I was just balancing my

I was just balancing my virtual checkbook and recording the fact that I bought a plane ticket to Atlanta for Rachel's wedding, and, feeling masochistic I guess, I decided to look up how much I've paid Continental over the years.

In the past 4 years, Continental Airlines has gotten almost $7,000 from me.

And that doesn't include work trips -- this is just personal travel. And that also doesn't include a few trips here and there where I went with the cheaper airline. And it doesn't include two $500 trips to Europe. When all is said and done, I've probably spent close to $10,000 in the last 4 years on plane tickets.

That might not be a lot for some people, but it seems like a lot for me. It's a good thing I have a job that pays for my travel habit!