This forum hasn't seen many posts in the past few months. Over time, people obviously get back to their lives and begin to move away from tragic events because it's easier not to think about them.

Well, every time I logon to 6spd, I scroll down past this forum and I remember. That's why I'm glad it's still here .. and I don't want any of us to forget. Not just that Ben existed and was an absolutely terrific guy, I don't think anyone would forget that, but I don't want any of you to forget how precious life itself is. The only thing certain in life is that death will befall us all, and the rest is up to us.

So with that, I hope anyone reading this has an awesome day ... an awesome week ... month ... year ... life! There's no reason to waste it or let it pass by without taking as much as you can from it. As a very wise actor once said, life moves pretty fast! If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.

 

amen!

 

Yup. I still stay in touch with Char as much as I can. Especially being college football season, I think about Ben a lot as we used to email all the time about his beloved Canes.

I think his two most hated teams were Oklahoma and Ohio State -- I'm sure he's loved to see them struggling this season.

 

A passion he probably shared with most.

 

I haven't been around in over a year and I am truly in shock. As I used to lurk, I recall how active Ben was. Truly a loss.

 

Glad this was started everytime I see the avtar or a memory item in a sig line Ben comes to mind...

 

Charlotte's getting by well as can be expected, she's a strong person. Went to Parker's 1-yr Birthday party a little while back. She's walking now and has a little angelic smile, really a cute little lady. She looks so much like Ben, when I look at her face, it's just incredible. What a beautiful legacy.

I've lost two good friends and car guys in the last two summers. I'll never forget them. Ben was a special person, someone I'd been looking forward to sharing more adventures with for years to come.

I don't dwell on it, but sometimes when I see or do something we would've talked about together, I think "man, Ben would've loved to see that".

I haven't posted anything here for awhile, it's too easy to get broken up, so I just keep it to myself. Anyway, I think it's really most appropriate to share enjoyment since that was most of what he shared with us, near or far.

As many of you know, I wrote down some Ben stories for Parker. Some of them were pretty lengthy and personal, but here's a short one I could share and not put you to sleep. I hope!

Pretty boring, but if you got to spend any time w/Ben, you'd probabaly relate to this.

****

So here I am, driving along after a client meeting, it's a beautiful San Diego sunny day, and my wife calls and asks me how my typically busy day is going. I tell her, "Great honey, but I just got out of a meeting, and I'm on my way to another short one, and have deadlines to deal with after that." What she didn't know was that I was really going to meet up with Ben and his soccer buddy, Dave Bhuta, squeezing in a few minutes during the day to spend time with car guys--one of my favorite things to do. (Actually, I think she knows, she's just tolerant and loving and puts up with me. Why, I have no idea, but I'm grateful for her love each day.) Dave and Ben were at Ben's place washing the cars to get ready for one of the monthly Carlsbad sports car meets, and I was just going to hang out to talk cars for a bit before getting back to my work.

I pulled up, and Ben's complaining about the new "Mr. Clean" car wash system he'd used, and how it streaked and sucks (as if any shine would be shiny enough, not a chance),...but still saying how he thinks he got everything looking nice now. He's so meticulous; he's wielding an electric leaf blower to evaporate any water drops from the nooks and crannies around the engine bay, door sills, etc. What a perfectionist. "What a nut!", I tell him, laughing. I can only laugh, because like many of you, I'm a perfectionist when it comes to washing my car too--I even stick a paper towel in some cracks I can't get to, so the unevaporated water can be wicked out and doesn't roll out from them later and spot my car! Nuts, one and all we are. Ben asks me if I see any spots, or if everything looks good to go. Dave, Ben and I walk around the car, I mean cars--he'd just detailed his Ferrari Stradale and the CGT, both of a beautiful metallic gray, and simply stunning and rare examples that occupy many a car guy's dreams. We surveyed everything, and all looked perfectly clean and presentable. Such a formal black-tie treatment for the cars, especially coming from a casual guy like Ben who told me he might only own two pairs of long pants; Ben was a casual guy, always in shorts, no watch that I saw, just a t-shirt and a smile.

I saw Charlotte and baby Parker that day, and with the way Ben was with them, the way he talked and treated them, you could tell that he cherished his family above all else. After seeing the love and attention he gave to his cars, and to see even more bestowed on his family, you'd have to realize this was a guy with a big heart. A fun-loving guy, with a heavy emphasis on the love.

After a while talking, I had a tight work deadline waiting for me and needed to get back to my desk...so, I did what any responsible professional does on a day like this among a couple of car buddies--I went down into La Jolla and had fish tacos! Ben wouldn't have it any other way, he insisted. We hung out and talked, the three of us, eating lunch at a Mexican fast food place called Wahoos. Then, we made a special trip over to the supermarket to the Starbucks inside; Ben had been there earlier for a Frappuccino...or a Cappuccino, who knows what. But whatever it was, he'd ordered it and discovered at the register that he'd walked out of the house walletless and had come back to make good on his debt that same day, within a couple of hours, even though the clerk said it wasn't a problem at all. While there, he got another Something-a-'ccino to go, and drank it down in the four-and-a-half steps he took from the counter out the door into the parking lot!

Now, mind you, this is an already enthusiastic (no, make that electrically-charged) guy who talks a mile-a-minute, and he's now hopped-up on caffeine! I've no way of recounting all of the rapid-fire quips and funny things flying out of his smilin' mug on the way back, but I can tell you the man had some level of positive, humorous energy that may not've been seen on this Earth previously, at least not by me. I kidded him that he's the last person in the world that needs caffeine, but he professed his affection for "a Starbucks", and I made a mental note to not get in any debates with Ben after a Starbucks visit. I wouldn't have been able to fare well normally in a debate with him, but after a coffee?...forget it! (LOL!)

 

i am also glad that this forum is here. i had the pleasure of meeting Ben on a couple occasions (both completely randomly - once at the gas station and the other time in downtown LJ) and told him that i would be joining 6speedonline as soon as i picked up a 911 Turbo at the end of 2005/beginning of 2006. he insisted that it didn't matter whether or not i had a porsche and that i should join up anyway. turns out that i didn't start posting on the forums until AFTER Ben passed away, which is really a shame. i thoroughly enjoyed his witty posts and his stand-up personality was definitely ever-present in the thoughts he shared online. i only wish i had taken him up on his offer to go for a drive or go to crystal cove/carlsbad when he was still around.

i'm young and successful and often live with the delusion that i (and the people i love) will live forever. this delusion kept me from getting to know Ben better and rest assured, i have spent a lot more time talk to my parents and my brother on the phone. if anything, Ben's story has taught me that when you least expect it, life happens, and everything changes.

great story btw, Super D. here's the closest thing i've got since i never got to really "hang out" with Ben.

------------------

i regularly get my car washed at a local Chevron in La Jolla. most of my car guy friends find this unacceptable, but alas i am lazy and since i am a full time student/part time employee, my days are usually packed. if that isn't divine intervention, the fact that i live in an apartment doesn't help (no personal garage, hose, etc). so i've just pulled out of the car wash (it is a hand-wash hand-dry carwash at least!) and am checking tire pressure and drying off a few spots that the car wash guys missed with a paper towel from one of the gas station islands. this is where Ben comes in. i saw him looking at the rear of my car earlier, but thought he walked off. his gray CGT was parked at another island and i completely missed it somehow. anyway, he catches me completely off guard and says something along the lines of, "you really shouldn't dry your car like that. don't you have a microfiber or something?" i chuckled sheepishly and popped the trunk and got a microfiber out to continue my drying. Ben grinned and told me he was kidding. i knew he was kidding, of course, but i'm used to hearing complaints about my car care techniques from my friends so the jests are all in good humor now. the fact that Ben approached ME (in my non-sports-car 7series) really shows his character and passion for cars and people. i've met my share of pretentious/arrogant car "enthusiasts" and Ben definitely wasn't one of them, although his collection of fine automobiles could possibly suggest otherwise.

and that was how i met Ben. he of course complimented my car and then, to my utter shock, pointed out that he drove the gray CGT parked nearby. i grinned from ear to ear and he of course offered to take me for a spin, which i sadly had to turn down due to a midterm. we traded information and admittedly (and regretfully), i am awful at keeping in touch with people. i ran into Ben again a month or so later in downtown LJ and he seemed very pleased to see me. we chatted for a bit about school, cars, etc before parting ways and that was the last i saw of Ben. he told me about 6speedonline both times and both times, i told him that i would sign up as soon as i picked up a Turbo. he poked fun at the fact that i was getting an AWD car but agreed that for the price (and my budget), it would be a great buy.

Ben was a wonderful person to be around. he quipped that we got along well because we both talk really fast and are full of ideas and often can't spit them out quickly enough. i never caught Ben's age, but he had the excitement and energy of a 20-something guy. tons of fun, full of energy and full of laughter. definitely sorely missed, but as everyone else has mentioned, definitely not forgotten.

thanks for the camaraderie, Ben.

aaron