Shamelessly ganked from Facebook (which I'm sure was ganked from somewhere else):

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

• The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
• The fifth would pay $1.
• The sixth would pay $3.
• The seventh would pay $7.
• The eighth would pay $12.
• The ninth would pay $18.
• The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. 'Since you are all such good customers, he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20. Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

• The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
• The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).
• The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
• The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
• The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
• The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

'I only got a dollar out of the $20', declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,' but he got $10!'

'Yeah, that's right', exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!' 'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'

'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.

This month marks an interesting anniversary for me. It's hard to believe it has been three years!

Three years ago, I was on top of the world. I had just started school, with law school ambitions clearly in sight, and I was excited about it. I had just discovered the school's workout facilities, and was finally working to manage my weight problem. The burden of my heavy financial debt had turned, and I was no longer having to scrimp and save to make ends meet. I had a girlfriend, and I was in love.

It was truly a high point in my life. However, at the time my happiness was built like a house of cards... little did I know that it would only take six months to bring it all crashing down. All of it.

That was still in the "before time." The high point didn't teach me much, but I did learn a lot in the six months that followed.

I've learned I couldn't have continued down that road. I know that now.

So, what's changed? Right now, I'm not quite back on top... yet I'm at a higher point than I was three years ago. I'm within sight of a bachelor's degree which has proven quite elusive for so many years, although law school may no longer be the goal. I've worked out regularly and examined my nutrition and while I've lapsed a bit in the last six months, I know what it will take to get myself back to where I was a year ago... at my lightest weight since eighth grade and in the best shape of my life... AND I'm determined to get back there; however I believe my weight problem is mostly under control. The burden of my heavy financial debt is turning, and I no longer have to scrimp and save to make ends meet, which means I've regained control from the extreme depression I experienced... and tried to buy my way out of. I don't have a girlfriend, and I'm not in love... but I've managed to find friendship from both of those women.

Wait... check that.

I am in love. What makes all the difference is that I've learned how to love myself, to accept myself. I am a hundred times the person I was in the before time. I've found happiness within my mere existence, totally independent of outside stimuli.

Because of that, I know I will never truly be on "top" of anything... except where I was yesterday. I still have nowhere to go but up, and that prospect is thrilling! I have friends who love and care about me, girlfriends who love and care about me, and it all came from within!

I know. Right?

Amazing! Who knew?

Today, I met my representative in the U.S. House, and enjoyed talking with her. There is one thing she said that stands out, because my degree will lend itself to entering the political arena.

She said that she didn't enter politics to be political, she entered politics because she was angry about what was happening, and she wanted to do something about it. She entered politics to affect policy. Because of that, she loves her job.

I totally admire that. It shouldn't be about political beliefs... it should be about the people and the policies.

Hopefully, someday it will be... one politician at a time.

What i'm listening to:

Push
Madonna
Confessions on a Dance Floor

It seems like I’ve only found time to blog when I’m sitting in an airport waiting for a plane. Weird.

Summer is almost over. That makes me happy. It seems odd, because I used to love the summertime in Wyoming and Arizona, but in Kansas... and currently in Georgia, I just really don’t care for the oppressive mugginess. It’s just gross when you get out of the shower and start sweating. It’s unconvenient to have your shades fog up when you get out of the car. Plus, muggy heat makes me sleepy.

This summer has all but reversed the trend of the last two summers. I’ve almost got my old body back... at least around the middle. I’m still down thirty pounds from my peak, but I need to be motivated to hit the gym. It’s frustrating because I’m heavy enough now to where I’m breathing hard enough during workouts to discourage me. I’ve been watching what I eat, but I’m not sure exactly what to do from here.

Anyway, at least I’m not crawling back into my shell. I’ve had a blast this past week in the south, and I must say that these Georgia girls have been delightful! The past couple of nights, I’ve managed to wander into a birthday party each night and I’ve had a lot of fun with the girls at the parties. Now, that wouldn’t have happened two years ago!

I’m finding out some new qualities I never knew I had. I guess you could say I’ve always been selective, but I’ve always felt I had to settle in the past. Now, as I’m talking to the girls I meet, I’m qualifying them... and they always try to become qualified. However, if they’re annoying, I’m strong enough to walk away. If we have nothing in common, again, I’ll leave. If we vibe well, I can stay in the conversation for hours.

I’ve come a long way, that’s for sure. Now I just need to determine exactly what I’m looking for... because as long as I don’t know what I want, it’s hard to determine what I’ll get.

At least I’m finally strong enough to figure it out and stick with it!

What i'm listening to:

Jeremy
Pearl Jam
Ten

Ok, so I've been making some observations about my body. You see, I've been bad... really bad, actually... about hitting the gym. I finally made my way in Tuesday, and had my first workout since my Greek adventure.

That's three and a half months, for anyone who cares. A lifetime of bad habits building there.

On top of that, I haven't been eating the best things for me. I discovered I have a weakness for such foods as Fig Newtons, Twinkies, Zingers, and Girl Scout Cookies.

I learned while I was working out regularly that I could get away with eating anything. My appetite came back strong, and my waist continued to shrink.

Well, even though I never managed to find time to workout for one reason or another the entire summer, my appetite didn't wane. Yesterday, I weighed in at 172 lbs., 15 pounds over my low point from last year, one pound under my weight when I discovered I had dropped so much from the before time, and still about thirty pounds under where I was three years ago.

The latter is good. The rest? Not so much. At least I still have my fat pants, because the clothes I've bought over the last couple of years are a bit tight around the waist.

So, I need to make the conscious effort... more time in the gym, watch what I eat in the interim (and cut some things out entirely), and strive to eat regularly.

Another discovery I've made in the last month is how lousy some food makes me feel. It's been easy to cut out diet soda and twinkies... because consuming them just zapped me. It'll be ok to splurge occasionally, when I can ensure it will only be occasionally.

I'm confident I'll get back on track, but it's going to take some time to re-instill the good habits.

What i'm listening to:

Disturbia
Rihanna
Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded

Perhaps the only perk of my job is finding out when certain cool things happen around town. For instance, Tuesday I learned that “Birdie, the Early Bird” was going to appear today at a local McDonald’s from 7:30 am to 10 am.

Of course, I was thinking that would make for the perfect picture for Facebook and MySpace... so I set my alarm early, set the camera out and went to bed at a normal hour last night.

And naturally, the elements have conspired against me. I’ve had insomnia since I’ve been back from Europe... and I’m averaging 2-4 hours of sleep a night... which usually doesn’t begin until around 3 am. Last night was no exception. It is SO fun tossing and turning, being too hot, then too cold, reading, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, and NOT falling asleep.

So, when seven rolled around, I wasn’t really interested in getting up. Besides, I had until 10, right? I hit the snooze and dozed a bit longer.

Finally, I’m up at 8:30, still groggy and using Excedrin to jump start my day. I run through the shower and decide to shave. My bathroom faucet is leaky, and I’ve not had time to fix it (although you’d think I’d have plenty with the insomnia and stuff), so I turn the water on and off below the vanity before and after I use the sink. Fine, throw everything together, check email, and I’m out the door at 9:35. Since it only takes five minutes to get to that McDonald’s from my house, I should be ok! I still think it’s a cool idea for a Facebook photo!

I didn’t count on the train sitting parked on the tracks between hither and yawn. I don’t even wait, I U-turn and head through downtown.

Now, at this point, I should mention that in the city of Topeka, a traffic signal isn’t doing it’s job unless it has collected at least a dozen cars to no cross traffic. Today was no exception.

At 9:50, I’m a block away and I see that the road is closed to through traffic... fine, I dart through the adjacent parking lot. Yep, the road work runs past it too, so I have to turn around and skirt around a couple more blocks to get there.

I walk into McDonald’s at 9:55... no sign of Birdie anywhere. Naturally. While it was a cool idea, it’s not worth getting my knickers in a twist, and I get to order breakfast (which was part of the original plan anyway).

Now, if I were naturally a morning person, or I were sleeping normally, I might find some irony in missing the “early bird,” but I don’t think anyone who knows me would/could have expected otherwise. Morning, I’m not at my best, and I’m chronically late before 10 am anyway. C’est la vie.

What i'm listening to:

I Kissed a Girl
Katy Perry
One of the Boys

So, what has changed since I started blogging... besides my apparent recent lack of interest in blogging.

I’ve grown as a person. I’m less narcissistic, which means I’m less needy and feel whole. This was an absolutely essential transition I needed to make. To think that someone else “completes you” is utter rubbish. Something else... even more so!

Honestly, I now know you have to find yourself and be content with yourself before you can have any successful relationship... which will significantly raise the bar for any potential mate I choose to hook up with.

I’ve learned how to stop worrying. It is absolutely amazing how not worrying about all these little things that are out of my control has affected my mood swings. It seems that the line “just smile a little smile and say, ‘I never did mind about the little things,’” was spot on.

I’m learning to detach myself from outcome. Ah, the joys of having an analytical mind. I see a girl I’d like to get to know better... and off it runs! Within seconds, my mind has processed everything that can happen in my interaction with the young lady, which only succeeds in idealizing her, petrifying me... and we both lose. Getting to know her is the object, why speculate on what may or may not happen?

After all, why would I want to spend a lot of time with someone with a bangin’ body if she’s annoying the piss out of me?

I’ve changed my attitude on dating. I think it is sad that so many couples have one date and like each other just enough to become exclusive! Tell me, what’s wrong with meeting new girls every night, seeing four or five, and having the one you enjoy most eventually standing out? Really, wouldn’t this lead to a lower divorce rate if people would play the field more... and realize there isn’t anything wrong with it?

I don’t care what others think. This is totally non-narcissistic... because the narcissist needs others approval to even survive. I know this first hand, so this is a strange new territory for me. What’s simply amazing is the fact that by not caring whether I offend people or not, I’m more genuine, and more attractive. Who knew?

So, will I continue blogging with so little negativity in my life? Time will tell.

What i'm listening to:

Identified
Vanessa Hudgins
Identified

Oddly, it's not a craving. I haven't been hungry at all for a couple of weeks.

Ok, that's a different story. Whenever there's drama in my life... even stupid drama... I lose my appetite and just don't have any cravings.

As a result, my stomach is much smaller right now, and I find I'm not even munching... with one exception.

I cannot seem to stop shovelling food into my mouth at work.

I've read that is a sign that it's time to find something new. I know that is true, but I can't put down the damned 3 Musketeers bar at work. By the end of the day, I've consumed enough crap that I just crash when I get home. The corporate machine at work, I suppose... sapping my will to go on and my strength to leave.

Somehow, I must find a way... my long term health and finances depend on it!

What i'm listening to:

Ms. Hilton
The Penfifteen Club
Feel It

I've been having a lot of fun asking girls I meet to guess my age when they ask. Overall, I've been pleasantly surprised. A few have nailed it, but others have taken almost ten years off of my life.

Not too bad, right?

This morning, I must admit that I was bored and avoiding coming in to work, so I was poking around MySpace. I made some new friends on my trip to Greece, and I wanted to see if I should friend them up.

Then I had an impulse... spurred by a dream I had last night and a Bill Withers song stuck in my head, so I looked up that girl from high school. You know, the one who just makes the rest of the world disappear. The one with the gorgeous body, those amazingly soft lips, those doe-y brown eyes that penetrate your soul.

Yeah, that one.

Now, I'd like to think that I'm not terribly shallow, although I am obviously shallow to a point. After all, there has to be a reason I seem to have an entourage of 23-year-old girls everywhere I go.

She doesn't look a day under forty. Here I am being told I look like I'm 27... I guess maybe there is some truth to the "fountain of youth" benefits of living in a humid climate!

I must say I'm a bit shocked... and numb. I don't really know how I feel about this.

Oh well, I'm sure I'll get over it. However, I've been wondering about getting in touch with her. Should I? I've been curious... after all we were close for four years during high school.

Or should I just let the past lie? That's been working well for me lately as well...

What i'm listening to:

Cradle of Love
Billy Idol
Charmed Life

Sifnos, Saturday

Sifnos is my favorite island. Everything here is very laid back, and all of the locals ensure they get a few hours of beach time every day. Why shouldn’t they? The beach here is fabulous, soft white sand, shallow water for about 200 meters, and not too crowded!

Of course, en route for Sifnos we had a layover between ferries on Folegandros. The island was described as barren, and indeed it seemed small, barren and hot. There wasn’t much in the port villa: a couple of groceries and a couple of tavernas... not really any eating worth reporting about, but the hospitality still holds to what we expect from the Greeks. Folegandros has the most beautiful beach of the trip. The beach is surrounded by a cliff, and looking off the cliff you can see all the way down to the bottom of the ever-so-slight blue/crystal clear water. Only a small smattering of golden sun worshippers lying out, and a few swimmers in the water add some activity, yet compliment the serenity of the scene rather than disturb it. There’s even a small island within swimming distance of the beach! The true highlight among the cycladic beaches and truly a hidden treasure in Greece... not overrun with tourists, at least this time of year.

We shared the flight from Philadelphia to Athens with another university group of about thirty students on a five week tour of Greece. On Sifnos, our paths crossed again. Their journey started with the islands and will finish with the mainland, almost the perfect mirror of our trip, but instead of visiting Crete, they spent a few days on Naxos which we did not.

I enjoyed sharing a few drinks with a spirited girl named "M" and her sorority sister "C" from Ball State in Indiana, and exchanged contact information so we can exchange photos of what we missed. Tomorrow, there is a Donkey Cross event involving both enduro motorcycles and donkeys, but we will be long gone on our slow ferry by then, so I’ll have to count on M to tell me all about it.

One observation I’ve made is there are a lot of foreign girls working on Sifnos. Our lovely maid, "F", is living here from Romania. She is a university student just wrapping up her exams, an avid soccer fan and clearly takes in a couple of hours on the beach every day. After meeting a few of F’s friends, I discovered one was from Australia, and there were many from Romania.

Then there was, "K", the bartender at the captain was a lovely blonde from Tulsa who’s lived on the island for nine years. We talked for quite a while over a few drinks.

I finally experienced some Greek nightclub life in Appollonia tonight at a club called Bliss. I love the music played at the clubs here, as it is an eclectic mix of the club music I would expect to hear at the Moon in the Palms in Vegas, rotated with international club music that is amazing, but stuff I’ve never heard before.

The drinks were a bit pricey (10€ each!), but getting to know "J", a Greek/Thai lass, and "A-M", from Albania, more than made up for the price.

However, the most amazing experience on Sifnos was renting a scooter. I’ve been anxious to get out onto the road since arriving in Greece, and Sifnos is a relaxed enough environment where I figured I could putt around and not get killed. That doesn’t stop me from wanting to drive a scooter in Athens, but Kamares is a good place to start!

While scooting around the island during the day felt extremely liberating, the experience was even more enhanced on the ride to Appollonia at night! Just me, the road, and what’s illuminated in my headlights! This island, I could live on!

Yesterday, we toured the other villas in small groups: Artemonis, Kastro and Platys Gialos. A couple of girls and myself wandered around the donkey trails of Artemonis, looking at the old churches, wandering in and out of shops, and munching on some local baked goods. Later, we met a couple of other groups and shared a meal. The chick pea soup definitely lived up to its reputation!

Today, I ventured over to Kastro to examine the town which is “like walking into a sculpture.” It truly is! The roads of the villa are just wide enough for two donkeys to pass each other.

The highlights of the trip were the silver shop above the church on the water, the view of the open sea, the baked goods which I forgot the name of but were exclusive to Sifnos, and the serenity of the villa itself. It was so peaceful as the residents avoided the heat in the coolness of their homes. Before leaving the villa, I shared a relaxing lunch with a couple of the lovely ladies from the group.

One thing so amazing in Greece is that one actually feels cooler standing in the shade. Back home, the air is so sticky and humid that it just hangs in the shade as well as the sunlight, but here, shading is almost enough to create the illusion of air-conditioning!

Tomorrow, we start for home. We’ll be spending one last night in Athens, and I hope to have the time to pick up some last minute gifts, make some last minute friends, and hopefully fit everything into my dilapidated luggage. I only hope my bags make it home... they are looking pretty rough.

Flickr: Folegandros | Sifnos | Greece

I suppose I've been fortunate up to this point. As someone who's traveled a fair amount over the years, I've never been caught in air travel purgatory.

Until now, that is.

After nineteen fabulous days in Greece, I'm sitting in the Philadelphia International Airport waiting for a delayed flight, which may or may not be late enough to miss my connection in Arlington, VA. The non-stop flight last night was canceled.

Of course, there's a conspiracy theorist at the gate blaming petrol prices.

Actually, spending the evening in Philadelphia wasn't so bad. The highlight was our lovely receptionist at the hotel.

I'm with a group, and tensions seem to be running high... which, is actually just adding to my amusement of the entire situation. After all, the sooner I get home, the sooner I have to go to work! Besides, why worry about things out of your control?

So, I'll be curious to see what the next 24 hours hold.

What i'm listening to:

Naughty Girls
Samantha Fox
Samantha Fox