Things to buy after graduation

As most of you know, I'm starting school in the fall. 2 years of MBA schooling and unemployment awaits me. Since i've been saving for school, i haven't purchased anything that I want in *quite* some time.

This is my post-graduation wish list:

1. Motorcycle (chopper)


They are more comfy than the ninja racing bikes and I kinda feel like they are a sign of maturity (as opposed to ninjas being signs of carefree youth)

2. 6 string bass (possibly a custom mtd - my current bass is a 7 string, i think 6 would be perfect for me)

I've been playing and listening to a lot of different basses over the years, and the sound that i like the most at this point is the one that comes out of custom MTDs


3. Upright Bass (possibly electric)



Couldn't hurt to try it out to see if i want to go anywhere with it...maybe i'll get more jazz gigs with an upright.

4. Racing/Road bicycle (carbon fiber - getting my black lance armstrong on)


I was going to buy a racing bike prior to going to college (undergrad, 7 years ago), but my mountain bike got stolen in the weeks prior to my move. I repurchased a mountain bike so that i would be able to get around campus (and boston). I make decent moves on my mountain bike (see a picture at the bottom of this entry), but i still long for the skinny tires and higher speeds of a racing bike.

5. A nice digital SLR camera



I've become really interested in photography as art recently. I'm thinking that this is something that I may want to pursue. The counsel that I received was to learn the basics of photography prior to making an major investment in a camera such as this.

NYC Summer streets

I woke up early on saturday morning intent upon going for a quick bike ride across the brooklyn bridge before an evangelistic outreach at grand army plaza with my new church family in brooklyn (we passed out free water and cupcakes, we also passed out invites to church and fliers for "brew and the bible", our neighborhood open forum on christianity. We also engaged people in conversations about the faith) followed by rapfest 2009 (christian hip hop concert in the bronx).

After crossing the bridge, I saw a bunch of people in matching shirts, so i pulled over to ask them what they were about. One lady with an eastern-block accent informed me that park avenue was blocked off (for summer streets) from the brooklyn bridge (it isn't called park avenue by the brooklyn bridge, but the street evetually becomes park avenue) to 72nd street. I decided to go for a ride along the route. Good times. There were a few people out there to race with at spots along the route, but the lights at major intersections and families with small children out for the day made racing unsafe and impractical at times.

OH! in other news, i've decided to press on with my helmet wearing. When riding around my neighborhood in brooklyn, i noticed that i was the ONLY person wearing a helmet. Recently, two friends of mine that spotted me on my bike actually made fun of my helmet!! However, people without helmets at nyc summer streets were the EXCEPTION. AND yesterday, a bike store owner let me know that the more fashionable looking helmets have less vents and are REALLY hot.

Here are some pictures:

Farmer's market at Grand Army Plaza (THEY WERE ACCEPTING FOOD STAMPS!!! Hooray for low income people!!! :o)



NYC Summer Streets sign @ 72nd and Park:



Water station sign:
:o)




Traffic Control Volunteer:




Father and son. My dad and i used to go out for bike rides when i was a kid. :')



Grand Central:

realizations

The first thing that i've realized about myself is that i am a people pleaser. I like for people to like me. And this can sometimes result in me compromising my integrity. At times, it is very easy for me to justify sin that isn't "REALLY" bad - because i desire the approval of man more than i desire the approval of God.

That approval could be in the form of a joke, looking the other way...whatever.

The other thing that i've recently realized is that obedience to God is going to cost me more than I want it to. Big sins in check and partial obedience does not equate to obedience.


What's good about this is that i'm not self-deceived into thinking that some of the sin that surfaces in my life is pleasing to the Lord. I'm thankful to the Lord for that, for the Holy Spirit who will continue to work in me and for accountability partners that can help me see other areas of sin in my life.