Thanks Noah

Track Day Pics

Yesterday, I went to a track day to meet some people, check out cars, and watch them race. It was a good day.

But the thing that really opened my eyes was the fact that on a day that had Lancer Evos, WRX STIs, several M3s, some car called a "Noble", and various other turbo charged modded out autos... the fastest car I saw out there was an older Honda Civic. Driven by Noah.

It takes skilz.

One of the things I absolutely hated in snowboarding was when some new kid would go out and buy a thousand dollars worth of brand new snowboarding equipment for his FIRST day on the mountain. That gear isn't going to make you better. In fact, I would much rather use a 5 year old, beat up old board on my first day. Because no matter what, it's going to get scratched. And chances are, you'll hate the sport and never come back.

That's why I appreciated Noah. He was even nice enough to take me for a few spins around the track. It was intense. He was a pro at it, and I could tell he loved just being out there. My heart was pounding, and then I was getting sick because I had JUST finished eating a hot dog. But it was worth it.

To be honest, I was disappointed in myself yesterday. As we approached the ferry dock headed for Bremerton, I was right behind Noah's Civic (and hadn't met him yet). And then Mike pulled up right behind me in his Integra. So I was surrounded by a Civic and an Integra and remember thinking, "Okay, so today we're going to watch an Integra and a Civic race. Yay."

Little did I know that those would be 2 of the fastest cars on the track that day. MAN those guys can drive. Before yesterday, I thought the fastest car would be whoever had the fastest car. I didn't take into account the skills of the drivers.

So the lesson I learned... You gotta learn the skills. Every sport, every interest, every hobby. You don't just go into something thinking you know everything. Even though I've been driving (on the roads) for just about 10 years now, there's still a lot to learn when it comes to racing on a track.

I'm looking forward to it.

My Financial Life Turned Upside Down

My whole life I thought it was better to own than lease. And that it was better to pay off your credit cards in one big chunk instead of making payments. I believed all those financial people on TV who would say these things.

But I think they're wrong. Especially for people who operate a business.

Now, the following probably won't apply to anyone who works for another company since you can't deduct your expenses from your annual income.

I just got my IRS tax bill. I owe more in 2005 than I made in 2004. It's THAT bad. The problem is, that I just don't have enough deductions. I searched everywhere, I deducted mileage, and part of my home that is dedicated to business use, and so on. Advertising, entertaining clients, printing, postage, signs, office equipment, websites, and on and on and on. Property taxes, mortgage interest, anything I could think of.

But then I was told by my accountant that if I lease a vehicle, I could deduct those monthly payments. And that if I pay interest on credit cards, that I could write off that interest. She said that those deductions end up being the BIG ones for most people.

So I'm being penalized for owning my cars and paying my credit cards on time? I guess I am and I don't really have a problem with that. It's not going to make me go out and buy a car that I can't afford, or to start making minimum payments on my credit cards just to get hit with $100s in interest.

But now it makes sense why people leased cars and paid only part of their credit card balances, even those people that are extremely wealthy.

I may have to change the way I think about finances. Esepcially since I don't enjoy writing huge checks for the IRS.