I don't really have much family around here in SoCal. Really just my immediate family - my parents who live in Apple Valley, and my sister/brother-in-law and their kids who are just a few miles from me. I have a brother and his family, but they live out in Florida. I have 2 nephews and 3 nieces. They all call me "Uncle Shinobi", except for the little one who right now can only say "Uncle Nobi"...awwww. I think I prefer to be an uncle right now - I can have fun with them...but at the end of the day - off to the parents they go, LOL.

As for friends, I've never been a social butterfly. Sure, I know alot of people, but more acquaintances than friends. The people that I do call "friends", I really mean it. Some of these people are/were co-workers of mine, like my good buddies Pierre ( Undercover Brotha ), Phil ( Phil ///M3 ) and Kiran. Others I met online via internet forums such as e46Fanatics.com and Bimmerfest.com ( where I met my good friend Vince, aka Mr. Paddleshift ), and others I met while attending driving events. I even met my friend Brittanie ( MCSE QT ) through my Bimmer as I was looking for a model to pose with my car when I ran into her, and she turned out to be one of the best persons I've ever met.

Well, most of my friends are pretty mellow ( except for Dez ;O ), and half of em are parents now, so there's not a whole lot of partyin goin on. Hanging out with friends is more likely to be at a BBQ or a driving event instead of a nightclub or bar. No worries: good friends = good times, no matter where.