Author: SA Otey

Software Engineer

Why Certain Noises Make Us Irritable

~ SA Otey
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Crunching Ice

I used to have shared cubicle space with an ice cruncher. She even brought ice in from home to work, all day long, every day.

Shuffling Cards

I don’t even like the computer game solitaire because of the sound of shuffling cards. Shuffling cards once is ok, but when you get all OCD and start shuffling them over and over, that’s enough.

Popping Gum

Some people never learned how to chew gum, and I’m assuming they are just as bad at eating food, or they crunch ice. Blowing a bubble and then inverting it into your mouth as you pop it several times. Some can even make it pop and crack on every chew with an open mouth

Chewing Food

This goes along with ice crunching, but some people sound like they are eating rocks, regardless of the food type. The sound rattles around their skull until it sounds like they are breaking off their teeth at the gum line. Sometimes, you can hear people eating beans and the sound of the bean paste sticking to their teeth.

Mechanical Keyboards

They have a great feel and feedback, but they sound like marbles being spilled on a tile floor. It doesn’t matter if they are a great typist or a hunt and pecker; both are equally annoying.

Cotton Mouth

Hearing someone speak who has a dry mouth is probably one of the worst sounds anyone can make. It’s even more torturous if the person is speaking in front of a large crowd and is using a microphone.

Smart Packing Tips for Stress-Free Travel

~ SA Otey

🚀 Pre-Airport Prep

Documents Ready

  • Valid ID: REAL ID compliant driver’s license or passport (REAL ID required for domestic flights as of May 2023)
  • Boarding pass: Mobile passes work fine, but have a backup screenshot
  • TSA PreCheck/Global Entry: Worth every penny for frequent travelers

Dress Smart

  • Belt: Avoid large metal buckles
  • Clothing: No metal studs, excessive zippers, or underwire bras
  • Jewelry: Minimal – remove watches, large jewelry at security
  • No cargo pants/shorts unless you like a personal touch
  • Keep your shoes on as of last week

📱 Technology & Electronics

The 3-1-1 Rule (Liquids)

  • 3 oz containers max
  • 1 quart-sized clear bag
  • 1 bag per passenger
  • Place the bag in a separate bin

Electronics Strategy

  • Laptops/tablets OUT of bags (unless TSA PreCheck)
  • Phone/small electronics can stay in carry-on
  • Chargers and cables can remain packed
  • Remove large electronics (bigger than a cell phone) from bags

🎒 Packing Like a Pro

Carry-On Organization

  • Keep the liquid bag easily accessible on top
  • Pack electronics in easily removable sections
  • Avoid overpacking – you may need to remove items

Prohibited Items (Common Mistakes)

  • No: Knives, scissors >4 inches, tools, pepper spray
  • No: Large bottles of liquids, gels, aerosols
  • Surprising nos: Snow globes, large batteries, certain foods
  • Yes: Small scissors (<4 inches), nail clippers, solid food

⚡ Security Line Strategy

Choose Your Line

  • TSA PreCheck: Fastest option – keep shoes/belts on, laptops in bags
  • CLEAR: Biometric ID verification – skip to front of ID check
  • Regular security: Look for shortest line, families often slower

Bin Loading Order

  1. Shoes (if removing)
  2. Liquids bag
  3. Large electronics
  4. Jackets/outerwear
  5. Carry-on bag
  6. Personal items last

Body Scanner Tips

  • Empty all pockets completely (including tissues, receipts)
  • Remove items from shirt pockets
  • Follow agent instructions exactly
  • Stay calm if selected for additional screening

🏃‍♂️ Speed Moves

Before Your Turn

  • Watch others ahead to prep
  • Have ID and boarding pass ready
  • Loosen belt, prepare to remove shoes
  • Move liquids to the top of the bag

At the Conveyor

  • Use multiple bins if needed
  • Don’t stack heavy items
  • Keep moving – don’t overthink
  • Grab bins quickly after the scanner

After Security

  • Collect all items before dressing
  • Step aside to reorganize
  • Check that you have everything

📋 Special Situations

Traveling with Kids

  • Children 12 and under keep their shoes on
  • Baby formula/milk is exempt from 3-1-1 rule
  • Strollers must be screened
  • Allow extra time

Medical Items

  • Medications in original containers
  • Medical devices need separate screening
  • Notify agents of medical conditions
  • Bring prescription documentation

Food & Gifts

  • Solid foods are generally OK
  • Wrapped gifts may be opened
  • Alcohol must be <140 proof, sealed
  • Check the TSA website for specific items

💡 Pro Tips

Timing

  • Arrive 2+ hours early for domestic, 3+ for international
  • Tuesday-Thursday are typically less crowded
  • Early morning flights often have faster security
  • Check airport wait times on apps

Apps & Tools

  • TSA app: Check wait times, prohibited items
  • Airport apps: Real-time security updates
  • Flight apps: Gate changes, delays

Membership Programs

  • TSA PreCheck: $78 for 5 years
  • Global Entry: $100 for 5 years (includes PreCheck)
  • CLEAR: $189/year (often discounted)

❗ Red Flags to Avoid

  • Joking about security/bombs (seriously, don’t)
  • Arguing with agents
  • Forgetting large liquids in bags
  • Not having an ID ready
  • Rushing and appearing suspicious

🔄 If Something Goes Wrong

Additional Screening

  • Stay calm and comply
  • Ask questions politely if unsure
  • Know your rights, but be respectful
  • Allow extra time in the schedule

Missed Items

  • Check the TSA lost and found
  • File a claim online if it’s valuable
  • Take photos of your belongings for insurance

Comfortable Driving Speeds: Finding Your Sweet Spot

~ SA Otey
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What is the fastest you feel comfortable driving? To me, it depends on the vehicle. In my current automobile, I can look down and not realize that I’m going 90mph because of the smoothness. However, in my 1991 Honda Civic, I got up to 120mph and it felt like the paint was shaking off. Sometimes keeping up with the flow of traffic even feels dangerous.

Typically I hover around 75 to 80mph, but there is always that one guy who’s in a hurry. I mean, I’m going 90mph and they are riding my bumper. I can’t even see their headlights! That is until they start swerving over the lines to get my attention in the side mirrors that I’m going too slow for them. I’m getting to the point where I move to the far right-hand lane and set the cruise control and enjoy the increased gas mileage. It’s a bonus if you can draft behind an 18 wheeler.

Those dreams are dashed as soon as you run up on someone doing 10 mph under. Then you have to release the cruise control and manually work the gas pedals and try to merge into the concrete jet stream of cars so you can get back to your coefficient drag.

Redefining Fatherhood: Dads Are Not Babysitters

~ SA Otey
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Thumbs down for your parenting

When I was a new dad many years ago and my wife went out with her friends for an evening without endless crying, feedings, and more poop than she cared to look at. It was also helpful to have an evening away from the newborn as well.  Someone would inevitably chime in with, “Ah, doing a little babysitting eh?”. Well, no, this is my child, do you not remember? They are my responsibility too. Believe it or not, men know how to take care of the children.

Here is my best advice for new dads out there when you are watching the newborn.

  • Feed the baby
  • Re-diaper the baby
  • Swaddle the baby
  • Talk to the baby like a normal person
  • Let baby sleep

If you’ve done all these things and the baby is crying, won’t go to sleep, and there is no immediate danger, then you did your job as a Dad. When your wife gets home, you can tell her everything was perfect.

What to Do with Unwanted Items: Sell, Donate, or Trash?

~ SA Otey
scrap metal trash litter scrapyard
It all end up here

Have extra stuff laying around your house? Why don’t you try to make a few bucks online by selling it? How about donating it for a tax write-off? How about neither, just throw it in the garbage. Sometimes that’s the best choice.

Selling

People want stuff for free. You post an item and they offer you half of your asking price. If you provide a free item then they will want you to deliver it. Better yet, they will want you to pay them to take it off your hands. Selling on eBay or Amazon has become a hassle. When you pay all the seller fees, merchant fees, and postage, you are left with about half of what the item is worth.

Donating

This is a better option. Let other people look through your bags of unwanted items and they can throw it away. The tax write-off is barely worth it. For kids’ clothes, give them to friends or family, they will be responsible for throwing them in the trash now.

Trash it

Unless you want Goodwill throwing your stuff away you can save them the trouble. Leave it visible on trash day and people will pick it from the rubbish like mining for treasure.

If you have extra stuff you should probably think about why you are buying so much stuff. Give your items away to someone who needs them.

Exorcism goes wrong and bacon equities take a dive!

~ SA Otey
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Well, technically it went right as it was intended, but I’m sure the owner wasn’t too happy about losing all those pigs. But you know, for the kingdom, and Jesus owns everything.

Someone I know posted a few random clickbait titles as to spur interest in reading the bible. I think it’s a great idea. It’s very Babylon Bee -esque. Anyway, here’s the bible verse to read for that.

They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.
The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled. — Mk 5:1-20

Roundabouts vs. Four-Way Stops: A Safer Choice

~ SA Otey
4-way stop becomes a roundabout to a complete way stop.

I’m pretty excited that America has embraced roundabouts (aka, the circle of yield). However, many surrounding community members are not as pleased as I am. Some people just want it to stay the same or completely remove all the traffic signs from the intersection.

The thing is, people already treat four-way stops like roundabouts, but with less space. Rarely do you see someone completely stop at the white line? They roll up to the intersection (or just before it) and perform a synchronization of wheel rotation with the other automobiles to cease moving. A roundabout will help because it will give you more space to execute your California roll.

Roundabouts will also eliminate the need for someone to direct traffic from other lanes. It’s difficult to wave someone through while they are semi-circulating. It will also stop head-on collisions from people who are finishing up a TikTok or Facebook update about how bad traffic is. It’s difficult to speed through a roundabout, but not impossible. I’m sure someone will revert to childhood memories and try to “Dukeboy” it over the middle. That’s why we need to build children’s playgrounds in the middle of the roundabout. That way, you will truly drive like your kids play here.

How to pick a well aged cheese.

~ SA Otey
aged cheese close up dairy product
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Apparently, I’m at the age now where I don’t care how much my bag of cheese costs. My younger self would have made a fuss over this situation and maybe my older self will do the same. But for now, I do not have time to fuss over the bag of cheese cost differential. What am I talking about? Well, let me tell you.

Story Time. I went to purchase a bag of cheese from my Walmart neighborhood market. I saw several selections of the shredded variety that caused me to seek out the best deal. Do I select the bag that has the greatest value? Do I select the most recognized name-brand bag of cheese? At first glance, the brand that has the most commercials per capita on television appeared to have the greatest value. One pound of shredded cheese in a bag for $2.58. That seemed to good to be true. Because it was.

After I scanned the bag of cheese at one of those lonely self-checkouts, I noticed the price was almost double. I had fallen prey to the oldest trick in the shredded cheese bag book. The misplaced item is on the shelf.

At this point, what do I do? Call the cashier and ask for the price it was labeled even though it was probably restocked by another customer after they found it on the bread aisle after someone else gave up their grilled cheese sandwich adventure after they discovered the potato bread was out of stock? No, I didn’t want to do that. Do I cancel my transaction and walk back over to the bagged shredded cheese aisle and find the correct item that I wanted? No, too much time. What do I do? I simply pay for this bag of cheese and enjoy it when I get home.

Like a well-aged cheese, time is valuable and should not be wasted. Enjoy your cheese, whichever you choose.

Save some money and do it yourself, and put it in glass containers

Essential Tips for Safe Crosswalk Usage

~ SA Otey
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Who needs crosswalks?

Look for cars – Don’t assume we see you, if you are coming from a blind spot (say behind a bush or multi-passenger van) then you need to make sure a car is not already in the crosswalk. Don’t sprint out there in front of us.

Use the crosswalk – It’s there for your safety, it’s a clear path for you to make it safely to the other side while I’m trying to finish this blog post on WordPress mobile.

Walk in a straight line –Don’t walk diagonally from the lot to the door, again use the crosswalk it’s a great guideline.

Don’t dilly dally – I have frozen chicken in the trunk and we would prefer it was roasting on the grill and not near my spare tire.

Don’t text – your Facebook update or text message can wait until you are safely on the sidewalk.

Don’t stop – now is not the time to impress your girlfriend by showing that you have the right away and shout and throw your cigarette at my car.

Remember just because the law says you have the right of way doesn’t mean that you can walk like a zombie into oncoming traffic.

ref: https://scdps.sc.gov/pedestriansafety

As a pedestrian, you must:

  • Follow any and all traffic control devices (ex: lights and signals)
  • Follow any and all local regulations.
  • Yield to traffic before crossing when there is not a crosswalk.
  • Follow the directions of any crossing signs or control devices.
  • Stay on the sidewalk if one is present.
    • If no sidewalk is present, you must walk on the shoulder of the roadway.
  • Avoid freeways.
  • Walk as near as possible to the outside edge of the roadway.
    • If you are on a two-way roadway, walk only on the left side of the roadway when neither a sidewalk nor a shoulder are available.
  • Do not stand in the roadway.
  • Yield to emergency vehicles.
  • Stay off the roadway if you are dangerously intoxicated.
  • Stay off of bridges or railways where signals are present to warn off traffic.

Coolest rides at Disney’s Magic Kingdom

~ SA Otey
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When I say coolest rides, I mean rides that you can sit down and cool off. These are not necessarily fun rides but rides when you need a  break from the heat and crowds and want to relax a bit. Here are my go-to rides that have relatively low wait-to-ride ratios.

Carousel of Progress

Large air-conditioned theater, low lights, and a nice view of the evolution of technology for the upper-middle-class family. I have noticed that people will get up in the middle of the ride and exit, which will prompt the PA announcer to bellow out hateful instructions to park their can in the seat. But this is my go-to ride on when I’m exhausted, it’s the most comfortable.

Haunted Mansion

Again, cold and dark, but a bit funky smelling. One portion of the ride even reclines so that you can stretch out a bit. Very relaxing until that hitchhiker at the end removes your noggin.

People Mover

It’s air-conditioned the old-fashioned way, wind! Pretty comfortable and they will let you stay on if it’s not to busy. Sit back, put your feet up, and don’t forget to WOOO! when you enter Space Mountain.

Hall of Presidents

Another great show with some history, ignore the massive revisionist history. Just enjoy the show and the people booing Barack Obama and Donald Trump robots.

Disney World Railroad

Best if you ride in the evening and get some more of that wind air conditioning. You can ride as long as you like and it makes a nice alternative to walking from Frontier Land to Main Street at the end of the day.