8-year-old on TSA security list

The New York Times reports on Mikey Hicks, age 8, who has been on the TSA "selectee" list for additional security screening since age 2. (link here, don't know how long it will work; and hat tip to Kerry for the article)

I love the "mythbusting" on the TSA website:

Myth: The No-Fly list includes an 8-year-old boy.
Buster: No 8-year-old is on a T.S.A. watch list.

You know, mythbusting - getting through all the formalities and clutter to provide answers that real people can understand. But look at the bureaucratic, legalistic thinking behind the mythbust: "There are no 8-year-olds on the no-fly list. Oh, that other list... the selectee list... well, that's a totally different list, you see. Not really a watch list at all. Of course there are 8-year-olds on that list." (But not "as a rule". Thanks for the clarification, TSA spokesman James Fontenos.)

Today's milestones

1. Owen sends his first email. Or so he thinks. For bedtime reading, he handed me a stack of Space Shuttle photos and announced, "Owen sending email."

2. Owen pulls Dad's leg. He was being uncooperative - I think with toothbrushing, or maybe putting on PJs - and then stopped, looked at me and with a perfectly impish grin said, "Teasing Daddy."

Mixed blessing

Yesterday I heard Owen speak on the phone better than ever before. His voice was clear, he was speaking into the phone, and he knew who he was talking to on the other end (me). He said,

Daddy coming home see Owen [lastname]?

(Ow) No, son. (Ow) No, I have to stay at work a while longer. (Sigh)

Baby Katherine = the Bus from the Movie Speed

Remember the Keanu Reeves/Sandra Bullock movie 'Speed'? It had the bus that would explode if it went < 50 mph? We've discovered that Katherine is much like the bus and is only happy in the car at highway speeds. Stoplights are her nemesis and lead to squawking and crying. Once we're moving again, she relaxes and dozes off again.

Mr Fantastic

Owen's speech has developed enough that he can stroll in the realm between the surreal and the certifiable. For instance, this evening, holding a six-foot length of rope and looking at the sky, he announced, "Use rope to get that moon down. Need ladder."

Two observations as I blogged this:
1) Recognizing that he'd need a ladder if he was going to use his rope to pull down the moon isn't really surreal or certifiable, but actually sensible.
2) Owen's speech bears an uncanny resemblance to old text adventure games on the computer.

> Get moon down
Get moon down using what?
> Use rope to get moon down
The moon is too high for you to get.
> Need ladder
The shop on Archer Street sells ladders.