I was looking for a 7-Eleven after all, surely there'd be one on every street corner.
Two blocks down and still no sign of the convenience store. Did walk past a lot of banks though. Was really tempted to drop in, go up to a teller and ask to make a withdrawl of donuts. But the only problem there is, notwithstanding the fact that they probably don't keep donuts in their vaults, was that I'd probably have to queue for 20 minutes. And I didn't want to queue, I wanted donut now! But all that's a moot point, given that it's a weekday. The staff at those bank branches probably all buggered off home at 3pm anyway.
Onwards we go. Ooh, coffee shop. Surely they'd have donuts in them, right? Buuut would they be of the simple choc-jam variety? Probably not. Probably overpriced and oh-la-la as cafes tend to be. Probably try to cheat me out of getting what I really wanted. So no! It was a 7-Eleven donut or nothing.
Pressing onwards, I thought to myself "Donut dude, you can't get away from me - I'm the Juggernaut, bitch! Or... something.
Oh, a break! A block and a half down, I finally spot an outlet the convenience store. Finally, took me long enough. Walk in and... and... d'awww. They're sold out of donuts. Pfft, figures. So what am I going to do - go home empty handed or buy something else? Well, I didn't just walk down five city blocks to be short changed, so I decided I'd push forward and see if I can find another outlet that did still have some doughy goodness in stock.
Forwards and onwards I went. Surely it couldn't be this difficult to get a snack.
Walk a little further and I walk pass a women's shoe store. Now, all my years of drawing shoujo has given me a, perhaps unhealthy, appreciation for women's footwear. Just at a glance, some of those boots looked really nice. Probably not the most comfortable thing in the world to wear, but damn if you'd look good for your discomfort. If I were a woman, or gay, I'd probably have bought a pair of something like that by now. ...Now there's a wrong thought. Wrong like Scientology.
But no time for shoes! I had a chocco de jammo that had my name on it, and I wasn't about to get distracted by some ambiguous thoughts.
By now I'd walked up from Spencer Street, on the frige of the city, to Swanston Street - the main drag down the city. The street that basically divides the city into two halves. If I was going to find a store that had what I was looking for, it'd be here or it'd be in another country.
Here I turned and started walking down along this street. I'd been walking for about 20 minutes at this point, carrying around my heavy bag, so I was about to compromise a bit. ...But not just yet.
Walked past this City Convenience Store first of all. It's like a generic no-name brand of stores. They probably had donuts in there, but it'd be the opposite extreme as a coffee shop one. Not that you could really go all that low in comparison to one from the 7, but hey, I was determined.
A couple stores down and there finally was another one of the outlets. Sure, they'd probably be out of stock too, so I wasn't holding my breath as I walked in. And sure enough, they still had a couple donuts left, but only crap ones and not one that I was after. It was starting to get late and I was really starting to get hungry at that point, so I made it a conscience decision that next store that I visited would be the last store I visited. If they didn't have what I wanted, I'd take what they did have.
A couple of stores down, and there's this group of a folks walking out of an Aussie souvenier shop wearing the Australian flag as a cape. Surely they must be in town to watch the Socceroo's match against Italy which kicks off at 1am our time. Which, it just so happens, is about 15 minutes from now. I'd stay up and watch it, buuut I don't think I could bear see it if we lost. Still, not much we can do from here but hope for a favourable outcome. But I digress.
A little further on and I find myself standing at the corner of Swanston and Bourke. If I were to pick a point in the CBD to call the heart of the city, this intersection would be that place. If I can't get what I'm looking for here, I'm giving up and going home. A few paces from the corner is another 7-Eleven - my last hope for the evening in scoring a winning goal.
I'm inside. I look down at what they still have left. And I'm disappointed, but not at all surprised that they're out of the choc-jam ones. Such a pity. All that walking and all that effort, and still denied. Oh well, I tried and I lost, so I ended up buying just a ordinary jam donut. Okay, so the distinction may not be all that great, but to me at that stage it was the difference between getting a Ryu and an M. Bison. I should have probably bought two to make up for all the walking I had to do to get there.
So, denied my comeuppance, I start heading towards the nearest train station with my consolation prize in hand. I'd been out wandering for almost half an hour at that point, so it was a good thing that the station was only 5 minutes down the road. But to add insult to injury, in those 5 minutes I walk past another 3 7-Eleven stores. I could have accomplished in 5 minutes what had taken me thirty. But nevermind. At that point, I was beyond the caring stage and had already admitted defeat.
You win this time mister donut, but I'll be back. This isn't over! ...Here ends my quest for the holy donut.
I left for lunch a little later than usual today, and as usual all the good stuff at the cafe was already sold out by the time I got there. So I had a hotdog, one of the only few things that were left and that still looked appetising. It's been quite some time now since I've had a hotdog, so I guess my perception of just how filling they are is a little... outdated.
A thought crept into my mind of just how good a donut would be about then, and that thought lingered for the rest of the afternoon. By the time I'd gotten off work at 6:20pm, it was about all I could think of.
I remembered that 7-Eleven used to sell these really nice chocolate-jam donuts, as I used to get them all the time from one store that was on the corner from where uni was. So when I reached the train station that was on the edge of the central business district on the way home, I made the decision that I was hungry enough to indulge myself a little. Off I went in search of a 7-Eleven.
Directly across the road from the station was an IGA - a supermarket. They probably had donuts for sale, but not in ready to eat packaging and probably in packs of 6. Decided to pass on there, and keep walking down the street. I was looking for a 7-Eleven after all, surely there'd be one on every street corner.
Two blocks down and still no sign of the convenience store. Did walk past a lot of banks though. Was really tempted to drop in, go up to a teller and ask to make a withdrawl of donuts. But the only problem there is, notwithstanding the fact that they probably don't keep donuts in their vaults, was that I'd probably have to queue for 20 minutes. And I didn't want to queue, I wanted donut now! But all that's a moot point, given that it's a weekday. The staff at those bank branches probably all buggered off home at 3pm anyway.
Onwards we go. Ooh, coffee shop. Surely they'd have donuts in them, right? Buuut would they be of the simple choc-jam variety? Probably not. Probably overpriced and oh-la-la as cafes tend to be. Probably try to cheat me out of getting what I really wanted. So no! It was a 7-Eleven donut or nothing.
Pressing onwards, I thought to myself "Donut dude, you can't get away from me - I'm the Juggernaut, bitch! Or... something.
Oh, a break! A block and a half down, I finally spot an outlet the convenience store. Finally, took me long enough. Walk in and... and... d'awww. They're sold out of donuts. Pfft, figures. So what am I going to do - go home empty handed or buy something else? Well, I didn't just walk down five city blocks to be short changed, so I decided I'd push forward and see if I can find another outlet that did still have some doughy goodness in stock.
Forwards and onwards I went. Surely it couldn't be this difficult to get a snack.
Walk a little further and I walk pass a women's shoe store. Now, all my years of drawing shoujo has given me a, perhaps unhealthy, appreciation for women's footwear. Just at a glance, some of those boots looked really nice. Probably not the most comfortable thing in the world to wear, but damn if you'd look good for your discomfort. If I were a woman, or gay, I'd probably have bought a pair of something like that by now. ...Now there's a wrong thought. Wrong like Scientology.
But no time for shoes! I had a chocco de jammo that had my name on it, and I wasn't about to get distracted by some ambiguous thoughts.
By now I'd walked up from Spencer Street, on the frige of the city, to Swanston Street - the main drag down the city. The street that basically divides the city into two halves. If I was going to find a store that had what I was looking for, it'd be here or it'd be in another country.
Here I turned and started walking down along this street. I'd been walking for about 20 minutes at this point, carrying around my heavy bag, so I was about to compromise a bit. ...But not just yet.
Walked past this City Convenience Store first of all. It's like a generic no-name brand of stores. They probably had donuts in there, but it'd be the opposite extreme as a coffee shop one. Not that you could really go all that low in comparison to one from the 7, but hey, I was determined.
A couple stores down and there finally was another one of the outlets. Sure, they'd probably be out of stock too, so I wasn't holding my breath as I walked in. And sure enough, they still had a couple donuts left, but only crap ones and not one that I was after. It was starting to get late and I was really starting to get hungry at that point, so I made it a conscience decision that next store that I visited would be the last store I visited. If they didn't have what I wanted, I'd take what they did have.
A couple of stores down, and there's this group of a folks walking out of an Aussie souvenier shop wearing the Australian flag as a cape. Surely they must be in town to watch the Socceroo's match against Italy which kicks off at 1am our time. Which, it just so happens, is about 15 minutes from now. I'd stay up and watch it, buuut I don't think I could bear see it if we lost. Still, not much we can do from here but hope for a favourable outcome. But I digress.
A little further on and I find myself standing at the corner of Swanston and Bourke. If I were to pick a point in the CBD to call the heart of the city, this intersection would be that place. If I can't get what I'm looking for here, I'm giving up and going home. A few paces from the corner is another 7-Eleven - my last hope for the evening in scoring a winning goal.
I'm inside. I look down at what they still have left. And I'm disappointed, but not at all surprised that they're out of the choc-jam ones. Such a pity. All that walking and all that effort, and still denied. Oh well, I tried and I lost, so I ended up buying just a ordinary jam donut. Okay, so the distinction may not be all that great, but to me at that stage it was the difference between getting a Ryu and an M. Bison. I should have probably bought two to make up for all the walking I had to do to get there.
So, denied my comeuppance, I start heading towards the nearest train station with my consolation prize in hand. I'd been out wandering for almost half an hour at that point, so it was a good thing that the station was only 5 minutes down the road. But to add insult to injury, in those 5 minutes I walk past another 3 7-Eleven stores. I could have accomplished in 5 minutes what had taken me thirty. But nevermind. At that point, I was beyond the caring stage and had already admitted defeat.
You win this time mister donut, but I'll be back. This isn't over! ...Here ends my quest for the holy donut.