Author: SA Otey

Software Engineer

Do you let your 8 year old smoke?

~ SA Otey

8yearoldSmoker

Just thought it was odd when I was renewing my policy during open enrollment for Blue Cross Blue Shield. Can’t believe it’s an option, but I’m sure if you clicked next on the signup wizard you would be denied coverage and reported to DSS. At least, that’s what should happen.

A side note, I got a letter from South Carolina Blues saying that there are cheaper options than I currently have. There was also a slam about our “current administration” in there too. But the shocking thing is I compared the two plans and one of them was $300 cheaper for the EXACT same coverage. Let that be a warning to you. Go check out your open enrollment options, don’t let your same policy roll over. You could be paying more than you should.

How to get free coffee at Disney resorts

~ SA Otey


I once stayed at the Swan and Dolphin Resort inside Walt Disney World during a company retreat. It’s a really nice hotel and something I wouldn’t choose to stay at normally. The cafes and restaurants are out of this world expensive so I can see why someone would want to float the bill to another guest. I had a large purchase on my room ticket and it turned out to be $28 worth of food at the Java bar. I at first thought it was an in-room charge for using the Starbucks coffee pods.

When I checked in, their credit card machine was down. So they used one of those carbon-copy machines to do an imprint. I’m shocked those things still exist. I assumed someone found my card and went caffeine crazy. To my dismay, all someone had to do was write down a room number to charge it. You should have to at least verify the name or show some I.D. This hotel went retro with the credit and mistakes were made. The good thing is they gave me my money back, but the guy in accounting didn’t act like he believed me. I said I have a digital trail that shows I was in Hollywood Studios during the time of purchase. But their tone from him was “Yeah, sure”. Oh well, at least someone got free coffee overpriced coffee.

How to screen your calls the right way.

~ SA Otey

Caller ID has made our lives so much easier. It’s hard to imagine a time when we had to lift a receiver, listen to a voice, and decide to hang up. Today, we are just a button click away from avoiding a call. We see a contact we know will take at least half an hour away from our lives, and we can silently click to voicemail. However,  don’t send the call directly to voicemail. Let the phone ring to completion. If you double-click your iPhone, they will know you’ve purposefully avoided the call. If you are using the toilet, you can send a custom text message as a reply saying you will call them back. There is no sense in interrupting your Disney eMoji Blitz game in the middle of a movement.

How do you handle unknown callers? My general rule is this. If you don’t recognize a number, send it directly to voicemail; if the call is important, they will leave a message for you. If they don’t, add it to the block list. Mine is currently over one thousand numbers.

Zero wait time at Magic Kingdom?

~ SA Otey

Can you guess which ride? No, it’s not the auto-flush toilet. Even those have a wait time. On a side note, you should probably add Genie Plus Lightning Lane to the toilet bowl near Pecos Bill’s after you eat two pounds of beef nachos. It’s tough to find zero wait times, but it’s possible. Just a tip, if you ever see a 13-minute wait time on Haunted Mansion or Tower of Terror, there’s no wait.

How to hide your birthday on Facebook

~ SA Otey

Nobody remembers your birthday. Maybe your immediate family, and sometimes that even gets speed bumps and potholes on memory lane. So when you see someone on Facebook saying “Thanks for all the birthday wishes”, it’s not because they have a plethora of friends with fantastic memories; it’s because of automation.

I typically try to hide the fact that it’s my birthday. When I was on Facebook, I blocked people from posting on my page. I also hid my birthdate in my settings. It’s mostly so I can see who really remembers. One year, I thought I had it disabled the setting, because I got a few messages from people whom I would expect. But then the birthday well-wishes started flooding in.

Facebook is perfect for remembering people’s birthdays and guilt-tripping you the next day for forgetting to wish someone a happy birthday. But let’s not forget that the main purpose of Facebook is to engage in religious and political rants, so you have no friends left to wish you a happy birthday.

How to:

about

Find your birth date and click the lock.

lock

Enjoy your loneliness!

Ice to drink ratio

~ SA Otey

Do you ask for no ice, extra ice, or light ice? If you don’t ask you will get a drinking vessel filled with ice and about one gulp of fluid ounces. I ask for no ice because fountain drinks are usually cold and I like full-throttle carbonation for maximum belching power.

Hey, Quick Question…

~ SA Otey
questions answers signage
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Don’t you love it when someone asks, “Hey, quick question for you”. Yes, the question is always quick, but the answer and the amount of work involved are always exponentially longer. After a few quick questions, you find yourself digging a hole with a backhoe, but filling it back in with a teaspoon.

The sun finds a way in

~ SA Otey

Sun visors are basically useless. They used to be great for storing CDs in one of those billfold contraptions. They contain a mirror so you can check your hair, teeth, and eyeballs while you are driving before you wreck and scatter them all over the road. They are useless for blocking the sun’s rays into your eye sockets. Cars used to have extenders that would allow extra coverage.  However, the sun will find a way to fit between your visor and mirror. It’s even better if the sun flickers because of the tree line, causing a massive headache, nausea, and motion sickness. Time to invent a transition-tinted windshield.

Tuckvisor Blackout Sun Visor Sunshade Extender for Car Window Windshield Sun Shade Anti-Glare Car Sun Visor Protects from Sun Glare, Snow Blindness, UV Rays…

Why you should live in a tiny house

~ SA Otey

In the past, when you heard of people living in mobile homes, you’d think they had the freedom to move where and whenever they wanted. Not true, the person was stationary, even to the point of installing brick as as trailer skirt.

Today, people are living in real mobile homes and sheds on wheels. It’s the cool thing to do, not because lack of cash, but choosing a minimal lifestyle. I’m not sure what is driving the craze of living small. Is it because their parents paid for it? Is it because they didn’t want to go to college and want to live on a small salary? Or is it ego fueled and counter cultural? You know, like having a bunch of dogs instead of children, covering your body with tattoos and piercings while living in a shed and pooping in a bucket. Didn’t the uni-bomber do that? Kids theses days…

Super Simple Sunday Sausage Gravy

~ SA Otey

It doesn’t have to be difficult. Well, it can be if you decide to scratch make your own biscuits from flour you’ve harvested and milk you’ve pulled from the cow. You can also raise your own pigs and grow your own herbs, invest in a meat grinder and create your own sausage. That’s pretty much how the description goes for any Food Network show that creates this dish. Not worth the effort. Here’s a quick fix.

  1. Cook as many Pillsbury Grand buttermilk biscuits as you desire
  2. A roll of Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage, brown it, don’t overcook it
  3. Cover the browned sausage with 1/4 cup of flour
  4. Pour in 2 cups of whole milk over the floury sausage
  5. Add some salt and pepper
  6. Let it get thick and bubbly
  7. Cut the biscuits in half and pour over the sausage gravy.
  8. Eat it
  9. Or you can put it all in a Vitamix blender with a bit of extra milk and have a Sausage Gravy Shake.