Watson Wire

Wheel in the Sky

Thursday, August 09, 2007 |

It's tough when you see your kids inherit some of your qualities that are, shall we say, unfortunate.It seems my almost-18-year-old son Preston has picked up a little of his old man's misfortune when it comes to traveling.I travel a ton. All the time. And I've come to count on being delayed, getting my flight cancelled, or asking for soda from a surly flight attendant. I'm not known at all for my patience, but I've hit a Zen point when it comes to being jerked around when traveling. I'm convinced I'm on some list that encourages airlines to mess with me.(As I write this, working myself into a state of agitation in a hotel room, I realize that I may not have actually hit that Zen point.)Which brings me to Preston, who's up in Boston with me. We're looking at a couple of colleges while I'm also attending the National Conference of State Legislatures. Boston was fogged in when he was supposed to land. He says the pilot made two approaches before saying "no mas" and heading for Providence, R.I.They sat in Providence for a couple of hours without ever getting a straight answer about how they were supposed to get to their final destination. Then the airline announced that their new final destination was Providence – at least for that day.So Preston fled the Providence airport, catching a cab to the train station and then a train to Boston. He's had a good new life experience. He doesn't fully appreciate it, though, when I tell him to just get used to that kind of stuff. We Watsons are hardy people when it comes to travel. That comes with being cursed.But we've had a great time together since he got here. We head home tomorrow. We're both really looking forward to the trip.

Catching Up

Try to check out kirkwatson.com. We've made quite a few changes, including the start of a new Online Office, a new Issues page that's easier to use, and a "Spread the Word" feature. There should be some more changes over the next couple of months. Also, here are some recent news stories on the issues at Johnston High School, the state of Texas bridges after the disaster in Minneapolis, and the state's transportation funding challenges.Finally, extra-credit congratulations to everyone who caught the purported joke in the title of last week's Watson Wire. “More Than a Feeling” is, indeed, a song by Boston. This week's edition is dedicated to everyone who thought it was by Journey – there seem to be a lot of you, and you're somehow old enough to drive.