New Outside Column That Will Make You Rich!

Here's my latest Outside column, which is about how owning (or leasing) a car is like going through life half-drunk:


On top of that, if you're also a moderate drinker, you're basically going through life totally drunk.

Not that I follow my own advice, mind you.  Last weekend I loaded up The Car The Bank Owns Until I Finish Paying Them Back and did a mountain bike race in New Jersey.  On top of the registration fee I also spent money for fossil fuels and tolls, not to mention the amount of time I spent sitting on my ass in the car--at least an hour of which involved waiting to cross the George Washington Bridge back into New York City.

In the end, I probably spent like $100 and six hours just to ride my bicycle for an hour and 20 minutes, when in the same amount of time I could have woken up early, hopped on the Jones, and done an "epic" ride up to Blue Mountain and back.

Not that I regret the race, mind you--it's a fun course, and sometimes you've got to put a number on your bike and quantify just how badly you suck--but it's also important to quantify the resources you've squandered in order to do so.

And keep in mind I didn't even address the period of time during which I owned a Saab.  Had I sidestepped that pitfall my net worth would probably be at least 50% greater than it is now.  (My current net worth is two (2) Jones bicycle and the hatchet Grant Petersen sent me.)

I really should build a bike around that hatchet...