A few weeks ago I was comparing my low graduation GPA to my brother's very amazing Magna Cum Laude graduation. I was rather forlorn about the entire thing and frankly jealous because he graduated MAGNU CUM LAUDE while I merely graduated. This does absolutely nothing for my already low self esteem. During my brother's graduation dinner we discussed that while my brother double majored and still managed to graduate with high honors with nary a hair out of place or bag under his eye, I did a lot of internships and got an A in golf. TWICE.

That is when my father pumped his fist in the air in regards to my long game and my mother proudly announced that my golf game actually might help me more than regular old book smarts.

All that being said I do firmly believe that it isn't just book smarts that get people to where they are. I mean yeah it's awesome that I have a penchant for Salinger and can recite European History in both Spanish and English but what really gets people together is something on a more basic level. Like golfing or as I read recently in Now Public by way of the BBC, it could be cookies. Which I find both odd as I actually do bake for my coworkers so that we can find some common ground like chocolate. But also interesting because in the US we're known for being serious and talking business over golf is a tad more popular than talking business while dunking cookies in milk. And still I am intrigued by how it is all done outside of the little USA bubble:

About four out of five UK businesses believe the
type of biscuit they serve to potential clients could clinch the deal
or make it crumble, a survey says.

The outcome of a meeting could be influenced by the range and quality of biscuits on offer...

While also catching up on my personal finance news and going through a quick quarter-life crisis of sorts, I happened upon a post by Well-Heeled, with a mission in which she projects on the cost of graduate school. It made me both nauseated since graduate school is something I seriously think about day in and day out. But sometimes my excitement for this new adventure in higher education is trumped by the drastic cost of learning. Like it will cost my entire salary for like a year and half of Master's level coursework. Yet settling for my current level of education isn't something I am willing to do so I will go forth and go broke: 

By all accounts, a full 2-year program will cost in the ball park of
$120,000+ for tuition, books, and living expenses. As of right now, I
can take out $20,500 per year in Federal Stafford Loans. My family has
also indicated that they’d be willing to help out (for which I am
immensely grateful). The rest will probably be a combination of
personal and private loans.

And finally, I am that business traveler who gets on the plane and prays that a baby won't sit next to her on her 50 minute trip to DC. Sad but true. It has nothing to do with not liking babies but because I like my sleep. I am also that traveler who gets rather defensive towards other passengers offended towards airline boarding policies and plane travel in general. There is this very large part of me who wants to shoot back towards those who are all upset over how airlines operate these days and treat families to say, "While you might find this all unfair, try going on 62 flights in less than one year. 62 times going through security and having TSA rifle through your luggage making sure that your face wash is in a 3oz or less size container and also checking out your undergarments. THEN and only then can you complain." But I say nothing and just sit back and relax to see how others will react to travel especially now that summer has arrived and planes will be overflowing with business travelers going to conventions and families headed to Orlando. Here is an excellent post from one of my absolute favorite writers on summer travel for less:

Seek last minute vacations.
Want a weekend away but failed to plan anything in advance? Not a
problem. If your departure and arrival times and location are flexible,
you’re the prime candidate for budget travel. Most airlines sell
remaining seats a week or so in advance for a much reduced price. Check
out airfarewatchdog.com or lastminute.com, which post weekend travel
fares from one to 10 days beforehand, or else visit your preferred
airline’s website to see what kind of last-minute deals you might find.

Heather Barmore discusses all of the above and more (like with extensive paragraphs and quotes, etc.) at No Pasa Nada.