# August Disgust (Monthly Mini-Rants) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 1, 2024, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094 "2024-08-01T06:26:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2024, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094/141 "2024-08-19T19:06:14Z")
So today, right before leaving for a vacation, I saw in the Post Office informed delivery email that there was a letter from the IRS on the way. Damn, I really don’t need the hassle right now. The letter arrived this afternoon. The IRS recalculated my taxes, and will be sending a $146 refund soon. So that worked out ok. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2024, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094/142 "2024-08-19T20:52:58Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Actually, the boat is a present for our dogs. They are really into boating. That’s so cute! Here’s a couple of canine sailors we met while cruising Georgian Bay. Not a very good picture, unfortunately. You can clearly see the black Lab on the deck; less visible is his sibling, a yellow Lab in the cockpit right at the very back of the boat, looking out over the water. The dogs sailed with them everywhere! [![](https://i.imgur.com/IyvDNfX.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/IyvDNfX.jpeg) Here’s ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2024, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094/143 "2024-08-19T21:24:45Z")
I went to the dentist today for a routine cleaning. It was also time for my X-rays. Then the dentist tells me that there are signs of possible bacterial infection under a crown, which means it will need to be removed and probably replaced. So I figure that we need to schedule another appointment. No, before we can do that they need to get a pre-authorization from my dental insurer, which could take up to three weeks. Presumably this will be partially covered, but until the pre-auth comes in they can’t give me a figure for what my share of the cost will be. Oh, and the dentist now charges a 3% fee for credit card payments. There’s no fee if I use a debit card; however, my debit card is for my checking account and I only keep enough money in it to cover known upcoming expenses. This means that I’ll have to transfer money into the checking account once I know how much the procedure will cost. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2024, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094/144 "2024-08-19T22:42:39Z")
Not a rant. Actually, an anti-rant, but where else can I post trivia like this? I rarely eat junk food any more but I was in the vicinity of my usual Burger King today and had a hankering for a Whopper. So I ordered my usual, Whopper with cheese combo and Coke Zero. The voice on the other end of the drive-thru seemed unusually crisp and competent. When I got home, the burger seemed more tightly well-wrapped than usual. When unwrapped, it presented the perfect picture of a well-assembled Whopper, as if it had been done for a TV commercial. You normally only get burgers like this in fantasy TV commercials, not real life. I consumed my lunch with the uncanny feeling that I was living in a TV commercial. I guess they’d had some turnover, possibly fired some staff, and hired new staff who, perhaps fresh from training, were enthused about their jobs. I’m not complaining! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2024, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094/145 "2024-08-19T23:25:22Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I consumed my lunch with the uncanny feeling that I was living in a TV commercial. I guess they’d had some turnover, possibly fired some staff, and hired new staff who, perhaps fresh from training, were enthused about their jobs. I’m not complaining! 😃 I was gonna say… They probably haven’t been there long enough to become totally jaded and have their souls crushed. ---
**Author:** ![Dogginit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogginit/32/16920_2.png) [@Dogginit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogginit)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2024, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094/146 "2024-08-20T00:42:44Z")
Was probably assembled by AI/robots. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2024, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094/147 "2024-08-20T01:10:26Z")
Too bad you drove through. If you’d gone inside, you’d have seen them dancing. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2024, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094/148 "2024-08-20T03:49:58Z")
Well, I’ll throw in a little fast food rant. Yesterday I drove through Hardee’s to get a chocolate milkshake. It came to $5.15. I gave the guy a ten and he handed me back $4.15. I checked the receipt to make sure I had heard the price right. I got his attention and told him he only gave me 15 cents and it should have been 85 cents. He then gave me a quarter and 2 dimes. I said this was still not 85 cents. He opened his hand and gave me the quarter he already had there. Dude was still trying to cheat me out of the last quarter. ::shaking my head:: ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2024, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094/149 "2024-08-20T04:56:36Z")
> [@aurora\_maire](#): > > He opened his hand and gave me the quarter he already had there. Dude was still trying to cheat me out of the last quarter. You check the accuracy of a cashier by counting the till afterward. If the receipt said you get $4.85 back and $4.85 was removed from the till, then everything seems fine. If he pockets some of it and a customer never brings it up because they don’t pay attention and don’t bother to check afterward, nobody will know. I bet he does it constantly and gets away with it. If his conscience ever makes a peep, he can probably rationalize that it’s less than people make who get tips. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2024, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094/150 "2024-08-20T11:39:51Z")
But did you hold it in the approved fast food commercial two-handed hamburger grip? If not, you failed your secret audition - no commercial acting job for you! ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2024, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094/151 "2024-08-20T16:37:28Z")
Don’t forget to stare in awe at the burger, holding it right in front of your face. Then take a huge bite, and before chewing, widen your eyes in shock at how amazing it is. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2024, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094/152 "2024-08-20T17:23:57Z")
> [@Bookkeeper](#): > > But did you hold it in the approved fast food commercial two-handed hamburger grip? Of course I did! It was a Whopper! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LoneRhino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lonerhino/32/1311_2.png) [@LoneRhino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LoneRhino)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2024, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094/153 "2024-08-20T22:28:28Z")
I ordered a replacement part for my wheelchair and they had a tip option in the checkout. Tipping culture has officially gone too far. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2024, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094/154 "2024-08-20T22:34:16Z")
I called Xfinity customer support. I’m sure the first agent I got was not quite fluent enough in English to understand what I was saying. The second agent understood me, advised me of possible complications, and quickly did exactly what I needed. My mini rant is that the number 1-800-xfinity is not found anywhere on their website. Clicking the support tab brings up a collection of e-mail addresses, online chats, searchable articles and helpful AI’s but nowhere does it mention you can just pick up a phone. I Googled 1-800-xfinity on a hunch and found that the phone number was still active. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094/155 "2024-08-21T00:36:04Z")
> [@LoneRhino](#): > > Tipping culture has officially gone too far. And you shouldn’t combine tipping with wheelchairs! That’s dangerous!!! ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094/156 "2024-08-21T11:41:53Z")
I was watering my outdoor plants last night and I must have disturbed a wasp nest! I fought them off with my hose sprayer, but I still got stung three times. Fucking yellow jackets were fierce! Assholes. I’m not allergic, thank goodness. I got my hands wet and put baking soda on the stings. It was the only thing I could think of! It seemed to work, and the burning/itching stopped within a half hour. It’s been years, if not decades since I’ve been stung by a wasp or bee. I don’t recommend it. 🐝 ---
**Author:** ![slalexan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@slalexan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slalexan)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094/157 "2024-08-21T15:39:56Z")
I got my nexplanon replaced yesterday. They had to take the old one out and had a beast of a time. I am bruised today and my arm feels like it’s the size of a watermelon with how tender it is (it is not swollen, I am just realizing how much it touches thing when I move). It hurts and I feel like a baby. Getting it placed in the first place did not hurt this bad! ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094/158 "2024-08-21T18:03:01Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > I was watering my outdoor plants last night and I must have disturbed a wasp nest! I fought them off with my hose sprayer, but I still got stung three times. Fucking yellow jackets were fierce! Assholes. I’m not allergic, thank goodness. Man, I hate those fucking things! I’m so sorry you suffered the stings, and you did the right thing with the baking soda treatment. I employ a pest control service almost solely to make sure to keep wasps’ nests knocked back through the summer, because I live near water with a lot of trees and they love to build their nests in such places. I’ve been stung enough times that my sting reactions are getting much worse, and I live too rural to quickly access medical care should I ever suffer a anaphylactic shock. (I do keep an Epi pen handy.) Mowing the lawn starting in mid July is always fraught with peril until the bastards die out after the first hard frosts, usually November. I leave them alone unless they’re either a paper nest or in the ground near the house. I just finished mowing – lucked out! But I hate worrying about it! I’m glad your stings are rare. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094/159 "2024-08-21T23:24:07Z")
Ugh, I’m sorry to hear that! I have a year left on mine and it hurt like a bitch when it got placed. I had horrible bruising too. I’m not sure if I’m going to get another one; I may be looking at a hysterectomy before that. ---
**Author:** ![slalexan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@slalexan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slalexan)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094/160 "2024-08-21T23:36:47Z")
I’m hoping my husband will get the snip before I have to address this again. If not, then I’m getting my tubes tied. That will be worse but it’ll at least be only one time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-disgust-monthly-mini-rants/1005094.md?page=9)