It sounds like you are in a comfortable spot to get a cool bike. Check EBay, as annoying as it is, there are some good deals there. Are you able to build up a bike? Read: are you handy? You could save some dough and customize your components.
One thing a friend pointed out and I would recommend; always ride with some sort of lock, so if (and let's hope not) you get clipped somehow, you may have to leave the bike behind, then a little U-lock is worth the weight.