# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/41 "2022-12-03T00:42:54Z")
> [@adhemar](#): > > I pit CVS pharmacies. I have a number of prescriptions, I prefer to have them filled all at once. That doesn’t work however as CVS randomly puts various ones on auto refill. Or they don’t have in stock and there is a delay in getting the refill in. Auto refill or not they often take a week or more to refill after the date I run out. I cant request early as they have it locked so you cant based on when they last refilled it. Well, that answers the question of whether to ditch Walgreens (also awful) for CVS. I take a stimulant medication they won’t fill until two days before I need it. There is always a delay. And I always go through withdrawal for one or several days while they get their shit together. Every. Fucking. Month. Then there was the vaginal ring. Because it was prescribed continuously, I needed it every three weeks. So every three fucking weeks I had to request an early refill explaining that I need my medication now. They will only fill that one the literal day I need it. What the fuck do they think I’m doing, handing them out on street corners? I finally just broke down and got the year-long one, but I’m sure I’m going to have a field day trying to get my refill nine months from now. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/42 "2022-12-03T01:57:01Z")
“In a world where John Cusack has three beautiful sisters who beat on him mercilessly every time his back is turned because he’s shopping on the computer…” \< Noise from his computer \> "I want my tax and shipping fees…! I want my tax and shipping fees…! I want my tax and shipping fees…! " ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/43 "2022-12-03T02:07:16Z")
A bus comes to our building and picks us up for church. Theres at most, 7 of us, as a resident invited us. Its a great church. One of the men who goes, from our building, ( as they pick a few others up from elsewhere) is not fun. Hes 80, rude, and many do not enjoy the ride because of him. He says this person we know is kookoo, he wants to punch someone, I gave a bag of cookies I got at church to another resident, who innocently mentioned, Suntan gave me these, and he said loudly, She didn’t give Me any! Hes also been heard once yelling a racist word at a family across the street…I don’t know what good he thinks church is doing, he doesn’t act like a christian. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/44 "2022-12-03T03:22:33Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Well, that answers the question of whether to ditch Walgreens (also awful) for CVS. > > I take a stimulant medication they won’t fill until two days before I need it. There is always a delay. And I always go through withdrawal for one or several days while they get their shit together. Every. Fucking. Month. I’ve had my best experience with locally owned pharmacies that aren’t chains. Though Walmart is the next best. They will text you to see if you want a refill, and it comes in at the right time. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/45 "2022-12-03T12:39:11Z")
Effing Truist Bank 🤬 Last year we refinanced our mortgage with Security Federal Bank, just prior to rate hikes. They instantly sold it to SunTrust, who was in the process of being swallowed up by Truist. A nuisance, mostly because I have a separate beef with Truist that’s not part of this tale, but which just adds to all this. So I got a notice of an escrow update and our new mortgage payment. Usually it changes a bit, up or down, nothing horrible, at most I think has been $50 in all the years we’ve owned property. Truist told me my payment was going up by **$518.69** This arrived in my email while we were out of town, and I couldn’t really do much investigating - I just stewed over it. Well, now I’m home and have done a very brief bit of research. Truist is estimating my new property tax payments at $3400+ . Last year we paid $1,097.85. THIS YEAR’S TAX BILL is listed at $1,095.90. I hope to hell we qualify for paying our own tax and insurance and not needing escrow. I want as little to do with this damned bank as possible, and I’d go through the hassle of refi again to get away from them if the rates hadn’t gotten so much higher. Apparently they actually have Saturday hours for calls. I will be on the phone at 9:00:30, with a firm grip on my temper. 😡 ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/46 "2022-12-03T12:55:19Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Mrs. Cheesesteak, having some issues with eczema, has finally gotten a prescription to help with the problem. It’s a cream, in a regular toothpaste style tube. Before getting the prescription filled, I check my insurance website (Cigna!) for the cost and it’s $387. For one tube of cream. > > After I pick my eyes up off the floor, I decide to check GoodRx and they have a “coupon” that drops the price to $150. > > Now, the rant here isn’t inherently about the high cost of medication, though I’m sure it’s less expensive elsewhere, it’s why is Cigna’s price more than twice the GoodRx price? My employer pays thousands of dollars a year to Cigna to keep me enrolled, and I can get a huge price reduction by downloading a free coupon. Hell, my pharmacist offered me the coupon when I called about picking up the prescription, I didn’t even have to download it myself. > > Cigna has millions of members, many billions of dollars in revenue, and they can’t (or refuse to) negotiate a better price for their paying customers on a generic drug than a place that gives away coupons to anyone who asks. And it’s not even close. Have you tried Mark Cuban’s online drug company, [CostPlus](https://costplusdrugs.com/)? Their aim is to reduce drug costs by bypassing insurance companies. I think that, at least for now, they only have generic drugs. It’s worth a look. mmm ---
**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 3, 2022, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/47 "2022-12-03T17:42:02Z")
FWIW, CVS was / is flawless for all my current fairly ordinary meds. Back when my cancerous now-deceased first wife was on Fentanyl patches they had no problems keeping us supplied. That was pre-COVID but post- the Great Fentanyl Crisis. Bottom line: your CVS problems may be local. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/48 "2022-12-03T18:06:36Z")
My ex had bought me some nice sneakers (all I wear) last winter. I never rain protected them, but stayed out of mud; they looked good. So yesterday I’m in the grocery store, getting spagetti sauce. A member of The Committee was there, so he picked up a jar and promptly dropped it right next to me. My shoes now have splatters on them.😲 ---
**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 3, 2022, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/49 "2022-12-03T18:11:07Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > The Committee ??? Plus ?? For Discourse. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/50 "2022-12-03T18:52:26Z")
Committee is the pretend group that finds what certain people like to buy, then they stop making it. They may also likes pranks, as I found out.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/51 "2022-12-03T18:59:34Z")
Over in the MMP, we’d consider that a subset of the VCTPMO (Vast Conspiracy to Piss Me Off). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/52 "2022-12-03T19:24:42Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > some nice sneakers (all I wear) So you’re a streaker? ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/53 "2022-12-03T19:34:07Z")
No boots, or heels. ---
**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 3, 2022, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/54 "2022-12-03T19:43:03Z")
I thought my telephone appointment with my new therapist was next Saturday. It was today- that’s not my rant. She told me they were unable to verify my insurance. I called back and got a voice mail. I need therapy very badly. So after stress sleeping, I decided to watch some tv. I got just a blank grey screen. Eventually, the Channel Scan screen came on. I usually get 20 channels. This morning, I got 15. Now, afetr re scanning I get 20. But I’m missing channel 17 (one of the 5 major stations broadcast in Philly) I get 62.something PBS instead. Othe channels break up about once every ten seconds. ---
**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 3, 2022, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/55 "2022-12-03T20:23:01Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > Committee is the pretend group that finds what certain people like to buy, then they stop making it. They may also likes pranks, as I found out.😉 Ahh, I see. Thank you. A friend of mine once joked that we two should start a marketing consultancy. Some major consumer products company could do away with all their focus groups, fancy market research, etc., and instead just ask us whether we loved or hated their proposed product. For one low fee in just a minute or two they’d get their answer. If we loved it, they’d know they had a stinker on their hands they should cancel. And if we panned it, they’d know they had a sure-fire winner to greenlight ASAP for a massive profitable rollout. The name of our proposed firm? “Kiss of Death Marketing.” Our secret to such clairvoyance? Just say what we genuinely thought. We were (are?) that out of step with the rest of Consumer America. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/56 "2022-12-03T23:14:37Z")
That reminds me of a writer friend of mine giving another writer friend feedback on her novel. “I absolutely despise this. It’s sure to be a best seller.” ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2022, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/57 "2022-12-04T02:34:16Z")
Is it would be too much to ask you to put away your petty complaints about your bodily aches when visiting a family member who is under treatment for cancer? It’s your little brother, you dickwad, he has a fucking serious cancer that has blown up inside his body and you are fucking boring us with your underwhelming saga about your goddamn problems you shit stain! ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2022, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/58 "2022-12-04T20:09:31Z")
My water was barely warm enough to take a shower the last 3 days. Looks like the water heater is dying. It’s a 50-gallon gas heater, 11 years old. I’m not comfortable trying to work on it myself. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2022, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/59 "2022-12-04T20:33:28Z")
Have you ever drained sediment from it? Pretty easy to do, it might have a positive impact on things. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2022, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866/60 "2022-12-04T23:01:08Z")
A friend did it for me about 3 or 4 years ago. There wasn’t much sediment at that time. Would I have to mess around with the pilot light? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-a-claus-is-coming-to-town-december-mini-rants/975866.md?page=4)