1. Grandmas are invaluable resources when you have a lot to do.

2. Group projects by distance education suck. Especially when people don’t adhere to deadlines or wordcounts.

3. That when you’re hiring from overseas, don’t completely delegate and ALWAYS, ALWAYS get copies of your paperwork in case the people/organization suddenly disappear. Or you’ll be an idiot like me and find out that…

4. Facebook is really good for finding people/organizations who suddenly disappear.

5. Don’t be scared to use political clout to get the answers you need to put your mind at rest.

6. If you have information that is protected by the Privacy Act, don’t assume it’s completely protected. Information that the common person can’t have, uncommon people (all 308 of them) can get, quickly.

7. Rattling political chains can get really fast results both here and overseas when you need it.