Some New Toys

Each of us received a new toy this week. Celeste got hers rather unexpectedly and mine I ordered the week before. On Monday, Celeste called me at work and said that the bike shop had her bike all assembled and ready to pick up. This confused us a little because they originally told us that the 2009 models wouldn't be out until December. Here's the story.

We started seriously looking for bikes back in July. I got my bike in August. Celeste decided that she wanted the female version of a bike we tried, but nobody seemed to have the female version in stock -- the Specialized Vita Elite. After calling about 10 different bicycle shops, we found one about 15 miles away with the bike in stock. We went there so that Celeste could test ride the bike, and she really liked it. The only thing that she wasn't sure about was the size. They had two different models of the same bike (one with carbon fork and seat stay, and the other with basic aluminum), one in each of the sizes that she would potentially want. After trying out each bike, she determined she liked the carbon fork and seat stay. But, as luck would have it, she also decided that the full aluminum frame was the better size. We asked them what our options were, and they said that they could order the correct size bike with carbon fork and seat stay. However, after looking at the computer, it turned out that there were none left of the 2008 model. So they ordered the 2009 model. We put a $50 deposit and left with the hope that Celeste would have a bike within a week.

Well, a few days transpire, and they called us to say that the 2009 model wouldn't come in until December. That put a little damper into our plans. We talked through it and determined that the best option would be to cancel the order and just wait until next season. Celeste called up the bike shop, but the manager wasn't there in order to cancel the order. A week passes, and we rearrange our budget to project the purchase of the bike in April or May. Then, what do you know, the next day is when they called up to say that Celeste's bike was ready. Surprised by this great news, we went to pick it up. That was Monday, and we were finally able to go on our first ride on Friday. It's a nice bike! Now we just need to rearrange the budget again...

Now for my new toy. While still a student, I decided to take up golf in anticipation of business meetings on the golf course. Well, after a year with KPMG, I finally got the chance to go with our client for a couple rounds of golf. It went okay. But I decided that if I wanted to make a better impression, I would need some new equipment. In looking at my options, I just couldn't bring myself to spending hundreds of dollars, especially for a sport that would cost hundreds of dollars just to play. Luckily, though, I have a friend who taught me how to golf on a budget -- play the less expensive courses, find the cheaper times, etc. One other thing he pointed out is that not all golf clubs cost a ton of money. Actually, while looking around on the Internet, he found a great deal on some irons that basically ranked number two in Golf Digest's 2007 hot list -- the Adams A2. Adams is a brand that doesn't spend millions of dollars on endorsements (think Nike and Callaway), so they don't have to charge as much to make a profit. In reading reviews on the clubs, I couldn't find anything that people didn't like about the irons. Then, I watched the clubs over two weeks as the price dropped by about 25 percent. I finally decided to take the plunge. They arrived this week, and boy do they look great. Haven't had a chance to use them though. That will be this week. :)