Words & Banter

Keeping A Ferrari Engine Secret?

Exotic Car Hacks Ferrari 30 Buyers Guide


red headred head assets.rebelmouse.io

I hope you know that I immediately thought of you when I read that Axios article you sent me about keeping financial secrets from your spouse.


Black's HeadBlack assets.rebelmouse.io

Why me? I sent it to you because the survey supports my position that people in serious relationships should exchange credit reports so that there are no surprises. Not to mention, they need to be open and honest about money.


red headred head assets.rebelmouse.io

Well, it reminded me of how you told me about lying to your husband when you blew your Ferrari engine. It was years ago, but I’ll never forget it. In fact, I still laugh and shake my head in amazement.


Black's HeadBlack assets.rebelmouse.io

You really do need to get a life.

red headred head assets.rebelmouse.io


Admit it, there aren’t too many people that have “replace Ferrari engine” as a line item on their credit card bill or monthly budget.

Black's HeadBlack assets.rebelmouse.io


Well, it was not a planned expenditure. Although when the engine blew on the racetrack, I was prepared in terms of knowing where to safely pull over and quickly exit the car.

red headred head assets.rebelmouse.io


Of course, you were. But, at what point did you decide to lie to your husband about the cost of the engine? I still don’t know how much that engine cost, but he could easily afford to replace it. He was already paying for you to race Ferraris. So, why did you choose to pay for half of it yourself?

Black's HeadBlack assets.rebelmouse.io


Trust me, even half was a big number. And, the 360 Ferrari Challenge had one of the best V-8 engines they ever made.

red headred head assets.rebelmouse.io


You’re avoiding the question.

Black's HeadBlack assets.rebelmouse.io


When we got married, he made sure to keep all our assets totally separate. He knew I had some money of my own, although nothing on the magnitude of his, so it was not like I was hiding money. My racing was already costing him so much, so I thought paying half was the least I could do.

red headred head assets.rebelmouse.io


But did you tell him that, or just lead him to believe that his “half” was the “full” amount?

Black's HeadBlack assets.rebelmouse.io


What difference does it make?

red headred head assets.rebelmouse.io


Is there a reason you didn’t want him to know you were trying to be considerate? Especially because when I went through my crisis, you always talked about the importance of having open and honest communication, especially about money.

Black's HeadBlack assets.rebelmouse.io


I still feel that way, but a conversation requires more than one person. Since I handled most of his money for him, including the interface with his wealth managers and tax accountants, he made it very clear there was nothing more to discuss. And, any time I tried to bring up the topic of money, he would cut me off and just say, “Everything’s great.”


red headred head assets.rebelmouse.io

Well, it was. At least financially.


Black's HeadBlack assets.rebelmouse.io

Yes, if you only look at the numbers. But, we had very different attitudes toward money, and that was something he would not discuss. Many people, regardless of financial status, are not comfortable talking about money.


red headred head assets.rebelmouse.io

I know my natural tendency is to avoid what I perceive as difficult conversations, which definitely includes money, but surely not everyone feels the way I do.


Black's HeadBlack assets.rebelmouse.io

Initially, did you avoid financial conversations because you felt intimidated and confused, or because you were trying to avoid conflict?


red headred head assets.rebelmouse.io

Back then, both. Now that I have a better understanding of money, it’s just an awkward topic. Especially since most people don’t talk, they argue, about it.


Black's HeadBlack assets.rebelmouse.io

Or, keep secrets or avoid the topic entirely. Which may seem “helpful” in the short term but are not long-term solutions.


red headred head assets.rebelmouse.io

Says the woman who ultimately got divorced. So, tell me, if you had to do it over again, would you have handled the situation with the Ferrari engine any differently?


Black's HeadBlack assets.rebelmouse.io

Hindsight should be 20-20. Looking back, there were probably things I could have done to avoid blowing the engine.

OK, we have to give credit where credit is due … When Black first envisioned “Red & Black” (before she even let Red know that she was turning her crisis into a book — a brand — a business), she thought it could be a sitcom. Because all successful sitcoms are relationship-based. However, years later, at a meeting with Hasbro, they said they thought our sitcom concept would work better as animation. So, thank you, Hasbro!

ANIMATION … MADE THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY: FRAME-BY-FRAME

We worked with an industry-renowned animation firm based in Austin, and from the start — beginning with character development — we felt like they “got us” and captured our personalities in our animated “creatures.” But we never realized the incredible amount of work that goes into creating animation (including storyboards and animatics)! And the long lead time between concept/script and final product.

Plus, we decided that the voices of the “animated” Red and Black needed to be done by us. We wish we had videoed the sessions in the sound booth as Red’s theater degree kicked in and she got almost everything in the first take. And Black? Well, she sounded more like a robot than a robot. (Talk about someone who can’t be scripted!)

AND USED IN A WAY THAT WORKS TODAY

We started with the key stories that people seem to love (or at least seem entertained by) at speaking engagements. But even before they were done, we were presented with an opportunity we never expected. The Greater Houston Partnership’s UpSkill Houston initiative asked us to create a Red & Black Soft Skills Animation Series.

It wasn’t long before Red's daughter, Sawyer, told us we needed to do some very short animated "teasers" … so Black said, "Great. Go for it. And, keep track of your hours.” She took the final versions of our animation and started creating teasers for our website.

In late 2025, we hired a social media “guru”, and she started creating content using the animation for our Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages. Which, we’re thrilled to announce, have far exceeded our expectations.

WHAT ABOUT AI? DO YOU PLAN TO USE IT TO GENERATE ANIMATIONS?

This question seems to be on many people’s minds.

Short answer: No.

Longer answer: We’re committed to supporting the real-world creative community. Does that mean we’ll never use AI to generate animations? (For an amusing story on how wrong AI got our “creatures”, see this LinkedIn post that got over 15,000 views.) Well, at the point in time we can provide AI with “scripts”, and it can generate new animation that’s consistent with our current animation, then yes. Or, at least, yes, we might seriously consider it.

WANT MORE ANIMATION?

Click ANIMATION for an assortment of “teasers” from our longer stories, while more, including ones from our social media posts, will be loaded on a regular basis. And, of course, they’ll be scattered throughout this site based on subject matter.

Plus, we’ll probably “sneak preview” the full animated stories on our weekly newsletter, so …

Register for our newsletter on the “sticky bar” at the bottom of the page.

P.S. – For those of you who've met us or seen us at speaking engagements, we'd love to know if you think the animators have accurately captured us! (You can email us at Banter@RedandBlack.email.)

- YouTube

Ever feel like no one listens to you? Red probably feels that way more than she cares to admit.

This series of animated videos was developed for The Greater Houston Partnership's UpSkill Houston initiative. They're updating their website, but due to popular demand for these videos, we're making them (and the associated copy) available on our site:

Soft skills are key to successful careers.

Certain technical skills may be required for specific careers or in particular industries. But there are other skills that are necessary regardless of industry, career or work setting. They’re becoming more important as technology evolves and changes the way people work. These skills are called soft skills and knowing how to recognize and demonstrate them is crucial.

UpSkill Houston and Red & Black have partnered to highlight many of the soft skills that are key to career success, all of which are transferable between industries, as well as in your personal life. Learn what these skills are, how you can develop them, and how to apply them in career settings.

  • WHAT ARE SOFT SKILLS? Employability Skills. 21st Century Skills. Life Skills. Whatever you call them, skills such as problem solving, gratitude and communication are the skills employers continually look for in employees.
  • COMMUNICATION SKILLS: Communication affects almost everything and everyone. But do you know what communication really means?
  • CREATIVE THINKING: Think creativity only applies to areas like writing, music and art? See where creativity really fits within a business, organization or team.
  • CRITICAL THINKING: What exactly is critical thinking? Learn how developing critical thinking skills can help you progress in your career.
  • GRATITUDE & APPRECIATION: You might not think expressing gratitude and appreciation are skills that apply in business. But they are skills that can actually drive business success.
  • GROWTH MINDSET: The world — and the workplace — are rapidly changing. See what it means to have a growth mindset, and why employers value it.
  • PERSONAL FINANCE: See how learning to manage your personal money can affect your performance at work and, by extension, the performance of your workplace as a whole.
  • PROBLEM SOLVING: Problem solving means more than just addressing a challenge after it occurs. Learn what else it means and why employers value problem solvers.
  • RESEARCH & ANALYTICAL SKILLS: It is more than surfing the internet. Finding accurate and credible information that you can analyze and summarize are highly valuable skills in many jobs and occupations.
  • RESUME WRITING: Companies hire people to satisfy a need or help solve a problem, and a resume is a place to highlight the relevant skills you have that meet that need or solve that problem. Learn what to focus on when writing your resume.
  • SAFETY MINDSET: Working safely is important regardless of your work environment. Learn why having a safety mindset benefits you, your employer and those around you.
  • SILO BUSTING: Many companies operate multiple departments, divisions or groups, which may not always collaborate or work together. Learn what it means to break a “silo” in a work setting and how doing it can improve the workflow around you.
  • TEAMWORK: Being able to work on a team is as important in a work setting as it is while playing sports. See what skills can help move a project forward and drive success.