Guest Blog Today.

I'm going to do something new here...I'm posting a guest column. It was just too good to let slip into web-history.

As some of you know, readers can post comments at the end of the each blog entry, I think every now and then I get 2 or 3 per entry...it gives the reader a voice on this blog. So after last week's post on my "big problems" traveling United Airlines, my older and always wiser cousin Brent left this super funny post, and I couldn't let it set on a back page...so congrats Brent...you have been published on Living On Liquid...one question though - Did you put Jesse the Gov. in a headlock?

The following is Brent's post:

Tom, As I read your blog from my PC phone Thursday night, yeah Vicky told me to look it up, I was sitting on a plane in Minneapolis waiting to take off on a 3.5 hour delay trying to get to NYC.
Rain in the area and traffic congestion forced Laguradia to shut down for a few hours. Great..what else to do but surf the Internet from my phone.

As I near 1 million Northwest miles, 950,000 and change, I've had many interesting travel episodes. I've had 4 aborted landings, 3 from stray planes in the way in the runway and 1 from the landing gear not engaging. That provided an extra hour of flight time and 2 tower flybys to verify landing gear locked down.

I've endured kids screaming and crying for 10 hours of a 15 hour flight from Melbourne, Australia to LA. I was stuck in Australia 5 extra days during the 9/11 attack. I had a drunk pass out on me and wet himself..ironically, the stewardess gave me a bottle of wine for my troubles.

Don't fly Aerlingus from Dublin, Ireland to Manchester, England...you'll be sick the rest of the day. KLM from Amsterdam to Paris is a pretty good flight..until they give you little sandwiches with week old cheese with a meat like substance. And the dutch stewardess has a tooth or two missing.

I learned along time ago "stuff" happens. A few things I learned right away that sounds like you just learned...Never check your luggage, always carry on your luggage, and never fly United...and Aerlingus.

Flying without a corporate jet and with the masses as allowed me to meet interesting people. Like the man who got on the Quantas flight from Melbourne, Australia to Adelaide, Australia and exclaimed "When this plane is in the air I will save you all from your sins". He didn't get the chance. Or the lady that let her dog out from Minneapolis to Atlanta. That woke a few people up.

I've also sat by famous people..Former Gov. Jesse Ventura, Al Neuharth, USA Today, Joe Mauer, MN Twins, Tim Johnson, John Mcain, Paul Schafer, Serena Williams, and John Thune. John and I crossed paths on 4 or 5 occasions in the Minneapolis world club on Thursday nights coming back to Sioux Falls.

So Tom, if you are stuck in a corporate jet, you may be missing out on seeing all the world has to offer and all the interesting people God created. Just be sure to carry on your luggage.

Brent