Taking Some Time to say Thanks

A lot has been going on lately, and I've been so busy the days have just been blurring together.  This past weekend was WekFest Chicago, which was a much needed vacation and time with friends.  I've been working on the photos the last few days and have had some time to my thoughts while editing and listening to music, and it got me thinking about the car scene (cue gay-emotional moment).

I've been been in the scene for awhile now, and have been to a lot of shows and events all over the country, and have made a lot of friends in the scene.  Cars are much more than a hobby for me, but part of my life.  Some other areas of my life have been pretty rough lately, leaving me pretty down.  I kept thinking about how many times I've been hurt in the past, but I realized that I've never been hurt by the car scene.  Sure, I've had arguments and disagreements, lost some friends, stuff like that, but never been hurt to the point where my heart was aching.  This past weekend in Chicago made me stop and look at what I had;  I wasn't with a bunch of friends, but a family, a family drawn together by a common love for our cars.

To most, cars are just metal.  Even though they are, owning/building a car can be like a relationship.  You spend time and money, and sometimes shed a tear or two over them.  But a car will never leave you (of its own free will at least) for someone else, lie to you, or cheat on you.  Yeah, I'm getting pretty deep here, but I just gotta let my mind run with this one.  See, without my cars, I wouldn't be where I am today.  I wouldn't have been to the shows and events I've gone to, had the experiences I've had, or met the people I know.  The people are the most important part.  There are some really awesome people I've had the chance to meet and talk to, and right now, I want to take a moment and thank them individually.

First up, I gotta give much thanks to a fellow IS300 owner by the name of Guillermo Escamilla.  I first saw pics of Guillermo's car a few years back, and of course followed all the attention he got when he ran the crazy Ordens, and the sticker-bombed/graffiti hood, which was the inspiration for my own graffiti hood.  That's when we started talking, and I started repping his business, GPR Auto (www.gprauto.com).  After I bought my LS, he helped me with sorting the ride height and wheel fitment, plus he sponsors my crew.  Not only that, he's just a chill guy to talk to.  I sometimes feel like I bug the crap out of him because I'm some guy out in B.F.E Minnesota, lol.  But, he always gets back to me, helps me with my builds, and gets me (and my friends) parts.  Thank you sir.  I'm gonna get out to Cali soon and we'll have to kick it.

Another person I gotta give a quick shout to is Milt.  If you don't know who Milt is, you know his car.  See, Milt and his car are kind of a big deal.  It's that sexy white 350Z with the crazy blue Deep Nine wheels.  He also built that crazy, black wide-body SC on Weds Kranze aka SCWEET1.  Milt and his cars are definitely an inspiration to me.  His cars are so clean and classy, and he's got one of the best attitudes towards modding and the car scene.  I hope to meet him in person when I'm in Cali next.

Also with Milt, I gotta give a shout to his crew, Low N' Slow.  What a crew of sweet-ass cars.  Keep it up guys.  Legendary.

Another Cali friend I gotta say thanks to is Jerry Truong.  This dude is an excellent photographer and owns a pretty sexy SC400.  His blog, The Perfect Exposure, showcases his work of California-based automotive events.  Jerry is a great photographer and a good friend.  He helps me with my own photography skills and I find his photography related links very helpful.  Plus, he keeps tagging me in photos of bad-ass, lifted trucks because he knows I have a soft-spot for a lifted Ford Super-duty after selling mine.

More Cali peeps!  Okay, this guy I've never really talked to, other than like one or two messages on facebook, but Joey Lee aka The Chronicles (The Chronicles), deserves a shout for all his hard work.  Seriously, I read his blog religiously.  If I wanna ready about a Cali event or car, I check his site because he has some of the best coverage out there.  He was the inspiration for me to start blogging about the car events I travel to.  Thanks man.

Quick shout to Alex Zhao aka Alexisthemovie aka King S2000.  His crazy green S2000 is one of my favorite cars of all time!  Alex owns Wheel Flip (www.wheelflip.com), and with his vast knowledge of wheels and fitment, he's helping me with a new setup for the LS for next season.  Thanks Alex!

Erin and Edafe down in San Antonio, Texas!  Gotta say thanks to these two Z owners.  Erin let me write an article about his bad-ass, turbo 350Z.  I hope to chill with you guys when I visit Texas again!

Lastly (but certainly not least), I gotta give a big thanks to all of my friends here in MN.  Nam, Elisa, the Eriks, Jared, Yeej, Noui, Andrew + entourage, Jon and the MN Mazda peoples, Ivan, Max, Tattoo Mike, the rest of the i'mSTANCED crew.  Don't know where I'd be without you guys.  My cars certainly wouldn't be fully-functioning without any of you.

Okay, so that about wraps up my touchy-feely moment.  I just wanted to get that out there and give the people who've done a lot for me some credit.  If I forgot to add you, don't take it personal.  Just come kick me the next time you see me or something.  Back to work on WekFest pics.  I'll have coverage up soon.