While I agree that the LW needs to embrace the philosophy of Buddhism, what you talk about is really the religion, not the philosophy. The philosophy is summarized in the Four Nobel Truths:

1. Life unavoidably contains suffering.

2. The cause of the suffering is ignorance and desire.

3. Freedom from suffering can only arise from freedom from ignorance and desire.

4. The way to achieve this freedom is by following the middle path.

The LW clearly suffers from unchecked desire, and clearly doesn't understand what the middle path might even look like. It's actually not all that hard to understand, though, as long as you are pursuing it as a practical philosophical basis for life and not as a magical mystical pyramid scheme. LW, you should definitely start practicing the Eight-fold Path. Consider it to be an experiment. That's the real beauty of Buddhism. Philosophical Buddhism doesn't require you to believe anything. It just says, "Do these simple things and observe the effect on your life."

Any Buddhist who reads your letter will certainly recognize that your problem is a reflection of the life of Siddhartha Buddha. If you haven't read Siddhartha by Hesse, a link to an online version is attached to my signature.

Oh, yes, one final thing: The Buddha teaches compassion for all living things. And that includes yourself. Learn to accept and observe your negative aspects calmly, let them wash over you, and then let them fall away. They are not you.

One possible corollary of "Live simply, so that others may simply live" is that the economically successful among us have to stop working so hard. Come on, guys! Slack off and let some of the rest of us cash in a little bit. There would be plenty of room at the trough if you fat-cat types would just step away every now and then. Given the current productivity levels, full-time employment should be capped at 40 hours a week. Anyone working more should be brutally punished. I say "re-education camps". The cascade effect would solve all our problems, including global warming, late 20's angst and the increasing irrelevance of print media.

Really, I mostly believe all this.

Why not turn this into an extreme vendetta? To me, the logical next step is to buy some Round-up and treat her entire front stamp late one night. Then sit out in yours with a big Rambo knife and slowly whittle that stick down into shavings as her grass withers brown and dies. Invite the other neighbors over for a front stamp-yard cocktail party. Plug an extension cord into the outlet by her front door to power the blender. Don't forget the classics of toilet paper, rotten eggs and flaming bags of dog shit. And surely she has some things outside that you could steal. Why are you sitting there reading the interwebs? You have work to do!

That's the first lesson for any boxer. It's one you may know, LW, but you may not be aware of where the danger can come from. Yes, an older man and a younger woman can be supportive friends. But your situation carries two very real dangers.

First, you are a very tempting target for a manipulative, controlling jerk. 30 days of sobriety means that you are out of equilibrium, and any con-man worth his salt would be able to quickly spot four or five ways to quickly take you apart. What I would do? I'd lure you in with non-threatening, supportive conversation and relaxing activities that couldn't be considered in any way sexual (but maybe, just maybe romantic...) I'd make sure to talk about my problems enough to make sure you talk about yourself openly and honestly. Soon, you'd be depending on me for emotional support and I'd start using that to cut you out of the herd. You'd have minor problems with others around you, but I would never act to cut you off from others. I'd just be lonely and let them be the bad guys. You'd choose me. Before long, it would be you and me versus the world, and I'd start to get what I want. BTW, the mention of "The New Guy" in your life would definitely result in a minor relapse for me, perhaps with a phone call to you after the second drink or so, when I realized what I was doing. But, there's no way you'd fall into that kind of drama-trap, is there? Not at 30 days sober.

The second problem is that you'd be the guilty party. You could be the one exploiting the power disparity in the relationship. How badly does this guy need whatever little bit you care to give him, and how much more are you getting in return? Does he want a last chance at being a good daddy, or is he just in denial about his age? Either way, a self-centered young woman could easily exploit him (and harm him very badly) even without ever having the conscious intention to do so.

In conclusion: healthy adults have difficulty creating and maintaining platonic friendship between older men and younger women (See Clinton, Bill.) Neither of the two of you really qualify as healthy, do you? If this guy is really your friend, you'll act to protect both of you by keeping a polite distance (Think chaperones) until you have managed to arrange double dates with appropriately aged partners.