Plonked and Circumscribed

Graduation time of the year. So?   Jordana of Curmudgeonry (although from a sample, she doesn't seem to know much about being a curmudgeon.  Besides, she's too young to be a good one. :-) poses a few questions for folks stuck in the "Gee, it's graduation time" grind, being invited to shell out for kids they only vaguely recall from some distant memory of having a passing aquaintance with a former neighbor's uncles's cousin's friend long years in the past...   Here goes:   (1) Who was the most memorable (good or bad) graduation speaker at a ceremony you've attended -- not necessarily your own?   Aw, gee...  That's a toughie, cos all of them were of nearly equal inconsequence. OK, the speaker at my college graduation is pretty memorable, although I only recall one word he said.  Seriously. A former poly sci prof, pretty decent guy who fell into bad company and was governor when he spoke.  Later, fell into even worse company and became a U.S. Senator.  Used to be a pretty nice guy...  Maybe now that he's been a decade or so out of office he will have made a partial recovery.   (2) Approximately how many graduation ceremonies have you been in as a graduate and how many others have you gone to?   Three of my own—and none of this b.s. about "eighth grade graduation" (what a weenie idea).  A ceremony for release from "prison for kids" (high school graduation) was bad enough.  Nine, as I recall, of other folks' graduations.  We're skipping my daughter's graduation from grad school this year, because, well,  she is. Wish I'd skipped mine. *yawn*   (3) After finishing high school and/or college what did you do for the summer?   Worked.  What else? *sheesh!* Wasn't school enough of a waste of time, already?   Bonus Question:   What was your favorite graduation gift?   Money.