I havn't forgotten about my resolution to write my blog.
My birthday was fun. It lasted two weekends with familly bbq's on each weekend spaning mothers day and my birthday. It sucked having 5 hour practices Sat and Sun on each weekend but it was worth it to sit my tired bones down beside Ina and John John and Carlo each with familly because the greatest gift was to get everyone together after all these years of 'thanks for the memmories'. Reconecting with my one and only god daughter was awesome. I've missed all 13 of her birthdays except the first. Back then her dad was clean and responsible and Me him and John were kindred spirits/cousins/bff's. Now Terry is...out to lunch, and John (Jon, lets get real) has like 5 kids of his own. Once again I marvel that we three are the same age. Much like in KP world, I marvel how me Nick and Jeff are the same age. Evidence shows I'm not so old.
Speaking of KP world, Randy has declared his retiring from the scene. Gold watch time? As it turns out I was absent from that practice when he layed down the news. Which is just perfect considering before this anouncement his greatest kp anouncement was the day he 'came out'. Of all the millions of practices I've been to and the few dozen I've missed over the years I just happened to miss the two most important ones. This last one I was too hung over. The one in 1990ish I think I was out of town. It's like the one time I was passed out before new years and I spent the whole next year accedentilly writing down the wrong year...I never actually believed he came out to anyone because I wasn't there to actually see it with my own eyes. It's like it was a long wind up to a joke that will spring ...any day now...25 years latter...the punch line is coming... any minute now.... (FYI, after all this time I do realize he is gay and is retiring, I'm not that thick.)
What do I love? At this place at this brief period of time that I have witnessed this life I can identify a very few things that I whole hartedly love. Don't be shocked if two of them are cars. I love my familly, especially my newest nephew whom I think is a reincarnation of myself. I love the Astin Marting Vantage. I love poutine. I love the 370z, if I were to design a car this would be it. I love the Canucks and the Seahawks.
I have a storey of my greatest love. I think I was 4. As Nicky is a reincarnation of myself, I was told I was a reincarnation of my Uncle Larry. That would be the dad of Elena Juatco fame. All my life I was told I was my uncle. At such a young age I was dissapointed considering he was a rockstar playboy who worked at the mall. (keep in mind I was 4) But one thing I remember was his silver 240z. At 6 I didn't know what sex was, but this car made me feel woozy. I was breathless in it's presence. This thing was sent from the gods just for me. A few years latter he traded it in for a green 260Z which was probably faster because that year he lost his licence and he had to sell his car. The momment he broke this last information to me I made him promise, 'you promise you'll buy this car again.' Which he did promise thinking I'd never remember. I never forgott. I was a ring barer for more than a few weddings because I was good looking like that. I remeber this one time when everyone was running late and Tita Lina was running behind schedule so Tito Larry had to pick her up in his two seat Z which meant I had to ride in her lap. We wittnessed a horrific accident when I saw someone on a motorbike bounce off a car and then slide across the intersection and under a car to our left. Tita Lina covered my eyes yellilng, 'OMG! Don't worry he'll never remember this.' Shite, I remember all that, mostly because I was riding in my dream car. (BTW that was the moment I realized a trained psychyatrist dosn't really know what going on in someones mind. )I played dumb for the rest of the night while my aunt, uncle and both my parents stared at me with their mouths open wondering what was going on behind my eyes. I tried my hardest not to let on that I knew what was going on. That kid was so dead, they probably knew that I knew it. I think I was probably too young for it to affect me but I certainly remember. I could describe it if you asked me.
So in 04 I drove up to tito Larrys house in my new 350z. And I know he was remember what I was remembering. And I know he was loving it like I was loving it considering he never did buy back his 260Z. I let him drive it around the block and then I watched him trying to convice his wife the rest of the night that, "Its a practical car since the kids are going off to school and they can easilly afford it."
I've been buying car magazines since I got my first job. I collect articles from old magazines of cars I like. I have articles ripped out the binding that are older than my nephews. One day I caught a spy photo of the next Z. The 300ZX disappeared in the 90's but it kept re-appearing in the Nissan adds as the promise that Nissan hasn't forgotten. The next Z was a total retro design invoking the original 240z...my love. the official photo's were of a rear 3/4 shot of a strange door handle and a triangular tail light. At some point Nissan changed their stance and the new 350Z was a total modern design. I felt cheated. I actually thought I had a chance to buy the car that stired my soul, a car that hadn't exisisted for almost 25 years. Now that I had the chance, I didn't have the car. I baught the car, at first it looked kinda weird but then I loved it. BUT, if I were ever to design a car...
As soon as I saw the next gen 370Z I almost started to cry. The gods were monitering my dreams and instead of being mad my inner most being was being monitered I felt preditory thinking of how to aquire the thing they had that I wanted. Right out the corners of my own mind.
The first video I watched of the new 370Z in motion they showed a young flip guy being a little bit too familliar with my car. He came out the crowd, opened the door, sat down, started touching all the stuff and my initial reaction is that he just kissed my gf and I wanted to punch his face in. And then he started talking to the camera and...omg he's the guy that designed my baby. So I let it slide. And recently I figured out that he's my age and he's from Surrey. I recently added him on fb and my god he knows everyone I know and I'm pretty sure I've partied with him. Actually he's younger than me and as it turns out, his love for the Z is as deep rooted as my own.
Cheers Randy Rodriquez, thank you for making my dream true. To my dream, see you in less than a year and you already have a name.
Rhoel
posted by R @ 5:06 AM
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