You don’t even have to passive voice it - a simple “I felt upset” is fully valid without assigning blame.

Have you looked into Ubiquiti equipment? They’re generally pretty solid, and might have everything you need.

It still falls back onto the driver, as they chose to start driving without everyone buckled in.

Nice.

Jody is the guy who steals your girl while you’re deployed

The word you’re looking for is ‘gleaning’; ‘gleaming’ is more like ‘shiny’.

I’ve always wondered, does the ear experience additional, unheard “loudness” when using ANC?

Absolutely! Biometrics are at best a username, not a password.

There’s actually a tricky spot for folks who get certain social services which are tied to income. A small raise can bump you out of eligibility for things like medicaid and food stamps, and thus can in fact result in higher expenses, less money in your pocket, and a lower quality of life.