Getting ready to leave town tomorrow and diligently doublechecking the guidelines for what’s permitted on planes these days. You know, you really gotta wonder about a society where the government makes a point of letting you know it’s OK to bring toy transformer robots on a plane. Also, why are toy transformer robots listed under “makeup.” Are toy transformer robots some kind of makeup thing I don’t know about? Like, a robot that puts on your makeup for you? (God what a fantastic idea that would be). Anyway, right now I am mind f***king about the meaning of “zip lock” as in the ziplock quart-sized bag. I actually went out to buy the quart-sized bag, but mine has the kind of top you push shut, not a zip lock per se. My colleague thinks zip lock is a brand name. Should I be safe and go buy some bags that are specifically zip-locks?
Anyway, I will say that TSA has been quite thorough in this list, mindboggingly so.

My two favorite things in TSA’s FAQ are as follows:

1. The sentence that ends:
“We ask for your cooperation in the screening process by being prepared before you arrive. We also ask that you follow the guidelines above and try not to over-think these guidelines.”

I just like that they instruct people not to overthink things. It’s rare that the government acknowledges the neurosis of the average American.

2. the ban on snowglobes “even with documentation.”