With a comfortable middle-class upbringing, I drifted between colleges, squandering opportunities and burning bridges, unable to find a sense of purpose. I landed in Sonoma County, California, hunkered low in a rusted trailer on a Christmas tree farm. One day I met an old Greek living up the road; rumor had it he was a well-traveled genius, passionate and unpredictable. In the irreverent Demetrius Toteras, I found a kindred spirit, and demanding mentor. Toteras introduced me to Classical Thought and his specialty, the philosophy and theater of the Absurd. My apprenticeship began slowly; I struggled, tiring easily, his words pointed and troubling. Yet despite learning I was a worthless nincompoop, I persisted, hooked on my discoveries.