Don't Worry, I'm Not Dead.

   

    So, disclaimer here... I started writing this WAY the hell back in May. It's now mid-July. You can see where I'm going with all this. 

    It's been a hot minute, but here we are, over a month (now 3 months) since I posted anything. I wouldn't necessarily call it "burnout" from the hobby, although it was mighty close. With the warmer, longer spring (now summer) days filling the calendar, outdoor racing is (has been) back, and while I'm over a month (now 3 months) behind, it's time to dust the toys off and experience the wonderment that is: The Great Outdoors. (Correction: They're still not dusted off.)

But first, let's flash back several weeks (months).....

    As I wrapped up my first "Emerald City Classic" in March, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmingly stoked on what I had accomplished: A second place in F1, and a 8th place in Stock Touring. Both cars were a breeze to drive, and the entire weekend was a nerdy hobbyist's wet dream; great friends and great racing. Still though, after all was said and done, some lingering feelings crept in. I had a chance to steal a win in F1 and after a season slugging it out in stock, 8th felt good, but also felt a bit like a stangnant result. Maybe the extreme optimism from not losing a screw all weekend gave me unfounded confidence, but I felt like I could've gotten more. 

    Nevertheless, two weeks later I was heading down to a sunny Southern California for a much needed family vacation to visit in-laws and Disneyland. The compressed racer in me should've said "Leave your shit at home dude", but the racer-at-heart said "Let's go racing!", so racing I went at the famous CAL Raceway for their "Saturday Series" club race. After some debate on what to bring with me, I decided to leave the touring car at home and pack up the "fun class" F1 car. Post-ECC, I was feeling a bit hung over on touring car racing, so the idea of bringing down the still-fresh F1 seemed like the easy choice.

CAL Raceway has character, but is nonetheless awesome.

Thanks to the awesome racers, I had a dialed pit for the day. 

    Let me start by saying this: Charlie Barnes' CAL Raceway club houses some of the best people I've yet to meet. Everyone was welcoming, helpful, and also Class-A experts in having fun. Major shoutouts to Raj for letting me bum some shade, and to Charlie himself for letting me bum a spot at his painting table. Good people indeed. The racing itself was a carbon copy of my mediocre racing career; A solid P2 in qualifying, followed by a massive mistake and a come-from-behind drive to finish P4. For most (and what should've been myself), a solid finish at an unfamiliar track would be cause for celebration, but that would be too easy wouldn't it? For some ridiculous reason, instead of embracing my experience, I was frustrated by the same simple miscalculations that I habitually commit. What was supposed to be a chill day with toy cars ended with with a sour taste and creeping resentment in wasting a day that could've been spent with family.

    This is a pretty common occurrence for me when I get knee-deep in this hobby, and usually at this point, I'd be trying to just power through it and continue racing, only to completely burn myself out months later. In an attempt to avoid the dreaded burnout, I decided to take a different approach. I put the cars down completely, left the hobby table a scattered mess, and focused my little-left over time on re-discovered passions and some much-needed family R&R.

    From 2004 to 2012, it wasn't RC racing that consumed my spare time, but rather designing, shaping and riding skateboards. From the shortest retro rippers, to the most lethargic longboards, shaping was an artistic outlet for me, and was the "original escape" from the daily grind of work and home life. Of course, all things must come to an end, and with the expansion on our little family, and the shrinking of free time, skateboarding was shuffled to the back burner and nearly forgotten altogether. Shaping, in many ways, offers the same effects as wrenching on toy cars. It's a completely immersive experience that occupies the mind while clearing it of unnecessary bullshit.

A retro fish board I shaped for myself. 

When the kid wants a "sour patch kids" board, you give him a sour patch kids board.

    Yet another (unexpected, but nonetheless awesome) addition to my list of summer distractions was the acquisition of a 1997 Jeep Wrangler. I've been working my father-in-law for years trying to pry from him the little 4-banger wheeler-in-the-making, only to have him say "someday". Well, "someday" came towards the end of May when he was finally ready to relinquish his beloved daily driver for a New (to him) 4-door Wrangler. This little guy needs work, and I have a plan. It's hard to describe how stoked I am to at last, have this little bugger in my possession. With the engine at the machine shop and the rest of the wrangler in various states of disarray, I've jumped head-first into the rabbit hole that is "Jeep ownership". just don't expect me to wear a "JeepLife" shirt.... ain't gonna happen.

"You think you hate it now, but wait'll you drive it!"
Bonus points if you can name the movie.

The engine fell out, I swear!

    Racing? What racing? Was I supposed to go racing this summer?

    At this point, I've made peace with the fact that I won't be racing until the fall. I haven't even so much as sniffed traction compound (Sticky Kicks smells good, BTW) in over 3 months, and ya know what? I really don't miss it to be honest. I don't miss the cost, I sure as hell don't miss the middle-school drama, but I do miss the people. That's what keeps me coming back to this hobby. So, come September, I'll continue my quest to single-handedly keep the thread-lock industry afloat.

    Bottom line, family and fun come first before toy car racing. As my schedule changed starting in April, the chances for family days were to be harder to come by, and while I'd like to head out and flog my cars, it's just not that important in the grand scheme of things. Where am I going with all of this? I'm really not sure. I suppose the moral of all this is don't take your hobbies too seriously. Have fun with your escapes, and when you feel like the excitement isn't quite there, don't power through. Take a breather and enjoy something else. Spend time with family, fix a car, hell, even shape a skateboard if you're so inclined. While I've resigned to the reality that I'll be taking the entire summer off from RC racing, you can bet your ass I'll be ready to line up this fall when we head indoors. I never thought I'd say that I'm 'looking forward" to indoor carpet racing, but that's life.

Thanks to those that continue to read this blog, and those that support my RC adventures. Don't worry, I haven't died! See you in September.

-JRoy