Motorbikes and Tattoo's (what else is new)

I have so much catching up to do on my beloved photo blog... and on this... abused, left-for-forgotten blog.

The good news is that from the grades I've gotten back so far, I can tell I'm not going to need to worry about changing the "3.7" I got tattooed a couple of weeks back. So far all A's and one B+. My 3.754 may actually go up a smidgen!

The bad news... I'm am not stuck in that college-graduate-young-adult-responsibilities-versus-fun state of mind. Wes and I visited his cousin yesterday and looked at her motorbike. It's a 1995 Suzuki GS500E that she bought brand new (15ish years ago). There are only 5,700 miles on it though! Apparently, she got into an "accident" on it a few years back and never really bothered to get back on. She fixed it and all... but just let it sit. Which is probably the worst thing she could've done because now this visually stunning little beaut doesn't work. She'll start up, but there's smoke and stuttering and I guess it stalls out when you push the throttle at all. Wes is pretty sure he can fix it (and I'm sure he can too). She was going to pay to have it fixed, an estimated $400, and then sell it to us for $1,000. Wes told her that he was confident in his ability to fix it (seeing as how his bike had been in a thousand and one pieces only a few months ago) and she said, "ok, fine. As is for $750." Which... doesn't make any sense? But whatever. She's family so he doesn't feel comfortable haggling.

So then the question: Is it worth spending a possible months rent on a motorbike for me? I am completely happy riding on the back of Wes's, but I sure that I would looooove having my own. Plus, it would just be the $750 up-front. No monthly payments. And insurance would be, what? $50 a year? Pft. But then, you have to take into consideration the 'rents. The parents, that is. Wes' parents make scowling faces at us whenever we leave the house. I work a lot. But I don't make a lot. So, even working 40 hours a week for $8/hour, I make enough to pay for my car (payment, insurance, gas), my credit card payment, my ring payment, and Wes' parents monthly rent fees. All said and done, I have diddly squat left. I've been able to put a few hundred dollars in there... but it's still measly. Either way though, we get the pressure about moving out and blah blah blah.

Look: I could have all the money in the world saved up. BUT if I'm not bringing in enough to support my current lifestyle, that money will run out sooner rather than later. That was part of the problem before. I got a (small) student loan out to pay for rent while we lived in Gwynedd, but we didn't make enough to live without that money. I do NOT want that to happen again. I am not going to deplete my savings on first and last month and security deposit and have nothing left for the following month. I need to make sure that what we're bringing in will let us live without tapping into what we've been able to save.

That said, some people (cough) just don't seem to grasp that concept. They just think that it's saving up money now to live off of later. That's STUPID and it didn't work before... so why would it work now?

To return to my initial point... can we justify pulling $750 together for a motorbike? Keep in mind, this is an extremely good deal for a motorcycle such as this. Even though it's un-ridable, it's still a steal. But the pressure to move out is overwhelming at times... even though we've been told that there is "no pressure."

So... I have a plan! First, I would like to get my permit and have Wes and I take the free motorcycle courses that PA offers. There is classroom and motorbike time. I want to get the feel for it and make sure it's something that I'll enjoy as much as I think I'll enjoy it. Then, as the end of the class, you can take your test and get your motorcycle licence. That would be doubley good for Wes and I to have. By the time all that happens, we'll have hopefully figured out my job situation and our living establishments and know if we can spare $750. If I do indeed love to ride and we do indeed have the money, I honestly don't see why it wouldn't be a good idea to buy. Worse comes to worse, we buy it, spend a few hundred dollars to fix it and turn around and sell it for $2,000.

We'll see... there are just too many variable to consider right now... too many things can could go one way or another.

*sigh* at least there is no hurry to make a decision. That really helps the situation.

P.S.
The new tattoo is feeling great and I love it more and more!! It's my first visible one so it's a really big deal to me. Lynette's seems to be going well too. The healing process can be uncomfortable but she's handling everything very well. Yay!

I have my next one planned: portrait of Da Vinci with the quote "Simplicity is Ultimate Sophistication." Lovely!