I’ve pulled some photos of my favorite late-model customs I’ve found online in the past year to share here on supafly.com. What I love about these rides are the big rims, low stance, and minimal after-market accessories. It’s all about being understated.
(You’ll have to wait some time for the photos to load because they’re big photos…perfect for a desktop wallpaper.)
Last weekend Candyce treated me to an official 30th birthday present–a trip to the White Mountains in Eastern Arizona. It was as magical of a white Christmas you can have this side of heaven. The cabin was stunning (thanks Megan!) and comfortable. Candyce made my favorite food and beverages, including Bobby Flay’s favorite jalapeno cheese grits. We ate like a king and queen for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In between we listened to Christmas music and sipped coffee.
Here are some photos from the weekend, including many from when we played outside…
For those who are interested, I snapped those photos with my week-old camera, the Canon PowerShot SD 880 IS. This is the pocket digital camera I’ve been waiting for: small but still takes excellent photos. Plus, it has a wide angle lens, which allows me to capture more engaging scenes.
The drive home turned out to be difficult and frightening. The 50 mile stretch between Show Low and Payson is wilderness, so even in the best weather it’s a little unnerving to drive. There are no gas stations, no restaurants, no nothing. It was all about steep inclines and declines, snow and ice. Had I known the danger we’d encounter, I would have never have left Show Low.
In normal conditions, you can make that stretch of the trip in less than an hour. But it took us two-and-a-half hours, and every minute was horrible. We saw two wrecks, one of which was a semi truck that had spun out of control, tore through guard rail, and then flipped upside down in the snow-covered median. We crawled past the thrashed truck illuminated by the spinning lights of a police car. It was a terrible thing to see.
And how do you deal with these semi trucks? At first I was happy to follow a pack of trucks because they carved a good path for my own wheels. But having a big truck behind me was claustrophobic. Twice I crawled down the mountain side to see the headlights in my rear-view mirror growing stronger brighter and closer. Was he sliding? Has he lost control of his truck? For a full hour I tried to maintain a healthy space between the semi in front of me and the semi behind me. It’s not enough to keep your own car on the road–you have anticipate everyone else on the road.
I believe that was the most persistently scary thing I’ve encountered as an adult. In between Payson and Phoenix the snow turned to rain and all Candyce and I could do was to gush about how relieved we were to be alive. It was surreal to eat pizza and watch the end of the Suns’ game in the comfort of our own home. Because just two hours before, we didn’t know if we’d be alive.
We got up early the next morning to go to Mass to thank God for taking care of us. It’s crazy how an experience like that can weld a close relationship even tighter. We hug each other more than we did last week.
A couple weeks ago I celebrated my 30th birthday in San Diego. Candyce and I left Norah in the care of Grandmother and three aunts and we headed to downtown to enjoy a night in the city. We had dinner at Café Chloe, a charming French restaurant in the East Village. After exploring downtown arm-in-arm, we drove to Little Italy to have espresso. It was a cold and foggy night and we seemed like the only couple on the street. We enjoyed the solitude–the city was our own.
Shortly after Candyce and I got back into Phoenix, my mom, dad, and grandmother arrived in town. They enjoyed meeting their new grand daughter. We had a great time hanging out over the long weekend. (As usual, Dad helped me finish some odd jobs around the house: repaired tiles on the step, finished wiring hallway light switch, and patched a drywall hole in the wall.)
Now I am in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona for my “official” 30th birthday celebration. I feel like joining a new decade of life warrants a reflection on the previous decade. It would take too long to write something profound and life-changing for a reader, but I have too much going on to do something that noble. So instead I’ll just record the random thoughts spinning in my head in the two weeks since I turned 30:
1. I refuse to complain about aging because it is in poor taste.
There’s nothing more pathetic than claiming that 30 is the new 20. It sounds absurd and foolish, because trying to live in someone else’s decade is just that—absurd and foolish. It smells of insecurity. Act your own age.
Don’t misunderstand me: if you are 50 and you feel as optimistic, energetic, and passionate as when you were 20, that’s fine. Good for you. I hope to be just like you some day! But I’m not going to assemble a lifestyle so that a stranger would assume I am younger than I actually am. I’m 30 and proud of it. Afterall, someone around here have to act like a grown up.
2. Humor is a gift.
Like most gifts, humor can be misused. Don’t use your humor to tear other people down. Negative humor like sarcasm causes distrust which will make you lose friends. If you can be funny and positive at the same time, you’ll be a happier person and you’ll make more friends.
3. Fame was very good to me.
I was able to travel the world and help people. If you find yourself famous some day, I encourage you to do the same. Fame, like most things in life, is temporary. (Very few people will live and die famous.) You will have every chance to use your fame to delight in the pleasures of the world, but you soon the spotlight will pass and you’ll be left to reconcile who you were when the world was watching.
4. Diversify your investment portfolio.
No really. Do it. If you are afraid to pull your money out of market because the returns are so dazzling, then you are probably in a bubble.
5. Everyone needs compassion.
Here’s the deal: we all have flaws. That’s right, all of us. And which one of us doesn’t need more compassion? Try not to judge others. It is impossible to judge someone one and love them at the same time. I’ve tried, and believe me, it doesn’t work that way. If someone is being aggressive or spiteful towards me, I learned to first greet them with compassion. Compassion has a unique ability to disarm hostility.
6. I have no tolerance for arrogant people.
Arrogance is a tool for an insecure person to become the center of attention, surrounded by other insecure people who need their approval. There is nothing fun or life-giving in those circles of friends. What is ironic about arrogance is that anyone can be arrogant. Anyone! There are no requirements for success, charm, intelligence, or life experience. You just have to wake up one day and decide that you are better than everyone else and start to treat others poorly. If you choose to be arrogant, we won’t be hanging out together.
7. It’s good to be a fan.
Following a sports team adds richness to you life. It connects you to your city and to other people. Becoming a fan of the Phoenix Suns has given me countless good parties with good people watching a good team. What more could you want? Just be sure to “diversify” your sports portfolio so you aren’t disheartened when your one-and-only team doesn’t win the championship. Cheer for several teams and you’re guaranteed an occasion to celebrate each year.
8. Tattoos last forever.
Your taste will change over the years, and you want to have a tattoo that you can be proud of in each decade of your life. I have found little evidence that your interests in high school and college are worth commemorating in a tattoo. There’s no shame in waiting till later in life to get a tattoo. If after much thought you’re positive that you want to get a tattoo, save up a lot of money so you can hire a talented tattoo artist. This is a piece of artwork that you will keep for a lifetime, so it’s worth getting the best.
9. Very few people today seek truth.
People are very proud of their opinions and they will share them often, even if they don’t know what they are talking about. You get a high when you share an opinion. You feel important, smart, and powerful all at once. I have not met many people who have enough fortitude to slow down and learn about an issue before they form an opinion.
What makes things worse is that people often adopt opinions for no other reason than because it’s a popular opinion. Now you’re not just one person who feels important, smart, and powerful, but a member of a crowd that is important, smart, and powerful. We are a gregarious species. I can’t imagine we’re going to progress as a society if our discourse is a popularity contest and not a means by which we uncover truth.
10. I love Candyce.
I didn’t think I would wait so long before I got married, but I am glad that I was patient and waiting for the right one. Candyce is beautiful friend that I am very happy to spend my life with. What could be better than going on a date everyday? I cannot understand why people complain about their spouses. I mean, aren’t you the one that chose to marry that person?
11. I love being a father.
A guy cannot understand himself fully until he becomes a father. Males have traits that are not appreciated in the life of a single 20-something. But as you hold your newborn baby, those traits rise to the surface, and you become twice the man you were the day before. It’s an exhilarating transition.
I don’t have an attic to remodel, but if I did, I’d take some design cues from two projects that I’ve discovered from Desert Living Magazine and This Old House Magazine. Click on the thumbnails below…and don’t miss the comments at the bottom.
If you are eager to get started on your own attic project, take some time to consider how to make the space functional. It’s easy to clean boxes of Christmas ornaments out of the attic and then hang some drywall to make the space look like a room. But to re-purpose your attic as a comfortable living space requires smart planning.
Summary: Do you homework! An attic remodel might seem less intimidating than building an addition to your home, but that doesn’t mean a homeowner should hurry into the project. With smart decisions and good planning, you can save time and money. Plus you’ll gain usable space that will be fun for your whole family.
The news is buzzing around town that Raja Bell is no longer a member of the Phoenix Suns. This is what was published on azcentral.com this afternoon:
The Suns acquired dynamic shooting guard Jason Richardson today in a trade with the Charlotte Bobcats that will also bring second-year forward Jared Dudley and a 2010 second-round draft choice to the Suns in exchange for shooting guard Raja Bell, forward Boris Diaw and rookie point guard Sean Singletary.
Raja Bell will be missed. He’s a hard working and down-to-earth player who is very good with the fans. Everyone I know who likes the Suns thinks that given the opportunity, they would become good friends with Raja and his family. Some would say this is the delusion that all sports fans share, but they’re missing the fact that fans rarely connect with the players on the court. Does anyone remember who went with Shawn Marion to Miami in the big trade for Shaq a mere 10 months ago?
Exactly.
As for Boris Diaw… He had a great year in Phoenix shortly after he was acquired from Atlanta–the same year he was awarded the Most Improved Player in the league. Since then his impact on the team is unclear. Commentators love to gush praises about his versatility, but it’s hard for a fan to connect with a player if he’s terrified of shooting the ball. I like a good passer as much as anyone else, but after a few years of watching Boris in a Suns jersey, he starts too look like an overpaid coward. In contrast, Raja Bell was an underpaid warrior. You could see his passion for the game and his desire to win everytime he stepped onto the court. He wanted the victory as much as the fans.
That is why I wasn’t surprised to see the results of the Arizona Republic poll this afternoon that 34% will miss Raja, and only 3% will miss Boris Diaw.
It’s too early to know how Richardson and Dudley will fit into Steve Kerr and Terry Porter’s blueprint for a championship. But it’s clear that today the city of Phoenix has lost one of it’s hometown favorites. So Raja if you are reading, know that the city will welcome you back when you’re ready to retire from basketball get involved in the community. My wife told me that she would like to have your family over for dinner.
*Answer: Marcus Banks, the $4,000,000/yr bench warmer
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