Not so long ago, I was the proud owner of a 1999 Volkswagen Jetta. She was the first car I ever purchased, and she treated me well. We spent countless hours, and traversed hundreds of thousands of kilometers together. We had good times and we had bad times. She had been beaten up and put back together, but I loved her. She was my first and I’ll always remember her for that. But sadly, we grew apart.

It was hard to say goodbye, but when I got the opportunity to head out west, it was decided that she’d stay behind. She was getting old and wasn’t sure if she’d fit into the “image conscious” culture of Southern California. She was intimidated by the younger, more powerful cars on the west coast. So we went our separate ways and inevitably, I met someone else.

My next car was fast. She was sleek and sexy. And she was Japanese. I was used to German vehicles, so I wasn’t sure how my new Infiniti G35 Coupe would stack up. She was a different animal, but I loved her even more. She was made for the open roads of Souther California. 300HP hidden beneath a beautiful exterior. 19 inch rims, and 6 gears of pleasure. It was pure enjoyment – windows down, sunroof open, tearing up the Pacific Coast Highway. How could I complain?

But this affair wasn’t meant to last. Reluctantly, she eventually made the trip back to Canada with me. However, once she arrived, reality started to sink in. There are no open roads in the city, and her manual transmission didn’t fare well in the stop-and-go traffic. And the asphalt… it wasn’t smooth like she’d been used to. In fact, it was downright rough – beat up and scarred from the years of winter abuse. And the winter. Ah yes, the snow, ice and salt. Sure, she had heated seats, but she wasn’t up for this. She was too low, and her performance tires wouldn’t hold their own on the icy streets.

Sure, we talked about snow tires for the winter months, but that really wasn’t our biggest issue. It was the cottage. She was ready for the highway driving – in fact, she was looking forward to that – it was the 50 minutes off road that did it. There was no way she’d make it off road. Rocks, ruts, dirt, mud, gravel and water. She couldn’t bare it. That was it. We were done.

With the G35 gone, I felt upset and dejected. I began looking for her replacement, but I didn’t know where to start. So I looked to a broker for help. I needed something that was beautiful, but rugged. Something that could get me to work, and to the cottage. But what? Coming off a Japanese relationship, I started there. But things weren’t the same… It didn’t feel right. Nissan, Toyota and Honda just weren’t cutting it. So I ventured elsewhere. North American? Nope, too unrefined. Swedish? I dug the XC90, but it was a too boring. Korean? Nope, not my style (good warranty though). Feeling rejected, I called on an old friend. Could she help? Would she take me back?

It felt like an arranged marriage. She was purchased at a car auction, and I didn’t actually see her until she was mine. But I’m now the proud owner of a 2004 Volkswagen Touareg. She’s rugged and strong, powerful and refined. And once again, I’m back with a Volkswagen. Only this time, she’s capable of going off road where her predecessor couldn’t.

Let me check my calendar… yep, it’s been well over a month since I posted last. The horror – I know, I know. I love the idea of blogging, but the reality is that it takes a lot of time to do it right. I suppose I could spend a few minutes each day to spit something out, but I find myself spending an inordinate amount of time trying to shape my thoughts into something meaningful. And with said shaping comes the occasional stint of blogging drought.

Things have been mildly busy since I arrived back in Toronto, especially the last 6 weeks. I’ve been traveling to Chicago on a weekly basis and in between the travel, I’ve been busy preparing for the various presentations/meetings, or attempting to unpack and move back into my house.

Jess and I finally managed to accomplish the move-in. Everything is more or less unpacked, but there are still suitcases sitting in the hall, which means we’re not done yet.

But I suppose they’re going to stay there a few days longer, as I just found out that I may need to travel back to Chicago again this afternoon – so… for the time being, I’ll be crawling back under the proverbial rock from which I just came, and I’ll attempt to post something of actual substance in the coming days. Or at least that’s what I’d like to believe.