Cruising into Summer

It's end of May, and finally....we are blessed with nice weather. Today's weather is 28 degrees, with humidity it will feel like 31C. Craziness. Last week it was chilly like December and today it's suddenly summer. Welcome to Canada.

It will be the first summer without M. People probably think I'm totally over it because I try to post topics not related to M, but I think that's part of coping as well. If I keep posting about M, I know it will be harder to move on. The only reason why I brought M up now is a couple days ago, I took a nap and had dreams about M. Vivid dreams. It was shortly after he passed, and no matter what I did or where I went, there was always a reminder of him. And I would burst into tears and cry.

I had to ask my folks if they could hear me yell or cry in my sleep but they said they didn't hear anything. But it all felt so real. I could feel the tears rolling down my face, and the sadness through my yelling. That's why I had to ask. Because it felt so real.

I still feel sad to this day. I try to not think about it but sometimes it's hard to ignore it. Over the past 18 years during summer time, we would always let M out to roam the backyard or open the door for him to get some fresh air since he was always an indoor cat. This summer, it's going to feel empty. We can still open the door, but there is nothing there.

All in all, I still have dreams about him sometimes. It's still hard to deal with, especially when your furry companion who has been by your side all these years is suddenly gone. I don't think I've completely gotten over it, but it's been a slow step by step process. I may not be able to achieve 100% of who I was before, but I can only try.

I try to at least enjoy my passion that I was pretty much "born" with: cars. This year, it's not the parking lot meets but it's about the cruises. I know before I had written I would never attend a parking lot meet ever again. There are times cruises start off at parking lots, so it doesn't really count. Parking lot meets are those who meet at parking lots, and you just chill there. No cruises or anything. Just park and talk. Yeah, kind of boring now.

So far there have been 3 cruises that I have attended, and they have all been insane. Thankfully no injuries or accidents. Cruises are difficult to plan, especially the routes, and it's always difficult to keep a huge group together without getting lost. The planners do a lot in advance before setting a cruise date up (a lot of times they have to drive the entire route to make sure nothing is closed).

If you are heading out for a cruise this summer, be sure to give props to the leader and planners please. They do a lot of planning in order to make it possible. Listen to the rules, don't do stupid things like burnouts or peels on public roads. Have two-way radios with you to keep in touch with the rest of the group. It's always good to have a passenger with you to keep track of what's going on. It's a lot more difficult when you go solo on a cruise.

Last weekend, the GTR club met up and I had the opportunity to tag along. A total of 13 GTRs showed up: R32s, R33, and lots of R35s. About 11-12 of them cruised to downtown to have some burritos. Let's just say...the highway sounded like a dinosaur was going to destroy it. It was absolutely insane and brilliant. Windows were rolled up, yet I could feel the vibrations from these monsters driving by, and the exhaust. Just wow.

I can imagine the general society (when I say this, I mean people who have no clue/don't give a damn about cars) who were cruising on the highway that night were probably calling in reports of street racing. What these people don't know is these cars are naturally that loud. And they sound like that on the highway. Especially when they accelerate to change lanes. They are just loud. It's also people like this who I wish would just stay home and not drive. Ever.

I know a lot of Torontonian drivers are just terrible. We have become the China of North America to some degree. But you know what the funny part is? I see a lot of Caucasians and guys getting into accidents vs the "asian women" stigma. I laugh when I see 2 guys who have rear ended each other because well...where are the women? No, not stuck in kitchens. Well, I would be burning down the kitchen so I wouldn't want to be there.

Anyways, back to the cruise. We had a couple of stops along the way to take some photographs. I am not a professional photographer. I just like to take pictures and share if I like them. I don't know much about exposures or whatever. I just do it for fun.

I had posted this on the Toronto Car Spotting page, and let's just say my phone notifications have been going off the hook since Sunday night. I love the photos, and I thank those who also enjoy and love the photos as well. It's all about sharing the same passion and love for cars. And appreciating the photos too.

Cheers!