hey folks!

well, frig. life is amazing. even the bad times.... because you gain experience, knowledge.... wisdom!

over the last year i nearly got divorced, started going to therapy, increased my push for better relationships with my kids, figured out how to do a good job at work without killing myself in the process, sold my house, turned 40, figured out how to cleanse myself of things in my life that were actually hurting me (an ongoing process), started going to the gym last month, and sold all of my BMWs.

wait. W T F ?

OK, that last item was a bit dramatic. it really has nothing to do with BMWs. but it does have something to do with older cars that require the most precious of all known universal resources: TIME. i tried getting something newer (the 335i) but even that was a time suck and ultimately, not the rig i wanted to maintain long-term. plus it ended up hurting my back. game over.

so, what the heck are you driving now? a prius?

well, LOL, it has "prius tires." haha. i bought a 2018 BRZ RS ('Performance Package' for my US of A brethren). somehow got a new, never-been-plated 2018 model with only 200 KM (120 miles) on it. new car warranty. new car smell. brembos. "sachs performance dampers." factory LSD. awesome seats. great driving position (probably one of the biggest wins here). amazing headlight output. umm, great on gas? hell yes - 32mpg. apple carplay. 2790lbs. it's not fast. but it is one hell of a fun car to drive, and i am enjoying simple-car-ownership.

oh ya, it's blue. REALLY blue.

and we've still got the 2015 Golf 1.8T that we got back in april for my wife. great car. needs apple carplay.

in other aspects of my life... my marriage is better than it's ever been - we've still got a long way to go, but it's good. WIN. i'm more involved with my kids' lives than ever. WIN. i'm getting fitter and stronger and feeling better. WIN. we move into a townhouse rental in kitchener, ontario in the new year. WIN (180º lifestyle change). the move will allow me some freedom to look for a new job. WIN.

i feel now like i was dead before this whole Year Of Catharsis (that's the name of my new metal band, LOL). i have learned to be patient and to look for the good in everything. it's there! you just might have to squint harder, but it's there.

so, right now... we're moving out of our house that we've lived in for the last 9 years, on december 15th. it's a time of purging and reflecting.

and finding out how many frigging E46 parts i still have.



peter