I’m sitting here in the Miami airport just thinking how my day started, and it started with packing. I’m a procrastinator so of course I didn’t pack the day before. But today that actually helped me. Why? Hair Gel! I’m on my way to Spain and last time I was there they didn’t have the right hair gel. Of all things, I know. But I digress. The rules state that you can’t bring any liquid on a plane that’s in a container more than 3 oz. That’s roughly the size a eye dropper bottle. So I’m in line waiting to put my luggage through the scanning machine and they start taking my containers out of my luggage. That morning I went to the store and bought some bubbles liquid. The kind kids use to blow bubbles. I took it home and emptied the bottle and put my gel in it. The bottle was about 6 oz. in size. But looked small, so I figured they would let it through. ABSOLUTELY NOT. They took the bottles and were going to throw them away. I stopped them and grabbed the bottles and left the line. I flagged down the nearest taxi and proceeded to find the nearest convenience store. I was bound and determined to keep my gel.

I looked through many different containers, most to big, and finally came across the container that the 5 hours energy drink is put it. It’s tiny, and it was 4 oz. I hate the stuff, so I bought it, emptied it, washed it in their bathroom and then put my gel inside that. I also bought any other miscellaneous container that was there, and cheap. Filled them all with gel and then went back to the airport. To my surprise here are the containers they allowed me to bring on, even though they were over 3 oz. but looked small enough. 5 hour energy (small bottle), beef jerky tube (1/3 full), small advil bottle. Here’s the shocker one they allowed. Deodorant. Speed Stick to be precise. I took the normal sized plastic container they have, and turned the dial on the bottom until I was able to pull it all out. Washed it out and filled it up with my gel. Just to see if it would work. They didn’t even ask about it. They figured it was deodorant. When they didn’t ask about it, I told them what was in it. WHY? Because if I can think of it, others can to, and who knows what they can put in it. Once I told them, they called a manager on duty there, and he told me to pick it up and put it in my hair to prove it was gel. After that he allowed me to go through. I’m not sure how I feel about that. Happy it worked, but not so happy about our security. I hope after this blog an airline security person will read it and keep in mind what happened today and become a little more wise to the "not everything is what it seems" saying.

As I write this, on the tv station in the airport, Homeland Security is talking about new technologies that will allow the airports to ease up on the liquid restrictions by making the XRay scanning machines be able to more finely detect different liquids that are used for explosives by using 3D images, where as right now they are only implementing the use of 2D in the xrays. I hope so. But for right now, do a little search around your home and find tiny bottles to put your liquids and gels into. It’s better than having to throw them all away.