Month: September 2025

Best and Worst Times to Visit Disney World

~ SA Otey
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Walt Disney telling you to leave!

When a hurricane is there

The park will be closed and you won’t be able to get through the gates, Well you probably could, but you would go to jail. Not Disney jail, but a real jail, where the mice bite. However, if you are on the property then you are safe. Disney Resorts are made to withstand a Category 5 hurricane. They will treat you like royalty and since they are their own municipality, you will have power sooner. However, if they stay open during a hurricane you will have little wait times because people will cancel their vacations.

When it’s hot

You will sweat profusely and you will get dehydrated if you don’t buy the $4 bottles of water. Don’t drink the soda and beer or you will dehydrate faster. And be broker faster

When there are numerous amount of people there

Holidays and weekends are the worst, and holiday weekends are a no-brainer to stay away.

When you just bought new shoes

That is unless you like blisters on your feet. Never take a brand new pair of shoes into the park. Don’t buy a brand new pair of waterproof timberland boots for your July trip. Your boots will be filled with pain and suffering.

When a new ride is open

Well, it might be a good time to visit other areas of the parks except for Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind, Tron Lightcycle Run, or Peter Pan’s Flight. Make sure to get a virtual queue

No one really knows the best time to visit

There is no slow season no matter what anyone tells you. If you are going to go, just do it and enjoy your time. Be patient with people because 95% of people are not self aware and will bump into you. If someone says they got on all the rides with no waiting they are lying, and you shouldn’t be friends with liars.

Old Movies in Theaters: Are They Worth It?

~ SA Otey

I’ve noticed an uptick in the trend to bring back older movies from the 70s, 80s, and 90s to local theaters. I think it’s a great idea, but unnecessary in our day and age.

I can see the appeal. You can watch an old movie on a large screen with high-quality audio. It’s easy to do now because there are no unwieldy film reels to deal with. All the movies are delivered over the internet or on hard disk drives that basically load into a fancy digital projector. Kinda irks me when they splash the Sony 4K logo before a movie. Really? You are proud that your resolution is lower than celluloid?

The real reason movies are coming back out is because Hollywood is out of ideas. They’ve rebooted every movie franchise they can think of. They’ve created movies based on video and board games. The only untapped market is the cereal industry. I’d pay to see a movie where Captain Crunch fights Count Chocula, Franken, and Boo Berry like Van Helsing.

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Windows XP on the Big Screen!

Does Climate Change Make Hurricanes Stronger?

~ SA Otey
hurricanes

Asking for a friend…

We’ve known about climate change, (formally known as Global Warming, formally known as Next Ice Age) for decades. For as long as I can remember I haven’t purposely burnt large piles of Styrofoam containers in my yard to do my part in combating climate change. So with all the forced regulations in car companies making our cars lighter and more fuel efficient (and less safe), why are we still having a climate change problem? We’ve thrown tons of money at the problem and created huge solar farms covering up plenty of oxygen-producing grass. We’ve built huge eyesore wind farms and killed tons of birds. We’ve cut back on fossil fuels. Shouldn’t it be getting better and not worse? What are we supposed to do?

Trusting your personal info to strangers

~ SA Otey

Since Equifax has all of your data and they seem to consistently let it fall into the wrong hands, it’s the same as giving your personal information to complete strangers. How did we ever do business before? You had to dress up in your Sunday best and go in front of the lender and they had to interview you. You had to prove you had a job and show that you could pay the money back. You probably could fool them and never pay it back and they would kick you out of your house or horse-drawn carriage because you are a deadbeat.

Buy-2

I don’t know if any of that is true but it sounds like that’s the way it should be.

How to prepare for a Hurricane

~ SA Otey

Panic – Start freaking out right away because it always helps.

Hoard – Buy up all the milk, bread, eggs, and water. Buy as much as you can. It will rot in your fridge after you lose power.

Ignore traffic laws – Run red lights, try to ram the cars pulling out in front of you. Walk across busy streets in dark clothing.

Fight – If you feel like someone is stopping you from hoarding, or you want to prevent someone from hoarding, then fight them.

Don’t do any of this. Just remain calm and pay attention to your local officials. They have your best interests in mind. You will be in lots of traffic coming and going, so be patient. If someone is being an idiot, just let them. If you have to scramble at the last minute for water, non-perishables, ice, or generators, then it’s already too late. Wear a mask

If this is closed then you are in trouble

🌪️ Hurricane Preparedness Checklist

✅ Water & Food

  • Bottled water (1 gallon per person per day, at least 3 days)
  • Non-perishable canned goods (soups, vegetables, beans, tuna, etc.)
  • Ready-to-eat foods (peanut butter, protein bars, crackers, trail mix)
  • Baby formula and baby food (if needed)
  • Manual can opener
  • Pet food & treats

✅ Power & Lighting

  • Flashlights
  • Battery-powered lanterns
  • Extra batteries (AA, AAA, D, 9V)
  • Portable chargers / power banks
  • Generator + fuel (if available)
  • Candles & matches/lighters (use with caution)

✅ Fuel & Cooking

  • Gasoline (for car and/or generator)
  • Propane tanks (for grill or camp stove)
  • Charcoal, lighter fluid (if using a charcoal grill)
  • Cooler & ice (for food/medicine storage)

✅ Household & Medical Supplies

  • First aid kit
  • Prescription medications (at least 7-day supply)
  • Over-the-counter medicines (pain relievers, cold meds, antacids)
  • Toiletries (toilet paper, soap, wipes, feminine hygiene products)
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Trash bags
  • Paper towels, paper plates, disposable utensils
  • Cleaning supplies (bleach, disinfectant, gloves)

✅ Safety & Storm Protection

  • Plastic tarps
  • Duct tape
  • Sandbags (if in flood-prone area)
  • Weather radio (battery-powered or hand-crank)
  • Whistle
  • Multi-tool or pocket knife
  • Fire extinguisher

✅ Important Documents & Money

  • Cash (small bills, ATMs may be down)
  • IDs, insurance papers, medical records, bank info (in waterproof bag/container)

✅ Comfort & Extras

  • Books, games, puzzles (for kids/adults)
  • Blankets & pillows
  • Extra clothing & rain gear
  • Sturdy shoes
  • Earplugs (for noisy shelters)

Fox Weather vs The Weather Channel

~ SA Otey

As I get older, it’s nice to have some information about the weather everyday. Not because I’m doing anything important, I just want to complain about one more thing. If you’d like to know the difference between Fox Weather and The Weather Channel, here’s what I’ve surmised.

Fox Weather – Today will be sunny with a high of 72 degrees with light rain in the forecast, maybe a slight breeze from the southeast.

The Weather Channel – The sun will be unbearably hot as the UV radiation will scorch your skin because sun block will poison your immune system as torrential rain will flood your neighborhood before the devastating winds will rip the roof from your home. Remember, this is all your fault because you are causing climate change because you run your air conditioner too often and your plastic straws are killing all marine life.

Urgent Money Needs: How to Avoid Cash Advance Traps

~ SA Otey

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I don’t have any cash advance stories because I’ve never used such a business. I have borrowed money from people and paid them back. That’s the best option if you need a cash advance. The best option is to save your money until you have enough to purchase what you need. I understand there may be times when you are down on your luck and are about to get evicted from your house and you need to a write bad check to a cash advance place and pay 2000% interest. That’s better than planning ahead I guess?

The worst I’ve ever needed money in a hurry was when I moved for a new job. The drivers of the moving van didn’t mention it was cash only when they drove off with my family’s belongings. When they called to let me know what time they would be unloading they dropped the “cash only” bomb on me. If I didn’t come up with the cash they would be driving to their next stop which was an auction house where all my furniture would be sold off for payment. I had to scramble to four different Western unions because of the cash limit, and yes I paid the person back immediately with my relocation expense check. I’m not sure why I didn’t report that company for potential fraud and hijacking.

So how do you build a good emergency fund?

Does the slow carb diet work?

~ SA Otey
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Biscuits and Gravy from Tudor’s Biscuit World (2004)

The slow-carb diet is/was the best diet for me. I’ve been on and off diet/lifestyle since January 2016. According to my doctor, my weight peaked at about 292 lbs. Right before Thanksgiving 2016, I weighed in at 233 lbs, and during that year, and did not do one bit of exercise. You can read about the diet on the Tim Ferris website or buy his book The Four Hour Body. I did both.

What I love most about the diet is how well you feel during the week, your mind is sharp and you have an overall feeling of wellness. What I used to love but not so much anymore is the cheat day. You can eat whatever you want, quite literally. I think my progress has slowed down because I don’t do a proper cheat day anymore and I don’t eat enough during the week. I don’t like the cheat day because I feel miserable the day of and the day after. Here is what a proper cheat day looks like

  • 3 Biscuits and Sausage Gravy (9am)
  • Bag of Flaming Hot Munchies (Doritos, Sun Chips, Cheetos, etc.) (12 p.m.)
  • 3 Chicken strips with Thai Curry Sauce from BWW  and Waffle Fries(1pm)
  • Homewrecker from Moe’s with Chips (6:30pm)
  • Ice cream – Oreo Mint from Cookout (7pm)

I’ve started to walk every morning and do more weightlifting because I’m getting older and starting to feel weak. I’m sure in a few years people will figure out that intermittent fasting/keto is not good for you and and is actually killing you faster, that’s just my guess.

Should you upgrade your movie ticket to premium?

~ SA Otey

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Regal Premium Experience has been out for a while, and in my opinion, is worth the extra price if you must see the latest hot garbage from Hollywood. You get a comfortable seat, a huge screen, and super loud audio with many speakers. I used to go for the 3D version but have since switched to 2D only because the picture is much sharper. They could make it even more premiumer if they had some way to keep the movie commentators quiet. Maybe some sort of EMP to disable all cell phones so that we are not blinded by blue screen light as we are engrossed in a Xenomorph chomping its way out of a human body cavity.

Of course at my house, I have a pretty large screen, super loud surround speakers, and all the popcorn I want to eat. I can pause the movie anytime I want so no one interrupts the Xenomorph cavity carnage.
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The Decline of Toy Shopping for Kids

~ SA Otey

I miss the days when there were new start wars movies coming out every fall. I looked forward to Septembers and Force Fridays when all the new Star Wars action figures were released. But this has been my experience…

Whatever happened to let kids buy toys. I took my children shopping for toys and the shelves were empty. I can only assume that grown men and women went to buy the toys earlier in the day and are now selling them on eBay for profit.

I know it’s fun to purchase “Hard-to-find items” but let the kids have a shot. If you really want one of each item then buy an entire case from entertainmentearth.com and let the children experience shopping for new toys rather than looking at a barren wasteland of potential happiness.

I don’t know if this happens but retailers should split the toy shipment into two pieces. Set aside half of the shipment for the people who stand in line at midnight. Then the other shipment for people who have to work and have children who may want a few toys.