# Rant-a Claus is coming to town! (December mini-rants) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 1, 2022, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866 "2022-12-01T17:21:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/241 "2022-12-21T02:24:20Z")
Let’s try again, shall we? > [@LurkMeister](#): > > I have been trying to get a prescription refilled for the past three weeks. The previous refills had run out That’s messed up. I’m sorry. (Insert obligatory “U.S. Medical care suxxx!” rant here.) Also, “Go 'Murrica!” cuz we’re so awesome. Eagles, and trucks, and football, and beer … oh, and the guns! Can’t go forgettin’ the guns. 'Murrica. Fuck yeah. Sorry. I haz a cranky about these things. > [@slalexan](#): > > So, now I’m completely out and I run urgently to the CVS, expecting to pick up 90 day supplies of my two prescriptions, only to find they never filled them. Why, you ask? The total was over $100. Wow, IMHO they should’ve sent an auto-text asking you to authorize the payment. Not just made you sit on your thumbs. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/242 "2022-12-21T02:26:22Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > My husband eats bell pepper raw but he eats it whole like a monster, as if he is biting into an apple. Love knows no boundaries, I guess. ---
**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:** [December 21, 2022, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/243 "2022-12-21T02:27:31Z")
I like peppers. I like onions. I like mushroooms. I want to order a pizza now. The local transit authority switched from tokens to Key Cards a few years back. The chip in my card is damaged. The web site has a ‘my card is lost or stolen’ button. but no ‘my card is damaged’ button. I don’t know how to transfer the balance on the card ($19) to a new card. I hate Septa. You’re riding Septa- BOHICA. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/244 "2022-12-21T02:28:47Z")
I got a text from CVS this morning that they had gotten the refill authorization and the prescription was ready for pickup or delivery. I put in the delivery request, and I should have it tomorrow. Now let’s see if I have any problems with the other refills I need to request next week. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/245 "2022-12-21T02:34:15Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Mushrooms are like eating slugs, no thank you. I also like escargot and oysters on the half-shell, so no problem there. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/246 "2022-12-21T02:38:54Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Let me clarify. I said I don’t hate onions. That’s true for onions that are properly cooked. If they are cooked down and caramelized, fried, or made tender, they can be delicious. I recently discovered a recipe for pörkölt (Hungarian beef and onion stew) which we’ve had twice now, and it’s delicious. I added tomatoes and okra which are not _authentic_ but make it even better. > [@](#): > > But raw onions are evil. They have their place. You’d really groove on raw garlic in some of its hotter manifestations. Chewing on a clove of one of the more lethal varieties I momentarily thought I’d pass out, but recovered. 🥵 I’m mystified by antipathy to bell peppers. The worst thing I could say about them is their blandness. You might as well curse leaf lettuce. I don’t grow bell peppers though - my preference is for elongated Japanese-style sweet peppers. The types I grow are generally non-spicy, but every once in awhile one will surprise you with a moderate amount of zing. This thread has given my an idea for a Substack article on vegetable antipathies, as a followup to one I did about idiosyncratic responses to fragrant plants. ---
**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:** [December 21, 2022, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/247 "2022-12-21T02:41:13Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > You might as well curse leaf lettuce I despise lettuce. ---
**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:** [December 21, 2022, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/248 "2022-12-21T03:08:17Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > A neighbor had previously mentioned that she had access to a shelter that she was willing to put on my deck, but we’re afraid that it will be taken over by the raccoons that have been coming around at night (which is why I don’t leave food out overnight). How big is the shelter? If it will only hold one or two cats snuggly, the raccoons are too big to get in it. I have seen raccoons on the porch and even when the they were babies, they never tried to get in the shelters. They like to den together during the day and they don’t want to be around humans. If it is a much bigger shelter, you could alter the opening so it’s cat sized. The openings on mine are about 6" x 6". Put in some straw and I bet the cat will love it. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/249 "2022-12-21T05:20:05Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > I’m mystified by antipathy to bell peppers. In my case they give me literal gastric distress. And eventually gas that will peel paint off walls. But if you want to enjoy a Philly cheese steak and hotel room afterwords, I’ll put up with the discomfort. (Not responsible for unplanned gastric regurgitation) ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/250 "2022-12-21T14:15:09Z")
I am Team Anti-Pepper, for the record. But I’m here to lodge a complaint: it’s winter in Michigan. There’s half a foot of snow on the ground … so why did I wake up scratching a FUCKING GODDAMN BUG BITE that’s all itchy and swollen already??? Looks like a mosquito bite … if it’s fleas, though, I’m gonna … imma … { _dissolves into incoherent fit_ } ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/251 "2022-12-21T14:35:04Z")
Down here the bugs retreat indoors when the outside temp is uncomfortable for them. I bet yours do too. 😉 ---
**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:** [December 21, 2022, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/252 "2022-12-21T17:23:14Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > But I’m here to lodge a complaint: it’s winter in Michigan. There’s half a foot of snow on the ground … so why did I wake up scratching a FUCKING GODDAMN BUG BITE that’s all itchy and swollen already??? Not a doctor, but there have been times when I thought I had an insect bite but it is implausible for me to be bitten. I believe a lot of what we assume to be an insect bite is an acute allergic reaction or maybe even some kind of dermatitis. I will usually take an antihistamine either way though, because that works to alleviate insect bites _and_ other allergic reactions. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/253 "2022-12-21T20:21:33Z")
I will need to ask her about the size of the shelter and its opening - I haven’t actually seen it. When I found the raccoons eating the food I’d left out they were pretty big, so I can’t see them fitting through a 6" x 6" opening. Plus, if the shelter is on my deck (as opposed to underneath it) it would be exposed to my living room, so while they might have been willing to come up there for odd they might not want to nest there. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/254 "2022-12-21T23:26:29Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Mushrooms are like eating slugs, no thank you. I’ll take yours. Unless they are canned. Once I discovered that my biggest problems with food were about texture, I got over them and even started enjoying the texture. Some things I can’t get over: fish that look like fish, skin on fish, escargot (which I used to like, go figure) and kidneys. The texture of kidneys makes me gag. Fish has always been a phobia, though I’ve been able to eat some of it in disguise. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/255 "2022-12-22T01:23:41Z")
Over the summer, I started getting little itchy bumps on my ankles and feet (and sometimes my lower arms) while at work. I later found out that there was some kind of bug infestation…but no one knew for sure what kind. A few visits from an exterminator seemed to take care of the problem. ---
**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:** [December 22, 2022, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/256 "2022-12-22T01:46:44Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > Fish has always been a phobia, though I’ve been able to eat some of it in disguise. I’ll take the salmon please. Now, where did I put my dining domino mask… ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/257 "2022-12-22T01:51:06Z")
I eat basically any standard foodstuff…you have to get pretty extreme to put me off (dog meat, casu marzu etc). Definitely no issue with any fruit or veg, including durian. Didn’t realize it was my superpower until now. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/258 "2022-12-22T04:48:23Z")
my wife recovered from Covid , I however now I have it ( and fully vaxed , I guess I was a not as careful as I should have been around her) . I am now banished to my home office to sleep and live as daughter and other son are home from collage and no one wants them sick Kind of feel like the boy in the bubble talking to them through the glass paned doors of the office. Not feeling bad just snotty nose, mild fever and sore throat so should be good in a couple of days ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/259 "2022-12-22T22:45:49Z")
I have been unemployed for a long time, money is non-existent and I am at risk of losing my home (some here know my current travails) so today I had an appointment at the local foodshelf. I was excited to get one in before the holidays because my cupboard is pretty damn bare except for carrots and onions. I arrived to discover the foodshelf is closed due to the weather. Serious deflation inside. Yes, the windchill was about -20F with a blizzard warning due to start this evening. And their volunteers work outside to fill our cars with food. So I get it. But damn! So I used the $20 I had set aside to buy gas to visit the family on Christmas Eve. I’m making split pea soup. Have a warm and tasty holiday everyone. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2022, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/260 "2022-12-23T06:33:53Z")
I’m a California transplant to Portland (Oregon) since July. I just successfully drove through my first ice storm to get to work. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866.md?page=14)