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It's funny that no matter how much I acknowledge karma exists, I am constantly surprised when it rears its ugly head. This summer I flew first class to Greece on a Delta Buddy Pass (my aunt is a Delta employee), spent two months pretending to date a woman, and drank for free every night at my uncle's beachside bar on the island of Chios. Yet, I was shocked at the end of the two months when karma come full circle and took it all back.

The girl I was dating? Yeah, that ended. Apparently my Take Five article is more popular than I knew. I thought it was limited to my family and friends, and maybe a handful of sporadic readers. In actuality, it made its way to Greece, which led to my secret being exposed, which led to me fleeing the country. Oh well, back to my more honest adventures in America.

My Delta Buddy Pass? Yeah, that's a standby ticket. And when I arrived at the airport on September 1st to flee the country, I discovered that the plane was full and I couldn't get on it. I also couldn't get on any other flights back to America, so I was forced to spend the next 24 hours stranded in the Athens airport. At that point, I wasn't the least bit surprised that I was unable to use the bathroom; it's not easy carrying two months worth of luggage into a restroom without at least the slightest bit of fear someone is going to sneak a bag of crack into your carry-on. Wouldn't that just be the cherry on top of the cake, me getting arrested in Greece for something I didn't do? And I guess there aren't handicapped people in this country because they seem to have forgotten to make stalls large enough to accommodate them. Oh well, sucks more for the person who uses the plane's port-a-potty after me.

And my two month unpaid bar tab? Well, I never planned on paying that, but when I got to the airport I learned there are other standby flyers that have been waiting at the airport for THREE days for a flight to America and all of them are higher up on the standby priority list. What does this mean? My options were to either return to the island of Chios for another week when the flights are less full (um, no thanks), to live at the airport hotel for a few days for $300 a night (that cost will start to add up quickly), or to spend $1,000 on a guaranteed ticket for 11 a.m. on September 2nd. In case you still haven't figured it out, I'm $1,000 poorer and in desperate need of a spacious bathroom. Thanks, Karma!

Everything comes full circle, always and without subtlety. But like the always reliable karma, there is always a silver lining. It took lots of screaming on the phone to my father (for which I owe him an apology) and half a pack of cigarettes to find that silver lining, but it's the one that is always there for me when my days are the darkest: Movies. What better time to watch a couple of movies and let you know what I think of them? Once back in America, the Take Five formula will return to me recommending five random movies for your viewing pleasure. They are personal favorites and you might disagree with them, but I'll always justify my selection in some way. But as far as this article is concerned, here is the final version of Take Five from Greece. I never thought I'd say this but, "Thank God the summer is over!" I should have known kicking off the season with X-Men Origins: Wolverine was foreshadowing for the many letdowns to come.

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