Everyone should have one...

Hi there. It is me, your neighborhood, friendly advice giver. I have no beauty products to sell you today. Don't read this if you want to know this season's coolest shoe trend. Instead, this is a public service announcement of sorts. Because a BarStar is always prepared.

You may have heard that to travel anywhere outside the country nowadays, you need yourself a passport. An up to date, super cute, pretty pretty passport. That is their official name, by the way. Even to Canada and Mexico, which is kind of a new thing. And, you should just have one, because even if you just dream of lounging on the beach somewhere exotic, one day, you're going to get an email about a $1.50 airfare to Jamaica, all drinks included for next weekend, and you're going to want to go. But, your lame ass won't have a passport, so no trip for you.

Sure, it is $67. And, you have to fill out an application. (And, it takes 10 weeks to get, so no plans for the next 3 months for you!) But, it lasts for 10 YEARS!! Do you know how great it will be to have a photographic record of your hot 25 year old self at 35 and be like, yeah, this is me. It will be awesome. And, $67 is a drop in the bucket compared to the amount it costs you to expedite it. Or, the nervous tick you will develop while waiting in line at the Passport office on 19th Street 2 days before you have a non-refundable ticket to Budapest and your mom calls to tell you she lost your passport.

For about 3 hours on Friday, I was going to Kenya for work. I was so close to spending two weeks doing a super fun, adult type mission trip ALL EXPENSES PAID by WORK! I don't have a cool job where I get to do things like that. It was out of nowhere. And I immediately thought... Where the hell is my passport? I tore my room apart on Friday night and eventually found it. Oh, and my boss decided she wanted to go to Kenya, so she wins out. I can't wait till I'm the boss. I wonder if there are grantmaking trips to Milan?

So, final lesson... once you shell out the money for a passport... keep track of it. And tell people where you put it (underwear drawer, people... in case I forget come end of April).