:(

I missed out.

Originally, I was going to drive to Waterloo, hang out with Binks, Danger, Danger’s girlfriend, and a fellow Beardsman. There was mention of video games, videos, and other such craziness. I was going to drive back to Mississauga on Saturday to hang out with Katie, and then pick my brother up from the bus terminal on Sunday so he could take the car, as discussed during Thanksgiving.

But, shortly before the arrival of the glorious weekend, my brother talks to me on MSN and says he is picking the car up on Friday. Well, the throws a wrench into the whole thing. I talked to him later (after canceling with Andrew), and he says that he may actually come Saturday. That’s no good either, because I already trashed my plans for Friday and even still, Saturday doesn’t give me much in the way of staying in Waterloo time. So, I tell him he has to come Friday.

And he says he will, but he has to get on a bus in an hours, so he left to pack.

So, my plans canceled with Andrew, I get prepped and ready to have my very own Friday Adventure.

I go to the cafeteria. Get pineapple juice instead of cranberry. Crazy shit. I wish I had YouTubed it.

Then, I wait around until 9:40, and head off to find Jake (who arrives at 9:50).

He is apparently getting dropped off at Applewood Variety at the Dixie Outlet Mall.

The Dixie Outlet Mall was only one exit further than the school up the QEW. The trip - according to Google Maps - would take about 7 minutes.

So, I head out at 9:40. Drive to the Dixie Outlet Mall. I don’t see any buses in the empty parking lot, nor do I see anything labeled Applewood Variety. I drive around the mall, but the only bus is a Charter bus parked outside a Burger King. Definitely not the Greyhound I was expecting. I circle the entirety of the outlet mall. No Applewood Variety.

I drive past the Dixie Outlet Mall on South Service Road, wondering if Applewood Variety is further down the road. Nope. Residential streets. But these streets somehow turn into the on ramp to the QEW. Freaky. And dangerous. I double back to the Dixie Outlet Mall to think about my options. Applewood Variety was not to be found.

But Google Maps showed it to me. It was right there…I could see its name clearly beside the QEW. Maybe it is on the other side?

So I drive on Dixie Road over the QEW and get to an intersection. To my right, the ramp to get back to the QEW (according to the sign). To my left…Mississauga. I follow the road, take the next available left, and drive, looking for a shopping centre on this side of the QEW. Nothing. I eventually get back (nearly to Bronte). I get back on the QEW, and drive the same route to the Dixie Outlet Mall. Suddenly, I see it. A poorly lit strip mall hidden behind a mechanic garage on the other side of the street. But how the hell do I get there?

I loop back over the QEW on Dixie Road. Then, it hits me. Sheer lunacy. But I figure it is worth a shot. I turn right at the intersection onto the ramp to get back on the QEW (mentioned earlier). It turns out that this “ramp” is actually an extremely long street that runs along the QEW (practically all the way back to Bronte). And Applewood Variety is in a shopping centre adjacent to this on ramp. The most absurd city planning that I have ever witnessed. But such is life. I got there at 10:15. Drove Jake back to Bronte, and sent him off with the car, all the while cursing Mississauga city planners.

And that was how I spent my Friday.

It could have been much more fun.