Author: SA Otey

Software Engineer

Is It Time to Cook at Home Instead?

~ SA Otey

Slow Service

No one is paying attention to seat you, and when you do get seated it takes awhile for wait staff to come get your drink order because they are…

Short Staffed

Very few want to serve food to other people. Why would anyone if they can just as easily drive it to your house or apartment and leave it on your doorstep? If you do happen to sit down and order something they will come back a few minutes later to tell you they are out of something because of…

Food Shortages

This happens when warehouses catch on fire, planes crash into factories, or someone gets too much pesticide on the crops. Not to mention the cost of fuel not making the deliveries worth the effort.

Indifferent wait staff

When your order finally comes, and it’s wrong it’s not going to get any better. The best you can hope for is a free item or credit back to your bill if there is someone in charge.

Food quality

Even fast food has come to the point where you can make it better at home. It’s not even convenient anymore with the long drive-through lines.

Just stay home and learn to cook with an air fryer, instant pot, and a few skillets, you are better off that way.

Effective Workflow Management in Git Branching

~ SA Otey

🧩 Branch Roles & Responsibilities

1. DEV Branch

  • Purpose: Active development, feature integration, and bug fixes.
  • Best Practices:
    • Developers work in feature branches off DEV.
    • Use pull requests with code reviews before merging.
    • Keep DEV stable enough for integration testing.
    • Rebase or merge MAIN into DEV regularly to stay up-to-date.

2. QA Branch

  • Purpose: Integration testing and bug fixing in a controlled environment.
  • Best Practices:
    • QA is updated from DEV when a sprint or feature set is ready.
    • Bug fixes found in QA should be made in hotfix branches, then merged into both QA and DEV.
    • Avoid direct commits to QA unless absolutely necessary.
    • Tag builds for traceability.

3. UAT Branch

  • Purpose: Final validation by business stakeholders.
  • Best Practices:
    • UAT is updated from QA after successful QA testing.
    • Only critical fixes should be allowed here, ideally via hotfix branches.
    • Keep UAT clean and stable for business sign-off.

4. MAIN (or PROD) Branch

  • Purpose: Production-ready code.
  • Best Practices:
    • Only merge into MAIN from UAT after approval.
    • Use release tags and maintain a changelog.
    • Protect MAIN with branch policies (e.g., no direct commits, required reviews).
    • Consider using release branches if multiple versions are supported.

✅ Additional Tips

  • Automation: Use CI/CD pipelines to automate testing and deployments between branches.
  • Branch Naming: Use consistent naming like feature/login, hotfix/qa-bug-123, release/v1.2.0.
  • Documentation: Maintain a branching policy document for your team.
  • Communication: Ensure everyone understands the flow and responsibilities.

How to use a public restroom

~ SA Otey
I’m so lonely

Whenever I’m on the road and see a travel center, they seem to tout the cleanliness of their restrooms. You will see a glowing red sign which reads “Clean Restrooms”.  As it turns out, it’s actually a notification that the restrooms are in need of attention. It seems like everyone is following the same rules when using a public restroom.

  1. If there is no toilet paper use the paper towels, use extra as to clog the toilet.
  2. Don’t pick up any paper products from the floor, even if you dropped them. Gross
  3. Never flush the toilet, even if you have to pile on. Who knows how many people touched that handle before you. This will encourage the owners to upgrade to autoflush. What are we living in, medieval times?
  4. Don’t lift the seat, even with your shoes. If you have to B-1 Bomb it, make sure you lay a few paper towels in the water as a landing pad.
  5. Don’t bother washing your hands, the door handle will just defile them
  6. It’s not your job to wipe down the sink, what are doing near the sink anyway?
  7. If you must wash your hands and they don’t have a Dyson Airblade, now is a good time to practice free throws into rubbish receptacles. Don’t forget rule #2.

One day, I hope to live in a world where everything is automated.

Is Sirius XM worth the money?

~ SA Otey

After about a month, Sirius XM gets old and repeaty. I took a trip to the grocery store and heard the long version of the Humpty Dance on Rock the Bells Classic Hip Hop. Once I got tired of the endless loop, I flipped over to 90s on 9 where the Humpty Dance was just beginning. Also, you can only hear Downtown Julie Brown so many times.

You will get your three-month preview whenever you get a new car, but that’s as far as you should go. One time, I made the mistake of getting the 6-month extension for $29 ($36 after fees), so I was stuck hearing Humpty Hump for a few more months. By the way, Sirius XM doesn’t work well if there are trees around or you pull into a gas station. The signal will go out because you need a line of sight to the satellite.  Once your free trial is up I suggest Apple Music if you are an iPhone user. That way, you can put Humpty on repeat to your heart’s desire.

Leave a comment below.

~ SA Otey

At what point do you abandon the idea of leaving a comment? I give up when I see the thread bypass a half dozen. At that point, the probability is high that your comment will get steamrolled by someone’s “superior” opinion. It’s simply not worth the time or effort to debate so that you can prove that you are right. But really, we are more concerned with proving someone wrong in those debates, am I correct? I’m probably wrong, and I’m sure you will debate me on that.

However, It’s quite horrifying (maybe entertaining) to read through a comment chain once it gets over one hundred. You really see the broad spectrum of people’s beliefs and opinions.

How to ruin your coffee experience

~ SA Otey
Stale Makers

The only thing worse than buying ground coffee is grinding it yourself in the store. Coffee begins to go stale in two minutes after grinding, so you are actually wasting your time to make your coffee worse. Not only that but you are mingling your beans with somebody who just chewed up 20 pounds of Folgers in these worn-out gears. Buy a good burr grinder for your home countertop. Grind just what you need for your preferred brewing method and store the beans in an air tight container

Recommended Items

Bodum 34oz Bistro Gooseneck Electric Water Kettle, Pour Over Coffee & Tea, Brushed Stainless Steel
KitchenAid Burr Coffee Grinder
Bodum 12oz Brazil French Press Coffee Maker, High-Heat Borosilicate Glass, Black – Made in Portugal

1LB Patented Airtight Multi-use Vacuum Works as Smell Proof Ground Coffee Bean Containers.

Blocking pop-ups from magazines…

~ SA Otey

IMG_2873It sounds like a contradictory non-sensible statement but I’m talking about the little card that flies out of a magazine when you thumb through the pages. These are the equivalent of pop-up ads on websites. Now that add blockers are basically useless you have to go back to print media to get your news, but now you have to deal with Geico shoving a card within each page.

Whenever I get a new magazine, which is rare these days. I will take it directly to the garbage can with the widest opening. I shake the magazine until all the cards fall out and then enjoy the magazine as it was intended. You know, a few articles and embedded ads.

Understanding FIFO vs LIFO in Queues

~ SA Otey

Typically humans will form a queue if there are multiple registers open. The term first in first out (or FIFO) comes to mind. However, there are people who subscribe to the LIFO life (Last in first out). LIFO is our natural inclination, we are self-centered creatures and have our own interests in mind. So when someone bypasses the established queue, simply give them a reminder they’re not the only person in the store or on the planet.

For instance, I was checking out at a sporting goods store and approached the register. At first, I thought the checkout was empty until I saw the queue of four people waiting for the first available cashier. I took my place in the queue. As my turn approached a person jumped in front of me and began to place their items on the counter. The cashier said nothing. A person behind me said passive aggressively “Some people don’t know where the line starts”.  I approached and politely informed the lady that the line started (I pointed in the direction of the 5 people behind me). She said something like “she didn’t see the line”. I replied, “Yeah, it’s right over there”.

A queue makes sense if you are in a busy store that’s understaffed. It’s the faster way to check out. The only problem is the person who starts the queue has to enforce it for the second person who arrives. You have to space yourself at just the right position between both registers. It helps the register be within close proximity.

If you don’t have the option to ship something to your house or buy online and pick it up in-store then you should reconsider shopping at that establishment.

Hand scooped ice cream.

~ SA Otey


I’m not sure about you, but I prefer “scoop” scooped ice cream. Not a fan of someone sticking their hands into the ice cream containers and placing a glob on the top of my cone. This applies equally to hand-spun milkshakes. Why would anyone want someone to stick their dirty digit into a cup of ice cream and milk and shake it? No thanks.

How to Properly Season a Cast Iron Skillet

~ SA Otey

To season a cast iron skillet, thoroughly wash and dry it, then apply a very thin, even layer of a neutral oil like vegetable oil or shortening to the entire pan. Place the oiled skillet upside down in a preheated oven at 450°F for one hour, then allow it to cool in the oven. For a new or stripped pan, repeat this process several times to build a strong, non-stick surface.  

Detailed Steps:

  1. Wash & Dry: Wash the skillet with warm, soapy water and dry it thoroughly to prevent rust. 
  2. Apply Oil: Rub a very thin layer of a neutral oil, such as canola, vegetable, or melted shortening, over the entire skillet, including the inside, outside, and handle. 
  3. Buff Off Excess Oil: Use a clean paper towel to buff the oil completely off the pan. You want a microscopic layer, not a greasy one. 
  4. Heat in Oven: Place the skillet upside down on the center rack of a preheated oven set to 450°F. 
  5. Bake: Bake the skillet for one hour. 
  6. Cool: Turn the oven off and let the skillet cool completely inside the oven. 
  7. Repeat: For an unseasoned or stripped pan, repeat the entire process three to four times to build a durable seasoning. 

Maintaining Your Seasoning:

  • Regular Use: The best way to maintain the seasoning is to use the skillet regularly. 
  • Clean and Re-oil: After each use, rinse the skillet and apply a quick, thin layer of oil before storing it.