My wish list

Okay, so I know Christmas came and went nearly three weeks ago, but there are some things a guy just has to have. In my case, some of them are well beyond my pocketbook's reach. But hey, a guy can dream, can't he?

If you know me, you know I have a weak spot for good beer, with my current favorites being Samuel Adams Boston Lager and Bell's Best Brown Ale. A while back I stumbled across the crazy Jell-O-eating Norwegians at Old Lutheran. When I saw they make a beer called Sin Boldy Lager, well, I about keeled over in euphoria. Of course, ol' Martin is known for his infamous and oft misunderstood "Be a sinner, and sin boldly, but trust in Christ more strongly still, and rejoice in him who is the Victor over sin, death, and the world." But did you know that he also once said, "Who loves not women, wine, and song remains a fool his whole life long"?


Now what good is 16 ounces of a refreshing ale without a container from which to drink it? Hence one of my favorite things is the pint glass (hint, hint). Now cycling and beer go together like ham and cheese (or, here in Turkey, cigarettes and mayonnaise), so when my eyes glanced upon this argyle-wearin' beauty-on-a-bike pint glass from Dirt Rag magazine, the salivating began. (No, it's not just because she's a cute girl on a bike! Although, ladies, that's a big bonus.)


To keep up with the flow of things, why not introduce you to my dream mountain bike: the Independent Fabrication Deluxe? These Massachusetts framebuilders know their craft. Full suspension bikes are great, but in forested, sandy Michigan, I think the hardtail is still where it's at. The Deluxe is one helluva sweet piece of steel--and it had better be, at $1400 for the frame alone. (The complete bike, tricked out like I'd like, would run about $3800.) IF bikes simply have soul, and isn't that what mountain biking is all about, anyway? I even have my dream paint job all picked out : a sparkly, deep black cherry, with autumn leaves hand-painted on near where the seat tube, top tube, and seatstays intersect.

While America is known as the home of mountain biking, road cycling has its traditions in the coastlines of Italy, the fields of France, and the cobblestones of Belgium. And while the Colnago C50 is one sweet bike, I'm an American, and American cycling is on the rise. Once again, gimme a road bike by Indy Fab: their steel Crown Jewel. Steel bike frames may be old-school, but they're durable, lively, and easy to repair. Once again, the frame will set me back about $1600, but I'm only dreaming. Rock 'n' roll.


Call it the mark of the beast or whatever you wish, but iPods are just plain cool. And they're also $300 that I don't have. But sitting on public transportation for up to three hours per day would be a lot better if accompanied by more than just one CD. I wouldn't mind reading, either, if I didn't have to stand for much of the time while getting jostled around on a minibus. Blech. I suppose I could justify it by saying I'll use it to listen to sermons while traveling.

(In case you can't tell, I have the week off due to campuses being closed for Kurban Bayrami, the Sacrifice Festival commemorating Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Ishmael. I've been blogging like a fiend.)