Recurring Annoyances

There are a lot of things that fall under my general heading of "recurring annoyances." One of them is Girl Scout Cookies ... you never realize how many young women sell Girl Scout Cookies until - generally between January and April - you are besieged by wave after wave of earnest young ladies (and their parents, grandparents, and boosters) beseeching you to buy Thin Mints*, Samoas, or whatever.

Another recurring annoyance is the tsunami of televised advertisements for extended auto warranties, which accompany the unending, year-round barrage of robocalls hawking the same thing. Probably the most annoying thing about the robocalls is that each one claims to have made multiple attempts to reach me (true) and that this is my final opportunity to sign up (false). The number of TV ads seems to have declined slightly of late, probably to allow upgrades to the technology of annoyance, but the well-staffed call centers in India and Pakistan are still standing by.

The current recurring annoyance is the proliferation of advertisements for Medicare Part C ("Medicare Advantage") plans that explodes each year between October and December. These are health care plans for senior citizens that cover all the things basic Medicare (Parts A and B) doesn't** ... they run a minimum of six times an hour all day long, often back-to-back, and urge you to call to receive "everything you deserve." Of course, "everything you deserve" is what is covered in Parts A and B ... Parts C and D are "everything you're willing to pay extra for." If you choose one of these plans, be sure it covers eye exams and glasses, because you'll need them to read all the fine print in the ads.

Oh, and lest we forget ... the never-ending landslide of ads targeting anyone who was ever within 500 miles of Camp Lejune between 25 BCE and a future date to be determined later. While many people stationed at this North Carolina Marine Corps base have legitimate reasons to seek compensation for health problems caused by contaminated water, lawyers have flocked from as far away as Outer Mongolia to cash in on the lawsuit bonanza, running numbers of TV ads matched only by those hawking legal remedies for mesothelioma***. And although those ads tell you that "you may be eligible for compensation," so are the lawyers ... and they get paid first****.

I'm not even going to mention the endless annoyance of having to listen to the whiny, grating sound of Der Furor's voice.

What are the things that annoy you? Leave a comment, and let's get annoyed together.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* I have to admit that I like Thin Mints, although my waistline does not.

** Well, not all the things ... you need to read the squintingly fine print to sort of know.

*** How about that earnest, grandmotherly lady who pleads with you to "order the free book, and receive so much more," while her serious-looking husband looks on gravely?

**** How else are they going to pay for all that expensive air time? And yachts? And big houses?