Nice iPod,, Niiiice iPod, There, There.

I was listening to a Stephanie Miller radio show where they were talking about the iPod Nano that exploded in an Atlanta airport employees pocket. (Likely from a Lithium Ion Battery).

They then did this really fun skit of the iPod criticizing the guy's taste in music and while I found it really funny, I was a little uncomfortable as I was listening to it in my car via a podcast via a, you guessed it, iPod Nano.

I wish I could feed it a treat or something else to keep it happy. Given some of the awful audio books (many good, some really terrible) it's had to play, it's a wonder that my truck hasn't had an unexplainable meltdown.

Which of course brings up...
I'm leaving today to go to Seattle to visit my parents. It's only for a weekend so checking a bag makes no sense, so I'm trying to figure out what I can and can't take.

Now in all fairness the rules have gotten more sane since the last terrorist scare and can be found here: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm

Potientally explosive devices that I can take on board
- iPod
- Cell Phone (though it does have to be off)
- PDA
- Electronic Game Console (don't have one)
- Laptop (not taking one anyway)

Completely benign things that I can't carry past security but that I'm welcome to buy on the other side of security (bloody capitalists.)
- water
- gatorade
- a toothpaste tube over 4 oz (try finding Tom's of Maine in a small size)
- hairspray (just try to find a tiny one - I'm sure there's on on the other side of the security gate)

I'm going to try to repackage the toothpaste in to a small REI container as other toothpastes give me a headache. The web site specifies that the container has to be under 3 oz. and they don't say it has to be commercial. I'll put a label on it that says 1 oz.
I'm giving up on the hairspray.

Potentially dangerous things that I can bring on
- safety razor
- huge Harry Potter book that could knock anyone out and likely stop a bullet

Nearly entirely safe items that you can't bring on
- nail clippers (not true any more)

And of course there's no shortage of potential weapons that are built into the aircraft itself (seat tray support anyone? You didn't hear it here.) But I'm not going there as I just want to read my book in peace.

Whine as I might this is all pretty ironic since TSA at Oakland is really nice. I even know one of the employees there as she used to be a neighbor. They have an impossible job of enforcing federal rules that often make no sense, and still manage to survive.